LaTosha Ward is on a mission to uplift women in business. After working in consulting for more than 12 years, she noticed a gap of representation in top leadership positions and decided to start her own company to help change this. Since 2017, LaTosha's company, BID, Business and Individual Development, has been providing project management and agility training to companies on a more personal level.

As a dedicated wife, mother, and entrepreneur, LaTosha is passionate about sharing skills she's learned throughout her career with others so they can achieve success. What makes LaTosha stand out as a leader is her enthusiasm for building honest and authentic relationships in business and wanting to see others succeed. We met up at Cincinnati Art Museum’s Art Climb to start the beginning of our own relationship.

Interview by Kelsey Graham. Photography by Nicolette Young.

Tell us about yourself and your background.

I always start with the fact I’m a mother of three beautiful boys. My oldest son will be attending St. X [St. Xavier High School] this year, and I have a 12-year-old and a seven-year-old. I’m a wife of 16 years.

I am an advocate for women in leadership. I’m big on women being able to use their voice, and women being heard in whatever field they’re in. A lot of times, we notice that women are kind of put in the background, but we’re the ones who have the ideas. Women get shit done!

I love to meet people and build relationships. I don’t say networking; I say relationship building. I’m big on what I call an “R.O.R.” which is a “Return On Relationship.” Always remember that person you meet and try to connect with them on some level. Don’t look at it as a way of growing a new client, but of building relationships – because you may not be my client, but someone you know may be my client, and if we don’t have a good relationship, are you gonna actually refer me?

That approach makes networking seem a little less scary.

It does. You’re able to talk to that person. You feel like you’ve known them all your life, and you’re building that relationship instead of just, “Hey, so how are you going to help me get a client and how much money are we going to make?” Especially now, you never know when you may see that person again, so build that relationship; see how their kids are; see if there’s something you can help with. There just may be something they have that you can assist them with.

I had one lady who wanted to send her child to a certain school. Well, I knew someone there, and I’m like, “You know, I think this will be great for you – let’s see what we can do. How can we help your child have a better education?” It’s all about building those relationships and making them last, not thinking about what you can get out of somebody.

Tell us about your business, BID.

We started in March 2017 on a wish and a prayer. We went for the name BID because it’s Business and Individual Development. When we take on clients, we don’t just work on the business side – we actually work on individual development; we teach our clients. My goal is to have us come in [to consult] for a maximum of two years, so you may be my client for two years but you’re my friend for the rest of your life. We teach our clients how to actually make sure they’re sustainable, growing their organization, and understanding business agility.

What inspired you to start your own company?

I was in consulting for over 12 years and I didn’t see a lot of women in tech – let alone a lot of African American women. Everyone I noticed did not look like me. So, sitting in these meetings and talking with these C-suite leaders and then you look around, and there’s not a lot of women and then there’s definitely not a lot of African Americans. So, I talked to my husband and said, “How do you feel about me jumping out on faith and starting this company?” And he said, “You can do whatever you put your mind to.” And so I decided I’m gonna try it.

A very good friend of mine said, “I have a subprime client for you – what do you think you can do?” I was with that client for a year and half, and I was really excited. I wanted to see more of us in this space. From there, we’ve been able to put people through SAFe opportunities, which means Scaled Agile Framework for DevOps – being project managers with large clients as well as small clients. We’re vendors with Proctor and Gamble; we just filed for our W.B.E. (Women Business Enterprise) certification, so I’m excited about that.

We always see the glory but we don’t know the story behind the glory.

We take the complexity out of projects. I founded it because I wanted something where people felt like they belonged, and they were able to work together. We work with some great individuals on our team. We’ve got some individuals who have been in this industry for over 15 years, and we’ve got some who have been in the industry for over 30, so it’s a really great team – and we’re always looking to grow.

What is most rewarding about your work?

That we get to grow people outside of our organization. I worked with a company where I had someone email me and say, “This was the best peer review I’ve had in a long time.” He was feeling like he just wasn’t doing well in his job, but I was able to work with him and coach him, and now he’s doing great. It’s rewarding for me to know we’re coming in and helping an organization with its projects, but we’re also looking at the organization and seeing how we can help their team members. How can we help their employees to grow?

