BW alum turns childhood hobby into entrepreneurial success
Akasha Wilberg
24 July 2024
A BW graduate is among the trading card dealers descending on Cleveland this week for the 44th National Sports Collectors Convention. Luke Grilli '07 says he draws on the mass communication skills he honed at BW to build a following for his business.
Many children grow up trading sports cards, but few turn that hobby into a grown-up business success. However, that is precisely what Luke Grilli '07 and his business partner, Adam Kaufmann, did.
Like most children, Grilli and Kaufmann always loved sports card trading. This love inspired a dream that eventually turned into reality when Grilli and Kaufmann started their sports card website, Card Czar, in 2018, allowing card lovers to purchase their favorite cards and learn about the hobby of collecting cards.
"We also want to educate and inform our customers," Grilli said, stating that the duo strives to inform customers "about some of the hot and cold players, general banter about the sports card industry, featured sets, box recaps and just about anything else we can dream up!"
During the pandemic, their business took off, and they opened a brick-and-mortar retail location in their hometown of Londonderry, New Hampshire.
Grilli attributes a large part of the success of their business to the live shows they do on Instagram.
"We host online breaks every Wednesday night at 8 p.m. on Instagram to showcase the week's latest releases," he explained.
Grilli expressed that his time at Baldwin Wallace as a communications/media production major gave him the experience he needed to help make his business successful through social media live streaming.
"Without my experience being a DJ at WBWC 88.3 FM The Sting, we may not have excelled like we did early on and during the pandemic."
Facing and Overcoming Obstacles
Luke Grilli '07 (right) and his "Card Czar" partner, Adam Kaufmann (left), in their New Hampshire shop.
Grilli noted the challenges of running Card Czar alongside his other business, The MuShield Company Inc.
"Being able to juggle running two businesses while having a family with two young children and an active social life was certainly a struggle," he admits. Initially, Card Czar was a side hustle that eventually turned into a full-time job and finding the perfect work-life balance was challenging.
"But my wife has been a great support system in giving me the time I need to help run and grow both Card Czar and MuShield," he said, and through the hardships, Grilli has learned valuable lessons in time management and focusing on his strengths.
"In small business, you have to wear a lot of hats, but there is a ton of value in focusing on certain aspects of business that you excel at, as opposed to being a 'Master of None' and trying to do everything yourself but with poor results," he said, reflecting on the past."But [it's] all worth it with the success of both businesses."
More to Come
After Card Czar's July appearance at the IX Center in Cleveland, the partners in the online business turned brick-and-mortar store are looking forward to dreaming up more plans moving forward.
"What started as a passion project for two fathers has now blossomed into a living, breathing community of fellow collectors and sport card enthusiasts," Grilli said.
Keep an eye out. Grilli and Kaufmann remain dedicated to expanding their childhood hobby-turned-business even more.
