We had the good fortune of connecting with Lizz Rene and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lizz, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
Every year, I co-host a holiday party with close friends from college. In December 2019, I wanted to shake up our usual party structure of eating, drinking and playing classic board games. I grabbed a few notecards and brainstormed 20 questions specific to our shared college experience. After a few hours of nostalgia-filled conversations and drinking, my best friend pulled me to the side and said, “You should make this into a card game.” This became the foundation of the nine categories and 100 questions and prompts featured in PO’ UP! Card Game.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
PO’ UP! Card Game is a nostalgic party card game created for Black alumni by Black alumni. “PO’ UP!” is another way of saying, “pour up,” or “toast to Black Excellence” in my community.

Our mission is to center Black joy as a form of resistance by bridging the gap between the experiences of Black alumni of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) so we can celebrate Black Excellence together. Each deck features 100 nostalgia-filled questions and prompts categorized into nine topics including but not limited to, “BLK School Pride,” “The Great Debate,” and “College Broke” to name a few.

Every year, nearly 500,000 Black Americans earn college degrees. But Black alumni don’t always get to immediately embrace the joy of earning a degree. We are twice as likely to be unemployed and graduate with double the amount of student loans. But Black alumni are also breaking generational curses by graduating at unprecedented rates and prioritizing joy as a form of resistance. That deserves to be celebrated. PO’ UP! Card Game is an inexpensive outlet for that celebration in a bold, new way – a drinking card game. PO UP! to Black Excellence!

The vision for PO’ UP! Card Game is to become a household staple game available in major retailers nationwide. As a solopreneur, the journey has not been easy. It is extremely difficult to become retail-ready on our own. It requires continuous learning and dedication.

I am grateful for the support and recognition we’ve received in our first 18 months of business alone. We recently graduated from the Target Accelerators spring cohort and have garnered more than 100 5-star reviews online. We could not do this without our community.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First, we have to get a light workout in on the Beltline. Then, we’ll hit up brunch at Breakfast at Barney’s. We have to get there early because they always have a great crowd. Then, we’ll have to recharge for the second part of the day. We’ll do some shopping at Ponce City Market at Village Market Retail – a black-owned shop in the city. Then, we’ll head to the rooftop for some nice views to catch the sunset. Then, we’ll close out the night with a few colorful drinks at Bar Vegan in Ponce City Market. That’s all in one day!

For a weeklong trip, we’ll have to make time to walk around Piedmont Park. If we’re lucky, we may come across a wine or beer festival while we’re there! And we’ll continue to visit Black-owned restaurants and retailers along the way.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate this shoutout to Latika Wesley. She has been a true support system throughout this entire journey from concept to implementation and beyond. Latika is always willing to encourage me when I’m experiencing imposter syndrome. She’s also always there whether it’s a vendor market event in 100 degree weather or a video shoot for a TikTok video. I couldn’t do this without you, Latika!

Website: poupcards.com

Instagram: instagram.com/poupcards

Other: tiktok.com/@poupcards

Image Credits
Headshots by Crystale of EYEimagery

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.