You get to have that fulfillment of knowing that what we’ve done has made them have more prosperity and more success in their projects, and they’re doing everyday jobs at a faster pace. I like what I do because we are not your average project managers. We have an in-house system we use with our clients that they’re able to use with their clients. Not many companies are doing that, so it’s really easy for us to come in and be a resource to them.

What have you learned through your experiences in entrepreneurship?

It’s harder than it looks and you don’t know everyone’s story. We always see the glory but we don’t know the story behind the glory.

And on your worst day, keep going. Today, I just felt like everything was happening all at once and I was like, “Oh my, God, what else, what else, what else?” And even before I got here, I just felt like, “Okay, can I keep going?” We have a saying in our house: “Win anyway.” You fail? Okay, win anyway. As an entrepreneur, it’s really hard not to “win anyway” because even when you fail, you win – because you learn from the mistakes you made when you failed. There are so many times “no” [gets thrown] in my face and I just constantly smile, like, “Okay, I’m gonna win anyway.”

But it’s really hard, as an entrepreneur, to keep going – especially when you may not have the funds to keep moving. I tell people to reach out to their resources. I leverage every resource I can, from my mother to my husband, my sister, my kids. Tell your team the honest truth; be honest and communicate, but don’t be upset when your team has to walk away because they have to grow, too. I think a lot of entrepreneurs get upset [when people leave]. Don’t be mad about it – be happy for them because you built that relationship. You never know when they may turn around and say, “Hey, I need you to come on my team and help me.”

One of my favorite people says all the time, “Say what you want and mean what you say,” and that’s what we have to do. We have to say what we want and mean what we say as entrepreneurs. I think sometimes we’re scared to say no, and no is okay. We have to learn that all work is not good work. Everybody is not your customer. We think they are – we would love for them to be – but everybody is not your customer.

What advice do you have for women and girls, especially women and girls of color, who dream of owning their own business?

Do your research. Make sure it’s something you’re going to have a passion for doing. A lot of times, we go into what we want to do, but it’s really not our passion. And when it’s not your passion, you’re not going to be the best at it. I love what I do. I love going in and doing agile coaching; I like project management; I love transformational change. So, if you know that’s your passion, go for it.

Find someone who can help answer your questions; get a mentor who can really help you. Then find out what it means to start it. What kind of budget am I going to need? Start talking to people: “I’m going to start this business – can you help me? I’m just asking for $10; it’s going toward my fund.” I told my husband jokingly, “If I were my younger self, I would tell her, ‘When people ask you what you want for your birthday, ask for at least $10 and put it toward your business.’” Depending on what field you’re in, it can be very hard – especially if you’re doing a service that’s not an actual product people can hold. You really have to do your research and know what you’re getting into before you jump into the water.

Is there a lesson you’ve learned the hard way with your business?

When I first started, I wanted to do everything. I was like, “Oh, I can do that. I don’t need to hire someone.” We had another company, a photography studio, and we did this event. I had a caterer for it, but I was like, “Oh, I can do that. I don’t need anyone next time!” So for the next event, she asked, “Are you gonna need me?” And I said, “Oh no, I’m gonna make the cupcakes,” and she was like, “So you’re a baker?”

Thinking about it now, if I could find her, I would hug her. Because we, as entrepreneurs, need to learn to stay in our lanes. It’s okay to hire someone else to do something; they’re not trying to take over your business; they’re not trying to be your competition. They’re just bringing their expertise. One thing I learned in my field is what S.M.E.s are for: They’re the subject matter expert for a reason. And as entrepreneurs, we don’t do that. We’re like, “I can be the camera person. I can be the interview person.” You need that subject matter expert.

What inspires you?

It really inspires me when I can talk to other women – especially when I see young women who have a drive for leadership in so many different fields. That is so inspiring to me! I’m ready for COVID-19 to be over so we can come back together, have that fellowship, talk to each other face to face, and see so many faces of beautiful women ready to go into different fields. It’s just so inspiring when I see other women doing great things I never would have thought about. Just one example: I met someone who’s building an app for hospitals – with their rehabilitation services – and her son helped build the app. I was like, “Wow, that is amazing!”

