Homeroom is a peer support and skill-building community of practice for queer small business owners.

Using a combination of monthly group meetings, peer mentorship and practical workshops, Homeroom’s mission is to create space for entrepreneurs to practice building deep relationships with staff, clients and themselves. The program uses intentional conversation and focused reflection to help you, as an owner, begin to see the ways in which your business — and how you run it — can be part of a movement toward equity, justice, and healing.

WHAT EXACTLY DOES THIS MEAN?
Homeroom is a three-month, online cohort-based program that provides you with following:

  • Six professionally facilitated group sessions that meet every other week with a group of your peers
  • Two skill-building workshops on topics like feedback or project management
  • A dynamic resource hub where you can ask questions and share information
  • Access to the larger Homeroom community network
  • The option to be connected with an accountability partner

WHEN DOES IT START AND HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
We accept applications on a rolling basis and launch cohorts twice a year. In Homeroom, every 3-month session is an ecosystem of its own. As each cohort begins to take shape we go through a process of determining collective financial need for the entire group. We aspire to give everyone who is interested the opportunity to join us. For more information about payment rates and if you’d like to discuss alternative payment models, fill out the application form and we’ll be in touch with next steps.

Wondering if Homeroom is right for you? If you're a queer small business owner and any of the following statements resonate with you, then you’re a perfect candidate:

  • I need support figuring out how to organize my time and energy so that I’m focusing on what matters most
  • I’m hungry to connect with other queer small business owners
  • I’m wondering how to make my business more diverse and inclusive in ways that are genuine and sustainable
  • I’m having a hard time feeling grounded and could use some accountability structures for getting big-picture work done
  • I’m struggling with how to manage my growing team
  • I want to take my business to the next level

Sound like a fit? Let's do this.

Apply now

Curious about past reviews?

Here’s what folks who have participated in Homeroom over the years have to say:

Homeroom was just that, home. It was a place where I felt comfortable not only sharing my successes and failures, but also asking for support. As a new business owner I had a lot of fear that I was doing things the wrong way, or that I was all alone trying to create something that moves away from the status quo. Turns out, that wasn’t the case at all. I was nowhere near alone in those feelings. The community we built in Homeroom will always stay with me.

Nathalie JohnsonFounder, Nathalie Kalae

It’s hard to describe the uniqueness of this container; it’s unlike all of the other business-owner networks and events I’ve been a part of. I feel supported and in community with Homeroom in a way that is helping me to run my business better, grow personally, and develop meaningful connections with like-minded queer folks going through the same ups and downs of running a business.

Cari SekendurPrincipal / Creative Director, Butter Studio

I walked away with a PPP loan, tools to communicate with employees more constructively and an attitude of empowerment. Holding this space with other queer business owners made me feel supported in ways that I can’t even describe. Homeroom was an invaluable experience.

Katie WhitakerOwner, Handyma’am

I joined Homeroom a year and a half after launching my small business, at a time when I was feeling low and burned out. The prompts, discussions, and overall ethos of the program really helped me to think about my business in a different way. Homeroom offers a much gentler, kinder, and more compassionate approach than the hustle-culture mentality of so many other small business support programs.

Ruby GertzFounder, Spokes and Stitches

It's too easy to stay stuck in my head and second guessing myself. I so appreciated a space to process and get reality checked by other small business owners who are running their businesses from a values-based place. Very inspirational and supportive space to build more confidence with my own voice.

Evangeline WeissFounder, Beyond Conflict

Homeroom allowed me to make space in my busy schedule to focus on the highest level of "How do I want to run my business?," which was an incredible gift. Thinking about what is valuable to me, as both a leader and as a manager, is not something I have spent much time doing, and I really appreciated the big-picture, idealistic (in the best way) approach to making my business dream a tangible reality.

Phoebe JudgeFounder, Sparrowhawk Farm

I am taking away from this experience a unique, tight-knit, supportive community of people who are wading through the weeds of owning a small business as a queer person right alongside me.

Clare LagomarsinoFounder, Combos Press