The Founder’s View from Inside Government: What Really Works for Small Businesses

Yvonne Zhao brings a rare dual lens to this webinar, blending her experience as a municipal and state economic development leader with her hands-on journey as a small business founder. She’ll share what she’s learned from designing multimillion‑dollar programs, managing federal grants, and supporting hundreds of entrepreneurs while also navigating product development, branding, supply chain challenges, and customer acquisition in her own beauty brand. The session highlights the often overlooked disconnects between government processes and real-world entrepreneurship, unpacking the things that seem “obvious” to public administrators but are anything but obvious to business owners. Through practical insights, real examples, and lessons from both sides of the ecosystem, Yvonne will offer a grounded, candid look at how to bridge these gaps and build stronger, more accessible support systems for founders.