Long maligned by comedians for our fashion sense, TomboyX founders Fran Dunaway and Naomi Gonzalez know lesbians have a style all our own. That’s why they created the comfy, chic and totally unique TomboyX collection, designed to fit the eclectic, rough-around-the-edges lesbian aesthetic.

What do you do and why?

We saw a need for a clothing line that recognizes the white space between menswear and women’s wear. We were tired of frilly, patterned clothing made for 20-year-olds. One day Naomi asked me, “How hard can it be to start a clothing line?” Ha!

What did you do before you started your company?

I am a partner in a media strategies firm and produce political ads for democrats and campaigns nationwide. Naomi is a sports massage therapist and was on staff for the U.S. Women’s Olympic Soccer team when they won gold in Athens.

What’s the single most important piece of advice you received when first starting your company? What would you tell a young entrepreneur in turn?

My dear friend Sue sent me a Goethe quote that I printed and put on the wall. The condensed version is: “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

What aspect of business ownership came as the biggest surprise to you?

The challenges associated with raising money.

What do you find most rewarding about owning your own business?

Having had an idea, then implementing plans with Naomi. We are partners in business and in life. We became financees (I like to say Beyonce because she put a ring on it) a few months ago and are still going strong. There is no way we could have come this far without the other being part of it. This is an all consuming endeavor. At least, I get to spend all this time working with someone I love and respect so much.

Where do you see yourself / your company in five years?

To be an internationally recognized brand that women feel represents the proactive, confident and courageous parts of themselves. We want to have a full line of clothing for women of all sizes, of varying backgrounds and varying levels of tomboyishness. We want women to feel seen and recognized by a brand that represents their independent spirit.

What resources would you recommend to someone who is contemplating starting her own business?

Perseverance. Courage. Determination. A solid, well-thought out business plan, mentors in the business you’re seeking to get into and three to six months of financial reserves in the bank. Also, don’t quit your day job. Plug away until you reach success. And a rich aunt wouldn’t be a bad thing either.

What obstacles did you face in establishing your company and how did you overcome them?

We didn’t have any fashion experience so we just jumped in. Today, we know so much more than we did two years ago. I’m a big believer in informational meetings. I ask a lot of questions. So every time we got to the next chapter in the book “Fashion for Dummies,” we’d find someone with pertinent experience and set up a meeting. We’ve had some incredibly generous people offer guidance and advice every step of the way. We brought on advisors in a more formal capacity who we could rely on for ideas, encouragement and suggestions. I think we’ve tried to remain open to all recommendations, but at the same time have kept true to our personal vision.

Is there anything we didn’t ask you about that you’d like to share with our readers?

I think that sometimes it’s challenging for people who aren’t trying to run a small business to realize that reaching a vision takes time and baby steps. We often hear from people about expanded sizes, more styles and cheaper prices. Of course, we want to get there, but we had to start somewhere. Despite what it might look like, we really are three women working on this for no salary, out of a garage. It takes most small businesses three to five years to hit profitability, so the most that our community can do is support small businesses and understand that we are listening and we care, but give us time to get there. We don’t have the funding of a big brand. We’re working hard to stake a claim in a fashion industry that has ignored us for too damn long. So help us show them that we are a force to be reckoned with and wear TomboyX with pride.

Follow these fabulous fashionistas on Facebook and Twitter.

The post Enterprising Women: Fran and Naomi, TomboyX first appeared on Lesbian.com.

What do you do and why?
I’m the Founder and CEO of MyUmbrella, which is a mobile app that acts as a safe platform aimed at marginalized members of the LGBTQ+ community to connect and share stories about navigating the journey of living openly and authentically in their relationships, families and friendships on a larger scale than any other social networking platform currently available.

I started the company due to the combination of fear I felt post-election and the frustration of seeing LGBTQ spaces dominated by white men. The community is wonderfully diverse and deserves to be represented and connected outside of the bar/club scene.

What did you do before you started your company?
I obtained land approvals for residential and commercial development projects. I went to undergrad for architecture and went on to receive a master’s degree in real estate development.

