Lisa Nicole Bell is excelling in a field that is dominated by men—and very rarely do you see African-American women on the playing field. Bell is founder of Inspired Life Media Group, which conceives, develops, and produces original premium content for traditional and new media. “We work with a range of clients that includes studios, networks, startups, and major brands,” says Bell, a degree in Business Law from California State University Northridge.
With the odds against her, Bell had to overcome many obstacles. “One of my obstacles was being young, female, and Black in a space dominated by older, white males. I had to find ways to make my situation work for me which was really all about getting creative in my marketing. Like any entrepreneur, I’ve had many other setbacks and challenges, and I overcome them by identifying the lesson I’m supposed to learn and then moving forward,” she says. Bell launched Inspired Life Media in 2012.
Today, her company creates original premium content that they sell and license. “We also provide consulting for companies and brands that need to craft a compelling story around what they do,” says Bell, who also works as a content and brand strategist to social enterprises and technology firms.
To start Inspired Life, Bell used profits from her two other startups– Live and Learn, a standardized test prep company, and Inspired Girls International. “I self-funded my first company, Live and Learn. As a service-based business, it was easy for me to start small and build momentum,” she explains. “I launched my first business because I wanted freedom. I realized that I was willing to work hard and take on the risk associated with owning a business so I made the leap and never looked back.” Prior to launching her latest venture, Bell founded Inspired Girls International, a training and development company that reached more than 10,000 young women throughout the U.S., Africa, and South America.
She has equally as ambitious goals for Inspired Life. “Our goal this year is to continue building meaningful partnerships and impacting people in a positive way through media,” she explains. “Long-term, we want to become a company known for innovation. We want to expand into other verticals over time, and our name, Inspired Life Media, gives us the flexibility to develop a bevy of things that help people lead inspired lives. We’re really excited about those possibilities.”
