Have you ever sat back and said, "Wow I miss my college days!" The college experience is one cultivated in school traditions, sporting events, social groups, sleepless nights, and let’s not forget about all the wild parties that won’t be shared with Mom and Dad! But most importantly college highlights a period of time where many individuals discover who they are.
Founder, Lizz Rene realized the importance of packaging this experience, through a party card game. PO’ UP! Cards is the first party game about Black collegiate life. This card game celebrates Black students and alumni representing Historically Black Colleges (HBCUs) and Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). Each box comes with 104 cards categorized into nine categories – BLKOUT, BLK School Pride, College Broke, The Great Debate, Just Messy, Just Sang, Nostalgia, Truth/Dare & Wildcard.
We chatted with the founder to get the scoop on the how the brand was birthed here's what we learned.
1. Tell us what inspired you to create PoUp! card game? How did you come up with the name?
The idea for PO' UP! Card Game was inspired by my experiences as a college student at the University of Georgia. At the time, only 8 percent of students on campus identified as Black. There were many times where I felt unheard, undervalued and unseen. However, I felt so much support from the Black student community on campus because we shared so many of the same experiences. And when I graduated, I continued to feel a strong sense of support from Black alumni.
When I moved from Georgia to DC after graduating, I noticed the same sense of pride among the Black alumni living here. Whether they graduated from Howard or Harvard, they were proud to be Black college graduates.
And that is what inspired the mission of PO' UP! Card Game which is that Black Excellence deserves to be celebrated through joy, nostalgia and storytelling.
We came up with the name, "PO' UP!" because we noticed that in graduation photos, Black graduates had a few things in common: A dope photoshoot, their graduation cap and stole, and a bottle of champagne. We wanted to capture the action of celebrating and toasting to our Black Excellence with the name, "PO' UP!" It also felt authentic because it's a celebratory and lighthearted phrase used within the Black community when toasting to a major milestone in life such a graduation.
2. If you could go back in time, what business advice would you give yourself?
If I could go back in time, I would give myself the advice to trust my gut and stay true to my values. Throughout the last two years, we've received a lot of different feedback about our card game. Some people want us to get rid of the drinking aspect altogether. Others love it as-is! Some want us to make the cards less about Black collegiate life and more about all college experiences. Others want the product to remain for us, by us and about us. The list goes on and on.
Feedback is a gift but without a true understanding of your true "why," feedback can be overwhelming. As a result, it can be easy to feel like you're having a brand identity crisis over and over again. So, my advice would be to stay true to who you are, and remember that when it's time for a change, it won't feel like a deviation from your original vision, mission and goals.
3. What are your future goals for the business and how can our community support this?
My future goal for PO' UP! Card Game is to be a household staple available around the world. We want to introduce an entire line of games that celebrate Black Excellence.
First, we want to thank the community for all the support they've given us so far, including The Sistah Shop. It is an honor to have the opportunity to increase our retail presence with brands that value our product and are willing to give us a chance.
The community can support PO' UP! Card Game by spreading the word to their networks. When you play our game, share a few clips on social media and tag us. At work, tell your Employee Resource Groups to consider us as a corporate gifting option. When you engage with your alma mater, tell your alumni councils to think of us as a gift or activity for their next big event. When you attend your next grad chapter meeting, recommend us as a gift for your fraternity or sorority. The power of word of mouth is so invaluable and provides us with the opportunity to build trust as we grow and
Po Up! Card game is now available at The Sistah Shop in-store and online at www.thesistahshop.com. Must be 21+ to play.