I just turned 21 years old and finished my high school education. Business experience from a multilevel company was helpful. I owned a few coins saved from working in a call center. I was a very experienced performer, actress, and professional model.
1. The most essential step is Vision and faith!
Dream big! But only focus on some things at a time. Start with easy and small tasks and build on them. Most people get overwhelmed and Quit before they start. I did it, and you can too. Here is how:
At this stage, I knew very little about having a business. I was living in a dream world. “Thank god for that”. Everything is more accessible if we take it step by step. Most people get overwhelmed with tasks, and they quit.
2. Start alone!
Build a website and ask your friends if they would like to register and get some work. Introduce yourself to local businesses if you can help them organize a promotion or a VIP night. This can be a bar, boutique, food shop, or a cafe. Also, could you advertise what you do on social media? Of course! Maybe some of your friends will be your first clients.
working as a model/hostess for several years gave me confidence. I found a guy who made my website and business cards. I asked girls from high school if they would like to register on my web and upload some pictures of themselves. The girls were thrilled and excited to be part of this. My web was filling up quickly, and I organized a fun afternoon for my new team. I ordered a professional makeup artist and photographer for a model shoot. Everyone had so much fun, and I could use the pictures on my web and socials.
3. Find work and build a team.
Do small advertising. Get the first few jobs and figure out your team. Select only people who you enjoy working with. The good thing about an agency is that you can choose from registered talent for each job. If someone doesn’t sit with you, you don’t have to work with them again.
I advertised my modeling agency in several groups on Facebook linked to my city. Receiving emails and phone calls about orders began shortly. I contacted my registered girls and put together teams for each promotion. At this stage, we were just friends catching up and doing some jobs together. The girls loved it. We weren’t just a company. As you could see at the workplace, we were family and enjoyed spending time together. Our clients loved this. The girls worked as the company was theirs because we had a strong bond. This was my most significant advantage.
4. Law & Money
It’s essential to have a good lawyer looking after your company. Make sure that everything you do is legal. Also, be careful how you go about your finances. Your business needs to be profitable. As a new company, you must keep your prices reasonable to attract more potential clients. You can always raise prices once they are comfortable with you.
As I started getting more clients, I realized I needed to get more official with my paperwork. Contacting a lawyer and putting together a universal contract where I could fill up gaps solved my problems. I could customize this document for any job. Having a paperwork for every model who had to sign an agreement before every job was very helpful. I came to every gig with the girls. I was getting 100% of the pay provided per person + 20% of every hostess I gave a job. More girls were needed, and more my income was. I didn’t have to worry about taxes at this stage because I was still a registered student. In the Czech Republic, students till age 26 didn’t have to pay tax.
5. Castings
Time to get more Professional. Official castings allow you to select better based on in-person appearance. It also helps your brand to get attention from local businesses. With a variety of talent, you can expand your services. Get creative.
My client base was growing. So that you know, organizing a casting was necessary. Girls could come and bring their picture portfolios. I was also hiring singers, dancers, Actors, and Performers. Outcome was a much bigger model base. I could also organize my own events with new talent. Team building was also important. I got to know everyone and made a better judgment of what jobs suited them better. We also developed warm friendships.
6. Market opportunities
As a modeling agency, you can do a lot of different jobs. Look around and try to find a wide variety of work opportunities.
For example, Ring Girls at boxing events, Caddy Girls at golf courses, Umbrella girls for Moto GP, Welcome Drinks girls at events, Models posing at car events, Girls at expos translating for businesses, Active sales in electronic shops, Tasting girls at good stores, Girls giving flayers on streets, Bar & clubs promoters, Christmas parties models, Fashion show models, Photo-models, Girls for TV promotions and extras, Girls for music video clips, Girls selling energy drinks at music festivals and more…
6. Go big or go home
Learn new skills like public speaking and event organization—network with local and international business owners. Learn about taxes and how to pay less. Raise your prices and % of income from your employees. Be well-presented in elegant business outfits. Work on your language skills.
I have been introduced to a business that organizes events for a building company. This is where I grew into a co-organizer of significant events from building companies nationwide. My colleague was in charge of the education side of the event, and I was the organizer of the after-party with the program for 250 people. I was excited to be in charge of such a big event but also terrified. We had a very entertaining program: GoGo dancer performance, masquerade costume auction, French lingerie fashion show, and bodybuilding stage posing routine. We also had three hostesses helping with the organization. I had a host, photographer, and videographer to capture the night. This event was special to me because It was a huge deal in a luxury spa hotel, and I worked on this project for over six months. Please find videos from the event attached.
I met a hotel guest interested in the process in the middle of the function. I gave him my business card. A couple of months later, he got in touch with me. He was a business owner from the Netherlands and wanted to work with my agency. This was the first time I could expand my business to other European countries, and go international.
7. Go international
International work is more complex. You need to know well your clients to provide safety and security for these who work for you. This jobs include travel and logistics, accomodations, etc. You need to be always present and work only with trusted companies.
First of all I met with my contact several times to discuss our business relations and got to know the company. Once I was comfortable, I went to Automechanika expo in Frankfurt, Germany. I was working there for 2 weeks. As I made a good impressions, I started getting other business owners from stand next to us asking if I can work for them in the next expo. I said, That I have an agency and I can provide them with girls for their stand. This information spreaded like a wild fire and this is how I expanded my clients base in several countreis all over Europe. I Gave one of my employees a role of a supervisor for my work in my home country so I could focus on international work. This led me to my first business trip outside of Europe all the way to Australia.
