Women in Business Summit 2023

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the 2023 Women in Business Summit! Watch our keynote session with Leah Cohen above, and see recordings of the other sessions below.


To celebrate Women’s History Month, Yelp hosted its third annual Women in Business Summit on Thursday, March 16, 2023. This summit brought together dynamic entrepreneurs and business builders in social media, branding, 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 with each other. Check out the schedule and session descriptions below, starting with keynote speaker Leah Cohen—chef, author, television personality, and owner of Pig & Khao and Piggyback Bar in New York City.


The State of Women Entrepreneurship with Leah Cohen

Chef, author, and television personality Leah Cohen shared how she found success in the restaurant world, learning from some of the world’s most renowned chefs. The owner of Pig & Khao and Piggyback Bar touched on her experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and how her family’s heritage helped develop her recipe for entrepreneurial success.

Speaker: Leah Cohen, chef, author, TV personality and owner, Pig & Khao

Moderator: Kristen Hawley, restaurant journalist, Expedite

On the Yelp Blog: Read more about Leah Cohen’s biggest lessons learned as a business owner and working mom, including tips for delegating, hiring, and learning from failure.

Additional resources


How to Turn Your Social Presence Into Dollars

Social media for business is a rapidly evolving frontier that requires consistent and purposeful engagement. To stay on top of the latest in the world of likes and shares, learn from the industry’s best social marketers as they discuss how to harness the power of social media for your business and convert social followers into business results.

Speakers:

  • Grayson DiFonzo, founder, designer, and CEO, BuddyLove
  • Sujatha Mamidibathula, head of SMB, North America, TikTok
  • Crystal Chase, digital marketing consultant, C.Chase Consulting

Moderator: Ayanna Alleyne Grant, senior director of social media, Yelp

Additional resources


Preparing Your Business for Economic Uncertainty

As the country continues to experience economic uncertainty, it’s more important than ever for small businesses to be proactive and prepared for the challenging, and often unexpected, hurdles that characterize today’s business environment. This panel brought together business leaders and experts to discuss how small businesses can help safeguard their business against the unexpected and optimize their business for success.

Speakers:

Moderator: Emily Washcovick, small business expert, Yelp

Additional resources


Building Customer Trust—and Relationships

Building trust is the first step in establishing long-term relationships with your customers. As more consumers seek out businesses that align with their values, it’s never been more important to create a trusted relationship from the moment they walk in your door or look up your business online. This panel brought together experts to illustrate how to create strong relationships with customers at every stage of their purchasing journey.

Speakers:

Moderator: Alisa Gumbs, deputy chief content officer, BLACK ENTERPRISE

Additional resources


Success on Yelp

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

Additional resources


Hire the Right Way: How to Grow Your Business Strategically

There reaches a point in every growing business where the business owner has to make a decision: to hire or not to hire? Knowing when to staff up and how many to bring on board is one of the top challenges that first-time business owners experience. Coupled with today’s economic uncertainty, making the right decision can have a profound impact on your business. This panel shared perspectives from business leaders to uncover best practices around hiring.

Speakers:

Moderator: Jami Stigliano, founder and franchisor, DivaDance

Additional resources


Breaking Down Gender Barriers and Inequities

Despite advancements in recent years, women still encounter inequities at every stage of life, especially within the business community. This panel shared perspectives from women entrepreneurs across industries as they discuss overcoming the challenges they’ve faced in business, as well as how to support the next generation of female entrepreneurs.

Speakers:

  • Tiffany R. Warren, founder and president, ADCOLOR
  • Brooke Quinn, chief customer officer, Carrot Fertility
  • Danielle Silber, director of strategic partnerships, ACLU

Moderator: Miriam Warren, chief diversity officer, Yelp

Additional resources


Unleashing Your Creativity to Build Great Brand Experiences

Creating an exceptional brand experience requires strategic creative thinking, and there are tried-and-true tactics business owners can use to uplevel their brand and customer experience. This panel assembled branding leaders to help business owners understand how to infuse creativity into branding that translates into a great customer experience.

Speakers:

Moderator: Kadecia Ber, director of multi-location solutions, Yelp

Additional resources


Lessons Learned From Small Business Owners

From managing employees to running a storefront to marketing online, small business owners wear many hats as they grow and scale their operation. Hear from this roundtable of entrepreneurs on the important lessons they’ve learned in starting, running, and growing their small businesses.

Speakers:

Moderator: Ali Schwartz, senior marketing manager, Yelp

Additional resources

Speakers

Host 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.

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