XhAle Brewery<\/a>, believes in \u201cmaking the world a better place one pint at a time.\u201d Through her craft beer business, she\u2019s brewing more than just world-class ales \u2014 she\u2019s cultivating connection, community and celebration in every sense. <\/p>\n\n\n\nRead on as Jackie and Christina share their journeys as 2SLGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs, the inspiration behind their businesses and what Pride means to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What does Pride Season mean to you personally and professionally as an entrepreneur?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\nJackie:<\/strong> Pride Season is a fine line. On one hand, it\u2019s powerful to be seen and celebrated \u2014 but on the other, 2SLGBTQIA+ folks don\u2019t stop existing the other eleven months of the year. Meaningful support means also showing up when it\u2019s quiet. That said, I really listened to my community and realized I was missing something in my own offerings \u2014 representation. So, I launched a Pride Collection that reflects 2SLGBTQIA+ identities not just as a moment, but as something folks can carry with them year-round. <\/p>\n\n\n\nChristina:<\/strong> It’s Pride all year for us. It is a special month, but we do the work all year round. We are social ventures, loud advocates and intentionally take up space 12 months a year. We participate, support and work with other 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations, non-profits and businesses ongoing as part of our core values and community strengthening efforts. Unfortunately, we have also been pushed out of spaces during Pride because we can’t supply monetary transactions or support like other craft breweries who aren’t minority representation owned and run. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat have been some of the unique challenges or breakthroughs you\u2019ve encountered as a 2SLGBTQIA+ entrepreneur?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\nJackie:<\/strong> Running Woods(wo)man Woodworking as a 2SLGBTQIA+ entrepreneur has been both challenging and deeply affirming. In a male-dominated craft and rural setting, I\u2019ve often felt like I was forging a path without a map. Visibility remains a barrier \u2014 especially for rural 2SLGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs, who are often excluded from urban-centred funding and community spaces. Still, building a business on my own terms has allowed me to create something different: a space where 2SLGBTQIA+ folks, women and marginalized makers aren\u2019t just included \u2014 they\u2019re centred. One of the most powerful moments is when someone walks into my booth and says, \u201cI\u2019ve never seen myself in this space before \u2014 until now.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\nChristina:<\/strong> Being in Alberta comes with its own challenges \u2014 especially in today\u2019s political climate, where progressive policies and openness to difference are being rolled back. Our company has been doxed online for being vocal advocates in our community. We’ve lost accounts, revenue and event partnerships for speaking out on harmful gender policies that directly affect us and our community. As 2SLGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs in STEM and craft brewing, we\u2019re often doubted and have to work twice as hard to earn respect and recognition. And yet, we\u2019ve built a loyal following of people who share our values. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat\u2019s one moment of Pride (pun intended!) in your entrepreneurial journey that you\u2019d love to share with us?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\nJackie:<\/strong> One moment that continues to stick with me is the first time I ran my bowl-turning course specifically for women and gender-diverse individuals. The course was designed to be a welcoming, inclusive space \u2014 a direct response to the many folks who told me they had previously felt unwelcome, unsafe or out of place in traditional woodworking environments. One student said, \u201cThis is the first time I\u2019ve felt like I belong in a shop space.\u201d That moment reminded me exactly why I do this: not just to teach skills, but to help carve out spaces where people can show up fully as themselves and feel powerful doing it. <\/p>\n\n\n\nChristina:<\/strong> Probably when we collected our first Canadian Brewing Award in Vancouver. A longtime industry peer quietly acknowledged that not only was this a big a deal to get an award, but the fact that we’ve done it when the world constantly pushes back on you being who we are what we do is even bigger. He saw me, and us in that moment with absolute vulnerability that it brought me to tears. <\/p>\n\n\n\nHow has Futurpreneur supported you on your entrepreneurial journey?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\nJackie:<\/strong> Futurpreneur gave me the tools to turn my vision into something tangible. With the financial support they provided, I was able to scale my business to a point where I could hire and collaborate with other women and 2SLGBTQIA+ folks. That was a pivotal shift \u2014 not just building something for myself, but creating opportunities for others in my community. In a market that often feels divided or exclusionary, it meant everything to be able to grow a business that could hold space for shared values, inclusivity and dignity. <\/p>\n\n\n\nChristina:<\/strong> Honestly, when I received my Futurpreneur loan, there was no diversity programming in place. As a new Canadian, single, 2SLGBTQIA+ woman who lost her job due to COVID, I qualified for the bare minimum \u2014 lacking collateral, credit history or a guarantor, despite having over a decade of experience. It\u2019s been encouraging to see Futurpreneur open the annual accelerator to more than just top performers \u2014 recognizing that access to capital and lived experience matter. <\/p>\n\n\n\nReady to launch or grow your business? Futurpreneur supports young entrepreneurs from many diverse communities across Canada. Learn more about Futurpreneur\u2019s flexible, equity-free loan with mentorship and resources here<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pride Season is a time to uplift and celebrate the voices, identities and contributions of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities \u2014 including the bold and brilliant entrepreneurs breaking barriers and building businesses on their own terms. In Canada, 2SLGBTQIA+-owned businesses contribute an estimated $22 billion to the economy and employ more than 435,000 people. According to the Canadian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":12628,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entrepreneurship","category-futurpreneurs-and-partners"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12626\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futurpreneur.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}