K’la “Model Maker” Inman turned her entire fortune all the way around in six years. A wife and mother, Inman now serves as a window for people to achieve their dreams.
She discussed the entire journey.
Your business addresses a very specific niche: solidifying bookings for kids in modeling and acting. Where did that idea come from?
Growing up, I always wanted to be an actress and model myself. I was literally always doing the most in any family portrait so you could spot me. It was always a passion of mine. I didn’t really have the support I needed or wanted in my house. My mom would just tell me, “I don’t know how to do that.” It wasn’t until I turned 18, moved out and got married because then, I was trying to figure it out on my own. I would run into scam-after-scam, hotel auditions, all those things that weren’t helpful. It was a waste of money. I learned by trial and error. [Since then], I’ve landed a couple of runway shows. I’ve been in magazines and TV.
In 2018, my oldest daughter was in the movie Black Panther. In Birmingham, [Alabama], it was a huge deal because there wasn’t a whole lot of that going on in Birmingham. Everyone wanted to know how I did it. We met the mayor; we were on every news station; they were making a really big deal about it. I tell people, I was almost a little embarrassed because if that had happened [in Atlanta], nobody would have cared because that’s what y’all do. So, I was really hoping no one from Atlanta saw her on the news for being an extra in Black Panther. But what it did was it created so much buzz that I knew that there had to be a reason why people were so excited. It was because there was a lack of knowledge.
So, I decided then and there that I was going to start teaching people how to get started. So, for like $30, I would meet with them one-on-one, and tell them everything I knew about the industry and not to my surprise, because I knew the info was good, people started booking almost instantly. And just by word of mouth, it grew to over 7,000 families I’ve been able to serve. A seven-figure company, tons of celebrity clients, all because I had that idea to just go ahead and jump into something I’ve been thinking about doing for a while.
What did the journey look for you?
We struggled so much. I tell people I was supernaturally broke. Nobody has ever been as broke as us. I have had seven cars repossessed; I’ve been evicted four times just back in 2020. In the beginning of 2020, I had no car. Now, I have two $100,000 cars, so it shifted quickly.
How do you go from “supernaturally broke” to running a seven-figure business?
Lots of prayer over the years. It always looks like it’s an overnight success, but overnight successes take a lot of time. We just believed beyond belief that something one day was gonna break. I embraced fear and the unknown. A lot of times, people have what I call “Living a Plan B life” because they’re too afraid to go after Plan A.
