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NYC Summit 2023

Verizon Small Business Digital Ready: NYC Summit in partnership with Luminary RECAP

On September 26, 2023, Verizon Small Business Digital Ready partnered with Luminary to bring the Digital Ready experience to NYC. From panels and workshops to fireside chats and networking, incredible speakers, and experts, together, the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready: NYC Summit in partnership with Luminary gave attendees a chance to develop their skills with exclusive live events, including a sweepstake; five Chrome Books and 10 Luminary Fellowships were given out.

The day included robust workshops from subject matter experts across all areas needed to run a business - not to mention valuable time to connect with other local business owners.

 1-Oct-03-2023-08-47-08-3346-PM 2-Oct-03-2023-08-47-08-4029-PM

                                                                                                  Photos by Layra Marz Photography

Highlighted Sessions:

  • Optional Office Hours with Erin Andersen, LinkedIn Strategist, Sankeetha Salvarajah, Legal 101, Morlene Chin, Senior Community Director at Yelp Brooklyn, Precious Williams, CEO of Perfect Pitches by Precious LLC, Jourdan Guyton, Founder & CEO of Vera Jean Media, LLC, and Jennifer Malamas, M.D., Mindfulness & Meditation Guide, Wellbeing Coach

  • Fireside Chat presented by Mastercard, with Harlem-based Chef and Mastercard ambassador Joseph (JJ) Johnson, moderated by Cate Luzio, Founder and CEO of Luminary

  • Business Plan Boot Camp with Cate Luzio, Founder and CEO of Luminary

  • The Top 5 Mistakes that Make or Break Small Businesses with Tricia Taitt, CEO of Fincore

  • Building Wealth as a Small Business Owner in Today's Markets with Jean Smart, Founder and CEO of Penelope

  • The Power of the Digital Ready Platform with Jyoti Jaiswal, Founder of OMSutra, and Mike Odulana, Founder of Moobience, moderated by Lily Baez, Small Business Digital Ready Community Manager

  • Digital Marketing 101 with Maribel Lara, SVP at The Sasha Group of Vayner Media

  • Building While Flying Panel with Gwen Beloti, Founder and Creative Director of Gwen Beloti Jewelry, Tammeca Rochester, Founder and CEO of Harlem Cycle, and Sam Dong, Founder and CEO of Ally Shoes, moderated by Cate Luzio, Founder and CEO of Luminary

Recap Video:

 
 
 
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Verizon Small Business Digital Ready is a free learning program developed by small businesses to help small businesses grow and build their skills to succeed in the digital economy. Filled with courses, events, coaching sessions, and grant opportunities, it’s an easy way to advance your business, learn new skills, and meet other like-minded entrepreneurs. For more information, visit verizon.com/digitalready.

Luminary is a gender inclusive, global membership-based professional education and networking platform created to uplift, up-skill, and propel women and our male allies forward through all phases of their professional journey. Our goal is to provide our community with access to tools, resources, and connections to help build, grow, and move businesses and careers forward.

Meet The Speakers

Erin Andersen

LinkedIn Strategist

Lily Baez

Small Business Digital Ready Community Manager

Gwen Beloti

Founder and Creative Director of Gwen Beloti Jewelry

Morlene Chin

Senior Community Director at Yelp Brooklyn

Sam Dong

Founder and CEO of Ally Shoes

Jyoti Jaiswal

Founder of OMSutra

Jyoti Jaiswal

Founder of OMSutra

Jyoti Jaiswal is the founder of OMSutra, a brand that encourages a conscious lifestyle. Established in 2007, the brand aims to preserve India's craft traditions and support ethical and sustainable trades in artisan communities. 

Jyoti designs her handcrafted heritage collection, which skilled artisans handmake using various techniques, eco-friendly materials, and natural resources in the fashion, wellness, and home industries. With over 20 years of experience in product development, market research, and sustainable sourcing, Jyoti brings her artistic flair and love for creative expression to produce unique handmade goods for mainstream consumers. She offers custom-design manufacturing consultancy to other businesses and is also involved in creating social impact projects that help underrepresented women groups and in capacity building for artisan communities, creating a socio-economic and environmental impact.

