Latasha Brown: Life of a Business Creative
Happiness doesn’t come easy, and there’s a debate about what happiness is. I wrote about this for the December issue of Todays’ Woman magazine, and that’s how I met Latasha Brown.
In my story, I profiled four women who have chosen the path less traveled – a path defined by self-direction – and Latasha was one of them.
A creative entrepreneurial life demands a lot from the one living it. There’s no structure to fall back on: you create the structure. There’s nobody telling you what to do, which is a major break from the corporate mindset. Not everyone can successfully navigate this path, and the growth required to make it work is astounding. But it can work and often does. It starts with a seed.
For Latasha, that seed was an idea – an idea borne of her personal interests.
Then a healthcare professional working a job defined entirely by someone else, she participated in an entrepreneurial bootcamp in 2017.
“During the bootcamp, the idea for Global Lofts first came to me out of my own desire to travel the world. At the time, international travel wasn’t affordable for me, and I was thinking about ways to have international experiences without leaving home,” she said.
Global Lofts is a hotel concept that draws inspiration from local international communities. In Louisville, where Latasha lives, there are people from all around the world. Unless you close your eyes, you can’t leave home without encountering someone from another country. These residents have brought the cherished traditions, designs, and lifesyles of their cultures to the Kentucky city.
“I've been on like this journey of discovering my own roots, too. My ancestors are from Cameroon and exploring this has nurtured my hotel project,” she said.
Charting a course for developing her hotel brand, Latasha has had a lot to consider. There are the creative aspects – the designs and experiences that will shape a guest’s stay – as well as the business side.
In establishing the brand, she made a mood board that ties directly to her vision.
She has also spent quality time with Luckett & Associates Architects and Engineers to bring the designs to life, moving the idea out of her creative mind and into the physical world. They developed a design positioning statement together:
Materials and décor throughout our hotel will be selected with care to further our goal of connecting our guests with local and international culture and history. The foundation of the design comes from Global Lofts creator, Latasha Brown, herself. The color palette will consist of earth tone neutrals with natural materials referencing her African heritage. Natural acacia wood native to Africa, raffia used in many traditional handicrafts, serpentine stone used in ceremonial carvings not only in Africa but also in the Americas, gold elements referencing the gold mined from the earth, and jewel toned velvet upholstery for the abundance of gemstones in the continent all will create a distinct style that set Global Lofts above the competition. Rich woods, natural stone, gold elements, jewel tone velvets, and sumptuous leather come together to create a casual luxury that invites guests in while making them feel like they are somewhere special.
Ultimately, renderings of guest rooms and common spaces are going to be core components of her successful crowdfunding efforts.
To bolster her business savvy as she prepares to launch a crowdfunding campaign, she applied for The Russell Technology Business Incubator, a product of AMPed Louisville that is supported by The Rockefeller Foundation amongst other allies. I spoke with Brittany Hill-Whitehead, the Program Manager who leads the incubator, and she remembers Latasha’s interview very clearly.
“We had a wait list of 741. We accepted 136 applications, and we did 120 interviews. Latasha is one of only 36 founders accepted in the cohort,” she said. “She presented to four committee members, and we were really impressed that she already has a start on her build-out plan. And it was also her charisma, her confidence, and her ability to articulate her business plan. She demonstrated leadership readiness.”
Latasha painted a picture of a vibrant space featuring curated experiences like African drumming circles, live Cuban music, and international wine tastings.
“We also liked the way that she thought about pricing, making the hotel accessible and affordable. And she has already created a brand that's inclusive and, you know, AMPed stands behind that. It's a brand that's going to contribute to the community. It's going to create opportunities,” said Brittany.
Latasha’s dream is to build her first hotel in the Russell neighborhood, a historic Black community that is near and dear to her heart and also where AMPed Lousiville is located. She envisions partnering with a local yoga brand, a local coffee brand, and local artists to make the hotel a destination that attracts visitors to the neighborhood.
Latasha already supports local businesses and organizations in Russell, to name a few:
The Drippin Crab “Located at the Molo Village - great seafood.”
1619 Gathering Place “Was known before as 1619 Flux - community event space.”
Sweet Peaches “Soul food at 1800 W Muhammad Ali Blvd.”
The Palm Room “1821 W Jefferson St. Recently was there for a night of live jazz and whiskey tasting!”
Kentucky Center for African American Heritage “History lessons at 1701 W Muhammed Ali Blvd.”
Russell: A Place of Promise “A local non-profit I have connected with who is active in this community.”
Russell is a fundamental connection point between Global Lofts and AMPed, and it is through the incubator that she is now gaining access to startup coaches, stipends for living expenses, and seed capital which is needed for maximizing her potential for success. Data shows that the average Black-owned business sees $24,000 in revenue each year, which is not sustainable. Brittany and her incubator team seek to foster economic growth, mobility, entrepreneurship, and independence that is a significant departure from the norm.
