In the spirit of the celebration of Pride Month and the promotion of an inclusive economic recovery for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME’s), Google hosted a social media event called Pride Conversations: Championing LGBTQ+ MSMEs, featuring entrepreneurs from various industries as they talk about their experiences in each of their businesses, in a conversation that is both inspiring and empowering for aspiring LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs.
You can watch the forum and listen to their stories in Google Philippine’s Youtube channel, and you can go further by being an ally and supporting the following featured businesses this Pride Month and beyond.
The Fairygodbarbie House of Beauty
As a proud trans woman, Rui Mariano created Fairygodbarbie in hopes to be of service to her fellow trans women during their transformation journey. She also draws inspiration from her trans woman aunt who raised her and loved to dress her up as a child. Carrying the thought of having a fairy godmother and often being compared to Barbie, Rui put up a one-stop beauty shop for her trans sisters and women alike, offering nails, eyelashes, spa, and facial services among others.
FFTG Cafe (Food for the Gays)
In April 2020, Nariese Giangan and her girlfriend started selling pastries online which became so successful that they eventually opened the Food for the Gays cafe in Quezon City. Opening the cafe was a huge risk as they used the last of their savings to put up the business, but it all paid off after receiving overwhelming support from friends, especially the Pride community. FFTG Cafe then has become not only a place for good food like their Rainbow Grilled Cheesus Sandwich, but is also a safe place for the LGBTQIA+ community and its allies.
Nirvana Hostel and Restaurant Siargao
What started out as a vacation led Abby Biyo and her girlfriend to opening the first Kapampangan restaurant and hostel in Siargao. Even when the lockdowns were implemented after finally finishing the construction of Nirvana Hostel and Restaurant, Abby’s resiliency helped their business thrive — in fact, they will be opening their second branch soon. Besides proudly raising the flag of the LGBTQIA+ community in the island, Nirvana also helps provide job opportunities for the community especially during the pandemic.
Vitalstrats Creative Solutions
As a creative practitioner, Amrei Dizon always makes it a point to proudly declare she’s part of the LGBTQIA+ community. That said, she ensures that the outputs of her 17-year-old creative agency Vitalstrats Creative Solutions are consciously inclusive, and that her team remains open in discussing LGBTQIA+ issues with each other in order to create more role models for the community. Even after being faced with liquidity problems when the pandemic hit, pivoting to the demand for digital services alongside the team’s willingness to adapt and stay creative helped them get through and recover.
Cooltura Hub
Jeoff Solas is a PR and marketing professional whose diverse business interests led to launching several brands like the Cooltura Hub in Bulacan. Missing going to Manila-based barber shops that offered refreshments for their patrons, Cooltura evolved into also offering beverages from BreaTea for their customers. While being digital savvy worked in the favor of his business, Jeoff was challenged by having to stay put and limiting the reach of his business within their area. But ultimately, this gave him the chance to get to know his neighborhood better and even provide employment opportunities.
The Food Episode
Sed Aguil started out as an advertising practitioner but ended up following his heart and pursuing his love for cooking, a talent he developed during the strict lockdowns last year. This led to the creation of The Food Episode, a home-based food delivery service featuring his best recipes like Cajun Butter Steak and Sriracha Honey Chicken. Being a one-man-team, Sed would sometimes find himself exhausted from developing recipes, managing his social content, and being in the kitchen — but everything becomes worth it when his customers compliment his dishes.
Pride is not only about celebration, it also about amplifying voices, with the free tools provided by Google, like Google My Business, where any entrepreneur wanting to use the digital marketing landscape for their businesses, can make themselves visible in Google Maps and Search, while they can continuously gain skills through the Google Primer app’s business and marketing lessons in 5 minutes or less. You can explore more resources through the Grow with Google website (g.co/GrowPhilippines) and by following the event’s discussion in Google Philippines’ Youtube Channel or Facebook page.
