2SLGBTQI+ entrepreneur panel hosted in Regina

The Saskatchewan Queer Entrepreneurs and Professionals hosted a panel at Hotel Saskatchewan.

Run under Canada's 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce, the group is a coalition of 2SLGBTQI+ businesses, government liaisons and programs that advocate for inclusion and diversity within the Canadian economy.

"It's important to take a part in these events because we need to have visibility and we need other business owners to know that it's great to have, people on staff that have diverse perspectives and, that we add a lot of value." Erin Vaughan, owner of Kinetic Auto Service said.

Jacq Brasseur is the president of Saskatchewan Queer Entrepreneurs and Professionals, and they spoke to the importance of similar events.

"People in our community who are passionate about supporting those small businesses and LGBTQ people are just as much an active part of the economy as anybody else,” Brasseur explained.

“LGBT entrepreneurs contribute so much to our province, and I think we rarely get here from the experiences of LGBT entrepreneurs in shaping the business, and the business entrepreneurship ecosystem in the province."

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The SQEP is hosting a few other panels similar to this one throughout the province with the support of local chamber of commerce associations.

Tuesday morning, the group will be presenting in Humboldt and then heading to Saskatoon in the evening for a 2SLGBTQI+ Business Pitch Competition.

"It can be overwhelming. It can be scary, and it can be very lonely and for a lot of entrepreneurs who are maybe second or third generation entrepreneurs in their family, they have access to those mentors,” Brasseur added.

“But for a lot of LGBT people who are interested in starting a business or jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, they don't have those relationships yet."