What’s the single most important piece of advice you received when first starting your company? What would you tell a young entrepreneur in turn?
Don’t punk out. When it gets hard, don’t punk out.

I still consider myself a young entrepreneur, but if I had to give advice it would be to imagine what you could accomplish if you removed all barriers and what that would feel like. Then tell yourself the story of how you got to that point. Then work your way backwards until you can get to actionable items that you can start to tackle.

What aspect of business ownership came as the biggest surprise to you?
The amount of emotional management it requires. It’s like being on a roller coaster day to day and at times hour to hour. It’s important to be as even keeled as possible and save your energy for the big fires.

What do you find most rewarding about owning your own business?
The most rewarding thing is stopping to see how far you’ve come from when it was just a simple thought to seeing your ideas come to life right before your eyes.

Where do you see yourself and your company in five years?
In 5 years I hope to have built a truly supportive community across the world. I would love to have a robust series of workshops, retreats and events. A big dream of mine would be to have a mentor program similar to the Big Brother/Sister programs.

What resources would you recommend to someone who is contemplating starting her own business?
Listening to “How I Built This” from NPR is a good zen moment for me. Hearing how large companies started from humble beginnings is inspiring and gives me hope. Also, read read read books on business strategy from subject matter experts.

What would you say is the single most important key to sustaining a business long term?
Perseverance.

What obstacles did you face in establishing your company and how did you overcome them?
Belief in myself was the biggest hurdle. Finding my north star, my why, was the push forward I needed.

Is there anything we didn’t ask you about that you’d like to share with our readers?
I want people to know that my goal is to bring a sense of community and comfort to those that need it most. I wish I had this growing up. It’s the struggles and trauma I experienced related to my orientation that gets me out of bed in the morning. So long as those memories persist, I will never stop fighting.

Learn more about MyUmbrella on Facebook and Twitter, or download it on Apple or Android.

The post Enterprising Women: Angelic Williams first appeared on Lesbian.com.

When I was 12 years old I realized I was different. I was a black boy that had a crush on a white girl. This wasn’t acceptable, at least that’s what certain family members told me. They said things like, “stick with your own kind” or “birds of the same feather flock together.” After feeling demonized for a feeling that I couldn’t control, I spent the rest of my childhood and teenage years hiding the white girls I was interested in or was dating from my family.

It didn’t feel right. I felt like I was living a lie. Every time I would find interest in another white girl, I told myself that it was just a phase. I convinced myself that one day I’d get over it and fall in love with a black girl. Although I was attracted to white girls, I wasn’t unattracted to black girls. However, I had a preference and as I got older, it became an issue that I could no longer deny.

At 25, I married a white girl. We were high school sweethearts and we’ve been happily married ever since.

As a heterosexual male, I’ve never faced the challenges that the LGBT community faces. However, I am intimately familiar with the level of shame and guilt that comes from being different. For those reasons, I’ve always felt a passion to advocate for those who are different. It’s not about black or white, gay or lesbian. It’s about freedom. Freedom to love who you want without the shame and guilt impressed upon you by society.

When I built my business, I Can Be Society, I made a decision that we would be advocates for the “others,” and we would stand proud and represent out loud who we were no matter if people felt uncomfortable or disagreed with our lifestyle.

This is why I’ve designed a line of motivational and LGBT products, because sometimes the first step to changing public perception is being public about your persona.

Take a look at our Men’s T-shirts, Women’s T-shirts, Wristbands, Hats, iPhone cases, Posters, Pillows, and Mugs.

The post Why a heterosexual male advocates for and designs apparel for the LGBT community first appeared on Lesbian.com.

In another win for equality, a federal judge recently ruled that the LGBTQ+ community is protected against housing discrimination. That means that no matter where you live in the country, no seller can refuse to sell you a home based on your sexual orientation or gender identity. Unfortunately, we live in an imperfect world, and there is no guarantee that you won’t run into prejudice at any point.

