Women in Business Summit 2022

Thank you to everyone who registered and attended the summit! Watch the headlining session above with beauty entrepreneur Bobbi Brown, and see recordings of the other sessions below.

To celebrate Women’s History Month, Yelp hosted its second annual Women in Business Summit on Thursday, March 24, 2022. Headlined by beauty entrepreneur Bobbi Brown, founder of Jones Road Beauty, this summit brought together dynamic female entrepreneurs, along with leaders in social media, marketing, and finance, for a day of thought-provoking conversations, inspiration, and actionable advice.

This free, virtual event provided a forum for business owners and decision makers to connect, learn, and share from each other. Looking ahead to a post-pandemic world, the summit delivered inspiring perspectives and advice to solve the new challenges entrepreneurs face.

Yelp is proud to have presented this event in partnership with Luminary, Entrepreneur, HeyMama & Female Founder Collective.

In Conversation With Bobbi Brown

In this intimate conversation with Yelp’s Small Business Expert Emily Washcovick, New York Times best-selling author and Jones Road Beauty founder Bobbi Brown shared what she’s learned about reigniting your entrepreneurial spirit, following your dreams, and leading as a female entrepreneur.

Speaker: Bobbi Brown, makeup artist and founder, Jones Road Beauty

Moderator: Emily Washcovick, Yelp small business expert

Building Your Brand Identity

In many cases, your brand is the first thing a customer interacts with and the last thing they think about after they purchase your product or service. Building a brand that’s recognizable, highly resonant, and meaningful can supercharge how customers think about your business. In this panel discussion, hear best practices from brand leaders on how businesses can create an impactful brand, both in storefronts and across digital channels.

Speakers:

• Gabriela Lopez-Bucio, founder and owner, Gabriela’s Group
• Madison Utendahl, founder, Utendahl Creative; vice president of social strategy, Known

Moderator: Nicole Leinbach Reyhle, founder and publisher, Retail Minded

A New Era of Working Motherhood

For many working mothers, the pandemic upended their work/life balance—affecting career ambitions and family aspirations, and creating new hardships and sources of stress. For companies, the pandemic has ushered in an opportunity to re-evaluate how they can support employees. In this panel discussion, hear from powerful leaders who have made it work since COVID-19 started disrupting their lives.

Speakers:

• Abbey Carlton, director of global social impact, Indeed
• Michelle Cordeiro Grant, CEO, Lively
• Elisa Bannon-Jones, chief people officer, GNC

Moderator: Erika Feldus, CEO, HeyMama

Bonus from the Yelp Blog: The pandemic prompted many small business owners to re-evaluate how they support employees. Hear more from speaker Abbey Carlton and small business owners about how to support and retain employees in a post-pandemic future.

Watch Us, Follow Us: What Video and Social Media Mean for Local Business

Building a following on social platforms like Twitter, TikTok, or Instagram can change the trajectory of your business and create significant opportunity. But in such a competitive landscape, how can business owners take advantage of these platforms to grow? In this panel discussion, hear from leaders in the social and video industries about how businesses can leverage these platforms to stay relevant and keep their audiences engaged.

Speakers:

• Julianne Fraser, president and CEO, Dialogue New York
• Kirstin Lawrence, associate manager customer success, Twitter
• Danielle Johnson, head of SMB account management, North America, TikTok

Moderator: Nana Agyemang, founder, EveryStylishGirl

Money Matters: Understanding Funding and Finance for Your Business

Many local business owners are masters of their craft—whether that’s baking, fence building, or running a successful restaurant. But what they might not be experts in is finding the right funding at the right time—especially during times of crisis or exploding growth. Listen to this discussion on finance and venture capital to learn the basics about fundraising and financing—from where to turn for capital to the basics of making a pitch.

Speakers:

• Samantha Huang, principal, BMW i Ventures
• Connie Evans, president and CEO, AEO
• Kathryn Weinmann, vice president, Norwest Venture Partners

Moderator: Miriam Warren, chief diversity officer, Yelp

How to Build a Strong, Supportive Network and Choose Collaboration Over Competition

Building a strong business isn’t always about beating out your competition. Many successful business owners believe that collaboration and leaning into your network can greatly expedite your journey to success. Hear from Cate Luzio, CEO and founder of Luminary, and Zanade Mann, founder and managing director of Black Women’s Business Collective, as they discuss how business owners can build a strong and fruitful network, as well as the ways networking has enriched their businesses. 

Speakers:

• Cate Luzio, CEO and founder, Luminary
• Zanade Mann, founder and managing director, Black Women’s Business Collective

Creating Memorable Customer Experiences

What makes customers come back to your business? Many times, customers are drawn to memorable experiences rather than products—whether that’s great sales interactions, unique branding, exceptional customer service, or personability. In this fireside chat, hear great examples of creating memorable and unique experiences for your customers that will keep them coming back. 

Speakers:

• Caisy Lun, owner, Taste Restaurant
• Niki Burt, community manager, Yelp

Breaking Through: How To Make It in a Crowded Market

The beauty industry is known for changing faster than the seasons. Hear from Glossier and three founders from the next generation of leading beauty brands to learn how they have navigated the delicate processes of starting their business, scaling it, overcoming obstacles, and tackling new goals.

Speakers:

• Trinity Mouzon Wofford, co-founder and CEO, Golde
• Cora Miller, co-founder and CEO, Young King Hair Care
• Alicia Scott, founder and CEO, Range Beauty

Moderator: Roya Shariat, senior manager of impact, Glossier

Make Yelp Work for You: 20+ Free Tools

Your free business listing on Yelp allows you to communicate with consumers who are searching for your products or services in your area. Taking advantage of the 20+ free Yelp features will help you stand out from the competition, giving you the best chance to secure the sale. Learn how to implement the most important tools—helping you optimize your listing and manage your online reputation.

Speaker: Emily Washcovick, small business expert, Yelp

Watch an extended version of this presentation.