Proud in every frame – using authentic story to run development

I didn’t fully realize that I could embrace my identity as a gay person until I discovered the power of storytelling, the power to be real. This feeling people who do business PeopleNot a brand, everything changed for me. I spent years to film the stories of other people, helping them to show her heart behind my business. But I was not showing my own and the day I finally changed how I lead, how do I sell and how I am building a company that shows who I am really.

The story starts with me

It began in Long Beach, California. Every Wednesday, I used to film on the beach. It was the perfect setting to start peaceful, personal and something different. I set for a camera and hit record “Hu Mi” video. Then I filmed a “It’s Gates Better” video. In the midst of talking about my journey, I almost cried. That moment showed me how far I was. Then, it hit me: If I am going to help the brands to tell their stories with honesty, then I have to start by telling myself.

Before that moment, I kept my personal life mostly calm. When people asked if I have a girlfriend or wife, I just smile and move forward. I was not lying, but I was also not doing them right. Why should they care? Why should I? This is what I told myself. But what I have learned over time is that these small silence are piled up. They build a wall that you are and how you lead.

So in 2018, I decided to show it completely. I shot a series of videos “Meat the Team”. I talked about my story, my values ​​and which I am beyond CEO title. For the first time, I brought a lover to the office. It felt like a big thing. Not because someone made it one, but because I had never done this before. It was personal, it was powerful and it was the beginning of my leading with authenticity.

If your CEO can be honest about who they are, can you be a team. It makes permission and creates confidence.

As LGBTQ+ founder, I have been taught that people follow the real people. It is not about the rainbow logo or DEI checklist, it is about appearance. If your CEO can be honest about who they are, can you be a team. It makes permission and creates confidence. It opens a place for everyone to be a little more human.

But FranchiseWe do not include through policies, we embed it through values. I do not work on the basis of label, I hire people who are authentic and on time. Those who cares and who show. If you are fake or just playing a role, you will not flourish here – this is our culture.

Image Credit: Trever Rapley

One of the moments in which I felt proud was at quarterly dinner. My fiances came with me. I looked around the table, saw my team talking, laughing and connecting. There was no strange, no demonstration. Just real people are themselves. This is why leadership resembles. It is calm, human and real.

I have learned that the real and inherent kindness is stronger than the decision.

The commitment to reality explains how we do to tell the story. We do not use the script or rely on fancy jargon or forced soundbites. We film real people sharing real stories. This is why our content works. It is not attractive, but it is honest. That approach began with me – it was to do it. You cannot build a business contained in authenticity. If you are still hiding your part, you have to go first.

In my career, I have mostly been lucky. I have not faced much backlash in the professional world. But I remember a moment clearly. I was holding my hand with my partner in the long middle of the Bubba Gump. A couple gestured to us and laughed, even a picture. If I could go back, I would not be able to shrink. I wave. Smile. Perhaps buy them a shot too. I have learned that mercy, real and inherent kindness, is stronger than the decision. And thankfully, those moments are rare.

If you are a LGBTQ+ founder, do not wait for permission, you do not need it. Your story is your edge.

If you are one LGBTQ+ The founder, do not wait for permission, you do not need it. Your story is your edge, your difference is your advantage. This may sound strange. This may sound strange. But no one else can be and that is your power. People don’t buy what you do, they buy who you are and how you feel them. They buy the story you have told – so start telling it.

Here is a tip: your story film this week. Rent a crew, or hold a camera and talk to yourself. Ask hard questions. Talk about real goods. Cut it into a two -minute video and place it on your website. Add it to yourself Email Signature. I am sure you will close a new deal within 30 days. This is being seen.

In my business, being out, visible and proud, I have been taught that authenticity is not just a value, it is a strategy that works. Those who say that business is not personal? I don’t think they are real with themselves. Because, for me, business has always been personal. And this is what gives success.