Written by: Kat Torrefranca

June 14, 2025 — Novotel Manila — Vitalstrats Creative Solutions (VCS) joined LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and advocates for QWARTA E-Commerce Training, a two-day learning event organized by Mindanao Pride in partnership with the Philippine LGBT Chamber of Commerce (PLCC), where VCS is a proud member.

Informed by her tenure as a former PLCC Board Director (2016–2023), VCS Chief Creative Officer Amrei Dizon offered a mix of actionable systems and perspective grounded in queer entrepreneurship.

Now in its second year, the QWARTA program brought practical strategies, tech tips, and inclusive business perspectives to a room full of rising queer founders.

Sharing What’s Worked—and What Still Works

Vitalstrats Chief Creative Officer Amrei Dizon leads “Inbox to Impact,” sharing practical tools from two decades of creative operations.

On Day 2, Amrei Dizon, Chief Creative Officer of VCS and Co-Founder of Introspeck Management Consultancy, led a session titled “Inbox to Impact: A Queer-Led Company’s 21-Year Tool Kit.”

Her talk focused on how Google tools—like Gmail, Sheets, Docs, and Business Profile—have helped VCS create smoother workflows, improve collaboration, and build digital visibility over the years.

She shared how VCS established three key workflows using free and familiar tools:

Productivity: Shared Google Sheets for task visibility and day-to-day coordination
Collaboration: Docs and Slides for real-time creation of decks, proposals, and training kits
Finance: Self-built cashflow trackers in Sheets to guide spending and projections

The session also touched on how VCS boosted its credibility online using SEO basics, YouTube portfolios, and its Google Business Profile. These steps helped make the company more discoverable, without requiring big budgets or complex tools.

Tools That Support Small Teams—and Big Missions

*Amrei Dizon with QWARTA workshop attendees after her session on digital tools and queer-led systems*

Amrei introduced tools that queer-led teams can explore to work more efficiently—especially those without a dedicated tech team.

She mentioned tools like:

Google Forms for team check-ins
Shared Drives for client file organization
Gemini for writing support
Simple task trackers built in Google Sheets

Each suggestion was based on what VCS continues to use—not as one-size-fits-all solutions, but as possible starting points for small teams navigating digital work.

A Full Day of Visibility, Voice, and Wellbein

CCO Amrei Dizon explaining how Google Workspace powers real-time teamwork and clarity, especially for lean, remote-first teams

The QWARTA training’s second day also featured Anna Galura, who spoke about Grab as a tool for both livelihood and logistics, especially within informal economies. Later, Jan Castañeda led a grounded and affirming session on the mental health realities of entrepreneurship—reminding participants that building a business shouldn’t come at the cost of one’s wellbeing.

Throughout the sessions, one theme stood out: running a business is personal. And in communities that often face barriers, the right tools are helpful—but community, care, and context carry just as much weight.

Staying in the Room, Year After Year

CCO Amrei Dizon with VCS Managing Partner TJ Joson—representing over 21 years of queer-led creative leadership

For VCS, the session was also a chance to reconnect with mentees from previous programs—many of whom are now growing businesses of their own. Seeing familiar faces not as attendees, but as peers, was a quiet reminder of why VCS shows up to spaces like this: to listen, to share, and to stay present in the work of building smarter, braver, and more collaborative queer-led businesses.

VCS x Mindanao Pride: Empowering LGBT-Led Teams Through Digital Tools

Sharing What’s Worked—and What Still Works

Tools That Support Small Teams—and Big Missions

A Full Day of Visibility, Voice, and Wellbein

Staying in the Room, Year After Year