Lisa Kipps-Brown; Reimagineer
A 59-year-old woman whose career is all about enabling communication between teens and adults about technology, Lisa Kipps-Brown is what Steve Sims calls a unicorn.
Speaking with Steve for The Art of Making Things Happen podcast, Kipps-Brown traces her path to her mythical status. “I’ve been a web developer since 1995 and I’ve owned my web marketing and strategy business since 1996. So I’ve been working in the internet world back in the days of Alta Vista, if you remember that,” says Kipps-Brown, adding, “Because I’ve been working in it so long, and because of my age, I’m able to relate with what younger people know and the technology and the language that they use. But I’m also able to relate to what people 50 and older know. And so I’m able to bridge that gap and use the analogies with older people that help them understand why they should do things.”
It may not be an easy career, but that makes it perfect for Kipps-Brown, who readily admits to being a fan of challenges. “I’m going to blame that on my daddy. My father was blind and he did everything. He rode horses, he shot guns. He even drove cars and boats, but I won’t go into detail on that… I have this real streak of stubbornness and just this mule headedness, as he would have said that, I want to prove that something can be done,” she explains.
Kipps-Brown recognizes the intimidation factor of an internet that has seen transformation after transformation since she has first started working with it, but encourages older adults to dive in anyway, explaining, “It’s like if somebody moves to America from another country. They don’t understand English. If they don’t, once they’re here, if they immersed themselves in the community, then they will become fluent.”
If business owners are able to overcome the fear of technology and embrace it, in Kipps-Brown experience, the results are extraordinary. She says, “My cousin actually owns a landscaping company. He’s probably 15 years younger than me… He had just started using an online system to do his quotes, his estimates, his invoicing and everything. He said it’s saving him about two hours every single night. And he fought it forever because he’s old school, like a pencil and paper kind of dude… And he said, ‘I can’t believe I waited so long.’ And I don’t think this is any coincidence, his business topped a million dollars within a few months of making that change.”
Recognizing the value of this information, Kipps-Brown even wrote the book on it, called Boomer Cashout. Always humble, she describes the success of her book, saying “I didn’t write it expecting it to be a bestseller or anything. I wrote it mostly for my clients and my prospects to get them to understand. But it actually has sold quite a few copies and it’s got a couple of reviews on Amazon and they’re actually five-star reviews.”
As if connecting teens and adults isn’t challenging enough, Kipps-Brown also spends her free time volunteering with veterans and NASCAR drivers. “I had a client who was a Daytona 500 winner that I worked with. And I did a lot of different things for him in and outside of NASCAR with his nonprofit. But for years I didn’t work with anybody else. And then the end of 2018, I started working with Colin Garrett, who was a young NASCAR driver from here in Virginia, where I live.”
“And initially, I was just going to give them advice. And then I sucked myself in and here over a year and a half later I’m working with them,” explains Kipps-Brown. “Everything I do for them is pro bono. Everything the team does for them is pro bono. And that’s how it evolved into us. Also promoting the Rosie network and veteran and military spouse owned businesses.” Maybe it’s all of that kindness that allows Kipps-Brown to stay so young at heart.
To learn more about Lisa Kipps-Brown:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisakippsbrown/
https://www.instagram.com/lisakippsbrown/
Listen to this podcast: The Art of Making Things Happen
