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.

Joe Reyes

So much goes into creating the right conditions for an inclusive workplace. As a leader of a team, I dedicate my work to guiding each individual I manage in realizing the depths of their true potential. Establishing group intelligence takes time and practice but once its effects are realized the team can work as one unit. In our competitive world of beverage sales, a team always beats a group of individuals. Read more>>

Anntonette Jones

The beauty industry for a long time has been an industry of inclusivity and diversity. However, ten years ago when I entered the niche brow industry I would often hear that I swas first person of color or specfically black person they had seen work in the industry. When I opened my business in 2015. I would not post my face on social media or marketing matrials in hopes that people would come to see me and my talent before they could judge. I also noticed that my clientele lacked diversity and opent times POC were more comfortable continuig to go to nail and hair salons and threading kiosks for their brow services. I wanted to create a comfortable enviornement where ethicity was not associated with talent. Read more>>

Willie Giles

This has been a hot topic for Picture Perfect, Me and my team have gone to great lengths to create and maintain an inclusive environment. As a person of color in this industry, I found that I was one of the only minorities in the room starting out. Many times you hear about the hardships that come with being a minority, but that wasn’t exactly my story, so I try to make sure I am holding the door open for others. Read more>>

Julia Armet

My passion for creating inclusive remote workplaces grew out of a need for community. When I was 25, I began building a remote team of independent contractors for a scaling technology company. As the Director of Community, I realized that to create loyalty in a gig economy, professionals had to feel a sense of connectedness to their work. Despite team members being geographically separate and highly autonomous, I began inviting them to come together in weekly virtual spaces. Read more>>

Ashley Moore

At seven years old, I was in an automobile accident that left me paralyzed from the neck down and dependent on a ventilator 24/7. Using great determination, I graduated high school on time with honors. I chose passion over practicality when I decided to get my Bachelor’s degree in Film and Master’s in Creative Writing from Full Sail University. A conviction to prove my ability to create quality material led me to work on as many projects as my fellow alumni without any special treatment for my physical disability. Read more>>

Alexandria Grado

there are so many beliefs behind each generation especially with covid/quality of life and also in a majority women industry and i am breaking down barriers and conditioned beliefs based on those few things creating an inclusive work environment Read more>>