We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful LaDarius Campbell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with LaDarius below.
LaDarius, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
My mission is to show people how to give life some RANGE. I provide RANGE primarily through fashion but it doesn’t stop there. RANGE represents optimizing and getting the most out of every area of your life. The story behind this mission dates back to my childhood. I come from very humble, trying, and dysfunctional beginnings, and growing up I didn’t have much (especially not very many clothes). When I was a kid I found myself in many unfavorable situations due to the environment that I was raised in, but something that always kept me from conforming to the negativity of my environment was putting together the little clothing I had as best I could. I figured if I could dress good, I would feel good, and if I felt good I would end up in a better environment. This process served as a temporary escape for me and encouraged me to look toward the future and not be discouraged by the present. Interacting with clothing the way I did at such a young age created a passion for fashion that has stuck with me my entire life. In my younger days, I had no choice but to do a lot with a little and I’ve always told myself to remember those days because if I could do a lot with a little, imagine what I could do with even more. I take that model up with the content I create, by showing people multiple ways to wear the same article of clothing. I also take that model up in my life as a whole as a husband, father, entrepreneur, bible study leader, and full-time coporate employee. Matthew 25:23 says “You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” and I truly believe that sums up the heart of my mission and my life.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
From 2018 to 2019 my life took a very drastic swing. I went from being a single bachelor living in downtown Dallas to giving my life to Jesus Christ and becoming a husband and a father – all in a matter of a year! In my pursuit of giving my life to Christ, I found myself in a men’s group and I was talking to them about how fast those transitions happened and how I felt like I needed something that was a creative outlet just for me. One of the men in the group said it sounded like I needed a passion project. I took heed to that advice and surveyed my life to see what I could turn into a passion project. I have always had a passion for fashion so I wanted that to be incorporated in it, and I wanted it to be versatile because I love versatility- to me versatility is the creative form of resilience- and I have had to live a very resilient life to get where I am. So after I decided I wanted to incorporate fashion and versatility into my passion project the last thing I had to figure out was the avenue I would deliver this project on. I decided that social media would be that avenue and that I would start by posting videos on Instagram and TikTok every Saturday at 10 am. I started off getting hundreds of views, then thousands of views, then tens of thousands of views, then hundreds of thousands of views, then millions of views. Endorsements started to roll in and that’s when I started to adopt my business model as an official Influencer/Content Creator. I have mastered multiple complex video editing softwares, which has allowed me to offer very captivating videos to my clients that keep my audience engaged while staying true to teaching people how to do a lot with a little. I think this is what sets me apart from anyone else because fashion for me is more than about just looking good it’s about resilience and I not only want to help the guy who can afford to buy high-end designer wear but also the guy that can barely make ends meet.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I had to unlearn perfectionism so that I could embrace progress. When I started out I wanted my video quality to be perfect. I saw the type of content that people that were in the fashion influencer world were putting out and I wanted to match that level of quality right out of the gate. The issue with that is these people had been doing this for years and I was just starting out. We all fear being bad at something (especially in front of other people) but some of the most talented people in their respective crafts did not start off as good as they are now, only time, consistency, and exposure allowed them to become what they are now. I had to realize that all I could do was start where I was with what I had, not where I wanted to be because that mindset would’ve kept me stagnant, frustrated, intimidated, and unengaged. Starting out I had an iPhone XS Max and 2 other models had came out since that phone was released, and I was not good at video software/editing or transitions. I started with my old iPhone and my beginner-level video editing skills and over time I got better at editing and got better equipment. There are some things that can only be cultivated through time, consistency, exposure, and practice and just because you aren’t perfect off that bat doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still engage and show your progress along the way as you operate in your business. I always say the more you expose yourself to the process the more the process exposes to you. It’s really important to remember to embrace the journey instead of being frustrated for not yet being at the destination.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
UNAPOLOGETIC CONSISTENCY IS KEY. Before I started this journey I made up in my mind that I would AT LEAST post a video every Saturday at 10 am, and do that 100 times. In doing this I also wasn’t focused on the numbers but on authentically engaging in my passion for fashion in my videos. I think one of the main reasons for the growth I have experienced is because I approach it as my authentic self – people can feel inauthenticity and I am sure it’s exhausting and unsustainable to create inauthentically. I believe the unapologetic consistency gave people something to expect/look forward to on Saturday mornings, which I think helped my growth. I made it a point to tag pages that were well known in my niche in my videos, in hopes of them resharing, and that did help a lot when they did repost -of course I had to do my part and made sure what I was creating was made to the best of my capabilities at the time. Going viral has done tremendous work for my growth as well. I have gone viral multiple times and have gotten significant growth from that. But there is something important about optimizing viral moments. In order to optimize virality, you have to be in position! When I have went viral the results weren’t just the videos that went viral doing crazy numbers, it was also follower retention because the viral video was the attention getter that lead them to my page. Once they got to my page they had a plethora of videos to look through that I had posted prior to the ones that went viral, which made them want to follow me. This speaks to the importance of being in position for the blessing before you get it. A lot of us ask for things or want things that our life doesn’t have the infrastructure to sustain/support, or aren’t in position to receive. If I wasn’t in position when these viral moments came they would’ve been just that – ” a moment”, but because I was in position through consistency and authenticity I was able to gain and retain followers and create an entire business off of what would’ve only been a moment for someone who wasn’t in position. So be unapologetically you and unapologetically consistent when operating in your passion, even when what you’re doing isnt producing the things that other people that are doing similar things as you are. The reward for operating in your passion should simply be that – being able to operate in your passion, everything else is a by-product – the numbers will eventually come.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/ladariuscampbell
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ladarius.campbell
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ladarius-campbell-34047523/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/LaDariusCampbell
- Other: tiktok.com/@ladariuscampbell
Image Credits
@JCICREATIVES and @PharrisPhotos