OMSutra is Jyoti's passion project, which aims to bridge the gap between her two homes, India and the USA. Her commitment to convenience, creativity, craft, design, and tradition has made OMSutra a reflection of her values and vision.

Aparna Khurjekar

Chief Revenue Officer for Verizon Business Markets and SaaS

Rose Kirk

Chief CSR Officer at Verizon

Maribel Lara

SVP at The Sasha Group of Vayner Media

Cate Luzio

Founder and CEO of Luminary

Mike Odulana

Founder of Moobience

Tammeca Rochester

Founder and CEO of Harlem Cycle

Tammeca Rochester

Founder and CEO of Harlem Cycle

Tammeca Rochester, the owner and founder of Harlem Cycle, is a remarkable individual with an impressive academic and professional background. Holding three academic degrees, including Mathematics from Spelman College, Mechanical Engineering from The Georgia Institute of Technology, and an MBA from New York University's Stern Business School, Tammeca brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her endeavors.

After spending 13 years in the corporate world, excelling in Engineering and Marketing, Tammeca decided to follow her passion for fitness and opened Harlem's first and only indoor cycling studio in 2016. Her journey began when she sought a workout that would not only help her regain her fitness but also uplift her spirits. It was through exploring different options that she discovered indoor cycling, which resonated deeply with her childhood memories of joyfully cycling through the streets of Atlanta.

Driven by her entrepreneurial spirit and love for Harlem, Tammeca embarked on establishing the first-ever indoor cycling studio that fully embodies the passion, soul, and energy that defines Harlem. Her dedication and vision have garnered recognition, with Outside Magazine listing her among the top 40 women shaping the future, alongside influential figures like Michelle Obama and Serena Williams.

Certified in indoor cycling, group fitness, Pain Free Performance Specialist, Precision Nutrition Level 1, and Functional Range Conditioning, Tammeca always seeks to expand her knowledge and expertise. Currently, she is pursuing further qualifications by studying for the CSCS exam.

Tammeca Rochester is a true inspiration, combining her academic achievements, professional experience, and passion for fitness to bring an unparalleled indoor cycling experience to the vibrant community of Harlem.

Sankeetha Salvarajah

Legal 101

Jean Smart

Founder and CEO of Penelope

Tricia Taitt

Author and Profit Strategist

Precious Williams

CEO of Perfect Pitches by Precious LLC

Precious Williams

CEO of Perfect Pitches by Precious LLC

Want to learn how to take your sales, investor, or elevator pitches from trash to straight CASH?  Or have your prospects throwing money at you every time you open your mouth?  Then, it's time to learn how to convert conversations into currency with the Pitch Queen, Precious L. Williams. Her company, Perfect Pitches by Precious, teaches you the tools and tenacity to pitch with power, sell with storytelling, and develop a masterful mindset for communication. It’s time for you to learn how to #SlayAllCompetition

Precious busts norms and shifts perspectives to help teams own their awesome and bring out their “wow” factor.  Your leaders and teams will up their game — on their terms — in order to develop the cunning, clarity and confidence that’s been inside them all along. 

What’s more, they’ll get unstuck and discover a renewed and refreshed energy to own the mindset of the pitch in a way they never thought possible. If you’re ready to go from milquetoast to memorable, attracting and captivating your prospects while closing the sale in an authentic way, it’s time to #pitchforprofit

And you can bet, you’re going to have fun doing it!

Precious L. Williams is a 13-time national elevator pitch champion. Besides helping women entrepreneurs and business leaders, she is also a TOP corporate sales trainer, helping sales teams to create killer communication skills, craft messaging and understand how to pitch and build sales programs. Precious is a world-class speaker/trainer for global brands including BMW, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Harvard University, Columbia University, Spelman College, Morehouse College, George Washington University, Intuit Quickbooks, Yelp, and more.   As an international professional speaker, she is also hired to Keynote global conferences, summits, and events.

Jourdan Guyton

Founder & CEO of Vera Jean Media, LLC

Jennifer Malamas, M.D.

Mindfulness & Meditation Guide, Wellbeing Coach

Chef, Joseph (JJ) Johnson

Chef & Founder at FIELDTRIP

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