Sara Abbas | Founder and CEO | Ev0lver, Inc.
Sara Abbas is the award-winning Founder and CEO of Ev0lver, Inc., a full-service talent agency, experiential marketing hub, sales incubator, and consulting firm.
She is the founder of the highly celebrated luxury brand, Always A Muse, a conscious designer fashion label that is as empowering, sustainable and flattering as it is functional. Always A Muse is a slow fashion at its finest, designed by Sara, and made in Italy (recognized at the Global Sustainability Awards)
Sara also founded other entities including a non-profit, and a capital firm, liaising with global financial institutions to help empower other entrepreneurs and creators; readers can learn more about each business and service offered directly on her website, HerMajestySara.com
She is a polymath by nature and has created a harmonious portfolio of brands and entities in the entertainment, fashion, eCommerce, non-profit, sales, marketing, financial services, and tech space.
She also has a large network of global leaders and brings together some of the most impressive minds on the planet including many heads of state, diplomats, royalty / royal family offices, noteworthy CEOs, celebrities, creators and unique impact-driven personalities of all kinds.
When she’s not running her existing companies, Sara’s visionary nature is apparent in other facets of her life as an avid entrepreneur, author, singer/songwriter, inventor, thought leader, designer, accomplished writer, spirited world traveler, and luxury brand liaison.
We interviewed Sara Abbas who describes herself as a passionate purpose-driven leader to learn more about her organization and its functioning.
Elite X (EX): The initials of the name of your organization look unique. Please describe in detail the uniqueness of your organization.
Sara Abbas (SA): Ev0lver, Inc., is a unique talent agency with a built-in sales and marketing hub, catering to diverse talent and non-traditional “live” campaigns. While they do feature traditional talent (models, actors, musicians, etc.) across the globe, what sets them apart is creating customized campaigns to serve evolving markets and industries. They have become well-known for their proprietary methods of employing models, actors, and influencers to sell products and promote brands via live experiential events (such as festivals, in-store demos, VIP functions, and conventions) as well as on social media, traditional media, and elsewhere.
Ev0lver also has a dedicated sales team of talented, well-trained salespeople to support their clients in specific industries, particularly luxury brands, and the global beverage industry. Today, consumers crave an ‘experience’ – Ev0lover delivers just that!
They were one of the first in the industry to emphasize diversity and help clients / brands see that if they want to reach a more diverse audience (more customers), they need more diverse talent and offerings. “We pioneered some campaigns and systems that made us stand out from the very beginning of our days as a company and continue to ‘ev0lve’ with the times.”
Ev0lver grew from a need to create a safe space for young women, especially, in the Southern California entertainment industry and blossomed into a supremely innovative agency that now solves sales and marketing problems for some amazing clients across the planet.
Ev0lver is an integral part of my portfolio of brands where each entity is focused on creating innovative solutions, addressing both existing and potential challenges.
EX: Your organization provides services in a market where there is cut-throat competition. What is the USP of your services that have bought it to the standard it is today?
SA: Well, I don’t really think of anything or anyone as “competition” “there’s a niche for everyone. It’s like relationships, there’s someone out there for everyone, no matter what you are into!” There may be other agencies that do some things similar to Ev0lver, but what sets them apart is my unique background, experience in sales, problem-solving, and value creation, and how that is ingrained in the company’s offerings and culture. Also, my relationships are unique, expansive, and cover much of the planet, so that opens doors for our partners and clients that others simply cannot access.
I foresee expanding Ev0lver’s global presence shortly and growing to encompass different avenues of offerings to clients, partners, and talent – unlike anything the industry has seen before. I am confident that everyone will love what we have in store!
EX: “The strength of the team is each member. The strength of each member is the team.” Keeping the above quote in focus what do you have to say about your team?
SA: Through building Ev0lver from the ground up, I’ve had the esteemed pleasure of interacting with and hiring many of our remarkable team members or talent and liaising with our wonderful clients or partners. Being able to make personal connections and learn more about what drives them outside of business has been a deeply fulfilling process. Everyone comes to the table with their own set of passions and strengths. As a result, they have their own approach to accomplishing our collective goals. I love to see the different ways everyone operates; each individual is phenomenal on their own while also being part of a beautiful whole that is Ev0lver, it’s heart-warming to witness.
EX: “True leaders always practice the three R’s: Respect for self, Respect for others, and Responsibility for all their actions”. As a CEO how are you practising the above quote in your life?
SA: As the founder of the company, I always strive to lead with courage and empathy. Nearly all services offered through Ev0lver are things I have personally done myself, and I have worked on both sides of the industry, both as a talent and also as a client / customer, so I am in touch with needs on both ends of the spectrum. This, coupled with the willingness to change and evolve as necessary has helped to set me up for success in this entrepreneurial journey. Also, I am a firm believer that we should always be working on personal development. They say, ‘how we do one thing is how we do everything’. So, when I notice a deficit in some area of my life, I try to work on that and know that any improvement I make whether it be through mindset, health, overall well-being, etc., will ultimately make me a better leader and enable me to be the best example I can be.
EX: A little more about yourself.
SA: I am deeply passionate about the power of proximity. I find being in the presence of others is monumental for building lasting partnerships and bonds, so I am an advocate for live events and supporting industries that bring people together in that way, such as the arts / music, charities / non-profits, and liaising with global organizations doing big things or gathering live.
On managing her personal and professional life Sara concludes:
“Balance is key! Ev0lver was created with balance in mind from inception.” It has always been a female-owned entity with everyone operating remotely, keeping their own schedules. Ev0lver has support built into the framework of the team, so when people need family time, vacations, or just help with life in general; we are all there for each other in ways that are aligned with our strengths. It’s a beautiful team effort. Clients love the hands-off approach for them as well, which helps clients improve work-life balance within their organizations as a result. Further elaborating on the balance factor, “Ev0lver has a calm, organized, nurturing energy as an organization and serves several male-dominated industries, so it creates a nice balance on an organizational level as well.” – says Sara Abbas. The structure was inspired by her values, and her inner peace, which helped shape the format of how and who they serve. “While I have much to learn, I am eternally grateful for this harmonious entity that continues to evolve and inspire me daily,” she says.