Discrimination can take various forms: a house you’ve shown interest in may disappear off the market, a seller may raise their asking price without warning or cause, or a bank may assign you extra piles of paperwork in order to apply for a loan. Keep a close eye on the process to ensure you’re receiving the same fair treatment as anyone else. Consult friends, family, and neighbors who have recently bought property, and compare your experience to theirs — sometimes, it could be that a process only seems over-complicated, but other times, you may discover you’re taking unnecessary additional steps.

Learn more at Redfin.

The post 9 Things Every LGBTQ+ Homebuyer Needs to Know first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Tonie Snell (right) and Angella Guadjaro (left)

What do you do and why?

Tonie Snell: I am a problem solver…a socially impactful entrepreneur.  I own 2 companies, 360HR– A DiversityForward talent solutions firm, committed in not only in a diverse workforce but inclusive workplaces where talent can bring their entire selves to work.  We offer talent solutions all geared toward inclusion. We help companies understand they don’t have a diversity problem, they have an inclusion problem. 

Our other company, Ayous Companies, LLC (Ayo is Joy in Yoruba) is our newly founded Tech company launching it’s first app in the Spring, OutNSocial- a social networking event app hybrid. Inspired by but different from Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, WhatsApp or Meetup… OutNSocial aims to move the conversations offline, to put the human back into connections.  Besides, imitation is not the highest form of flattery, inspiration is. 

OutNSocial addresses the fact that we are no longer a separate part of society, longing to be connected, not segregated or “closeted” in exclusive spaces but valued, accepted and respected in all the places we live, work and play.This is not to say exclusive spaces are passe, it only means that it is not the sum of us.

I started both companies because I have to do more than breathe and consume.  I have to create a better place for my 5 children, 11 grands, the spaces I live, work and play. 

What did you do before you started your company? 

Gosh, I did some of everything to stay afloat as a single mom with 5 children.  I have worked in sales, the medical field.

What’s the single most important piece of advice you received when first starting your company? What would you tell a young entrepreneur in turn?

Solve a problem, don’t do it to get rich.  Understand you can never skip the hustle.

Your wife,Angella Guajardo, is also involved in both 360HR and OutNSocial. What is it like working with your wife? How do you two keep work and play separate?

Angella works with our companies part-time and all the time if that makes sense, she’s included in everything.  Her full-time profession is in the Aviation/Aerospace industry as a planner/project planner.  The way that translates into our business – she is very spend conscious and detailed oriented.  I am big picture and just want to know the price, let’s pay and keep it moving.  

We discuss major purchases and processes all the time and if Angella doesn’t agree with the why and the how, she doesn’t pacify me.  LOL, she has “27M questions – her phrase” which keeps me questioning, which lead to better decisions. I am the dreamer, she is practical. It’s a concerted effort, major balance and candid conversations.  6 years and counting!  

What aspect of business ownership came as the biggest surprise to you?

Even when you are smart, have a great idea, execution is where all the work begins.  What do you do first?  What do you do first with a limited budget?  And there is always something else to learn.  It can be overwhelming.

What do you find most rewarding about owning your own business?

Mentoring future business owners, the chance to mellow business owners who want to create an impact.

Where do you see yourself / your company in five years? Hopes / dreams / plans?

I am so humbled to be where I am today.   A child of addicts, a high school drop-out, 5 children by age 21, a survivor of depression until I gave myself the freedom to come out.  It took me 30 years to life. I shouldn’t even be where I am… I am so high on my today that I can’t even begin to imagine the awesomeness of tomorrow.

 What resources would you recommend to someone who is contemplating starting her own business?

My first go round as a business owner with 360HR, I did everything myself, today I know how I to lean to the strengths of others.  So with OutNSocial, we used Legal Zoom, Score is still awesome, read “Play Bigger” and always educate yourself.

What would you say is the single most important key to sustaining a business long term? 

To continue to create meaning over money and solve problems.  Whatever you do, do it for people, to live better, be better, do better.

What obstacles did you face in establishing your company and how did you overcome them?

