Business Pride handbook
A practical handbook gathered youth-worker resources, entrepreneurial guidance, allyship tools, case studies, and templates for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs across partner countries and languages.
Completed · October 2024
Business Pride
About this exchange
Business Pride was an Erasmus+ KA210 small-scale partnership coordinated by Highlights e.V. with Fundacja Forum Edukacji (Poland) and TIR Consulting Group j.d.o.o (Croatia). Running from July 2023 to October 2024, the project set out to analyse needs and create hands-on material encouraging business activity among LGBTQ+ communities.
Outputs described on the legacy public site include a multilingual handbook, an online platform with practical exercises, an analysis report on barriers and opportunities (including survey responses from 172 individuals), and local dissemination such as an infostand at Christopher Street Day in Erlangen. Final materials were refined with community feedback and translated into partner languages. Selected durable public outputs are linked under Project Resources.
OBJECTIVES
What we set out to achieve
- Analyse needs and barriers facing LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs
- Showcase good practices, case studies, and interviews with LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs
- Create up-to-date resources for funding, prototyping, and mentoring
- Build accessible tools that encourage business activity in LGBTQ+ communities
ACTIVITIES
Planned activities
Needs analysis and research
Partners investigated barriers and opportunities for young LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs through surveys, interviews, and comparative insight.
Handbook and practical resources
The partnership developed a Business Pride handbook with tips, success stories, templates, and multilingual case studies.
Online learning platform
An online platform gathered interactive exercises on finances, emotional resilience, and resources for newcomers in entrepreneurship.
Local dissemination
Results were shared publicly, including an infostand at Christopher Street Day in Erlangen with handbook copies and community outreach.
Completion and translation
Final handbook and platform materials were refined with feedback from LGBTQIA+ youth, allies, and stakeholders, then translated into partner languages for wider European sharing.
KEY RESULTS
What we aimed for
Online platform
An online platform offered interactive exercises, networking, mentorship pathways, and starter resources for people entering entrepreneurship. Barriers named in public materials included discrimination, funding access, and lack of role models.
Analysis report
An analysis report examined barriers and opportunities for young LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs in Germany, Croatia, Poland, and the wider European context.
- 172
survey responses in the analysis
The legacy page reports findings based on survey responses from 172 individuals (112 LGBTQIA+ and 60 allies), alongside expert interviews.
Christopher Street Day dissemination
Results were shared locally through an infostand at Christopher Street Day in Erlangen, including handbook copies and community outreach.
PROJECT RESOURCES
Resources & outputs
- Handbook
Business Pride Flip Handbook
Multilingual handbook with tips, success stories, templates, and case studies for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs.
Platform Business Pride online platform
Interactive exercises on finances, emotional resilience, and starter resources for newcomers in entrepreneurship. The public platform URL was not reliably accessible at enrichment time, so no outbound link is published here.
- Research
Barriers and opportunities analysis
Research report on barriers and opportunities for young LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs in Germany, Croatia, Poland, and Europe, developed by TIR Consulting Group within the consortium.
- Report
Participatory visit report
Visit report from the July 2023 participatory kick-off in Erlangen and Nürnberg (Germany).
Photo gallery
Delivered with
- Fundacja Forum Edukacji — Poland
- TIR Consulting Group j.d.o.o — Croatia
