Lisa Nicholls, Founder and Owner

Lisa Nicholls is a consummate networker and community builder who intuitively understands how to form genuine connections with people in real life and online. Throughout her career Lisa gravitated to customer-facing positions that had her as the conduit between product and customers. She uncovered a universal truth about business and sales: it’s not about the product so much as seeking out commonalities, forming genuine connections, and deeply seeing and hearing customers that leads to strong, consistent business results.

Lisa built on these skills when she joined the Reston Chamber of Commerce in 2007 and became instrumental in expanding the Chamber’s presence. As a board member, she served as the Chairperson of the newly formed Restaurant & Hospitality Committee. She expanded the Chamber’s presence into the restaurant community by creating and launching Reston’s very first Restaurant Week, one of the Chamber’s most successful annual events that continues to be a hallmark event of the Chamber. Lisa also served as the co-chair for the Chamber’s annual holiday party for several years.

In 2009 Lisa realized her ability to connect with people and build thriving communities could also work in the online world, so she founded Tira! Strategies, a consultancy dedicated to helping small business owners navigate the complex and dynamic world of social media. For the past 10 years, Lisa has developed a deep expertise around best practices for online engagement, social media ads, and how to leverage social platforms for optimal business results. Her strategies are centered around truly seeing the customer as a person, developing rapport, building relationships one at a time, and ultimately cultivating a community of engaged and inspired followers that turn into sales for her clients.

Tira! Strategies has helped hundreds of small business owners go from skeptical to savvy about social media. Tira! Strategies offers DIY social media workshops for small business owners, conducts onsite consulting for marketing teams wanting to up their social media game, and manages social media accounts for clients who prefer to focus on running their business. She is a subject matter expert on the topic of community building online and a sought-after speaker on social media best practices. She created and oversees a Facebook Group called the Social Visibility Society, which is dedicated to helping solopreneurs learn to use social media to their best advantage. She is the President of the National Association of Women Business Owners’ DC Chapter, former board member of the Reston Chamber of Commerce and active in the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce.