LISA W. RILEY
Lisa is a dynamic professional who excels in multiple roles, including food stylist, professional speaker, and business coach. With a marketing-savvy mindset, Lisa intuitively understands what attracts customers, whether it's national branding on store signage, restaurant food styling, or packaging design for store shelves. As a speaker, she captivates audiences with her genuine honesty, sharing embarrassing mistakes and valuable lessons on topics ranging from entrepreneurship to breast cancer, inspiring people to think differently.
As a business and life coach, Lisa acts as a supportive cheerleader and honest advisor, committed to helping clients become the best version of themselves through accountability and encouragement, a principle she embraces in her own life with the guidance of her coach.
LISA’S STORY
As an only child growing up in Oklahoma, I had a very vivid imagination. I always felt like I was creative in my thinking and how I viewed the world.
After graduating college (Go Pokes!), I started out my career in marketing for the QuikTrip Corporation and later transitioned to the Petroleum department. I scheduled fuel for the east and west coast markets for QT and loved working on the trade floor. The fast pace, critical thinking and how consumer habits constantly evolve really sparked my thirst for learning. While working in oil and gas, I met my husband on a business trip. When my husband was transferred to Houston for work, I left my beloved QT to continue my oil and gas career at ConocoPhillips world headquarters. My knowledge for fuel industry grew into managing refinery inventories, blending fuel and pipeline and cargo shipments. After years of working on petroleum trade floors, I decided I wanted to move back to Oklahoma with my growing family.
When I was a kid, I always would walk into a store or business and watch how things operated. It’s a game I play with myself to figure out their processes. As we entertained the idea of moving back to Oklahoma, a friend and I were on a “Moms Day Out” at Pinot’s Palette (a paint and sip studio located in Houston). While there she suggested I look into buying and opening a Pinot’s Palette franchise back in Oklahoma. I am not an artist, but I am creative, so I entertained the idea. I researched for months and convinced my husband to let me try it. We opened our first location in 2012. It was the most terrifying thing I have ever done. I was a new mom and a first time entrepreneur and I didn’t know what I was doing for either. But I put my observations to work and once we opened we were off to the races. Within 1 year of opening, we were working on franchise number two and then within a year of opening the second location, we were working on location number three. I am pretty sure I didn’t sleep for 3 years straight. Ha
Within a few weeks of us opening our third location, I went in for a scheduled preventative double mastectomy. (I have the BRCA 1 gene and aggressive breast cancer family history) A couple of days after surgery my surgeon called to tell me that even though my mammogram and preop ultrasounds were clear, they actually found a tumor after surgery when testing the tissue they had removed.
So, life to an expected 90 degree turn and instead of going back to normal life after surgery, I started chemo. It was definitely a journey I wasn’t prepared for, but when you have a 4 year old, a husband and three franchises you have no other option, but to put your big girl pants on and step up to the plate. 3 surgeries, 6 months of chemo, boob jokes and 1 big celebration, I made it through that chapter. #getyourmammograms
As we hit our stride in business and life got somewhat back to normal after cancer, (is that even a thing, normal?) covid hit. We rallied and did our best to survive. We as small business owners and franchisees did what we do best, solved the problem! Several Pinot’s Palette franchise owners put their heads together and launched an online video/virtual platform to be able to sell painting kits to customers and they do them from home with our amazing artists! That saved our company.
As Pinot’s had been operating for several years and we had our rhythm going, I was contacted by a former coworker from my corporate days. She remembered that I was creative and love to constantly learn things. She asked if I would be interested in learning to Food Style for marketing purposes. I was super intrigued and said yes without hesitation! I auditioned and was chosen. It would only be for a couple of days each month. Well fast forward to years later, here I am Food Styling for national convenience store chains, large food brands, casinos, cook books, tv commercials, social media, restaurants and ad agencies! This was a career I never saw coming and I LOVE IT!
With being a multi-unit franchisee, cancer survivor and a women in business, I love connecting with people. Some of my favorite ways to connect is speaking at events and coaching small business owners through challenges and level up their leadership. Trust me, I have made many mistakes, but I learned so much from and want to share that information. Whether it is about opening a small business, marketing a business, entrepreneurship, breast cancer or franchising, I love talking about it! I would love to connect with you!
Awards & Recognition
Small Business of the Year
Broken Arrow Chamber
2015
Franchisee of the Year
International Franchising Association (IFA)
2015
Women in Business Champion
Tulsa Regional Chamber
2015
Small Business Person of the Year
Broken Arrow Chamber
2016
Women in Small Business
Champion of the Year
U.S. Small Business Administration
2016
Golden Heart Award (community partnership)
University of Tulsa
2018
Small Business Person of the Year
Tulsa Regional Chamber
2019
Small Business Person of the Year
U.S. Small Business Administration
2020
Cowboy 100
(Oklahoma state award for the top 100 alumni)
2021, 2023, 2024