Don’t place a woman in leadership and then condemn her because she has to leave early to go get her kids. Don’t do that. Put a woman in leadership where she’s able to use her voice. Become her ally and stand behind her.

My mother inspires me daily. She still works at U.C. Hospital, but [I love] to see the things she does and how she inspires these girls. My realtor inspires me. My human resource director – every day she sends me a text message like, “Let’s get up and get this going! It’s going to be a wonderful BID day!” You know, just inspiration like that from women who are able to hold each other accountable but also have each other’s back is what inspires me.

What are you most excited for in the future?

We’re trying to get our website to go mobile, where our clients are able to log on, view their projects, and still work with their clients through our app. Right now we’re in our beta phase, but we’re hoping by the end of 2021 that it can be rolled out.

I’m excited to see where BID goes. I want us to grow. We’re hoping we’ll be able to hire at least four more people by the end of June. I want to see us be an all-woman tech firm, I really do. I’m not saying we won’t hire men [laughs]. But I want to see us in leadership roles. I want to see more companies coming to an understanding that you have to have more women in leadership but then also understand what that looks like.

A lot of companies are at the point where they’re like, “We have women in leadership and we have minorities,” but they don’t have any minorities of color in leadership. So you have to be able to say, “Yes, I’m willing to hire and I’m willing to push through and I’m willing to put the strength behind teaching what it looks like for us to actually have these roles filled.” Don’t place a woman in leadership and then condemn her because she has to leave early to go get her kids. Don’t do that. Put a woman in leadership where she’s able to use her voice. Become her ally and stand behind her.

What do you enjoy doing outside of your business?

I love to sit on my porch and just watch the breeze. I have these four little tulips that come up every year and I’m excited about seeing them – but I know cicadas are coming so I won’t be outside. I like to ride my bike. My kids – we are very competitive against each other. I love spending time with my boys. My boys are fun. My husband and I were just saying, “We need to do something together,” but we feel guilty because the kids can’t get out and do stuff. We like coming down here to Eden Park and just sitting and talking and seeing the scenery; this is just really nice and peaceful. I love spring and summer and I just love the way you can see all the trees and the colors. I can sit outside all day. I love going for night drives, opening the sunroof and just watching God’s works; that is my favorite thing to do.

What does the Cincinnati Art Museum’s Art Climb mean to you?

I love these stairs. It’s just the most beautiful piece for me. I love the way that you just keep going. That just means so much to me – like it never ends. To me, that’s a win anyways. I’m just going to keep going, and I’m going to keep trying. If you’ve ever been down here at night and you see it lit up, it’s like a never-ending show. It just solidifies growth and continuous opportunity. When I look at these stairs, I see opportunity – there is no limit to what I can do because when you’re all the way at the bottom, you don’t see the top. I don’t know where I’m going, and I don’t know what I’m going to do when I get there, but when I get to the top, you’ll see me when I scream back down.

Who is an influential woman in your life?

I have two: my mother and my H.R. director. My H.R. director, Robin, keeps me balanced at work and my mom keeps me balanced at home. They’re both very strong women and they’re both women of God – I couldn’t ask for anything more.

My mom has faith like no other, so even when I’m tired and upset and think I can’t go on, she’ll say something that lifts me up. And she always tells me, “It won’t be like this always. This too shall pass.” There is no one like her. She works at the Women’s Center at U.C., and the way that she uplifts these women, it’s unbelievable and it’s shocking for me, and it’s my mom!

When I talk to my H.R. director, she’s the one who says, “Say what you mean and mean what you say. Don’t be afraid to have your voice be heard.” I think Vernita, [our office manager,] and Robin are two of the most courageous, sensible, understanding women I’ve ever met. You never know when something is bothering them because they’re always encouraging somebody else. These two are just the most decent women I’ve ever seen in my life; they’re the most encouraging and uplifting women. Both of them have uplifted me with this business and made me feel like I am Michelle Obama all day long [laughs].

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LaTosha Ward: Helping to Pave the Way for Women in Leadership