Lisa S. Jones: story of patience and determination

Relentless: Lisa S. Jones’ story of patience and steadfast determination

An aerial view of Lisa Jones’ career appears to show leap after impressive leap: a B.S. in Logistics and Procurement and an MBA from Alabama A&M University led to job offers from both the CIA and NASA (she chose NASA). From the boundary-pushing space agency, Lisa went on to work in the telecommunications industry in Atlanta, gathering advanced certifications from Dartmouth along the way. Working her way up to the role of Corporate Executive overseeing technical architects, Lisa absorbed in-depth knowledge and expertise in technical infrastructure management, product management, and supplier diversity.  

Serving in the Office of Supplier Diversity deepened her understanding of not only how corporate initiatives help ensure an inclusive supply base, but the intricacies of corporate etiquette, the importance of building authentic relationships, and the underrated place of empathy and patience in the workplace. 

Each of these stops along her career journey equipped Lisa with the experience, skills, and confidence to launch her own innovative company, EyeMail. It was a great success, earning her recognition as an innovator and digital disruptor, and attracting well-known corporate clients. She also earned a place at Harvard to extend her education. Another tale of "happily ever after." 

But wait, that was the aerial view. 

Lisa’s journey, in fact, contained a series of mountains and valleys, as well as stormy seasons – topographical and meteorological detail only seen from the ground. To walk with Lisa through her journey to the present day is to be inspired once and again, to consider the advantages of taking the long-view, and to seek the courage to persevere toward your own closely held dream. 
Redefine: Awaking the entrepreneur within
When asked about how she landed on the idea of automatic play video-in-email, Lisa said that the idea, in fact, found her. "My trajectory has always been set toward entrepreneurship," she said, "though the exact path was unclear. Things happen in life and you don’t always see where they’re leading, but they often help redefine your mission." 

Lisa’s redefining moment came after the sudden loss of her mother. At the graveside service, Lisa prepared to speak in tribute; but once the pastor made his final remarks, the attendees abruptly dispersed, leaving Lisa stricken.

"It couldn’t have been more than seven minutes," Lisa recalled, "and I thought, a life should be celebrated for more than seven minutes." Alone at the graveside, she spoke to her mother and vowed that when she returned home to Atlanta, she was going to start a company that was inspirational and stood for something – a legacy in her mother’s honor, to show her that her life was more impactful than the few minutes of mourning she got in return. 

"That time had a profound impact on my outlook," she said. "It prompted me to stop and ask myself what was next in my journey, what was my legacy going to be going forward."

Spark: An orienting light in a time of darkness

Back in Atlanta, Lisa reflected on how that one missed communication – the opportunity to honor her mother – had changed her life’s mission. At the thought of communications, the entrepreneur inside her began to stir. There was something to that. 

Lisa was ultimately drawn to email for its instantaneous, global reach. She signed up for every email platform she could find – over 150 from every corner of the world – and through diligent market research she found something was missing: a better way to personalize engagement. 

"What if email could be brought to life?" she asked herself. Integrating instant-play videos directly into an email had a greater potential to captivate recipients and encourage them to take the next step. That was how the concept for EyeMail was born, in 2004. 

It would prove to be just the beginning.

Vision: Sowing seeds with patient determination

As a Black woman from Alabama launching a tech startup, Lisa met a lot of naysayers early on, including criticisms that she didn’t have the developer skills, team, or the network to make it. She also knew her chances of attaining investor funding were statistically slim.

"I realized that indeed I was not a developer, but I knew I was a visionary; a digital disruptor with a dream," recalled Lisa. Just as she had been patient for the entrepreneur inside her to manifest, she showed similar prudence in pursuing her vision for EyeMail. 

Lisa moved forward one step at a time, with steady determination. First, she kept her demanding day job as a corporate executive, working nights and weekends building her vision. She channeled her paychecks into savings, which she then invested in her company in stages. 

For years, Lisa worked around the clock, capturing a few hours of sleep before waking up and starting over. "I was relentless," Lisa quipped. "Once the lightbulb went off, building my business became a sort of therapy, a calling that kept me going in a time of personal trial."

Next, she built a lean Dream Team. She prioritized finding people committed to her vision and who brought the same relentlessness to their craft that she brought to hers. She brought collaborators on in stages, adding skillsets as needed and as self-funding allowed: first developers, then a lawyer, then marketing.

In just nine months, Lisa and her three-person team developed the first beta version of embedded video for email. Proof of concept was a success and they continued chipping away at their product roadmap, ensuring a consistent experience across browser capabilities, optimizing for mobile, and so forth. 

