GSBA x Ventures Incubator
Hi! Ace here.
House Cosmopolitan is proud to announce that we have been accepted into the GSBA x Ventures Nonprofit Small Business Incubator for Spring 2020!
Hooray!
image via GSBA.org
So what Exactly Is the Small Business Incubator for Spring 2020?
The small business incubator is a collaboration between the Greater Seattle Business Association (the Washington state LGBTQ and Allied Business Chamber of Commerce) and Ventures Nonprofit, an organization focused on providing resources and education to entrepreneurs who through their background or income do not have access to existing support systems. As a member of this year’s spring cohort, House Cosmopolitan gets access to the following:
A free year membership in the GSBA, which includes:
Free Business Workshops
Free Entry Into Networking Events
LGBT Business Enterprise Certification
And~
Discounted Entry into the Ventures Business Basics Course, which upon completion unlocks:
Additional specialized business classes
Coaching
Workshops
Special Loan Programs
What do these things mean for Team HC?
image via Ventures
Well, honestly it means we receive significant and sustained support from our local community to ensure that House Cosmopolitan is on the right track towards long-term success. Something that comes up fairly often when I am chatting with other architects and design professionals is that although our schools were excellent at teaching us how to design buildings, they were extremely lacking in the fundamentals of how to actually run a business and the day-to-day requirements of a practice. When I decided to start House Cosmopolitan I did a good deal of research on some of the various aspects of how to be a good entrepreneur, however like any professional I can tell you that reiterating or even refreshing on topics occasionally is a smart thing to do. Through the Business Basics Course with Ventures I am able to also push many ideas around things like sales and marketing (for example) to an even higher level than I am able to do on my own. That along with the connection to the GSBA and fellow entrepreneurs in the course means that not only is my company being elevated to a more visible status in the Seattle area but that the house can connect with other businesses and individuals in our community and help ensure that they succeed as well.
But why is House Cosmopolitan *so* proud to be a part of the Small Business Incubator?
image via GSBA
Both the GSBA and Ventures focus on the uplifting of business-minded individuals that do not fit the immediate image of what an entrepreneur is. This includes educating people who may currently have a very low income but have a great idea that just needs molding; expanding the reach of businesses that represent backgrounds that aren’t usually catered to; and providing access to capital for individuals who are shut out by traditional lenders.
The Small Business Incubator itself specifically supports “trans, gender diverse, and/or QTPOC+ entrepreneurs” to promote the expansion of queer and trans businesses in the Seattle area in order to both serve existing communities as well as increase the visibility of LGBTQ leaders in many fields. Queer and trans identies within architecture are a very touchy subject. Though visibility has increased over time in the profession, this visibility is often seen as coming with a price. Implicit bias still affects many aspects of the business, from client relations to interoffice politics and everything in between.
House Cosmopolitan is proud to stand as both a Black/Latinx-owned business as well as a LGBTQ-owned business. In addition to that, we state firmly and forthrightly our statuses as such and do not do business with any clients or companies that seek to silence the voices of the historically marginalized. Through our projects and our work, we aspire to create places where people belong and upon entering our spaces hope that those people feel the freedom to express their truest selves and do so with the same passion and energy that we take to each of our designs.