Understanding what I didn’t and don’t know and connecting with people who can fill the void and bring a different strength.  Groupthink kills…ingenuity, innovation…

For more on 360HR and OutnSocial visit http://360hr.co/ and http://www.outnsocial.com!

The post Enterprising Women: Tonie Snell, 360HR & OutNSocial first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Joanna Lohman featuring TomboyX Essential Soft Bra and 4-1/2-inch Trunks. Photo by Shena Lee

Shifting out of general apparel and focusing on underwear isn’t the only big change at TomboyX. In May 2016, they launched a brand refresh and overhauled their website with a new look and feel. “We like to say that while we are not for everybody, we are for any body. And by that we mean that we believe labels are for soup cans. We are all people and we want everyone to feel comfortable in their own skin by being unapologetic about who they are, in our underwear, of course!” said co-founder and CEO Fran Dunaway.

The new web site captures the sentiment of that message very well. TomboyX wants the customer to see themselves in the underwear. You won’t find gender-size-style specific models on the underwear pages — in fact you won’t find models at all. Instead, you’ll see images of free floating underwear, bras, t-shirts and other awesome products.

Recently, TomboyX introduced their in-house designed signature print series which includes tartan, octopus, dots, camo and more. The TomboyX blog has substantive posts about bad-ass people who are breaking down boundaries and affecting positive change in the world. Everything about the new site is inviting, inclusive and non-judgmental. It’s a refreshing and optimistic brand voice that truly speaks to everyone.

That voice is resonating with some star studded folks that took the time to rep some TomboyX gear and spread the message. That list includes activist and model Rain Dove, professional soccer player and sports diplomat Johanna Lohman and two-time International Flat Track Roller Derby Champions The Wheels of Justice, to name a few. Check out some of their bad ass photographs below.

This bad-ass lesbian start up is just getting started. Stay tuned for more great fitting innovations from this team. Use promo code LESBIAN.COM to save 15 percent when you shop through March 31, 2017.

Joanna Lohman featuring TomboyX Essential Soft Bra and 4-1/2-inch trunks. Photo by Shena Lee.

Joanna Lohman featuring TomboyX Essential Divided We Stall Tee. Photo by Shena Lee.

Scald Eagle of Wheels of Justice. Photo by Shena Lee.

Wheels of Justice features TomboyX 6-inch Stripe Underwear and X= Tees. Photo by Shena Lee.

Wheels of Justice roll with TomboyX 6-inch Stripe Underwear. Photo by Shena Lee.

The post Bad-ass underwear by TomboyX first appeared on Lesbian.com.

When I started my career 35-plus years ago, there were few business opportunities available to me in my chosen field, and even fewer that effectively tapped into the lesbian market (business owners and consumers). Plus, few organizations were around to support the particular needs and concerns of lesbian-owned businesses. Something had to be done to bring together and promote this underrepresented population.

While there are myriad resources available to the wider LGBT community, none are targeted to the lesbian business community or that help consumers or businesses easily identify lesbian-owned businesses-nor do they do so on a cost-effective basis. The seeds of The Lesbian Business Community took root and in June 2016, it launched-a vibrant business directory and community in one, designed to get our members connected, sharing ideas and building their businesses among true peers-from startups to seasoned pros. Simply put, we’re all about building your business network-in your area and across the nation-with entrepreneurs and business professionals who are all identified as lesbian or LGBT-friendly.

Rather than settle for a static business directory, we created a highly optimized platform that is interactive, interesting and full of insights geared to our audience.

Business owners listed on our directory can easily find strategic partners, vendors and potential customers; our community members will find loads of information they actually care about! Our nationwide LGBT events listings are quite comprehensive, and our compelling articles series provides timely, relevant business tips to help lesbians grow their businesses. There’s also some really cool info on LGBT lifestyle topics (Travel & Leisure, Arts & Entertainment and Life & Style). We will soon feature lesbian business writers who will share their expertise, all under our umbrella of services. This will be a first! And it’s all at LesbianBusinessCommunity.com.

