Latesha Williams, From Side Hustle to Multi-Million Dollar Franchise

Latesha Williams has to be the definition of hustle hard. She is most known as being one of the co-founders of the cultural phenomenon Black Card Revoked, but to truly understand her hustle, you have to know her past. She an accomplished sports and entertainment professional who has worked with LeBron James, MTV, Nickelodeon and even Jay-Z. Early in her career she earned a role at MTV’s Summer Associate Program. She continued freelance writing on the side. A basketball enthusiast, she attended the NBA draft in 2003. That was the year LeBron James was selected number 1 overall for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Mesmerized by the story of the young star from Akron, she pitched an article to Black Enterprise magazine. She continued freelance writing while reaching out to her network to see who knew someone in his camp.

“Black Enterprise was the foundational piece to helping me get in front of Lebron and Maverick,” says Williams. “I was a rookie writer and pitched a story. Then, I immediately got on the phone with Maverick and his publicist and it turned into a job interview. It eventually led me to move to Ohio and work with Lebron and Maverick at LRMR marketing. I had the luxury of working with Jay and we acted as an internal agency for all things digital for Lebron.”

Williams undying hustle landed her a dream job with LeBron James at his marketing company LRMR. For many, this would have been enough. She could very easily be set for life working under LeBron and Maverick. But while gaining experience at LRMR, Williams knew becoming an entrepreneur was her next step. Drawing inspiration from the viral nature of Black Twitter, Williams and her friend decided to create a game centered on the shared Black experience. That’s when Black Card Revoked was born.

Latesha and friend Jay Bobo joined forces to create the foundation for the popular card game in 2015. Together with Jay Bobo’s mom, they have turned a basement side hustle into a multi-million dollar business. This game creates unique and memorable experiences for Black communities. The duo decided to use their experiences, research, and data insights to develop gaming experiences that met the needs of Black audiences.

“It started with us working with Lebron and trying to figure out how to monetize his digital following,” says Jay Bobo, a full-time software engineer and developer. “Then, we started thinking of ways to develop products so that we could sell directly to his fanbase.”

The card game is a part of the Cards for All People enterprise, which specializes in providing entertaining card games for diverse populations across the country. The cards are available at Walmart, Target and on Amazon. The company not only gives back to the Black community but also employs the Black community. She is a champion in business and a role model for the culture.

This past February, Williams was the subject of one of Walmart's Black History Month commercials. The 15 second spot highlighted Williams's entire journey and hustle mentality. in addition to Black Card Revoked, Cards For All People also includes Latino Card Revoked and Girls Night Out.

Williams and her hustle is something to truly be admired. Never allowing herself to become content with her position, she moved from employee to employer. Black Card Revoked was launched in 2015 and has not only become a multi-million dollar company, but a staple in the Black community. Black Card Revoked is as much apart of the cookout as dominos, spades or Uno. Except Black Card Revoked is made by us, for us and about us.

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