Announcing Yelp's Small Business Advisory Council

Last month, we announced the creation of the Yelp Small Business Advisory Council (YSBAC), a formalized organization of business owners who will provide Yelp management with input and guidance regarding the concerns of small business owners. Business owners across the nation were invited to submit their applications to join YSBAC where they would have the opportunity to provide perspective about the SMB community to Yelp.

After receiving and evaluating over 700 applications, we are excited to share the 10 members of this inaugural council who will serve an annual term:

• Jeff Diamond, Farmstead Wines & Cheeses (Alameda, CA / Montclair Village, CA)
  
• Tim Gorin, MyEyeDr, (37 locations throughout Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC)
  
• Ashley Hankins, Salon Ami (Scottsdale, AZ)
  
• Jay Hariz, Bridal Rings Company (Los Angeles, CA)
  
• Gina Higgins, The Irish Times (South Miami, FL)
• Kurt Huffman, Pok Pok / Ping / Foster Burger / Gruner / Whiskey Soda Lounge (Portland, OR)
• Adam Saxton, Pinkberry (Dallas / Arlington, TX)
  
• Jay Sofer, Lockbusters (New York, NY)
  
• Keniey Sonley, Saj Mediterranean Grill (Cenntenial, CO)
  
• Joel Spainhour, Tucker Pup's Dog Activity Center (Chicago, IL)

View Yelp's Small Business Advisory Council in a larger map

We made our selections with the goal of creating a diverse group: a sole proprietor; a 25 year-old business and a less than one-year-old business; non-advertisers, current advertisers, and a former advertiser; multi-location and single location businesses; and categorical diversity (restaurants, health & beauty, nightlife, retail, medical, pets, home services, etc.) These small business owners all share the common thread of wanting to play an active role in how fellow business owners are thinking about and leveraging online tools.

Activities of the YSBAC shall include:

• A trip to Yelp HQ in San Francisco, CA for meetings with Yelp's executive team.
  
• Participation in a monthly conference call that will provide early access to product and business updates, as well as the opportunity to offer feedback on features under development.
• Ongoing meetings with Yelp's individual business units to provide valuable input on existing features and policies and act as a sounding board for those in development.
• Serve as a resource for other business owners who have questions about the services and tools on Yelp.

We at Yelp have always loved working closely with the small business community and in addition to the formation of YSBAC, we will continue our tradition of meeting with small businesses around the country. We're excited for what this next step will bring for Yelp, as well as for our friends in the small business world.

We at Yelp have always loved working closely with the small business community and in addition to the formation of YSBAC, we will continue our tradition of meeting with small businesses around the country. We're excited for what this next step will bring for Yelp, as well as for our friends in the small business world.