The Lesbian Business Community, based in Livingston, N.J., is run by founder Janet O. Penn, a 35-year veteran of the publishing, marketing and web development industries.

The post Janet O. Penn shares spark behind her start up first appeared on Lesbian.com.

What do you do and why?
I’m owner and creator of Haus.

Tell us about Haus.
Haus matches and grades homes for consumers to:

1. Find homes based on needs and lifestyle
2. Save time while searching for homes
3. Make better decisions with transparent, easily digestible data.

Our matching algorithm curates and grades homes for consumers based on a combination of personalized community, lifestyle and home search criteria.

As a multiple-time home buyer, real estate agent and real estate broker, I was stunned to learn that there was no easy way to get a comprehensive picture on a home or a neighborhood that could help facilitate an informed home purchase decision.

Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions you make in your life and there is was way to be able to sift through the scores of homes out there without it being a full time job. I wanted to solve that problem and come up a better way to search for homes.

What did you do before you started your company?
I’ve been in real estate over 10 years. Before I started Haus, I was a top-producing real estate agent first with Keller Williams where I was a member of the Regional Agent Leadership Council, and later my own brokerage HausAngeles.

Prior to real estate, I ran the U.S. Professional Services division for a Global Software company and built a profitable, customer-centric professional services group engaged in ecommerce, enterprise and Internet marketplace/exchange implementations.

What’s the single most important piece of advice you received when first starting your company? What would you tell a young entrepreneur in turn?
‘It’s a journey,’ no wait, that was the advice I got when starting to try for kids, but it works in this case as well. For the young entrepreneurs out there: Be bold, think big, don’t overthink — getting it wrong is just part of the journey and delegate (you can’t do everything by yourself).

What do you find most rewarding about owning your own business?
The opportunity to change the existing status quo by creating a better, innovate product that simplifies people’s lives and promotes integrated living.

Where do you see yourself and your company in five years?
Ideally with Haus positioned as a market leader in its space and a great personal work life balance. We have two sets of twins under six, so the ability to spend quality time with family is extremely important.

What resources would you recommend to someone who is contemplating starting her own business?
Meet with and talk to a lot of people. Talk to people who have succeeded, are currently working on their businesses and those with failed businesses. It’s amazing how much you can learn from listening to people talk about their experiences. There is a lot of wisdom our there, prime for harvesting.

What would you say is the single most important key to sustaining a business long term?
Grit, perseverance and optimism, sprinkled with liberal amounts of realism.

What obstacles did you face in establishing your company and how did you overcome them?
Our biggest challenge was probably right out of the door when I first launched Haus back in Sept 2015. I was trying to build both the consumer and the brokerage sides of the business at the same time. Key changes in team and partners along with consumer feedback forced me to re-evaluate, and decide to focus on the consumer side of the business alone. Though a hard decision at the time, in retrospect, it turned out to be a great pivot.It really helped us focus on the part of our offering about which the consumers were most excited.

Learn more about Avantika Shahi and Haus at her website GradeMyHaus.com or on Facebook or Twitter.

The post Entrepreneur creates dream home finder, Haus first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Nancy Blaine, Founder, Local Expeditions

The sharing economy has given rise to a new generation of start-ups. Joining the fray is Nancy Blaine, a Brooklynite with a love of travel. Blaine is the founder of Local Expeditions- an “anti tour” company that will take you on tours of Brooklyn and Manhattan that will provide an authentic NYC experience. I spoke with Blaine about how she launched Local Expeditions, her vision for the future and how to turn an idea into a business.

What do you do and why?

