Home Office Ideas for LGBTQ Entrepreneurs

Designing your home office for your comfort and inspiration as an LGBTQ entrepreneur is one of the best parts of working from home. Support yourself and your business by creating a functional and beautiful space. In this post, I share some ideas and products that worked for me to create an excellent home office.

And don’t worry, you don’t need a whole room to create a great home office — my home office is part of my bedroom! Read on for home office ideas that work even in a small space.

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Wifi Router

A wifi router may not be glamorous, but this product is for you if you’re tired of video calls dropping, lagging, or having to log back on from your mobile phone all the time. I paid about $40 for a new wifi router (even though I had one from my internet provider) and it made a HUGE difference in the quality of my internet connection. I highly recommend getting a new wifi router if your internet connection is at all questionable.

This is the one I purchased: (it’s “renewed” or refurbished, and has been working great for 2+ years)

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Laptop stand

If you’re working on a laptop all day, having the computer sitting on the table may not be the best ergonomic position. You end up looking down at the screen and perhaps hunching over. A laptop stand picks your computer up so the screen is closer to your eye height so your head can look forwards instead of down. I love the color options of this elegant laptop stand.

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Lap Blanket

Unless you’re in warm, sunny San Diego (jealous!) a lap blanket is a must-have for the winter months. Blankets turn the winter from barely survivable to cosy. I love having a blanket with a cute pattern and a soft fleece texture. Being comfortable is important while you are working so be sure to invest in blankets, sweaters, slippers, boots, whatever it takes to maintain that nice temperature.

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USB-Powered Rechargeable Fan

On the flip side, if you are too warm in your home office, consider getting a usb-powered fan. This perfectly quiet fan has a built in rechargeable battery, so you can move it around the room and clip it on wherever you need. This rechargeable fan is also great if you are running a vendor stand, working a farmer’s market, or working from a vehicle.

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Erasable Gel Pens

Nothing is set in stone for your business, so, erasable gel pens are a must-have! I really appreciate how easy these pens are to use, both for writing and erasing. These pens are great for note-taking, brainstorming, or drawing.

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Notebooks

A nice notebook to organize your notes and plans is an important tool for your business services. Yes, I take notes on my phone or on the computer also, but sometimes a paper notebook and pen is the way to go. Paper notebooks allow you to brainstorm without internet distractions and think about the big picture view of your business. I like these notebooks because they feel sturdy, high quality, and are dotted instead of lined.

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Noise Cancelling Headphones

The key word of “home office” is “home,” which means the space can be noisy. Between partners, kids, roommates, construction, traffic, and pets, it may be hard to focus in your home office space. I have two recommendations for noise cancelling headphones, each of which I use regularly.

Noise Cancelling Headphones – Apple Airpods Pro

The Apple Airpods Pro (2nd generation) are the best headphones I have found for both noise cancelling and taking calls. One day the construction sounds outside my apartment building were so loud I could hardly concentrate. I had to log onto a group meeting and I apologized for the noise. Miraculously, my coworkers couldn’t hear any background noise coming from my mic. I like speaking fairly quietly and the Airpods are great at picking up my voice at a good volume for calls. If you live in a noisy place and have to take a lot of calls, I highly, highly recommend these headphones.

Noise Cancelling Headphones – Over Ear Bluetooth Silensys E7

If you prefer over-ear headphones to earbuds (or are looking for a less expensive price point) the Silensys E7 have great sound quality and noise cancelling ability. I like these for listening to music or just blocking out ambient noise. They fit comfortably over my ears and have a nice bass tone. I prefer these headphones to the Airpods if I’m at home and not taking any calls.

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Lap Desk

I don’t know about you, but I love sitting on the couch to work on my laptop. A lap desk is a great tool for holding the laptop in a good position when you’re sitting on the couch or on your bed. I really like that this lap desk also has a side area for placing a hot drink (carefully!) or a notebook.

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Under Desk Foot Stand & Storage

I have one of these short storage shelves (I believe designed for storing shoes) under my desk. I have short legs, so this may be more relevant for the short kings among us, but I like resting my feet on it. I also place my notebooks, office supplies, snacks, etc, on the shelves so it works as a dual foot rest and storage. I have baskets on top for holding paperwork and snacks.

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Whiteboard with Dry Erase Markers

Whiteboards are great for jotting down quick notes and reminders, or brainstorming. I like having a whiteboard to figure out essay ideas and organization, or writing down a quick todo list for the day.

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Trans Pride Flag

You can bring as much or as little of your identity to work as you are comfortable with. One great way to increase trans visibility is to include a trans pride flag in your home office. These large flags make a nice video background if you put them up on the wall behind you. A small flag can be a great desk decoration to show LGBTQ pride in your business.

Also, consider a nonbinary pride flag!

It is so cool to see LGBTQ entrepreneurs growing businesses and solving problems for their customers while living their best lives. Whether you’re starting a business or working remotely from home, I hope these home office ideas help you set up a comfortable, inspirational, and functional space.