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The San Diego Equality Business Association promotes LGBTQ influence through business ownership, workforce equality and active consumerism, creating prosperity to support equality, diversity and inclusion.
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Our Mission, Vision, and Purpose
At the San Diego Equality Business Association (SDEBA), our mission is simple yet impactful: We promote and elevate LGBTQ+ businesses through advocacy, partnership, and collaboration. By working closely with our members and sponsors, we foster an inclusive business community where diversity thrives. Our goal is to empower LGBTQ+ businesses and professionals by creating opportunities through education, networking, and strategic partnerships.
Vision:
We envision a thriving, equitable economy where LGBTQ+ businesses have the resources, support, and representation they need to succeed. Through advocacy and collaboration, we aim to remove barriers and create a space where all professionals—regardless of identity—can achieve their full potential.Purpose:
Our purpose is to drive meaningful change for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs by advocating for their rights, providing access to key resources, and building a collaborative network. Through our partnerships, we strive to empower business owners and create lasting impact within the San Diego business landscape.
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Tuesday Lunch Uptown/Hillcrest
Aladdin Restaurant
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
1220 Cleveland Ave #101,
San Diego, CA 92103
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Membership Committee
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Who's Behind the Studio Door?
Ten years ago Patric Stillman decided to make a serious commitment to his art and to other artists. He took his experience as a successful businessman added his talent as an artist and created what he calls an arts incubator.The Studio Door focuses on assisting artists with art-to-market knowledge, price, brand, marketing and patron development, as well as creating opportunities that will help artists grow by providing working studio space, an online presence and curating exhibits. 
Professional Artist magazine named Patric the 2015 Mentor of the Year for his work at The Studio Door. "Patric is the go-to guy when you are having questions concerning your artwork, whether it be conceptual or nuts-and-bolts marketing." -
Thursday Morning University Heights
Lestat's on Park
8:00 am to 9:00 am
4496 Park Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92116
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Mission, Vision & Values
Mission Statement
The Greater San Diego Business Association promotes LGBT influence through business ownership and supportive consumerism, creating prosperity through equality, diversity and inclusion.
Vision Statement
To lead LGBT economic equality, development and empowerment.Values
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Economic Empowerment: Provide innovative resources that support prosperity for our members.
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Stewardship: Advance professional excellence and demonstrates fiscal responsibility.
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Advocacy: Support an inclusive, diverse business community based on equality, integrity and respect.
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Inclusion: Nurture diversity within and across communities.
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Bob Lehman, Executive Director, San Diego Gay Men’s ChorusFor nearly 20 years, Bob Lehman has been an advocate for San Diego’s LGBT community. Following his service as a combat Marine sergeant, Lehman became a nationally recognized leader in the fight to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” founding San Diego’s chapter of American Veterans for Equal Rights, leading the first-ever contingent of gay veterans to march in San Diego’s Veteran’s Day Parade and serving as the first openly gay appointee to the County Veteran’s Advisory Board. Working with local veterans, Lehman co-founded the highly respected Stonewall Citizen’s Patrol in reaction to the brutal attacks against gay men outside the Pride Festival.
Lehman was also a leader in the fight for marriage equality including providing major funding and campaign offices against both antigay measures, Prop 22 and Prop 8. In 2008, Lehman and his husband Tom Felkner made history as the first two men to legally marry in California.
Today, Lehman serves as Executive Director and President Emeritus of the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus. Under his leadership, the Chorus has doubled in size and dramatically increased its community outreach role. Just months ago, Mayor Faulconer honored Lehman and the Chorus with its own “SDGMC Day.”
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The Story That Sticks: How to Use Business Storytelling to Reach Clients, Investors, and Teams
When someone says “tell me the story,” they’re not asking for fluff. They’re asking for a reason to care. A reason to listen. That’s the tension business storytelling resolves. It doesn’t just decorate data — it translates purpose into presence. Whether you’re pitching investors, leading a team, or trying to keep a customer from ghosting, your story isn’t a backdrop. It’s the bridge.
