In the professional world, be it entrepreneurial or in a workplace environment among peers, everyone needs support. Mentor experience, networking, and sharing, are all important aspects of succeeding in business, no matter the industry. Personal improvement and leadership skills are very welcome traits to employers, colleagues, and clients alike. Being able to deliver the best, promote a healthy sense of expertise, and position one’s self as valuable are imperative qualities.

For our community, the Metropolitan Business Association of Orlando is an organization that is Central Florida’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Governed responsibly by 11 volunteer board directors, and 3 outstanding staff members, this group’s mission is intent on spreading the message of equality and diversity throughout the professional community, right here in the heart of Orlando. It seeks to promote LGBT professionals that are proud members.

MBA Orlando: for the LGBT Business Community

MBA Orlando has several high-profile, corporate sponsors, and offers three levels of membership for LGBT professionals working in the area who wish to join: Community Members, Small Business Members, and Chamber Members. Through various programs, such as mentoring and ambassadorships, the organization has successfully established itself as a professional association through its Small Business Initiative and its Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives.

“To lead the way for development, advocacy and growth of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender business community and its allies. We will accomplish this through building our small businesses, working with professionals in corporations, supporting our non-profits and encouraging the general community to support those that support their rights.” —MBA Orlando

The goal of the Metropolitan Business Association of Orlando is to provide the necessary resources needed by LGBT small business owners, professionals, and to the other entities. It also provides resources and professional consulting for Central Florida area employers with its LGBT Employee Resources Groups, and HR Best Practices.

In addition to diversity and equality outreach, MBA Orlando dedicates several resources to its members, which include a monthly Networking Mixer. This monthly get-together allows members to mingle, share experiences and insights, trade ideas, and to connect on a professional, as well as personal level in order to grow their businesses or careers. The organization also hosts a Quarterly Pride in Business Luncheon, which has the honor of welcoming prominent, nationally acclaimed speakers that help to promote LGBT Business Equality movement.

These certainly are not the only events that the Metropolitan Business Association of Orlando hosts. The commerce group also hosts Pride in Business Awards Gala, which recognizes those who have best served the needs and spread the word of diversity and inclusion of the LGBT community, right here in Central Florida. This event heralds the many accomplishments and milestones achieved through the year by its own network of business owners and career professionals.

MBA Orlando is a proud affiliate chamber of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, or NGLCC, assisting in the certification of LGBT owned businesses entities, no matter their size, helping these small organizations to be a included as governmental and corporate vendors. The chamber likewise operates an exclusive network, the Referral Exchange Development (RED) Group, which has amassed sales amounting to $4.5 million for its members.