I just started my own business after many years in publishing. It’s called Local Expeditions and is housed in the sharing economy.  The business incorporates two things I am passionate about:

1. The sharing economy which I think has great potential to be a new economic system based on fair wages for work well done. I know the economic model really comes out of the tech industry, but I also feel like it resonates from Occupy Wall Street. It’s a model that puts the lion’s share of wages directly into the hands of the—you name it—the driver, the homeowner and in the case of Local Expeditions, the local guide.  My website offers a model for a ‘local expedition,’ but people sign up to create their own adventures based on who they are and what they know.  Reviews of guides and reviews of customers regulate the business.  I feel like it is an economic model that celebrates the best in us, instead of the worst. Capitalism is essentially based on profit. Any profit-based system will lend itself to greed. Certainly this can happen in the sharing economy too—we’ve seen it already—but the model I want to emulate is one where a job well done is rewarded by good reviews and most of the income for the expedition. That is how I envision the sharing economy and how I am modeling my business.
2. Travel!  I love to travel. One of the highlights of my publishing career was consistent travel and when I am in a city that I don’t know, I am not the kind of person who wants to go where the concierge tells me to go. I always try to find someone who grew up there or has lived there for a long time to tell me where to go. On the flip side, I am just passionate about New York and especially Brooklyn.  I have been here for 32 years—20 in NYC and 12 in Brooklyn (what took me so long?). I am the kind of person who, when I see an out-of-towner, I ask them what they are up to and I offer as many suggestions as possible that are outside of Rockefeller Center, Times Square, the Empire State Building, and the Statue of Liberty. Don’t get me wrong.  Everyone should see those places once – I have.  But anyone who has lived here for a long time avoids those areas like the plague.  My new favorite passion is taking the East River Ferry from 34^th street to Dumbo and back.  $4.00 plus $1.00 for a bike and the BEST vistas of the east side skyline and Brooklyn you can imagine.  A great deal and an utterly pleasant ride.

The Manhattan Bridge

What did you do before you started your company?

I was in college publishing for 26 years. It was a wonderful career. I was an acquisitions editor in many different disciplines over that time—anthropology, social work, criminal justice, history, English and engineering.  I feel like I’ve had a lifetime of learning and that is one of the things I really love about my new business. Every day I am reading up on areas of the city, the origins of neighborhoods, their art, their architecture. It’s my own continuing education program.
What’s the single most important piece of advice you received when first starting your company? What would you tell a young entrepreneur in turn?

There were two pieces of advice that really pushed me to make the move. The first was from my accountant who encouraged me to talk to my boss about my idea and see if I could work part time while I launched the business. For some reason, I just assumed I would be told to leave automatically. In truth, since I was going into a different industry, my boss was incredibly supportive and also appreciated the overlap while he searched for a new editor. This gave me financial confidence and also allowed me to begin working on the launch instead of just trying to squeeze it into weekends when I was already exhausted from my job.

The second piece of advice was from a wise friend who knew me really, really well and asked “what is it that is stopping you from moving forward?  What is your greatest fear?”  When I described the 3:00 a.m. terror of walking away from a perfectly good career to start a business that no one is interested in and falling into a deep depression and then drinking all day and then losing my partner and sitting on my dog and killing her in a drunken stupor and losing my apartment and ending up in a refrigerator box in the park, she said to me, “I know you and that is not going to happen.”

I am a daily bicycle commuter. The advice I would give to a young entrepreneur is akin to the advice I would give to a city cyclist.  You must be confident to proceed, but you cannot be over confident. If you are not confident you will falter and the faltering will cause you risk. If you are over confident, you are at an equal or perhaps greater risk of crashing. Be confident, but be aware of your own limitations and the outright randomness of life and others. The most intelligently cautious cyclist can still have a car door opened in their path. Deep breaths. Do the next right thing. Keep on keeping on. Assume the best in people. The car door would not have opened had they known you were there. And if they are in the 1% of people who actually opened that door on purpose—ride on past. Their own karma will catch up to them.

What aspect of business ownership came as the biggest surprise to you?

So far, how much fun it is!  It is so creative in a way I never imagined. It started with a simple vision, and then I had to spin out the vision into the practical, and then I had to look at the financial possibilities and then I had to consider the risks, the regulations, the barriers, and then I had to talk to others to get feedback, and then I had to decide which advice to take and which not to take. It is all-consuming in a way that I find really interesting.

DUMBO

What do you find most rewarding about owning your own business?

