Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to LaShunda Rena . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

LaShunda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made (either in terms of time or money)? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

I would say that the worst investment I made was spending tons of money for free shoots with photographers. I would buy new clothes, jewelry, bags, makeup, etc. In the beginning I would work with any and everyone just to get free photos. I realize now that I should’ve been selective in who I worked with. Not everyone gave me those high quality photos to add value to my portfolio and book paying jobs. Free isn’t always a good thing.

LaShunda, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started modeling after my 29th birthday shoot. I loved that experience so much that I jumped head first into the industry. I made a lot of mistakes and wasted a lot of money, but I gained so much knowledge in the end. I now coach/mentor new models so they don’t make the same mistakes I made. I offer one on one coaching, posing classes, model comp card templates, resumes writing, and I recently came out with an ebook, “The Model Playbook”. I feel like my purpose is to help new models get started in the industry and to also help them find their worth. I love what I do. I never want to gate-keep information because I want to see everyone succeed. There is room for more than one top model.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I just started to be authentic to myself. I didn’t follow the trends and try to post things to become “viral”. I want to be purposeful over popular. As long as I’m living in my purpose then that’s all that matters to me. I try to build genuine connections with people and I’ve even made a few “social media” friends. My advice would be to stay true to you and don’t let the numbers discourage you.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to eventually open my own model agency and represent models who are normally overlooked. A lot of agencies that I ran across has models who all look the same and not a lot of diversity. Diversity is needed in the fashion industry and commercial industry. Consumers need to be able to see themselves. They need to see clothes and products on different body types. There is no such thing as one size fit all. I want to offer everything at my agency such as: mentorship, posing classes, and brand building. Models should be able to find all the resources they need to be successful at their agency.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @_lashundarena
• Facebook: LaShunda McClain