On any given week, you would find Veronica practicing a set of songs with her band, The Replicas, (she is co-founder, lead singer, and Executive Director) in her home studio and then prep for a client’s personal branding photography session in her brand new in-home VeroFoto studio.
The next day she may go back into her music studio to compose a new song or album (Try her Italian album, Memoria, 2021 on YouTube) and later in the week do a voiceover gig or teach vocal performance technique to an up-and-coming new artist. The last two years she added DJ/Emcee to her long list of talents.
And, you can catch The Replicas at Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas and Urban Press Winery in Burbank on a monthly basis.
All that and more is how this woman rolls and monetizes her artistry. It’s quite amazing, truly. She shares this abundant creative life with her husband Michael, former drummer of The Replicas and co-founder, and their adorable dogs.
Welcome to week five of my sixth annual Creative Leaders Series honoring five remarkable entrepreneurial women.
Veronica acquired a depth of knowledge in the events industry since 2000. She began in catering and photography, all the while performing with several bands in and around Los Angeles. From room acoustics and set design to lighting and staging, timeline and flow, Veronica has mastered the importance of sound, ambiance, and performance for all her clients.
When she moved to Los Angeles from her native New Jersey in 1999 with $1,000, one of her first jobs was working as a cater-waiter and bartender for special events. It was that moment when she realized the events industry was going to be a very big part of her life. She was mesmerized watching and learning how each event was a production requiring a team of creatives and technicians to pull it off properly.
She was hooked. “Witnessing all the moving parts simply blew my mind. Catering, rentals, staging, lightning, power distribution, sound engineering, decor, photography, videography, entertainment, (and more) plus all the labor! This industry is job creator. I knew being in this industry would allow me to keep tapping into my creativity and always keep food on my table,” says Veronica.
In 2011, following 12 years of running a successful photography business – while acting, singing and dancing – Veronica was inspired to shift her purpose and started a music agency to help her fellow musicians get more great paying work.
Whether on stage or running her music company, Veronica Puleo takes events to a whole new level. She prides herself on her quality of service, guiding clients and planners through the many ensemble choices, customizing and designing the ideal soundscape for each event with every aspect of the production in mind.
That led to writing a book for event planners appropriately called, “Be a Rock Start Live Music Producer: A Live Music Production Guide for Event Planners” found on Amazon. (January 2020)
In 2019, we met through my client, David Krieger, an award-winning luxury event & wedding DJ. Her curiosity about the coaching led to us working together in my entrepreneurial success program and followed by my personal branding program that helped her launch her own brand and website, www.veronicapuleo.com.
“Where I needed the most help and guidance was having a proven ‘sales system’ in place where I am in complete control of the sales process. Marla did that for me. There were so many proposals in limbo in my pipeline… a lot of ‘not knowing’ where these prospects were in their decision-making process. The chaos and drama around my sales has gone away!
My decision-making abilities were shifted, too due to learning new boundaries! Taking complete control of each and every sale I make. Having an even better relationship with my money and able to reach higher money goals with ease,” she said.
On the self-care side of life, I always encourage my clients to create sacred time away from the hustle of life through meditation, journaling, walking in nature, and reading spiritual books. In her podcast interview episode 34, she explains how that part of the coaching changed her life – she took on mediation and it became her saving grace.
Speaking of slowing down from the hustle culture. That became her gift in the pandemic. Veronica’s go-go-go way of life was challenged in 2020 like many others. Everyone was forced to re-examine their lives. This experience turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Veronica by transforming her and her business. She found that slowing down became her superpower for her well-being. She no longer sacrificed her peace of mind for the hustle culture.
Listen in to episode #34 at Follow Your Joy podcast for her vulnerable story of how she took a stand for her mental health through stronger boundaries that became her new non-negotiable approach to life.
This beautiful creative is celebrating her big 5-0 birthday on April 13. Stop by her Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn page to wish her happy birthday!
This is so awesome 🙂 Thank you again, Marla!
xoxo
Veronica, you are so welcome! It’s a pleasure to support you and witness your growth and successes. xo