I confess–I like calling the shots. As an Acquisitions Editor I called a lot of shots, but there were some that I had to “check in” on. The “checking in” usually had to do with some kind of higher corporate goal—or worse yet—higher corporate fear—legal concerns, etc. My new business has a lot of legal and insurance concerns but I like weighing the risks and employing my own values to arrive at the ultimate decision.
Where do you see yourself / your company in five years? Hopes / dreams / plans?

I would like to see Local Expeditions grow nationally and internationally for these 3 reasons:  1) It offers something that people want; 2) It is reasonably priced and; 3) It has great customer service. I have heard many, many business theorems in my years in the corporate world, but these are the three simple features that strike me as a winning business plan.

For the customer:

1. All expeditions are 2-3 hours long and led by a local who designed the jaunt
2. All expeditions are $40
3. All expeditions are 10 people maximum (to keep the experience intimate)

I also believe that it has a fair and sustainable business model for the guide:

1. Local Expeditions website gets 15% of every tour ($6.00 per person)
2. The guide offers customers a local libation of his or her choice in the amount of 10% ($4.00 per person)
3. 5% of each expedition ($2.00 person) goes to a local non-profit of the guide’s choice (10 from which they can choose)
4. The guide receives 70% of the proceeds ($28 per person x 10 = $280 per expedition)

Also, the guide gets to choose his or her own schedule on a weekly basis. This is a great opportunity for extra income or full-time income depending on how often the tour runs and fills up. I really hope to attract artists, actors, grad students, local historians, etc.  as guides. I think it is a better way to make money than waiting tables and these people are natural storytellers!

What resources would you recommend to someone who is contemplating starting her own business?

So far, I have been able to fund this business on my own via a loan. I am really only launching now, so I have no idea whether I will need to seek further financial resources but I personally don’t like to be beholden to anyone. Banks, I don’t mind. Eventually I will seek a Board for advice but not for fundraising.  I want the business to gain a profit from its own worth.

Let a Local Expeditions tour guide take you on a ferry ride!

What would you say is the single most important key to sustaining a business long term? 

This is a two pronged business:  1) Guides 2) Customers

In order to sustain a long term business we will need to be absolutely attentive to and respectful of both.  Happy guides and happy customers = success.

Also, I want to keep it simple.  I want to manage people’s expectations. They should always know what they will get from Local Expeditions and it should always be fun and simple—clear website navigation is critical.  I am not a huge fan of offering a million different things.  I want to do one thing well for a very long time. No upselling.

What obstacles did you face in establishing your company and how did you overcome them?

The biggest obstacles in any sharing economy business are municipal rules and regulations. New York City, in particular, is a highly regulated city and I am of the belief that it needs to update its Byzantine systems to meet the new economy. So far the biggest barriers I have come up against are maneuvering around and within the test for tour guides (i.e., what subway takes you from the Cloisters to the Rockaways?—who cares? Anyone can look at a map and this will never be part of a Local Expedition).  Not all cities require this and it makes my model much more complicated than it needs to be.  Also, receiving my PO Box key from the USPS was a nightmare. I am a fairly intelligent person and I had to return no fewer than three times to get my PO Box key. Why?  Every time I needed a new piece of paper that had my address on it (apparently a passport and a NYC driver’s license was not sufficient). Come on people! I don’t believe this level of absurd regulation is either necessary or sustainable and I do believe that as younger generations come up and technology improves (does the USPS know about the world wide web?) these kinds of regulations will not be tolerated.

Persistence. Especially in this town of all towns. One must be persistent.

Want to take a tour? Visit the Local Expeditions website!

The post Enterprising Women: Nancy Blaine, Local Expeditions first appeared on Lesbian.com.

To say Crista Luedtke is a renaissance woman is an understatement. She’s all over the place. She is a successful mortgage broker who runs the successful boon hotel + spa, boon eat + drink and big bottom market. The hotel, restaurant and market are all in the Northern California town of Guerneville. She works her mortgage mojo in San Francisco. She splits her time between the two, in between her travel adventures.

