Many of you know that I love, love, love Twitter! One of the many great things about Twitter is the conversation and dialogue that you can have with pretty much anyone around the world. It’s pretty amazing to think about. I post all of my blog posts to Twitter in hopes to spark conversation about …

In day to day interactions with people I’ve come to find that many do not know what a chamber of commerce is or what a chamber of commerce does. I’m noticing that I may just live in a bubble where I make assumptions that everyone just knows what a chamber of commerce is because I …

In this post I want to talk about personalizing your marketing. I want you to take a moment and think about what type of marketing you are doing in your business. Go grab a piece of paper or open up a blank document and write down your top 5 ways you are marketing your products …

I grew up in a small town where diversity was scarce, really scarce. I’m not sure how or when being inclusive of everyone became such a part of who I was but I remember as early as 11 being inclusive regardless of race or religion specifically in my very non-diverse town. I remember during the …

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/epi-73-gay-business-marketing-hrc-corporate-equality-index-replay-of-episode-53.mp3Podcast: Play in new windowSubscribe: RSS Hey all – this episode is a re-airing of episode 53, so if you already heard episode 53, come back for a new episode in episode 74! In today’s episode I cover a few topics. The first is I answer a listener question about what to do when you …

Welcome to part 4 of 7 of the “The 7 Deadly Sins of Ineffective LGBT Communications.” This entire series is based around the idea that I believe 98% of miscommunication blunders occur for one of 7 reasons, which I’ve dubbed the 7 deadly sins. We’ve already covered 1. Assumptions 2. Stereotypes and 3. Inappropriate Questions. In …

So here is part 3 of 7 in the 7 part series titled: “The 7 Deadly Sins of Ineffective LGBT Communications.” I first introduced to you the idea that I believe 98% of miscommunication blunders occur for one of 7 reasons, which I’ve dubbed the 7 deadly sins. As a reminder – here are the …

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/episode_71_Simple-tactics-for-reaching-LGBT-consumers.mp3Podcast: Play in new windowSubscribe: RSSThank you for listening to episode 71 of the podcast. On my last podcast I was able to answer a question from a reader and it was nice to get back to that type of podcast! I decided this week I would get to a few more questions I’ve received …

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/Episode_70_An-open-letter-from-a-self-admitted-homophobe.mp3Podcast: Play in new windowSubscribe: RSSThanks for listening to episode #70 of the podcast. Today’s episode of the podcast isn’t an interview, it’s a response to an email I received from a reader. It’s been a few months since I’ve spent a podcast just talking to you, my audience, so it was nice to get …

Welcome to part 1 of the 7 part series titled: “The 7 Deadly Sins of Ineffective LGBT Communications.” Previously I introduced you to the concept that I believe 98% of miscommunication blunders occur for one of 7 reasons, which I’ve dubbed the 7 deadly sins. I truly believe that most people come from a place …

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/episode_69_Melissa-Ferrick-Rock-Folk-Singer.mp3Podcast: Play in new windowSubscribe: RSS Thanks for listening to episode #69 of the podcast. Today’s guest, Melissa Ferrick, is a master of many trades – an acclaimed performing artist (currently listed as #20 of the top 50 women in indie music), a record label owner as well as a professor at Berklee College of …

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/Ann-Townsend-Interview-epi-66.mp3Podcast: Play in new windowSubscribe: RSS Thanks for listening to episode #66 of the podcast. Today’s episode is with Ann Townsend, author of LGBTQ: Outing My Christianity. She is also an advocate for LGBTQ youth with Hands Across the Pond. She also shares a few secret projects she is working on and how you can get involved. I hope …

If you’ve been living under a rock this past week, have I got good news for you – this past Friday (June 26th – also my birthday!), the Supreme Court ruled by a 5-4 vote that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage. Finally–this ruling makes same-sex marriage a right nationwide! The repercussions of marriage equality will …

If you have found this blog post then it means we have at least one thing in common; you are looking into marketing to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and I am the one who can help teach you what you need to know. This blog contains all sorts of information on …

In January 2013 I wrote a blog post about Jodie Foster coming out in her acceptance speech honoring her for lifetime achievement at the Golden Globes (read that post here). At the 2013 Golden Globes there very well may have been other important milestones for LGBT people but my central focus was on Jodie Foster’s …

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/epi-50-gay-business-marketing-why-know-like-trust-is-important-for-lgbt-people.mp3Podcast: Play in new windowSubscribe: RSSToday’s episode of the Gay Business & Marketing Made Easy Podcast covers the topic of knowing, liking and trusting someone. A recent plumbing snafu in my house made me realize how important this and even further how important it is for someone within the LGBT community. My experience can help …

