With the Trump administration’s harsh rhetoric and policies coming into effect, it’s a difficult year to be queer or a business owner. Kristina Wynne hopes to alleviate some of that.
Now entering its sixth year, the Illinois LGBT Chamber of Commerce LGBTQ+ Biz Bootcamp aims to lift up and prepare LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs for a successful future. The program leaves participants with a full business plan they can use to gain sponsors and capital in the future.
In 2019, Wynne was working for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, which is where she learned more about supporting business owners and their growth. Then-LGBT Chamber of Commerce Director, Jerome’ Holston, reached and asked her about potentially starting an LGBT-focused business program through the Chamber, which she accepted.
After building the curriculum, Wynne launched the first cohort in 2019. She said she received good feedback at the time and has seen those people doing well today in the business world.
The program is eight weeks long and runs five hours every Saturday, with 10-15 people in each cohort. The application is intensive—entrepreneurs should have an LLC filed, a clear list of products and services, a type of financial statement and much more. After submitting, applicants go through an interview. Wynne said this vetting process looks for people who are hungry for growth and know clearly what their business is.
The curriculum is geared specifically to those at startup level, Wynne said. Businesses don’t even need to be established a full year, just generating revenue and providing a service or product. The final product of the boot camp is a full-fledged, 30-40 page document and pitch deck to talk through the business plan.
“We want to help that business owner who is new, but making money, create a business plan,” she said. “We know access to capital is a very large barrier for small, diverse businesses [and] startup entrepreneurs … and that’s why that’s important, because you can use a business plan to apply for a loan, you can use a business plan to write a grant for your business.”
Some of the main components of the final plan include what products and services entrepreneurs are offering, how they’re pricing and why, who the customer is, what operating systems they’re using, who they are looking to hire and more.
There’s also the OUT-Pitch Competition with financial support on the line—the winner of the pitch competition will receive a $2,500 small business grant from J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and the runner-up will receive a $1,000 grant from the LGBT Business Foundation of Illinois.
The boot camp also receives sponsors, including last year’s big sponsor, J.P. Morgan Chase. Wynne said it’s been exciting to see how the program has grown and expanded in the past years—the idea to create a firm business plan wasn’t fully established until the second year.
Tyris Manney, founder of Tyris Manney Beauty, first heard about the boot camp in summer 2023 when he was introduced to the LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
“What drew me to it was it was just an educational program to help small businesses or startups get to the next level,” he said. “I needed guidance and help because I hadn’t had any help except like, Google.”
Since participating, he said he and those from his cohort have kept in touch and helped each other out in business. He said he also reaches out to Wynne frequently for advice due to her strong background and network.
After completing the program, Manney said his business “shot up”—he was featured in a number of publications and saw an increase in sales. He said the business plan he formed during the boot camp helped him see his potential and build a plan to get there.
This year may mark different challenges outside of work for LGBTQ+ business owners, with the Trump administration fighting to roll back LGBTQ+ and especially trans rights across the nation. Despite rising threats at a federal level, Wynne said she still feels confident in her business owners due to the amount of support and resources available in Illinois and Chicago.
“The atmosphere, the environment isn’t great,” she said. “It doesn’t feel great, but still see the opportunity even in the fog. Really lean into your local opportunities—they’re still funding business, they’re still putting behind programs, they’re still looking to partner and support.”
Some of the most memorable feedback Wynne has received over the years is from people who were about to give on their business. She’s had the opportunity to help them “put these puzzle pieces together” so they feel confident and capable about making business decisions and growing their company. She brings subject matter and classroom mentors in to provide support beyond the curriculum.
In future years, Wynne hopes to expand and teach entrepreneurs how to navigate corporate and government contracting as well as LGBT Business Enterprise certification. She said she’s seen the impact the business boot camp has had on the lives of business owners, and she hopes people will continue to support and partner with it.
“We know that small businesses hire each other. We’ve seen the economic impact that it’s having beyond the program as well,” she said. “Whomever is reading this, it doesn’t matter what level of support you are able to offer. All of it helps.”
This story is part of the Digital Equity Local Voices Fellowship lab through News is Out. The lab initiative is made possible with support from Comcast NBCUniversal.