She took a few minutes out of her busy schedule to share the secrets of her success.

What do you do and why?
I always wanted to have my own restaurant. Growing up, my family was in the business so we grew up knowing and doing everything related to it. I couldn’t get it out of my blood. One day, I told my mom that I wanted to open my own. She said, “Are you crazy? Didn’t you learn anything? It’s a 24/7 job. Maybe you should do a BnB or something.”

What did you do before you started your company?
Prior to starting the hotel, I worked first as a regional sales manager in Biotech, then as mortgage broker at a small firm in San Francisco. In fact, I still do mortgages today for friends, past clients and their referrals. It helps keep the other side of my brain happy. I needed to hold on to the day job for the first few years until my businesses were able to cash flow more comfortably. Now, I do it because I have loyal clients I can’t turn down and it’s fun.

What’s the single most important piece of advice you received when first starting your company? What would you tell a young entrepreneur in turn?

When I first started the hotel, I interviewed several hotel owners in the area. There was a couple from England who were so helpful and supportive they said to me “the bread is in the bed.” I took it to heart. I really heard them and decided to do whatever I could to make the beds the most important feature. People are paying for a place to sleep, make it the best night ever and they will be back.

It worked. As for the restaurant scene, it was to keep it simple and use the best quality ingredients.

For young entrepreneurs, I would say talk to people in the business, but not just anyone, talk to the successful ones. Ask a lot of questions. Find out what works and what doesn’t and where to focus first.

What aspect of business ownership came as the biggest surprise to you?
I think the biggest surprise of being a business owner was how much time you dedicate to dealing with employees and employee issues. From hiring to training to firing to other people’s personal problems now becoming your own, this was definitely more than I had planned for. I feel like a therapist at times dealing with it all. It’s both a blessing and a curse to be so involved at such an level. I have about 35 employees right now. They are all like family to me. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.

What do you find most rewarding about owning your own business?
I wanted to create a spaces that people just really felt relaxed, really enjoyed being away from wherever they came from, and for them to connect with the food and the place. I see people form friendships over a meal sitting next to each other at tables or sitting around my pool. It’s so fun. It makes me so happy when I hear people “ooh” and “ahh” about the food or rave about the hotel or when locals to say that I changed the town. It feels really good and it makes me want to keep doing it day after day. It’s really rewarding seeing what I dreamed up become such a success on many levels.

Where do you see yourself / your company in five years? Hopes / dreams / plans?

I still have a few concepts of my own that I would love to open, but I actually have begun consulting with other business to help them create brands, open restaurants and hotels, etc. That’s the direction I’m heading. I love the creative start up phase and I want to do more of it.

I am working on a few concepts of my own as well in other parts of California and Mexico. I’m still undecided as to which is next, but i get anxious if I don’t have 50 balls in the air at any given time. I love to be busy.

What resources would you recommend to someone who is contemplating starting her own business?
Do your research. Get as much information as you can. Work in the industry first either as an intern, apprentice or anything. Remember, it’s your dream but it’s still work. You need to love it.

What would you say is the single most important key to sustaining a business long term?
Good employees. You can’t do it alone. Everyone who wants to be a business owner needs a strong team to support them and to keep the vision going. I am blessed with really amazing people who I hand picked or who found me because they loved the vision. It also helps to ensure that the work will continue to be fun when you are surrounded by people you like and who share your goals.

What obstacles did you face in establishing your company and how did you overcome them?
Being over budget. It’s hard to start with less working capital than you plan. I had to really scramble in the beginning. I also hit a bunch of unknowns.

Luedtke is offering Lesbian.com readers a 10 percent discount at her stunning hotel for Sunday through Thursday visits until the end of 2014. Use the code LESB2014 when calling to book.

Do you know an enterprising woman who you would like to see featured on Lesbian.com? Just drop us a line at info@lesbian.com with the name of the business, the entrepreneur and her email address and we’ll get to work on it.

The post Enterprising women: Crista Luedtke, Boon hotel + spa first appeared on Lesbian.com.