In the wake of the financial crisis of 2020, historically-excluded entrepreneurs were the first to hurt and the last to get help. Initiatives to support struggling small businesses already existed, but many of these focused on short-term solutions like grants. Additionally, the dominance of the cis white perspective in business content leaves many excluded and lacking relevant information.

Mailchimp asked us how we could help. We knew that, while grants are important, it’s access to the right resources and community that drive lasting change. This led us to create Bloom Season 2: a community-centered digital resource that provides guidance and resources for LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs.

Our objective was to offer long-lasting solutions tailored to our diverse audiences: providing bespoke tools and a safe space for representation and empowerment.

Bloom Season has continued to thrive. Since we launched our inaugural edition to address the specific challenges and opportunities Black entrepreneurs face in 2021, we’ve evolved the platform to include resources and actionable insights to support LGBTQIA+ business owners.

Our goal in the near future is to make Bloom Season the home for all historically-excluded entrepreneurs to find community and information to achieve business success. We’re currently working on our third edition which will launch next year and cater to the needs of different groups of diverse business owners.

Bloom Season has been celebrated by Fast Company with three mentions on their Innovation by Design list. It has also garnered two Webby Award nominations (and two honoree accolades) and several awards from industry organizations including a yellow pencil at D&AD, bronze cube at ADC, four silvers at the Anthem Awards, and three platinum and one gold at the Muse Awards.

During our strategy process we:

- analyzed the business lit sector

- developed conversation mapping

- identified dominant and emerging topics in the media

- identified gaps in terms of content/themes relevant to the audience

- defined content guidelines to ensure the stories we told were going to hit the right notes and avoid stereotypical ideas and frameworks

Target audience: 1.4 million LGBTQIA+ owned businesses in the US who collectively contribute $1.4 trillion in the US economy and generate over 33,000 jobs. We specifically wanted to reach 61% of LGBTQIA+-owned businesses that had lost momentum since COVID 19, compared to 48% of those outside the community. The goal was to center their experiences and help the community tell their own stories of business success.

The project engaged 50+ writers, filmmakers, illustrators, photographers, and entrepreneurs from the LGBTQIA+ community. Every piece of content was made with and by the community.

Our creative concept Bloom River, encapsulates the LGBTQIA+ community and its constant evolution. The colors of the Pride flag appear in a state of flow, representing growth and a future beyond the binaries.

We designed and built a mobile-first editorial platform that offers readers the ability to navigate articles organically or through a categorized index.

The site maintains an eclectic color palette, dynamic typography, empowering photography, and vibrant illustrations. The project engaged 50+ writers, filmmakers, illustrators, photographers, and entrepreneurs from the LGBTQIA+ community. Every piece of content was made with and by them.

The platform launched with a film campaign, which was amplified in social media and with a live event in NYC, featuring a limited-edition art book.

Since the launch of the Bloom Season 2, we have seen a 240% increase in users and a 200% increase in individual sessions on the website.

As of today, 253 syndicated articles have been published by Yahoo Finance, Benzinga, Morning Star, Seeking Alpha, and others. It has received 78 press release pickups with a total reach of 802,429,000 UVMs. Over 600K views of the digital campaign. Engagement rate of 6.16% far exceeding benchmarks.

A quote from Black Power Barbie, one of contributors, states: “it was an honor to be a part of such earnest and community-forward storytelling.” Press mentions in Businesswire and LGBTQ Nation (among others) confirm we’re reaching diverse entrepreneurs.

Future editions are already in the works, spotlighting different diverse communities of small business owners across the country.