Elizabeth Velasquez Frescofiore

From professional model to successful model agency owner

#BOSSLADY DETAILS:

Name & Surname: Elizabeth Velasquez Frescofiore

Business Name: EV Agency, LLC

Country: USA

Industry: EV Agency, LLC is a promotional modeling, talent and staffing agency booking nationwide

Favorite quote: “We need women who are so strong they can be gentle, so educated they can be humble, so fierce they can be compassionate, so passionate they can be rational, and so disciplined they can be free.” ― Kavita N. Ramdas

Please give us a bit of background on yourself:

I was a very successful model for over a decade, working with big celebrities and gracing the cover of magazines before deciding to start my own company, EV Agency, to help combat some of the issues I saw in the modeling world. I wanted to become the agent I never had and to change the way things are done in this industry.

Before my modeling career I was interested in law enforcement and then teaching, receiving my degree in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Mathematics.

What are some of your biggest achievements throughout your journey?

To start up a company and within three years find myself working with huge corporate entities such as Tecate has been an amazing experience. One of my other clients is WOW - Women Of Wrestling, the country’s biggest, all-female professional wrestling league.

But besides the more obvious successes, my personal achievement has been doing so while staying true to my morals. I believe I can make a difference and I haven’t let myself become jaded. At my company we do things the right way and with passion, patience and fostering self-confidence.

What are 3 business principles that are of core value to you?

Honesty/Safety – As the head of EV Agency, I want all our clients to know the truth about each job. In this industry so many false promises are made to talent. We shoot straight about every job to our talents and with each of our clients.
Customer Service/Punctuality – Be on time. Time is the most valuable commodity for successful people. Don’t waste anyone’s time. It’s a code of respect that goes for myself, the clients, and talent.
Delivering/Never-ending Improvement – I’m always seeking ways to improve my service to the talent and clients, as well as to increase value and opportunity for everyone I engage with.

What is the hardest part of being an entrepreneur?

Being an entrepreneur is really difficult and there are so many hurdles to cross. The hardest one is getting back up after being knocked down. Whether it's losing a booking, having unappreciative talent, or, with the Covid-19 pandemic, just struggling to continue operations: you have to keep going. You have to keep that fire in your belly and passion in your heart for your work.

How do you stand out in this digital world?

This is a question we are still asking ourselves. To date my business has been built on networking the old-fashioned way, but we have a plan to improve our digital strategy this year as business rebounds from the Covid-19 downturn. One successful experiment we tried was putting our logo on every photo we post on Instagram, a trend we see is now becoming more widespread with other agencies.

What was one of the biggest mistakes that you have made throughout your journey and what lesson did you learn from it?

In the beginning I felt that my word was my bond and that others would feel the same, so I didn’t require contracts. I learned the hard way that business is business and contracts are a necessity. So we fixed that!

What is your key to success?

I believed I could make a difference in this industry and by sticking to my morals of better service and core values I’m seeing that dream become a reality. I try to put out into the universe what I would like to receive back and always go into things with good intentions. The results have been great!

What does success mean to you?

Having a financially successful business that helps others. I love to see my talent and clients have a great experience. It’s a win-win for everyone.