In a recent comic feature in The Washington Post, we meet a car salesman who’s… different. He doesn’t push. He doesn’t oversell. He remembers names, builds relationships, and lets the customer feel seen—not managed. It’s a story about trust. About sincerity. And about how even in sales—perhaps especially in sales—what moves people is not persuasion, but presence.
It made me think about my own work as a startup advisor at Arbetsförmedlingen. Every month, I meet queer professionals trying to launch something of their own. A bakery with Balkan roots. A personal training business for trans clients. A tech idea that’s still more dream than code. And almost every time, we land on the same question:
“How do I sell myself without pretending to be someone I’m not?”
Here’s the answer: You don’t pretend. You refine. You reveal. You build the business version of yourself with the same tools you use in life: courage, empathy, and the weird, wonderful details that make you you. Because your personality isn’t a liability. It’s your edge.
Sales today isn’t about the perfect pitch or SEO-polished tagline. It’s about connection. And even when that connection happens over Zoom, LinkedIn, or a cold email from your IKEA desk in Malmö, it still matters.
Let me say this clearly:
Being queer is not something to sidestep. It’s a lived experience that teaches you to read people, navigate systems, and show up even when the room wasn’t designed for you. Those are incredible entrepreneurial skills. And they don’t belong in the background.
If you’re building something—whether it’s a side hustle or a new way to serve your community—start by being honest. Let your story breathe through your service. Don’t flatten your voice to match someone else’s expectations of “professional.” Instead, bring your full self into the business model. Not performatively, but with presence.
Because trust me: Your clients don’t want the perfect version of you.
They want the real one.
And that’s what sells.
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