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Keynote Speaker · Podcaster · Business Strategist

Build a business around you.

I'm Yolanda "Yo" Butler. For 30+ years I've built businesses and helped others build theirs, with clear strategy, financial confidence and the right people in your corner.

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Years as an entrepreneur
30+
Years at Operation HOPE
13+
Client recommendations
33
Portrait of Yolanda Butler
Yolanda Butler · Antioch, California

A career built alongside

  • Operation HOPE
  • Contra Costa SBDC
  • Women's Initiative for Self Employment
  • Cal State East Bay
  • Christian Family Preschool

Years building businesses

Meet Yo

I know the road, because I've walked it.

I ran Christian Family Preschool in Oakland for 13 years and grew a consignment business on the side. Then I spent my career helping other owners: training women entrepreneurs, advising at the Contra Costa SBDC, and growing from Small Business Coordinator to Financial Well-Being Coach at Operation HOPE.

Today I bring that experience to stages, workshops and one-on-one coaching for businesses, nonprofits and ministries. My promise is simple: we build the business around you, not the other way around.

— Yo

Read my story

The framework

The Business of You, in five steps.

A clear path from idea to impact. Every step connects to a talk, an episode or a resource.

  1. 01

    Identify your problem

    Great businesses start with a real problem. We name it, size it, and make sure people will pay to solve it.

    Related talk
  2. 02

    Build around your strengths

    Your story, skills and relationships are assets. We design the business around who you already are.

    Related talk
  3. 03

    Fund and protect it

    Credit, capital, trust accounts and the guardrails that keep what you build safe.

    Related talk
  4. 04

    Sustain yourself

    Mental and financial wellness so the founder lasts as long as the business does.

    Related talk
  5. 05

    Scale your voice

    Social capital, partnerships and visibility. Each one, reach one.

    Related talk

Speaking

Talks that leave rooms ready to build.

All talks and workshops
01

Keynote · 45 to 60 minutes

The Business of You

Build a business around your strengths, story and season of life

  • A simple test to know whether your idea solves a real problem
  • How to map your strengths, story and relationships into an offer
  • The five steps of the Business of You framework
Explore this talk
02

Keynote · 45 to 90 minutes

Credit, Capital & Confidence

Financial wellness for founders who are ready to grow

  • How business credit differs from personal credit, and why it matters
  • What lenders look for before they say yes
  • Trust accounts and planning basics that protect what you build
Explore this talk
03

Keynote · 30 to 60 minutes

Each One, Reach One

The power of social capital in business and community

  • Why social capital is a real business asset
  • A simple plan to build relationships that lead to opportunity
  • How to ask for help, and how to offer it
Explore this talk

Find your talk

Three questions. Your perfect fit.

Tell us about your audience and we'll match you with the right keynote or workshop.

Who is your audience?

Whole-founder wellness

A business is only as strong as the person behind it.

I

Mental wellness

Confidence, boundaries and stress habits that keep founders steady through every season.

II

Financial wellness

Credit, planning and trust accounts. The money foundations that protect what you build.

III

Business building

Plans, funding and access to markets, shaped around your strengths and your life.

Proof

What people say after the room empties.

30+
years building businesses
13
years running her own preschool
33
written recommendations from clients and peers

Event types served

  • Conferences
  • Chambers of commerce
  • Nonprofits
  • Ministries
  • Small business centers
  • Corporate ERGs
  • Women's groups
  • Credit unions

The podcast · coming soon

Conversations about building the business of you.

Founders, lenders and community builders on money, mindset and growth. Join the launch list and be first to hear episode one.

Explore the showBe a guest

Meet Agent Yo

Ask Agent Yo. Get your next step.

Agent Yo is Yolanda's AI concierge. It helps event planners find the right talk, helps founders test an idea, and routes partners to the right person. Friendly, private and always clear that it's an AI.

  • Plans your event and pre-fills the booking form
  • Points you to the right free resource
  • Hands off to a real person whenever you want
Yo

Hi! What are you working on today?

Free workbook

Is your idea a real problem?

A short, guided workbook to test your idea, map your strengths and choose your first step. The same questions Yo asks every new client.

No spam. Unsubscribe in one click.

Book Yo

Let's build something around you.

Keynotes, workshops, panels and coaching for businesses, nonprofits and ministries, in person across the Bay Area or virtually anywhere.

Prefer the full planner? Use the step-by-step booking form.