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/episode-48-gay-business-and-marketing-made-easy-diversity-and-business-opportunities.mp3Podcast: Play in new windowSubscribe: RSS Today’s podcast addresses specifically how to be an ally to a community you are not necessarily a part of. I train LGBT allies on a daily basis and successfully I might add. 😉 But I had an epiphany recently. How does one enter the world of being an ally …

Does your business have any kind of form(s) that you require your customers to fill out? Maybe your products or services serve both children and adults? Maybe you own a medical practice? Or the local martial arts studio? Regardless of what kind of business you own or where you work, I want you to stop …

  I have two kids so the phrase crank pot comes up often in my house. A crank pot meaning someone who’s just cranky about something in general. In this post I want to point out a crank pot who reached out during my book launch. I have a very large network of people, which I …

During a meeting I was talking about pride parades and made a comment about rainbows. One of the people I was sitting with said “I had no idea rainbows are a sign of gay pride.” It never occurred to me that people wouldn’t know that rainbows were a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) …

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/gbm_ep39-NGLCC-recap-and-Burger-King-Case-Study-8-7-2014.mp3Podcast: Play in new windowSubscribe: RSS Below are the items mentioned in this episode of the podcast. Where’s the Beef in Burger King’s ‘Proud Whopper’ Campaign? How Burger King Recently Brought Out The Intolerance Of Facebook Christians (Video) Three (3) critical mistakes you don’t want to say in a crowd of LGBT people… Listen to …

At this point you’ve heard me talk about my 2nd book (available on Amazon), “No, wait… You do look gay! The 7 Mistakes Preventing You from Selling to the LGBT Market.” During my book launch I had the wonderful opportunity to provide copies of the book to many loyal followers at the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce …

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/gbm-ep-38-interview-with-stacy-7-21-2014.mp3Podcast: Play in new windowSubscribe: RSS In this new podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing a close friend and colleague on the show. I lovingly refer to her as an operational genius, but you can just call her Stacy (Morataya-Pilkington). This interview covers many topics and her retail experience as an LGBT shopper will …

In the blog post titled “Internally Communicating LGBT Marketing Strategies to your Employees” we covered a few critical areas. We touched upon the topics of external perception versus internal perception, we discussed the value of employee resource groups (ERGs) within your organization and I also demonstrated a real life example of an ERG’s value. But …

Today is April 15th. It is the dreaded tax day for many. Fortunately I am not scrambling and did my taxes months ago but I know this is top of mind for many people. It is likely top of mind for many LGBT couples, as it is the first time many of us can file …

A few years back I was in a Facebook conversation with a friend about the ridiculous nature of Arizona’s Senate Bill 1062. I was so intrigued by her comments that I told her to head over to my Facebook page and post there so we could get the conversation going with other people too! I promised I would …

Were you one of the 111.3 million viewers who watched the 2014 Super Bowl? According to Nielsen this was the most-watched U.S. TV telecast of all time. I watched it, like many, just for the commercials. Did you see the gay couple in the Coca-Cola “America the Beautiful” Super Bowl ad? If not, I’m not …

A prior year’s Grammys performance sparked this blog post about something I had already been aware of, but was reinforced strongly during that performance – our LGBT allies are under appreciated.  Thousands of people blogged about that performance a few years ago- this post isn’t like the others. Honestly, some LGBT folks are probably going to be angry …

In previous blog posts I’ve discussed the two critical factors in effective LGBT marketing – the fact that you need to be authentic and be transparent. I explained that to have a truly successful LGBT marketing campaign you must embrace both of these core principles because LGBT consumers are savvy. They know what you are …

This past year has been a good year for LGBT equality. As with anything there is still so much more work to be done, but this year was something I am proud to have witnessed occur. You can see the shift in consciousness happening, in the United States. However, there is more work to be …

Tis’ the holiday season for many of us! I understand that not everyone celebrates Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa or any other holiday pertinent to your specific culture, but I think it is generally safe to assume that this time of year, we are all in the holiday season – whatever that means to you. Most of …

This is another post where I get my ‘geek on’. I have a love hate relationship with numbers. I am notorious for transposing numbers when I am trying to dial a phone, seriously it’s painful to watch. However, I have a love for numbers and statistics especially when they are so strong and powerful and tell …

If you are a long time reader of this blog, or perhaps you’ve just found my site, either way you’ll understand real quick that I am a Dork – with a capital D. So each year when the Human Rights Campaign releases their  Corporate Equality Index scores I am like a kid in a candy store! …

