Written by Clare Kehoe

Before creating her empire as an entrepreneur, Andrea Worldwide was residing in San Antonio, Texas as a recent MBA graduate, with $308 dollars in her bank account. Today, she leads Marquee Image Models, a worldwide ambassador staffing agency that allows both clients and employees to thrive synonymously in transparent environments.

Andrea found the inspiration for Marquee Image Models while working in the industry as an ambassador, where she saw the vision in networking help that spiraled her prosperous future. After quitting her minimum wage nine-to-five job to create Marquee Image Models, Andrea utilized her networking skills and thriving ambition to expand her business into a worldwide empire with over 11,000 talents in her database.

As a leader, Andrea is always encouraging people to pursue their interests. Her success and tireless ambition is what inspired me to create my own business. Working alongside a leader like Andrea, she has given me impeccable advice and guidance, and kindness” said Content Creator Savanna Lefebvre.

When Marquee Image Models first took off, it appeared just like a typical event staffing agency- specializing in ambassadors, convention models, commercial, runway and print models. However, the company soon grew to take on the versatile traits of the female who ran it, Miss Andrea Worldwide herself.

“I’m multilingual, fluent in Spanish, English, Portuguese and Italian, and I’m currently studying Arabic and Mandarin. My globally aware background and traveling lifestyle taught me to embrace all cultures, and the importance of understanding different ones. I wanted to mirror this when it came to the models I would hire, so having multi or bi-lingual employees was one of the first things that set my company apart from others. Good communication has no language, but great communication seeks to understand the languages that are different from our own,”- said Andrea.

The precedent that Andrea set with Marquee Image Models held, and continues to hold the industry to a higher standard of effort and ethics.

“From the beginning, it was a no drama policy with Marquee. One of the most important things I stressed was the quality of a good environment with genuine people. This industry can bring a lot of hesitancy and it isn’t uncommon to encounter obstacles when it comes to reliability on both ends. You can have models who no- show, or clients that don’t compensate for the promised amount after the work is already done. Despite all of this, I refused to let the Marquee reputation be compromised in the process,” said Andrea.

With her knowledge of the industry and its wide array of potential hurdles, Andrea used her transparency to overcome what most agencies like her own continue to struggle with. Her business tactics were simple- to remain authentic and reliable above all.

“I believe that a lot of my success is attributed to the fact that I always make sure that if ethics are broken, my contractors still are paid what they were promised, and my clients still are given the service they were promised, even if the extra time or effort to find a stand in was on me, or the money came out of my own pocket. I’ve continuously sacrificed to make sure the Marquee Image Models reputation is always held to the highest standard, as any great leader would,” said Andrea.

Andrea describes Marquee Image Models as constantly evolving, with far more than just the growth of their clientele and geographic expansion. Within the past four years, Andrea estimates that about 90 percent of her business has transitioned into the virtual world.

Marquee Image Models set a new precedent for the industry of brand ambassadors when it began merging partnerships and business opportunities with some of the world’s most well renowned virtual branding giants.

“In recent years we have started working closely with influential entities like TikTok, and it’s changed up our entire dynamic in the best way possible. By moving to an almost entirely virtual environment, I’m able to incorporate my passion for traveling into my career goals, and create an empire where employees can relish in those benefits as well. With more remote work opportunities, my staff and I can have a nomad lifestyle- exploring the world while simultaneously getting paid. It’s a dream come true,” said Andrea.

With this change in direction, Marquee Image Models has added roles of influencers and content creators to their vast list of ambassador positions. Though there is a change in dynamic, Andrea emphasizes that the ethic, morale and standard of Marquee Image Models will never be compromised in the process.

“The game may be changing as we evolve, but the qualities we look for when recruiting ambassadors remain the same. We will always value authenticity above all. With content creation, our core value of authenticity has become even more important, and it’s built relationships beyond the marketing aspect. One of my girls has such a strong and trusting relationship with her follower base that they ended up being guests at her wedding,” said Andrea.

While Marquee Image Models adapts to its virtual nomad branding, Andrea plans to expand beyond her career as an entrepreneur. Currently, she is working to idealize her personal brand, developing her very own web base, Andrea Worldwide, where she plans to inspire, inform and elevate the elements of her passion for travel and business.

“There is no one who works harder than Andrea. Her consistent, proactive approach to any business obstacle is one of her greatest talents. Her perseverance and commitment to achieving success will inspire you to finally take the risk and follow your own dreams of entrepreneurship,” said Marquee Image Models colleague Shayleen Garza.

To learn more about Marquee Image Models, visit their website here.

To learn more about Andrea and her future endeavors, follow her on Instagram.