Illinois Small Business Council
Our Illinois Small Business Council consists of small business owners from various industries across the state. Council members volunteer their time and entrepreneurial expertise at board meetings, public events and in the media to help Small Business Majority identify and address the biggest issues facing small businesses today.
Nikki Bravo
Nikki Bravo is a dynamic entrepreneur and community builder. As a first-generation American with West Indian-born parents, she is dedicated to economic development and community empowerment. She spent most of her early career in city government with Chicago's Department of Planning and Development and later served as the Deputy Commissioner and Chief Administrative Officer of the Public Building Commission of Chicago.
In 2019, Nikki and her husband, Tracy Powell, co-founded Momentum Coffee and Coworking. With six locations in under-resourced areas of Chicago, this independent coffee shop connects communities through delicious beverages and food. In 2024, Momentum Coffee launched a Food Incubator program to increase resources and knowledge for emerging food entrepreneurs, highlighting their commitment to small businesses and community development.
Nikki's journey showcases her as a force for positive change in her community and beyond. She is a member of the Magnificent Mile Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated, the National Association of Women Business Owners, and Let’s Talk Womxn Chicago. Furthermore, she is an alum of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program, Founders First and Breedlove Entrepreneurship Programs.
Nikki is a member of both our national and Illinois Small Business Councils.
Chrishon Lampley
Chrishon Lampley is a negociant, entrepreneur, wine enthusiast and the CEO & Founder of Love Cork Screw. Chicago-based wine and lifestyle brand, Love Cork Screw, combines a unique selection of premium red, white and rosé wines with a mission to make a change in the wine industry. Featured in Forbes, VinePair, Cosmopolitan, Food Network, the Chicago Tribune and more, the success of Love Cork Screw is a result of Lampley’s 20 years of experience in the industry, which has given her leverage to develop a keen awareness of what people enjoy and what the market is missing.
Bold, determined and unapologetically herself, Lampley’s leadership-by-example continues to shift the narrative for black women in wine. As an advocate, a public speaker, an educator, a mentor, a disruptor and Vice President of the Association of African American Vintners (AAAV), she is committed to shattering glass ceilings one bottle of wine at a time, looking to build a legacy that will leave a lasting imprint on the industry for years to come.
Lisa Marsh
Lisa Marsh became an entrepreneur by accident. For 27 years, she served in federal law enforcement, working in five different duty stations before returning home to Chicago to spend the last five years of her mother's life with her. Her mother was the strongest woman Lisa has ever known. Alongside Lisa's father, she raised six resilient children on the South Side of Chicago. Lisa became the first of her siblings to earn a four-year college degree, complete a long and successful career in federal law enforcement, and retire with the vision of building something new—something needed. Her business was born from a personal necessity: a search for gluten-free snacks that were not only healthy and nutritious, but also delicious.
Lisa created MsPsGlutenfree to break generational cycles of poverty, abuse, neglect, trauma, and limiting beliefs. Her calling is to change the trajectory of her family's legacy—raising up new entrepreneurs, building confidence, and laying the foundation for generational wealth. MsPs wants to provide healthy deliciousness to those who are underserved in the Chicagoland area where the family grew up.
MsPsGlutenfree specializes in nutritious gluten-free snacks, with concentration on their gluten-free granola. MsPsGlutenfree is named in honor of Lisa's mother and shero, Mrs. Youlas Patterson Brown, better known as MsP. MsPsGlutenfree Granola can be found gracing the shelves of Mariano's and Fresh Thyme, as well as local Chicago favorites such as South Town Health Foods, Living Fresh Market, Go Green Community Fresh Market, Here Here Market, The Unwaste Shop, Forty Acres Fresh Market, Southside Market, both UIC and Lewis University through SodexoMagic, and Bronkberry Farms in Plainfield, IL. Additionally, offerings are available on Amazon, Walmart Marketplace, and on their user-friendly ecommerce site at www.mspsglutenfree.com.
Lisa Weiss
Lisa Weiss is the founder of Storybeat Studio. As a 3x Emmy Award-winning producer and journalist who worked for Oprah Winfrey and CBS News, Lisa harnesses deep industry knowledge and expertise to help organizations and leaders tell compelling stories. She was named a Forbes Next1000 entrepreneur (December 2021) and a Tory Burch Fellow (2021-2022). Through her 20+ year career, Lisa has created and supervised content viewed and streamed by mass audiences. Her work includes critically-acclaimed shows and features with President Barack Obama, Dr. Maya Angelou, Howard Schultz (Starbucks), John Mackey (Whole Foods), Professor Elie Wiesel, Brené Brown, and many more.
Storybeat Studio's storytelling programs and services provide leaders access to Lisa's unique methods. She offers cohesive content strategies to support personal and business growth. Storybeat Studio combines decades of storytelling expertise along with the latest industry knowledge that will take you and your content to the next level.
Lisa is a member of both our national and Illinois Small Business Councils.