This post is part 2 of a 3 part series that explores the reason why you are interested in marketing to the LGBT community. In part 1 I gave you a few things to think about and even provided a worksheet to help you through the process. You can go back and see part 1 and get …

In November 2013 we received word that the LGBT buying power in the United States has grown, again. This was no surprise as it continues to grow year after year. I’m happy to report to you that the buying power of America’s LGBT adult population was approximately $830 billion in 2013. That was up from the $790 billion in 2012. This …

The past few years have been years of creation for me. I’ve written and published 2 books, which you can find here, and I created a series of online products to help you master your communications and marketing skills when working with the LGBT community. During this process I had a fabulous conversation which brought to …

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/Episode_023_WhatIAmThankfulFor-HappyThanksgiving.mp3Podcast: Play in new windowSubscribe: RSSHave a listen to episode #23 of the Gay Business & Marketing Made Easy podcast! Today is a shorter episode than usual as I just want to talk for a few minutes about what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving. I wish you all a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving weekend! …

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/GBM_Episode_022_JoanneSprague-FriendFactor.mp3Podcast: Play in new windowSubscribe: RSSHave a listen to episode #22 of the Gay Business & Marketing Made Easy podcast! You’ll hear the story of Joanne Sprague, the Re-Founder & CEO of Friendfactor the “LGBT Rights Organization for Straight Friends.” Listen to the podcast, and sign up to participate in the Workplace Ally Challenge Joanne …

I grew up in a small town where diversity was scarce, really scarce. I’m not sure how or when being inclusive of everyone became such a part of who I was but I remember as early as 11 being inclusive regardless of race or religion specifically in my very non-diverse town. I remember during the …

I’m a firm believer that the phrase “those people” should be banned from your vocabulary regardless of what group of people you are talking about. But since my blog is focused on the LGBT community we will talk about “those people” today. Did you see what I did there? All sarcasm aside the phrase “those …

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/GBM_Episode_021_Jodi-Savitz.mp3Podcast: Play in new windowSubscribe: RSSHave a listen to episode #21 of the Gay Business & Marketing Made Easy podcast! You’ll hear the story of filmmaker, Jodi Savitz. You’ll hear her story as an invisible feminine lesbian and her current documentary project, “Girl on Girl.” Below are the items mentioned in this episode of the …

This question comes from a conversation I was having with a friend in San Francisco. I was in the Bay Area working on a client project and while I was at lunch one day we got to talking about the differences of the city and the suburbs. I think I live in the epitome of the quintessential …

This post comes from a phone call I received – a Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) from a Fortune 500 that I have worked with in the past gave me a call and asked me, “Do you know of any good places to purchase LGBT stock photography?” I sighed and said “Unfortunately there just doesn’t seem to be …

A while back I was having lunch with a friend and colleague and we were talking about LGBT media; things like newspapers, websites and magazines. We were discussing how there are pockets across the country that are just blatantly lacking access to LGBT media outlets. In several of my prior marketing related blog posts I talk about …

It seems like forever ago that I wrote a blog talking about the ‘Gay Lifestyle.’ In that post I boldly exclaimed ‘There is no such thing as a gay lifestyle!” I stand by that statement but feel the need to elaborate. There is no such thing as a gay lifestyle because by saying lifestyle you …

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/GBM_Episode_013.mp3Podcast: Play in new windowSubscribe: RSS In this episode of the Gay Business & Marketing Made Easy Podcast we talk about the implications DOMA, ENDA and Prop 8 all have on your marketing efforts within your business. Marriage Equality is here for many so you’ll learn how to adapt your marketing efforts to position you …

A few years back there was a lot of buzz around the Supreme Court’s repeal of Section 3 of DOMA, the media was atwitter with acronyms and buzzwords that left even some in the LGBT community scratching their heads. To save you the time of researching each one, I’ll explain to you the three common phrases that were …

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/GBM_060413_SamMcClure.mp3Podcast: Play in new windowSubscribe: RSSExpert Interview with Sam McClure of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Washington D.C. Links mentioned in the show: National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) NGLCC National Business & Leadership Conference But You Don’t Look Gay… Green Eggs & Ham Oh, the Places You’ll Go! https://twitter.com/SamNGLCC …

I want to talk a bit about the power of social media for getting your message out, whether it is intentional or unintentional. Social media can be a very powerful business tool if harnessed correctly. If used incorrectly it can be incredibly damaging to your business.  I want to share two very different examples of how …

