Black in Business Summit 2021

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the inaugural Yelp Black in Business Summit! Watch our keynote session with Pinky Cole above, and see recordings of the other sessions below.


To celebrate National Black Business Month, Yelp’s first-ever Black in Business Summit took place on August 25, 2021. Hear from dynamic speakers and inspiring business builders for a day of panel discussions, fireside chats, and workshops.

This free, virtual event provided a forum for business leaders in all industries to share insights and learn from each other. Looking ahead to a post-pandemic world, the summit offers inspiration while also providing tactical lessons and takeaways that can be applied to any industry or business.


In Conversation With Pinky Cole

From her early beginnings as a Harlem restaurateur to growing a multi-location business, Pinky Cole has built an empire as the owner and visionary of Slutty Vegan, an Atlanta-based restaurant with celebrity fans like Lala Anthony, Ludacris, and Gabrielle Union. In this session, learn how Pinky found her passion and is empowering others to pursue their dreams.

In this webinar, you’ll learn:

  • How to use your personal brand to strengthen your business brand
  • How to utilize your success to aid your community
  • Business tips for aspiring entrepreneurs

Speaker: Pinky Cole, founder and CEO at Slutty Vegan

Moderator: Tara Lewis, VP of Community Expansion and Trends at Yelp


Standing Out as a Black Woman in Business

Data shows Black women are promoted more slowly than other groups of employees and are significantly underrepresented in senior leadership. In fact, only 1% of C-suite leaders are Black women. There are also lower levels of funding for Black women business owners. Hear from these Black business builders on their experiences, challenges, and how they’ve created a seat at the table.

Learn more about:

  • How nurturing your authentic self can become a professional asset
  • Overcoming business challenges, misperceptions, and unconscious bias
  • The importance of building your personal and business brands separately
  • How to empower communities and incorporate intersectionality in business

Speakers:

Moderator: Cate Luzio, CEO and Founder of Luminary


In Conversation With the Cast of HBO Max’s Sweet Life: Los Angeles

In this session, the cast of Sweet Life: Los Angeles joins EveryStylishGirl CEO Nana Agyemang to discuss how they’ve built their careers as tastemakers and entrepreneurs in South Los Angeles.

In this webinar, you’ll learn:

  • Growing pains of starting a new business and how to raise funds
  • Social media strategies for promoting your business
  • How to prioritize personal growth and self care
  • Other tips for being a successful entrepreneur

Speakers:

From owning a record label to running an organic body butter company, the cast of Sweet Life: Los Angeles is diverse in their passions. However, the drive to create a better world through entrepreneurship is something they all have in common. While some are in the initial stages of growing their businesses, others work to maintain established success, giving this group of young Black entrepreneurs a wide breadth of knowledge and unique experiences to share.

The cast includes:

  • Amanda Scott, PR Professional
  • Briana Jones, CEO and Founder of Buttered by Bri
  • Cheryl Des Vignes, owner of Des Vignes
  • Jerold Smith II, marketing specialist
  • Jordan Bentley, owner of Hypland
  • P’Jae Compton, co-founder of Lost Sound and His & Hers
  • Tylynn Burns, founder of House Party Creative

Moderator: Nana Agyemang, CEO of EveryStylishGirl


In Conversation With Nicole Gibbons

CEO of online paint store Clare, Nicole Gibbons is one of the few Black women to receive more than $1 million in funding. Oftentimes, Black entrepreneurs must bootstrap their businesses or rely on investments from friends and family. In this conversation, hear how her experiences as a woman of color have impacted how she builds her business and what small business owners can learn from her mistakes.

You’ll learn about:

  • The steps to creating a successful direct-to-consumer business
  • How finding your niche can lead you to creating a more scalable business
  • How to leverage your professional network to find investors

Speaker: Nicole Gibbons, CEO of Clare

Moderator: Ita Ekpoudom, partner at GingerBread Capital


Pitch Please: Creating a Pitch That Pays

Learn the speaking industry’s best-kept secrets and fool-proof techniques for creating the perfect pitch.

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

  • Unpack the killer toolbox that turns cold prospects into hot leads and sales
  • Discover how to showcase your expertise and speak up for yourself
  • Stand out from your competitors and become the #1 choice for your ideal customers

Speaker: Precious Williams, pitch master, author, and owner of Perfect Pitches


Think Big, Act Local

Franchisee owners and decision makers discuss how they’ve remained authentic to their local communities while balancing the demands of a national brand. In this session, business owners are joined by a Yelp Elite on what she looks for when searching for a local business.

In this webinar, you will learn:

  • How to speak to your community with your brand
  • How to balance local level promotion with large brand recognition
  • What draws potential customers to your business
  • How to create authentic business partnerships that speak to your target audience

Speakers:

Moderator: Helina Medhin, Yelp Senior Community Director


Creating Equitable Access to Capital

Listen in to a conversation with executives from Truist Foundation, CornerSquare Capital, and Combs Enterprises on how race can impact financial literacy and access to funding. In this panel recorded during Yelp’s Black in Business Summit, they share what every business owner should know about their financial health and gaining access to capital.

Speakers:

Moderator: Zanade Mann, founder and Managing Director of Black Women’s Business Collective


Crafting an Effective Business Plan

While pitch decks have become more and more popular, the classic business plan still serves an important function for entrepreneurs—and intrapreneurs—who are building, growing, or scaling a business. Cate Luzio, founder and CEO of Luminary and host of the nationally recognized Business Plan Boot Camp, breaks down the top three essentials when crafting a powerful plan.

You’ll learn which information in your business plan will help you:

  • Achieve short and long term goals
  • Reduce risk
  • Build a path to success for your business

To read more, check out Cate’s guest blog post: 3 things to consider when crafting an effective business plan.

Speaker: Cate Luzio, founder and CEO of Luminary

Speakers

Emily Washcovick

Small Business Expert at Yelp

As Yelp’s Small Business Expert, Emily is meticulously focused on helping local business owners succeed and grow. Her expertise lies in customer engagement, reputation management, and all things digital marketing. Through speaking engagements and thought leadership, Emily shares industry insights that entrepreneurs in any business category can leverage for the growth and well-being of their businesses. She is also the host of Behind the Review, a podcast from Yelp and Entrepreneur Media, where each episode features conversations with a business owner and a reviewer about the story and lessons behind their interactions.

Tara Lewis

VP of Community Expansion and Trends at Yelp

Tara Lewis oversees Yelp’s community expansion efforts throughout North America, leading a team of Community Ambassadors who serve as Yelp’s community leaders in their respective markets. She and her teams celebrate what makes each community special and take pride in the relationships they build between great local businesses and Yelp’s community of users. She is also Yelp’s Trend Expert, working alongside Yelp’s data science and PR teams to identify emerging consumer trends across food, drink, beauty, wellness, and beyond. Since stepping into the role, she’s made appearances on The Today Show and Good Morning America, and has been featured in The New York Times, Elle, HuffPost, AdWeek, Travel + Leisure, Forbes, and more.

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