Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District New Entrepreneur Program

Submitted by the Event Organizer

The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District is launching the second cohort of its Entrepreneur Training Program, 9-week program to help leather community folk start and build their businesses. 

The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural district is a SOMA based nonprofit organization that aims to support LGBTQ+ businesses, artists and organizations through various methods such as visibility in the SOMA neighborhood with murals and flags, organizing events such as SOMA Second Saturday! and LeatherWalk, or advocating for more nightlife venues and community groups in the SOMA neighborhood. 

Due to the pandemic, several businesses in the SOMA neighborhood that were owned by members of SOMA’s  own cultural communities had to shut their doors. In an effort to revitalize the economy and the rich culture in the SOMA area, and create more businesses in the leather community, the LEATHER District is launching their Entrepreneur Training Program. 

In this program, the participants will learn about different aspects of starting and running a business such as customer discovery, marketing, finance, operations, strategizing, and business presentation. Through Zoom-based group sessions and one-on-one consultations, they will also learn about how to formalize and register their business in San Francisco, locate permit and licensing requirements, and access useful resources. At the end of the 9 weeks, they will be invited to present their business plan to a panel of local business leaders, experts, and potential funders. Those who complete the program will each receive a $500 stipend to help with their startup costs. 

We are looking for entrepreneurs who have a strong connection with the LEATHER Community and SOMA. They should: 

1. Plan to set up a storefront in the SOMA area or start a business catering to the Leather Community, 
2. Plan to sell their products or provide their services in SOMA either at a permanent location or through popup locations such as a street fair, or
3. Plan to sell their products or provide their services through other existing stores in SOMA that cater to the Leather Community.

The program is led by Above Consulting Inc. CEO Eddie Tang, a seasoned San Francisco business consultant. Above Consulting is a management consulting company based in San Francisco providing consulting in corporate strategy, brand strategy, logistics and supply chain management, organizational development, and data analytics.

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.