There are around 900,000 LGBTQ+ owned businesses in the UK. That’s a significant slice of the entrepreneurial landscape, and yet the business coaching industry has been largely slow to recognise that LGBTQ+ business owners often face a distinct set of challenges that generic coaching simply doesn’t address.
This isn’t about needing a different framework for growing a business. The fundamentals of building sales, creating clarity, and developing accountability apply to everyone. It’s about working with a coach who understands your world, doesn’t make assumptions, and creates a space where you can be completely honest about what’s getting in the way of your growth.
The unique challenges LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs face
Not every LGBTQ+ business owner faces the same challenges, and it would be reductive to suggest otherwise. But there are common themes that come up again and again in conversations with LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs.
Visibility is one. Deciding how out to be in a business context, particularly in more conservative industries or when working with clients whose values you’re not sure about, is a genuine consideration that takes up mental energy and can affect how you show up in sales conversations and networking situations.
Community is another. LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs often find that mainstream business networking doesn’t quite fit. The rooms aren’t always welcoming, the conversations don’t always resonate, and finding a genuine peer group of people who understand your experience can be harder than it should be.
Then there’s the confidence piece. Imposter syndrome affects business owners across the board, but for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who may have spent years navigating environments where they didn’t fully belong, it can run deeper and show up in specific ways, particularly around pricing, visibility, and putting yourself forward for bigger opportunities.
The power of community
This week’s episode of Selling Out, the podcast for LGBTQIA+ founders, leaders and creatives powered by GoSucceed, features two people who know exactly what it means to build community from scratch.
Donna Holland, who runs Rocking Horse, the children’s hospital charity for Brighton, and Scott Oakley, co-founder of the Rainbow Run, both found their communities through sport and have spent years making sure those communities have room for everyone. Their conversation gets into the joy of queer sport, the found-family magic of clubs like Front Runners and Brighton Rockers, and why LGBTQIA+ kids come to sport later and what we lose when they do.
It’s one of the most honest conversations we’ve had on the show about inclusion, identity and belonging. And it’s a reminder that community isn’t something you find. It’s something you build.
Listen to this week’s episode of Selling Out on Acast
What genuinely inclusive business coaching looks like
Inclusive coaching isn’t about making everything about identity. It’s about creating a coaching relationship where your whole self is welcome, where you don’t have to edit yourself or explain yourself, and where the coach understands the context you’re operating in.
At GoSucceed, we work with LGBTQ+ business owners across Brighton, London and beyond. Our approach is straight-talking, practical, and built around your specific goals and challenges. We don’t do generic advice. We do real conversations about real businesses, followed by a clear plan and the accountability to make it happen.
Gary Salters and Jonny Monroe founded GoSucceed with inclusivity as a core value, not a marketing message. Jonny is non-binary and brings a lived understanding of navigating business as an LGBTQ+ person. That’s not something you can train for. It’s something you either bring to the table or you don’t.
The GoSucceed and Gaydio partnership
GoSucceed is proud to be the official UK business coaching sponsor of Gaydio, the UK’s leading LGBT+ radio station and networking community. The Gaydio Networking events bring together LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and business owners across the UK in an environment that’s genuinely welcoming, energetic, and built for connection.
Our partnership with Gaydio isn’t a badge. It’s a commitment to showing up consistently for the LGBTQ+ business community, being present at the events, being available for conversations, and being genuinely invested in the growth of LGBTQ+ owned businesses across the UK.
As the official UK business coaching partner of Gaydio, we’re proud to be part of a community that puts LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs at its heart. Find out more about our Gaydio partnership and what we offer the community.
The business case for coaching
Whatever your background, the fundamentals of business growth are the same. You need clarity on where you’re going. You need a sales process that generates consistent revenue. You need accountability to make sure you’re actually doing the things you know you need to do. And you need someone in your corner who will be honest with you when something isn’t working.
The GoSucceed Growth Programme gives you all of that in a structured six or twelve month engagement built around your specific business. Our clients typically see measurable results within the first 90 days, whether that’s new clients, increased revenue, a clearer strategy, or simply the confidence to charge what they’re actually worth.
Finding the right coach
If you’re an LGBTQ+ entrepreneur looking for business coaching, here’s what to look for. Find a coach who has genuine experience working with LGBTQ+ clients, not just a diversity statement on their website. Find a coach who will be honest with you, challenge you when you need it, and celebrate your wins without qualification. And find a coach whose framework actually delivers results, not just feel-good conversations.
If that sounds like what you’re looking for, we’d love to have a conversation. Not a sales call. Just a conversation about your business, where it is, and where you want it to go.
Not sure where to start? Our free Business Growth Checklist takes less than five minutes and gives you an honest picture of where your business is strong and where the gaps are.