A Note From Founder Lisa Nicholls

Like many families growing up, our Thanksgiving table was stuffed with food and laughter. But instead of the usual throng of extended family, my parents' house was filled with athletes. 

My parents were college coaches, and I remember constantly being around athletes and other coaches. Because basketball season's tip-off tournament always fell on Thanksgiving weekend, many out-of-state athletes couldn't travel home for the holiday. My parents welcomed them in, and my mom made enough food to feed an army. The saying, "It takes a village," was so true in our case. My parents were always outstanding examples of people who served with helping hearts.

That was important for me to see as a young adult, and I tucked that away, knowing I also wanted to be a person who served and helped others. 

Fast forward to college. My undergraduate education was in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Urban Planning. I took data and presented it visually (with maps) that helped people process that data and make informed decisions. (Yes, I was a map nerd!)

I didn't have any wild dreams or ambitions for my GIS career, but I knew that data and maps could help people in various ways. I started my first GIS job in local government, where I worked with property ownership, subdivision plats, water boundaries, property line disputes, and custom maps. One of my favorite custom projects was taking soil data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and identifying areas ideal for growing wine grapes.

But after years of making maps, I wanted something different. I knew I needed to follow the example I grew up with, be of service, and have the ability to work from home when I started a family.  

In 2015, I started working as a virtual assistant with a VA startup. I learned to work with a unique team – experimenting with different support models for high-touch clients needing more white-glove services. It was never dull as each day there was always something new and exciting to work on. For Client A, a fabulous bachelor party trip to plan. For Client B, it was scheduling high-priority meetings. I loved it! 

Then one Sunday night, my phone suddenly disconnected from the company email, and I couldn't log back in. The following day we found out the company closed.

My initial thought wasn't about myself; it was about the clients. What were they going to do? They weren't given any notice to seek out new VA services elsewhere, and the services they were paying for came to a screeching halt overnight. 

I felt frustrated for them; their businesses and lives didn't stop just because they were all of a sudden without VA support. AND there were hundreds of virtual assistants without jobs to boot. 

Within 24 hours, I started Lisa & Co. 

I didn't have all the answers, but I knew there were people out there who needed what I had to offer. I immediately got a few clients, and I knew, if this thing ever grew, it had the potential to allow others to have a career while working from home and being present with their families.

Over the last six years, our client family and virtual executive assistant rosters have ebbed and flowed. Some of our virtual EAs have done such a great job that our clients asked to hire them in-house. While it's always sad to lose a highly trained team member, it's inspiring to know we helped a founder or CEO find their perfect match in a virtual EA through our placement services.  

Here at Lisa & Co., every single team member has a helping heart. We genuinely love our work and love working from home so we can be present with our families. 

Although being a business owner isn't always easy, I'm constantly learning, growing, and fueling my "helping heart." I love that we've built something that helps clients and my team live with work-life harmony.

My goal for Lisa & Co. is to provide incredible services for our busy clients and create space for more executive assistants to work from home. I know we’re fulfilling our mission when we receive client comments like these:

““Working with a VA has dramatically increased my productivity and the amount of time that I’m able to spend with my family! I’m so grateful to Deb for taking so many administrative tasks off my plate…””

Interested in learning more about the benefits of hiring a virtual executive assistant? Discover how you can reclaim 20+ hours a month with Lisa & Co.