We had the good fortune of connecting with Danielle Casilio and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Danielle, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
Working for other people! I think I can say that there was a part of me that knew I would always end up working for myself, or being in a top leadership position, but I wouldn’t be successful doing this had I never worked for other people.

In high school, college and the first few years after I worked for lots of different people, whether it was restaurants or other gigs. I made a lot of relationships, met a lot of interesting characters, and had a lot of different experiences. I watched how people ran their businesses, paid attention to different cultures, and just let myself learn as much as I could about from what, to me, felt like. a very removed perspective.

I honestly think that was the best business school I could go to. I built my company around a solution to a problem I saw affecting the people I worked for, and I wouldn’t have known that problem existed if I wasn’t willing to be an employee.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My business is a tech startup called Yelli. It is a business-to-business software subscription designed exclusively for restaurant teams.

I created Yelli after seeing a need for simple, effective training and communication technology in the restaurant industry. I had worked as a waitress for a while, and I knew the struggles that the industry was facing. High turnover of inexperienced staff working for below-entry-level wages meant there was no push to spend money on new and innovative systems.

I knew that if we made an affordable, easy to use app that would save restaurants time and money, every restaurant in America would sign up. So, that’s what Yelli has become.

Yelli gives each restaurant the ability to create their own training and communication hub. In their account, all of the information their team needs to know can easily be accessed, and when things are updated, everyone is notified to review the details. Additionally, managers can issue tests to their team and track their training progress.

What sets us apart is that we are the first to tackle Front of House restaurant training specifically, and in an app format. It has definitely been challenging, there is a huge learning curve whenever you try to introduce a new product to a market, but so far the risk has been worth the reward.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I truly do love Los Angeles! It’s a beautiful city, and I haven’t even seen the entire thing.

I always recommend the beach. Malibu specifically. Check out the pier and look for dolphins during a sunset, that’s the real gold. I also love West Hollywood, walking in places like Melrose Avenue or the Design District on Beverly Blvd. For restaurants, some of my favorites include Blackwood Coffee bar for coffee and pastries, Terroni for a casual and cozy Italian dinner, Pink Pepper for takeout, and Cut Beverly Hills for a great steak dinner.

I also love going to fun bars, anything with a rooftop of course, or places that offer unique experiences like Bathtub Gin, No Vacancy, or Sunset and Vinyl.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am going to shoutout my two best girlfriends, Danni and Stormy, who are a huge part of my support system. They have been the ultimate sounding board, shoulder to cry on, and assistants. Love you girls!

Website: https://www.yelliapp.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yelliapp/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-casilio-9a2093218

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBxKvW0GaahLUWb4428W0Sg

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.