It’s inherently queer to do something you’ve been told not to do. From the first brick thrown at Stonewall to today's activism around the world, queer people challenge norms and create change.
When we're told, “It's not possible, that's not how it works. We don't do it like that here,” queer people will create, build, and do exactly what we've been told not to.
Sounds just like being an entrepreneur, right?
Early in my journalism career, an editor told me, “Stop pitching gay stories. There’s no money and no audience.” I was devastated. I felt that pursuing a career with my full self and my community in mind was worthless.
But like many social entrepreneurs, my COVID-19 lockdown revelation was that my career wasn’t delivering on my personal goals to create positive change in the world.
Be the business you want to see in the world
I started the QueerAF podcast to accomplish two things. First, I wanted to see if there was an audience for queer stories. Second, I wanted to offer opportunities to people who had been told by other media outlets that they couldn't pitch LGBTQIA+ stories.
On the one hand, we captured a well-timed opportunity; we launched early in the emerging podcast industry. Because of this, QueerAF captured an audience who were desperate for stories denied to them elsewhere. However, our ongoing success—including an international audience, awards, sponsorship and revenue—comes from the values we sing out loud and proud.
The purpose of the podcast was never just to tell stories. It was to develop a new generation of LGBTQIA+ audio professionals who could join the newsroom and ensure no one else was shut down like me. Starting with season two, a different audio professional made each episode. And while most of these people had never previously received a paid commission in the industry, they went on to work for major media companies in the U.K., from the BBC to Virgin Radio.
The podcast became my full-time job, and we leveraged its success to launch the first and only social enterprise, non-profit LGBTQIA+ news publisher in the U.K. Our expansion was a mix of personal priorities and the broader community’s needs.
I made a bold decision to not take advertising or sponsorship in the QueerAF newsletter. We chose a member-funded model to deliver unbiased journalism and fill a gap in the market, which has become our unique selling point. We can do stories no one else is doing and fill a vast gap in the market. They might not always drive huge traffic, but they do consistently drive high levels of support.
Our purpose is mission-driven and something we openly share. That's why the money we get from brands is used to pay for our training and mentoring programs. These programs focus on teaching well-being, setting limits and helping creatives in media spaces feel safe.
The launch of QueerAF followed years of writing about the LGBTQIA+ community. So it’s little surprise that the many lessons I’ve picked up from the incredible movement-building our community does are built into the way we work.
Our community understands that to create world-changing actions, we need to cultivate an attitude of giving and sharing. This might not always seem like a business attitude that delivers growth and revenue. But I’ve adapted these practices to build a successful media company that shirks the norms.
Share your secrets
Entrepreneurs are often told to protect their secrets. There are solid strategic reasons for this, such as protecting patents, trademarks, proprietary technology, etc. But openly sharing your unique insights can be a powerful growth tool.
That’s why giving away all of our secrets to our audience(including to potential competitors) has become one of our most powerful tools. Our annual transparency report shares details about how we spend our revenue, where it comes from and the backgrounds of our writers. I've lost count of how many people have told me they value this report, and cite it as one of the key reasons they're willing to part with their cash and join us as members.
Then there’s our work with the LGBTQ+ Journalism Network and Inclusive Journalism Cymru. These partnerships are designed to help other groups acquire our unique training and support processes. We also work with other indie queer publications to share knowledge and resources, including how we grew our newsletter audience.
We’ve introduced activists and founders to money sources. We’ve guided several LGBTQIA+ organizations through the process of formally registering their company. We spent the best part of last year supporting a Trans+ founder to set up the Trans+ History Week social enterprise. Although they’re an independent entity, we share a common mission, and so we supported them through our launchpad scheme.
We see all the time spent on priorities that aren't directly our own as an investment in our community. They are key stakeholders in our success, so helping them achieve their goals is important for everyone.
Working in this way established our brand as one that is trustworthy, transparent and invested in the community we serve.
Pay it forward
A lot of the advice you’ll read is to be desperately protective of your time, energy and resources. This is especially true if you’re a founder or you’re a startup that is in its early days.
Since I have a background in audio and video production, I’ve always operated with a producer mindset. That means helping others deliver on their goals.
At QueerAF, we prioritize helping others based on shared mission, without expecting immediate returns. I help other queer people’s work, businesses and grassroots queer organizations all the time because I’m a strong believer in the pay-it-forward model.
When you do good for others, you tend to reap the rewards later. This is different to quid-pro-quo behavior which creates unstable relationships. Instead, our approach fosters lasting connections and trust.
Helping because it’s the right thing to do builds a strong coalition of people who remember you showed up when they needed you.Jamie Wareham
When we launched QueerAF, there was significant support from our community, the media sector and even major celebrities. But that same day I said yes to a multiple-organ transplant that saved my life. This was a defining moment for me and my business because I had to take several months off in the first year of my start-up.
At this pivotal early stage, I told my newsletter audience what was happening and how I needed their support to help a team of people around me run the business while I recovered.
There was a line of people who wanted to help, buy memberships and volunteer to keep us going. They were invested in both me and my social enterprise and wanted to see us succeed.
A major reason why so many people showed up was because of the work we were doing in the community, and the support we’ve given whether directly or indirectly. However, I also think a big part of it was because of the pay-it-forward model so much of our broader queer liberation is based on.
Many of us are forced out of our homes and left to feel shame because of who we are. Some of us are even given no choice but to go through cruel practices to try and change us. We take that anger and energy, and we model the change we want to see. We create beautiful chosen families, broad powerful movements and incredible businesses.
The lesson here is that swapping favors creates short-term relationships. Helping because it’s the right thing to do creates long-term support for your business. You build a coalition around you of people who remember you showed up when they needed you.
We become entrepreneurs because we've set out to fix something, and a queer and giving mindset where you share secrets and pay it forward delivers huge victories. So the next time you're told not to do something on that mission, see that advice for what it is—a pretty good sign you should do it after all.