One of the most powerful things about being a business owner is the ability to create a work environment according to your own principles. So many of us have worked within a company or organization and been disappointed by the way things were run, the way team members were treated. So, we wanted to ask some fantastic business owners and operators how they’ve gone about creating a more inclusive workplace.

 Shay Williamson

As a queer woman in business ownership I have experienced more than enough exclusivity personally. I have spent the last decade trying to mitigate that for my own businesses and to ensure that not only are we treating all employees ( and clients) fairly; but we are creating space for those who may fit into a marginalized community. My advice to anyone who is looking to do this is to go out of your way to to seek these marginalized communities out, Read more>>

Alexiz Coggins

It is very important to try to create an open and safe environment within the workplace. I believe that all starts with ownership. If you as an owner display proper ethics and a willingness to be open and inclusive it can then also change the perceptions of the employees as well as the customers. Inclusivity should be viewed as more of a culture than just an objective thing. One thing i have done with my storefront is I have made it a LGBTQ safe place and I hope I have been doing a good job of fulfilling that, not only for myself but for others in the community as well. Read more>>

Layla Luna

The Just Bee story starts with Rio, Layla Luna’s son. Over the years, Layla continued to find herself in difficult situations when people did not know how to respond to Rio, who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at the age of two. Read more>>