Make customers feel it before they understand it
Customers don’t fall in love with features. They fall in love with who they get to become. That’s the secret to telling a business story that moves. Instead of describing how your solution works, show what it unlocks. Real humans doing real things — but framed with intent. If the story skips the tension, it skips the emotional conversion. That’s why storytelling engages emotionally before it ever explains anything. Research on narrative psychology shows that we respond more deeply to struggle, resolution, and meaning than to stats or specs. That’s what builds recall. And recall is what builds behavior. So don’t think “demo.” Think character arc. What did the customer need? What did they try? What changed? Then end with what they now believe.
Multilingual media needs narrative fidelity, not just translation
The rise of global audiences has created a new challenge: how do you maintain narrative texture across language barriers? Especially with video, the risk is that literal translations flatten meaning or miss tone altogether. For stories packed with emotional nuance — like testimonials, founder clips, or social campaigns — that tonal mismatch can kill the moment. But new tech in video translation now allows for preservation of pacing, intonation, and intent in ways that help stories survive across geographies. This isn’t about perfection — it’s about emotional equivalence. What does this feel like to the end viewer? If that question isn’t asked, the story fails.
Internal alignment doesn’t come from policies — it comes from stories
It’s easy to think that culture lives in documents. But documents don’t make people stay. Stories do. That’s because employees calibrate what’s “normal” through what’s repeated and what gets celebrated. A story of someone who took initiative and got recognized will do more for culture than a values poster on the wall. Modern organizations are catching on. More and more organizations use employee stories to reinforce the identity, clarity, and behavior they want repeated. These stories don’t need production value — they need purpose. What’s the transformation? Who made the call? Why did it matter? And how did it ripple?
Every pitch needs a narrative rhythm, not a slide dump
No one remembers the 14th bullet point on slide 9. They remember the shift. The moment of decision. The reason you cared. Good presentations follow narrative logic: hook, conflict, resolution, surprise, and takeaway. If your deck doesn’t move — emotionally or structurally — then it’s just noise. But don’t over-script it either. What matters is rhythm and flow. Think in beats. Set the stakes. Introduce a shift. Make the moment feel earned. Storytelling experts often break this into hooks and a journey structure — not as gimmicks, but as clarity tools. Because a well-paced narrative lets your audience connect before they critique.
Strategy without story dies in a drawer
You can build the most elegant roadmap in the world, but if people don’t understand why it exists — and who it's for — it won’t get followed. That’s where storytelling comes in. Not to dumb things down, but to humanize the why. Teams adopt strategy faster when it comes with tension and trajectory: “Here’s what we’re up against. Here’s what we’ve tried. Here’s what we’re doing now — and why it’s different.” The ability to use strategic storytelling as business asset turns abstraction into alignment. It’s not just about getting buy-in — it’s about creating coherence at every level of the org chart.
Executive presence lives in narrative precision
Leaders don’t just manage — they interpret. They help teams make sense of friction, priority, and change. But that interpretive power comes from one skill above all: the ability to match message to audience without diluting either. That means shifting how you tell the same story depending on who’s in the room — without changing the point. The best leaders do this instinctively. They tailor narratives by audience in ways that make the message hit without becoming generic. It’s not pandering. It’s resonance. And resonance earns action.
Join the San Diego Equality Business Association and be part of a thriving community that champions diversity, equality, and economic empowerment for LGBTQ+ businesses and professionals!
Storytelling in business isn’t just a trend — it’s a utility. It’s how we compress complexity into memory. It’s how we move people from passive to engaged, from aware to invested. Whether you’re speaking to a customer, a colleague, or a boardroom full of skeptics, your ability to land a story that makes them feel before they think is your real competitive edge. Craft the moment. Match it to the need. Then let the story do what data alone can’t: make it matter.
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