How a Utah Women in Business Networking Community Is Closing the Female Entrepreneur Gap Through Collaboration, Confidence, and Real Business Growth

Episode Summary

On this episode of Utah Business Spotlight, host Peter Anthony sits down with Makayla Adams, founder of Engage & Empower — a Salt Lake County women in business networking community built specifically for female entrepreneurs who are tired of motivation without momentum. Utah ranks high for entrepreneurship overall but persistently low for women-owned businesses, and Makayla Adams started Engage & Empower to close that gap with rooms designed for trust, collaboration, and real business outcomes.

Makayla Adams walks Peter Anthony through the origin of Engage & Empower, the rhythm of weekly networking meetings, monthly happy hours inspired by an evening she watched in Paris, and the quarterly expert sessions on social media, branding, and AI. The conversation gets sharp on why female entrepreneurs in Utah still face a structural gap — not a mindset problem — and why the right room, the right collaborators, and the right cadence change what is possible for a woman-owned business in Salt Lake County.

Peter Anthony opens up the marketing layer underneath the conversation: attention is not conversion, authority is not a dance, and women business owners are too often rewarded for engagement rather than for the authoritative behavior that drives revenue. Makayla Adams pushes back and refines the frame — feminine energy and masculine energy can both run a business, and the strongest rooms blend logical and creative thinkers in deliberate, forced collisions that produce new ideas.

The episode goes deeper than networking. Peter Anthony shares the formative story of being trapped as a child in Peru with his mother and brother, growing up on welfare, and the moment that hard-wired his life mission to help others find financial freedom. Makayla Adams maps the same principle onto her members — clarity of value, belief in self, and access to a community that mirrors that belief back are the variables that decide whether a Utah woman-owned business compounds or stalls.

The episode closes with the questions every business owner should sit with: What phase am I in? Where am I trying to go? Who is in my room? Engage & Empower hosts weekly networking meetings, monthly happy hours, expert-led discussions, and a year-end vision board party that doubles as the most-attended event of the year. Utah Business Spotlight is produced by INCubator Marketing Agency and filmed in Sandy, Utah.

Key Moments

00:00 Why the women-owned business gap still matters · 00:33 A business community built for female entrepreneurs · 01:40 The idea behind Engage & Empower · 03:23 Why women-owned businesses still face a real gap · 04:31 Attention, authority, and the conversion problem · 07:13 Networking styles, feminine energy, and business power · 09:35 Why adrenaline and decision-making change the room · 11:01 Peter Anthony's origin story and why freedom matters · 14:22 Business is Darwinian and the room matters · 16:27 Breaking into Utah's business circles · 17:47 Confidence starts with clarity and value · 19:15 Forced collisions create better business ideas

Notable Quotes

"When you work hard, results are delivered — but there is still a real gap for women-owned businesses in Utah." — Makayla Adams

"People do business with people they like, know, and trust — and the right room makes that possible." — Makayla Adams

"Confidence starts with clarity. Who am I, what is my value, and am I committed to it?" — Peter Anthony

"Forced collisions create better business ideas — that is why mixing rooms matters." — Peter Anthony

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Makayla Adams?

Makayla Adams is the founder of Engage & Empower, a Salt Lake County women in business networking community for female entrepreneurs. Makayla Adams also owns an insurance agency and a real estate brokerage in Utah, and built Engage & Empower to close the persistent gap in women-owned business support across the state.

What is Engage & Empower?

Engage & Empower is a women in business networking community in Salt Lake County built to help female entrepreneurs grow personally and financially through weekly networking meetings, monthly member happy hours, quarterly expert-led sessions on social media, branding, and AI, and an annual vision board party. Visit engageandempowerslc.com.

Why is there a gap for women-owned businesses in Utah?

Utah ranks high in overall entrepreneurship but low in women-owned businesses. Makayla Adams and Peter Anthony attribute the gap to access — fewer rooms, fewer recurring collaborations, and fewer trusted networks built specifically for female entrepreneurs. Engage & Empower exists to create that room, that cadence, and that collaboration on purpose.

How do I join the Engage & Empower community?

Visit engageandempowerslc.com to learn about meeting locations and times, follow the Utah Women in Business Network on Facebook, and follow Makayla Adams on Instagram at @empowerhouse.bymakayla. Networking groups meet weekly at varying locations and times, with monthly happy hours and a year-end vision board party.

Where is Utah Business Spotlight filmed?

Utah Business Spotlight is filmed at Sandy, UT (venue TBD). The show is produced by INCubator Marketing Agency and hosted by Peter Anthony.

About INCubator Marketing Agency

INCubator Marketing Agency is Utah's first AI-integrated marketing infrastructure team, headquartered in Sandy, Utah and serving small businesses, founders, and operators across Utah County, Salt Lake County, and the wider Wasatch Front.

Every engagement is built around the INCubator Method: seven core marketing systems — authority web design, local SEO, CRM and pipeline, marketing automation, AI voice receptionists, video content, and conversion-focused funnels — installed together as one accountable infrastructure so every dollar compounds month over month.

The agency was founded by Peter Anthony Wynn (Founder & Marketing Strategist) with Marc Olsen (Partner & Automation Expert) and Chelsie Wynn. INCubator operates Utah Business Spotlight, a long-form Utah small business podcast filmed at Bad Bet Productions in Sandy, Utah, and hosts Tuesday Night at the INCubator — a weekly marketing training and networking event for Utah business owners.

Contact: team@incubatormarketingagency.com · +1 385-386-6988 · Office hours Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Mountain Time.