Their efforts resulted in EyeMail, a patent-pending customer experience technology which enables up to 60 seconds of video play automatically in email with the promise of increasing engagement and delivering rich storytelling moments in the Inbox.

EyeMail: Reaping the fruit of relentlessness

With great anticipation, Lisa’s team launched their website andcrickets. Undeterred, Lisa leveraged her membership with the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) to spark interest in EyeMail, launching a pro bono campaign featuring the president of the WBENC's Georgia chapter. The campaign served as a clever introduction to key corporate players like Coke, Delta, and Home Depot, not only showcasing EyeMail's innovative capabilities but also capturing the attention of Time Warner, securing them as EyeMail's first major client and setting the stage for a wave of early adopters and advocates.

One of Lisa’s proudest moments was landing a contract for the launch of Microsoft Windows 11, a campaign that reached 35 million people. "Being a partner in this historic launch highlighted the value of video for engagement, and the power of staying true to my vision," Lisa recalled.

Starting out, Lisa couldn’t have foreseen her way to such a profound win, but she didn’t let that obscurity slow her down. Her relentless pursuit of her vision led to a portfolio of clients including Porsche North America (see campaign example), Delta Air Lines, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Harvard Business School, and MGM Resorts International.

It also earned her the distinction of Delta Air Lines "Catalyst of the Year," Microsoft Finalist- Diverse Supplier of the Year, and recipient of the Stevie Awards "Innovator of the Year" award, among many other client and industry honors. 

Today, EyeMail is a global company with team members in six countries. It was the legacy she had first imagined by her mother’s graveside – something that mattered, something that inspired. 

Growth: Gaining wisdom from mentors of many forms

Lisa acknowledges that she didn’t arrive at this moment alone. Early on, Lisa’s parents taught her that it was okay to challenge the status quo, stand confidently, and never settle for less than she deserved.

As her journey progressed, professors at Harvard helped her refine her business strategy principles to further align her ever-evolving vision and further empower her confidence as a business leader as well as her identity as a self-propelled life-long learner. 

Lisa was also quick to point out that one should never limit mentors to people known directly. She lauded the incredible access we have to stories of influential business and social figures through memoirs, speeches, interviews, and more. For Lisa, such access furnished her with mentors in people like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Oprah Winfrey, whose failures, wisdom, and successes contribute now to her own knowledge and growth.  

Lisa also counts the fictional character, Rocky Balboa, as a formational figure. "When I’m in a season of valleys, I think about the underdog going forward and continuing the journey, no matter what," she explained. "Finding and living your personal best for whatever that means – taking the hits and getting back up after every knock-down."

Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African American female astronaut inspired her at a core level – as a fellow trailblazer-at-heart. In reading her work and studying her career, Lisa realized that if Dr. Jemison could claim a place for herself at an institution like NASA, she could carve out a space for herself, too. Lisa did have a chance to meet Dr. Jemison and share the impact she had had on Lisa’s life. To that, Dr. Jemison replied, "That’s what life is about, paying it forward and helping others."

This is a lesson Lisa has taken to heart in life and in her career journey.  

Legacy: A platform for building others up

When it comes to paying it forward, Lisa is especially proud of the diverse team she has created: "Our team includes talented thought leaders from around the globe," said Lisa. She is especially proud of the women of EyeMail from India, Pakistan, Canada, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines. "I love meeting people from around the world and learning about their journeys," she said. "I’m still on my journey, but to be able to bring these wonderful people along with me is incredible." 

With employees ranging in age from 16 to 78, the EyeMail team also benefits from generational diversity rarely seen today. 

Living out the advice of her role model, Dr. Mae Jemison, Lisa endeavors to help build up others beyond her team at EyeMail. One way is to take every opportunity to get in front of other women, share her story, and encourage others to take one step forward toward their dream in every season. 

"I try my best to serve as a catalyst, as a trailblazer who is approachable," said Lisa. "It’s important to be able to listen and provide guidance to other women in tech. In fact, we shouldn’t limit ourselves to those in tech in the traditional sense. We can be talking about business developers, marketers, accountants – anyone who can be inspired by our story."

Truer words could not be said; Lisa own story of steadfast determination to reach her potential in the face of mountains, valleys, and storms provides inspiration for people in all stages and industries. 

Connect with Lisa

Want to hear more about Lisa’s inspiring story? Watch her webinar, Taking a Leap of Faith to Pursue Your Dream.

HERstory is The WIT Network’s series where we share interesting and inspiring career journeys of women in our community.  We welcome the opportunity to tell your story or someone you would like to nominate. Reach out to women@thewitnetwork.com if you have a great HERstory we should consider.