To say that I’m honored to be a board member of the Golden Gate Business Association would be an understatement. When I think about the GGBA’s humble beginnings in 1974, when a small group of gay bar owners in the Castro collaborated to create the nation’s first LGBT Chamber of Commerce, I feel deeply moved to be a part of their legacy.
I feel proud to follow in the footsteps of members like iconic business owner and first openly gay elected official in California, Harvey Milk, and immediate past President and first openly trans President of the GGBA, Gina Grahame. These trailblazers and countless others have broken and continue to break down barriers of entry for LGBTQ owned businesses every day.
As someone who still hopes to one day own and operate their own business, I joined the GGBA in 2018 with hopes of learning how to lay the foundation for entrepreneurship and to navigate the many obstacles that currently exist for potential and current small business owners.
As a civically engaged community leader with an interest in furthering our LGBTQ community’s goals, I joined the board in late 2020 as Chair of Public Policy in hopes of working closely with our small businesses to communicate the needs and struggles that they face, pre- and post-pandemic. I believe that supporting our small businesses directly translates to sought after neighborhoods, strong communities, and a thriving economy.
In the past I’ve had the privilege of working for an LGBT nonprofit that assisted LGBT refugees in the Middle East and North African regions. I’ve held various board positions in a number of professional and political organizations, and most recently concluded my 2-year term as President of one of the largest Democratic clubs in San Francisco, the San Francisco Young Democrats. As Chair of Public Policy, I hope to utilize the skills and contacts I’ve acquired in order to bridge our small businesses and our elected officials while working towards policies and legislation that will benefit our LGBTQ and allied business community.
My goal is to lift the veil on local government by bringing officials to you, the members, so that your voices are heard; to show how small business owners can organize and work with stakeholders to pass legislation; and to work on the issues that are closest to you.
To that end, the GGBA is excited to announce the formation of the Small Business Advocacy Subcommittee and is looking for members who may be interested in joining. For more information or to get involved, please email policy@ggba.com
Now more than ever do our businesses need our help. I am thrilled to be a part of the effort to save our small businesses and to continue to provide resources for them to grow.
Luis A. Zamora is a board member of the Golden Gate Business Association and an entrepreneur who hopes to one day own his own business.
February Make Contact: What Is B Corp Certification?
Learn to Grow Your Business for Good
Tuesday, February 9
5:30 pm–6:30 pm
Are you B Corp curious? Do you care about people and the planet along with profit? Join the GGBA as we dive into B Corp certification with Carolina Miranda of Cultivating Capital. Carolina helps businesses like yours bring best practices for sustainability and social impact to your company at each stage of your journey.
There will be networking and even a live assessment of a member business to determine if B Corp certification is a good fit.
Be sure to fill out your own assessment before the event and come ready with questions!
To do so, and to register, go to: https://tinyurl.com/yyq36k57
GGBA Legislative Update
Wednesday, February 17
6:30 pm–7:30 pm
Navigating resources and keeping up with small business legislation can be a daunting task for many of us, especially right now during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Join the GGBA for our first ever Legislative Update, hosted by our Chair of Public Policy Luis Zamora, as we hear directly from our local and state representatives. We’ll be joined by Senator Scott Wiener, Assemblymember David Chiu, and Supervisor Rafael Mandelman for a night of updates and a look ahead at small business legislation on the horizon.
Be sure to fill out any questions you might have for our elected officials before the event
( https://ggba.com/event-list/#!event/2021/2/17/ggba-legislative-update )
March Make Contact: Zoom Makeover: Uplevel Your Online Screen Presence
Tuesday, March 9
5:30 pm–6:30 pm
Join us for this special Zoom makeover event and for some networking with GGBA members!
As more and more people work from home as a result of COVID-19, Shelley created the Zoom Makeover to help companies, professionals, and speakers transform and improve your online screen presence by increasing trustworthiness, improving engagement, and elevating your personal brand.
As an International Personal Branding Image Consultant for 20+ years, she created this timely and innovative 5 step Zoom Makeover process to improve your online screen presence for business, speaking, or videos by aligning the all the visual aspects in the Zoom “box” to match your brand and your message.
GGBA New Member Orientation
Wednesday, April 7
Noon–12:45 pm
Whether you’re a brand-new member or a seasoned networker, you may attend this event!
This session will help you:
– Learn more about the history of the GGBA;
– Introduce you to new members in your cohort;
– Learn simple ways to get involved to grow your business and relationships.
Register: https://ggba.com/event-list/#!event/register/2021/4/7/ggba-new-member-orientation
Published on February 11, 2021
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