How One Tech Founder Disrupted Cyprus's Modelling Industry

What started as a simple search for a model became the blueprint for an entirely different way of building businesses.

The Search That Changed Everything

It should have taken five minutes. Instead, it changed the direction of my career.

A few years ago, while working in the marketing departments of Korantina Homes and Square One, I was responsible for organising commercial photoshoots for luxury developments across Cyprus. One of those responsibilities was finding models.

I assumed it would be simple.

Open Google.

Make a few calls.

Book the talent.

Move on to the next project.

Instead, I found outdated websites, broken contact forms, slow response times and a booking process that felt completely disconnected from how modern businesses actually work.

The problem wasn’t that Cyprus lacked talented people.

The problem was that businesses struggled to find them.

After running into the same frustration project after project, I stopped asking where I could find better models.

I started asking a different question.

Why doesn’t a better system exist?

That question eventually became Models Cyprus.

Building the First Platform

When I first had the idea, I wasn’t thinking about building a business.

If I’m honest, I had no idea how it could be monetised. I simply believed it would make life easier for businesses looking for talent while creating more opportunities for models.

So I built it.

Over the next few months, while still working full-time, I spent evenings and weekends developing the first version of Models Cyprus.

Building the website wasn’t the hardest part.

Building trust was.

The modelling industry relied heavily on Instagram pages and informal networks, so convincing both businesses and models that this was a professional platform took time. Every booking, every recommendation and every satisfied client helped build credibility.

Trust wasn’t something we could advertise.

It had to be earned.

More Than a Modelling Platform

When I founded CREATE, I wasn’t trying to build another digital marketing agency.

I wanted to build a company that solved real business problems through technology, creativity and systems.

My background in software development taught me to think in systems. Marketing showed me where those systems were broken. Combining the two became the foundation of everything we’ve built since.

Rather than creating another traditional modelling agency, I built a platform focused on discovery instead of representation.

The objective wasn’t to replace agencies.

It was to remove friction.

Businesses needed a faster way to discover talent.

Models deserved a platform that made them easier to be found.

Technology made both possible.

Built for Google, Not Instagram

One of the biggest decisions I made had nothing to do with modelling.

It had everything to do with Google.

While much of the industry focused on social media, I became obsessed with search intent.

Someone scrolling Instagram might admire a model.

Someone searching Google for “Models Cyprus” is already looking to hire one.

That’s a completely different customer.

From day one, every decision—from the website architecture to the way individual model profiles were structured—was designed around one objective:

Be visible the moment businesses begin searching.

Looking back, I don’t think Models Cyprus was simply my first successful platform.

I think it was my first successful case study.

It was where I wanted to prove—to myself more than anyone else—that there was a different way to build and market a business.

I wanted to see whether solving a genuine problem, creating a great user experience and building long-term visibility through Google could generate sustainable growth.

Models Cyprus proved that it could.

More importantly, it became the blueprint for CREATE.

The Turning Point

There wasn’t one booking that convinced me the platform was working.

The real turning point came when I realised I couldn’t manage it alone anymore.

As enquiries, bookings and administration grew, balancing the platform alongside a full-time career became impossible.

Hiring my first team member wasn’t just another milestone.

It was proof that the system was working.

Today, Models Cyprus has grown into a network of more than 250 verified models, actors, promotional staff and content creators, supporting campaigns for brands including iFLY Luggage, Anassa Resort, Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort, leading property developers, hospitality groups and international production companies.

Those projects are something I’m incredibly proud of.

But the achievement I’m proudest of was taking the initial risk.

Leaving a secure career at a company I genuinely enjoyed to build something from scratch without external funding wasn’t easy.

There were difficult months, especially during the early stages of growing CREATE, but every challenge reinforced the belief that we were building something worthwhile.

The Bigger Picture

Most people think Models Cyprus is the business.

It isn’t.

It was the first proof of concept for a much bigger vision.

Businesses often arrive looking for models, but commercial productions rarely stop there. They also need photography, videography, websites, SEO, branding and performance marketing.

By solving one problem exceptionally well, we’ve earned the opportunity to solve the next.

That philosophy has shaped everything we’ve built since.

The same thinking is now being applied across new industries through platforms such as Restaurants Cyprus, Doctors Cyprus and, more recently, Models Greece, marking our first expansion beyond Cyprus.

Different industries.

Different audiences.

The same blueprint.

Find a genuine problem.

Challenge outdated assumptions.

Build something better.

Looking Ahead

People often ask me what CREATE actually does.

The simplest answer is digital marketing.

The more accurate answer is that we build systems that help businesses grow.

Models Cyprus was never the destination.

It was the first proof that our approach works.

Today, that same blueprint is shaping every platform, website and marketing strategy we build, and it’s the foundation for our expansion into new industries and countries.

Our slogan has always been Brought to Life by CREATE.

For me, it has never been about bringing brands to life.

It’s about bringing ideas to life.

Looking back, I’m grateful that one frustrating Google search sent me down this path.

Because it didn’t just change the way businesses find models.

It became the blueprint for everything we’ve built since.