Meet Natasha LaGrande: CEO | Founder of La Grande Empire

We had the good fortune of connecting with Natasha LaGrande and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Natasha, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
That is a great question!

First, for me, working under someone else for the entire span of a career has never been a desire of mine. At a young age, I discovered that leading was innate in me. As I got a little older, I then noticed that my time being dictated by an authority was not something I was fond of. I’ve had the mindset of one day being my own boss since I was younger but was not sure of how or in what capacity that would be executed.

Second, the way La Grande Empire came about was me noticing the increasing amount of individuals following the trends, fads, and sounds of others, resulting in a shortage of displayed individuality. La Grande Empire allows our consumer Family to feel confident about their abilities, what they’re wearing, and the direction they are heading in life. We strive to embrace individuality and Greatness.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
La Grande Empire is more than a brand, it’s a call to action; a call for radical individuality. Ironically enough, the word authentic has become cliche. We claim authenticity when, in reality, many people struggle with who they are because they don’t feel they will be accepted by people who, in all honesty, aren’t being their true selves either. This is what led us to coin the term METHENTIC ( ME – THENTIC ).

METHENTIC is showing up confidently and unapologetically. Staying TRUE to YOU, everyday, in every way, no matter what or who.

Many people feel the need to morph based on who is in the room to better fit in. We don’t want you to have a seat at the table while conforming, we want you to grab your own table and take a seat. Disrupt the norm, create your own status quo, shatter standards, and act as your own audience WITHOUT CHANGING WHO YOU ARE!

As much as I’d love to say the journey has been that of an easy one, that would be completely facetious. What I will say is that the road has been necessary and the bumps along the way have been Blessings!
A lot of times, when we’re passionate about something and want to share it with the masses, we always believe we’re ready without truly understanding the full process. Every time I thought, “we’re good; this is the perfect moment to catch our stride and grow,” God showed us “not just yet, there’s more to do here first!” It can surely be frustrating but walking in and staying committed to the journey is the way to be as METHENTIC ( ME – THENTIC ) as possible and allow others to genuinely feel the realness of our brand.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh wow, this is a fun question! Okay, let me think….if here for a week there are a number of “tourist” type things we’d do such as:

Places to experience: CNN Center, World of Coke, Georgia Aquarium, Skyview Atlanta, MLK Jr National Historic Park, Trap Music Museum, Top Golf, iFLY, Six Flags, Onyx, Magic City

Places to eat/a vibe: The Sun Dial simply for the experience, Slutty Vegan, JR Crickets and Wings101 for comparison, Sugar Factory, Apache Cafe,

Dessert fun: Sweet Joy Ice Cream Bar, Cafe Intermezzo, Insomnia Cookies

Walk around: Krog Street tunnel, Downtown/Centennial Park, Ponce’, Little Five Points

They’d surely be tired, full of great food and experiences, probably sore from walking, and felt that they experienced all that Atlanta has to offer in 1 week, although living here, we know better than that. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Absolutely, I would not be where I am today without God or my Family!

God, has led and continues to lead me in the direction of success, love and growth in life and within La Grande Empire. I pray about and patiently await His word before any directional decisions are made. I stick with those decisions and see them through, even when I have doubts, which can be very tough at times. Faith has taught me that my timing is not His timing, see things through, and come out better on the other end.

My wife, Tristan, is one of God’s Greatest creations; He was surely showing off with her! Tristan is the Greatest partner, cheerleader, and companion! She is always there to listen to all of my thoughts and ideas, provides genuine feedback, asks thought provoking questions, and encourages me with whatever decisions I make. Her God given talent of Perspective, is second to none and is someone that I know God uses as a vessel to deliver perspective outside of people’s natural thought processes for their betterment, including me. I am beyond blessed that she loves and chooses me daily.

My parents, David and Minnie, are amazing! They’ve instilled so many invaluable lessons into my sister and I, that I feel like we should have written them a check. LOL. Their genuine love for us (although tough love at times), guidance, business and financial acumen have delivered the strength, ambition, and fearlessness that people close to me have always witnessed. I have always been confident in who I am and what I can accomplish because of them and their support.

My sister, Sierra, although younger than me, is someone I greatly admire and respect! She is so insightful, fun, loving, and intelligent. Her support of me in anything I’ve done has been unwavering since the day she entered this world. If I don’t have anything else, I know I always have her by my side and for me, that’s all I need. Also, her fashion sense and shoe game is IMPECCABLE! She needs to be styling a celebrity, like, Yesterday!

Website: www.LaGrandeEmpire.com

Instagram: @lagrandeempire

Twitter: @lagrandeempire

Facebook: @lagrandeempire

Image Credits
Natasha LaGrande Tristan LaGrande Riccardo Albertelli Kyra Littlejohn