Have you heard the phrase “Non-Traditional Family” when being marketed or sold to? Perhaps you have and haven’t noticed or perhaps you have and you cringe when you hear that phrase? Either way we are going to talk about the Non-Traditional Family today. This is an area of interest to me because for my undergraduate …

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/GBM_Episode010_Justin_Nelson_NGLCC.mp3Podcast: Play in new windowSubscribe: RSSListen to Justin Nelson, co-founder of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), share valuable insights on business and equality. I had a chance to talk with him and get his inspiring answers to the set of questions below. Listen to this podcast to hear it all. To …

I spent time in the gayborhood in Dallas, Texas. When I mentioned I was in the gayborhood it prompted a few people asking me what exactly that meant. Here is how Wikipedia defines a gay village; “A gay village (also known as a gay neighborhood, LGBT district, gay district, or gayborhood) is a geographical area …

Years ago the hot topic of the moment was the Supreme Court hearing oral arguments in the Proposition 8 case which challenged California’s ban on same-sex marriage and the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) case. I was personally hooked on MSNBC specifically watching Rachel Maddow. There was plenty of talk around moral issues and social issues as …

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/GBM_Episode006_YNews_Laura_Davis.mp3Podcast: Play in new windowSubscribe: RSSI had a chance to sit down with Laura Davis of Yahoo! News recently and ask her a series of questions around same sex marriage, Proposition 8 and the economic impact of the LGBT wedding industry. Below are the questions I asked her. Hit the play button above or head …

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http://traffic.libsyn.com/jenntgrace/GBM_Episode004_Expert-Interview-JBC.mp3Podcast: Play in new windowSubscribe: RSS I had a chance to sit down with Jennifer Brown recently and ask her a series of thought provoking questions. She gave us honest and thought provoking answers in return. We catch a glimpse into her world as an entrepreneur in the diversity and inclusion space. Below are the …

So what is the Pronoun Game? I was pleasantly surprised to see Wikipedia had a definition – “‘Playing the pronoun game’ is the act of concealing sexual orientation in conversation by not using a gender-specific pronoun for a partner or a lover, which would reveal the sexual orientation of the person speaking. Lesbian, gay, and …

Marketing to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community requires a plan. Positioning yourself as the go-to person for the community in regards to business transactions requires a strategy and a plan as well. You have to be logical in your approach. You can’t just put a rainbow sticker in your storefront and hope …

In day to day interactions with people I’ve come to find that many do not know what a chamber of commerce is or what a chamber of commerce does. I’m noticing that I may just live in a bubble where I make assumptions that everyone just knows what a chamber of commerce is because I …

I’ve had the pleasure of receiving an advanced copy of The Collection: Short Fiction from the Transgender Vanguard. I’ve really been meaning to put together a glowing and raving review of this book for over a month but there never seem to be enough hours in the day. To really sum it up this book …

Back in 2012, when I met with my mastermind group to discuss the release of my podcast (a.k.a. an online radio show), the primary topic of discussion was around what should I name my show. Out of the 4 people in the group, 3 are allies and 1 is LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender), …

This post stems from a recent conversation I was having where the person I was speaking with said the word transgendered then paused and said out loud “Is transgendered the right word?” Have you ever found yourself thinking about how a word sounds? Let’s use lesbian for example. The more you say it the stranger the …

This website came to be after I found myself answering LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) related questions from a variety of friends of mine. Since I consider myself a Professional Lesbian TM (educating people around LGBT topics is what I do every day) I’m often the first place friends come to when they have a question …

This question comes from a friend who is a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and has encountered a similar situation a couple of times when treating her lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) patients. To best understand the situation she provided me with a document from the Rhode Island Department of Health. It is a simple …

This question comes from a colleague who runs the full service staffing firm 925Hire. 925Hire is unique because they focus exclusively on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. An awesome niche to serve (I may be biased)! She saw this conundrum in a recent staffing magazine and wanted to hear my thoughts. “I …

Diversity is en-grained in everything that I do. I stand for equality and believe in and promote diversity every chance I get. I believe in buying products from companies who support diversity as a whole but specifically those who support LGBT equality. Because of this I swear by the Human Rights Campaign’s, Buying Guide. The …

As an out and proud ‘professional lesbian’ (yes I do refer to myself as such when people ask what it is that I do), I find that I am often the voice of reason for setting examples in the LGBT community. I had an encounter in Chilli’s, a popular chain restaurant, last week that made …

My story begins in 2005 when a project, at my then employer, lead me to this thing called the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) Business Movement. For the longest time I had heard people talking about the LGBT equality movement but not as it relates to business. This is a journey I have been …