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.

Maria Taylor

Speaking from experience, companies need to hire diverse talent. Representation matters. The most recent surge in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts shed light on an ongoing divide, however the underlying barrier continues to be access, resources, and adequate training. Read more>>

Erica Steinhouse

I think there are so many things the wedding industry can do differently to make it more inclusive. Language is a HUGE one. Using inclusive language on your social media platforms and website really shows how inclusive you are in the wedding industry. Some examples would be asking for couples pronouns, stop using using exclusive wording like “bride” and “groom”. But just showing you are inclusive goes along way in letting couples know you are accepting to them, having LGBTQIA+ couples in your portfolio. Having POC in your portfolio. I believe if you’re in the industry of love, you should be accepting to all forms of love, PERIOD! Moments that really pushed me to show inclusivity is when I was seeing before my eyes couples getting turned away from other wedding vendors because of their sexual orientation. I think that’s extremely messed up. Seeing that before my eyes, makes me incredibly sad but I know I can be the person to accept them with open arms. Letting them know I am a safe space for them, but there are also several other wedding vendors that accept them the way they are! That’s how it should be. Read more>>

Meghan Cabra

I’ve worked at salons where there was definitely a sense of being unwelcome to anyone outside of the straight cis norm. My goal everyday for my place of business (now that I’m self employed and own my own small business) is to be a place where no matter who you are, you always feel comfortable and able to express your individuality. Being apart of the LGBTQ+ community, it’s important to me that things as simple as pronouns being normalized when booking an appointment is encouraged and welcomed. I want every client that comes into my suite, to feel like they’re already at home and that they have nothing to worry about when it comes to being themselves. Read more>>

Laura Signore

Our salon is not just a salon, but a lgbtq+ safe space. Our salons mission is to promote gender equality and inclusivity, lgbtq+ inclusivity, and strive to make the world beautiful through self love internally and externally. When I first opened the salon back in 2021, I started it off with an idea. Southwest Michigan salons rarely “get political” with their audience. Lilith’s was not going to be just another salon. Our staff is all apart of the lgbtq+ community and over half are trans. Our clientele are all walks of life, lgbtq+ or an ally. With the staff I’ve hired and the clients who frequent our space, it’s really turned my little idea into a fully functioning queer hub in downtown Grand Rapids. We do shows for pole performers, drag performers, and burlesque performers 3 times a year as well as host many nonprofit drives. For example, one of our drives is currently to get warm items for the houseless community of Grand Rapids. Activism drives our salon. Read more>>

Simba Nguyen

I think we have all worked in a place we were not so comfortable at one point in our lives. For me, my last shop was a fun place to work but owned by people who did not care for its employees. We may be tattooers but we are also artists and my old bosses made me feel like a copying machine. They cared so much about how much money we brought in rather than the artistry itself. We decided to open our studio to create a safe space for not only our clients but us as tattooers. Regardless of race, s*x, age, etc., our goal is to make people feel comfortable, seen, and heard. The experience is just as important, if not more, than the tattoo itself. I take great pride in being a POC, female tattooer. I am also proud to say that a majority of the tattooers in our shop are also POC and females. In a male dominated industry, I’d say us ladies are killing it. Read more>>