BIZ Online NGLCC

The nation's LGBT entrepreneurs have yet to fully tap into the nation's $620 billion franchise marketplace, but a new Web site aims to change that.

GayFranchise.com has emerged as the only comprehensive research portal for the LGBT business community to identify diversity-friendly franchisors. The International Franchise Association Educational Foundation estimates there are nearly 1,500 franchise opportunities in the United States.

The new Web site features a detailed catalog of franchisors, allowing for searches by industry or business name. It also has a listing of the opportunities provided by the site's sponsors including well-known franchisors such as the Guidant Financial Group, Manny and Olga's, Lapels and Planet Beach.

"I founded GayFranchise.com because I have worked for the minority industry for 10 years, and my goal was to take what I learned from my experiences there and apply it to the gay business community," says Michael Lamb, the Web site's founder. "I chose franchising because I saw there wasn't much being done in this very important area."

The site also provides listings of financial institutions that help raise capital for franchising opportunities along with reports of the latest happenings and news in the franchise industry and the LGBT business community.

A variety of large and small franchisors are opening their doors to LGBT business professionals. There are some 75 franchise industries ranging from restaurants to pet care, real estate to travel, and health to financial services.

Franchise establishments make up a large percentage of businesses in certain industries, including 56.3 percent of fast food restaurants, 18.2 percent of lodging enterprises, 14.2 percent of retail food establishments and 13.1 percent of full-service restaurants.

Mark Charnet, is founder, CEO and president of American Prosperity Group (APG), and says there are enormous opportunities for LGBT entrepreneurs. APG, a retirement and estate planning franchise, is one of GayFranchise.com's Gold sponsors.

"Being an equal opportunity employer and franchisor we support diversity both on our staff and within our franchise community," says Charnet. "Financial planning and advice is important to all, and we embrace our LGBT franchisees as a wonderful part of our family."

Lamb says he was curious to see what kind of response the Web site would receive from the franchise community, especially since it has been viewed as a fairly conservative industry.

"I had hardly ever seen franchise ads specifically targeting the gay community, so I was surprised when 90 percent of the time, we were well received," says Lamb.

That didn't mean it was all smooth sailing for the new site. From time to time, the team would run into companies that would hang up on the callers or reject the idea of LGBT franchise owners.

"One has to expect some type of hardship in this field – that's how our people will know which are the right places to go for them," he says.

Initially, the most interest came in the travel and decor sectors, which have been historically popular with LGBT business owners. But in time, the site started receiving attention from a wider variety of industries.

Lamb says there is sufficient diversity within the LGBT business community now to convince him that LGBT entrepreneurs cannot be "stereotyped anymore into a few categories."

In addition to the online research portal, GayFranchise.com produces an annual printed directory that comes out in June. It is also planning to hold a franchise expo next year in April.