Sarah Petty: Felicia Uribe was selling digital files and hoping people would buy expensive wall art, but they usually didn’t. When she heard of Boutique Breakthrough, she thought, “I don’t have a problem investing in my husband or my kids, but I always put myself on the back burner. Not this time.” Once she transitioned to boutique, her first client invested $3,297 before the class even finished.
Welcome, Felicia. I’m so happy that you are here joining us. You’re actually still in Boutique Breakthrough, are you not?
Felicia Uribe: Yes, we just started week seven yesterday.
Sarah Petty: I wanted to bring you on, because you’re still in it. Talk about before Boutique Breakthrough, what did photography look like in your life?
Felicia Uribe: I’ve been doing this for about a year, and I actually saw you a year ago when I was just starting out. I had seen a video that you had done about doing wall art. That’s why I actually did digital and wall art because I had seen what you were doing and I thought I could do that myself. I was wrong. I was working a lot, getting to know people and getting my name out there. In January, things just picked up so much and I was in my office editing all the time. It was a lot of work and I did not want to do it anymore.
Sarah Petty: You were undercharging and giving digital files. So you’re not making money because people are not ordering but you thought you had to do it this way to get exposure. Did you think one day your clients would start paying you what you’re worth?
Felicia Uribe: I was hoping that people would come back later after seeing the digital files, and say that they wanted wall art, but it wasn’t happening. They were going to Walgreens or CVS and printing it. I’ve seen some of the stuff people printed and I don’t want my name on it. It just wasn’t what I wanted people to see my artwork as.
Sarah Petty: So what was your breaking point? Did you realize you were really busy with the wrong kind of clients? Talk about what your life looked like. Because you have kids, right?
Felicia Uribe: I have three. My youngest was just born, so he was two months old when I found this program. And he had been sick. So for about three or four weeks he was in and out of the hospital. So I decided if I’m going to do this, I want to be more present in his beginning years than I was for my other kids. I just had to make a decision to find a different way to do photography if I wanted to keep doing it, because I was a newly stay-at-home mom. We went from two incomes to one income.
Sarah Petty: It doesn’t matter what the income is, once it goes away you are faced with reality. You have three kids and you want to be a more present mom. When you are already cutting down on money and you don’t have that income, how did you justify doing Boutique Breakthrough?
Felicia Uribe: My husband and I had to make that decision. I told him that I really wanted to do it because I really thought it would work for me. And I promised him I would make it work.
I started out on the payment plan. I made my first payment and as we were going through the program, I was just doing anything I could to cut out extra spending. We had a little bit of money stored up and I was supposed to use it to fix my car, but I ended up paying the program off. And less than 24 hours later, I got my first Julie.
Sarah Petty: What was that amount of your Julie?
Felicia Uribe: It was 3,297. More than what I paid for the class.
Sarah Petty: Oh my gosh. So let’s talk about where you were when you started taking it. You dug in and you started doing the work. Did you find it hard?
Felicia Uribe: It was a little overwhelming at the beginning. I was nervous and I’m an introvert.
Sarah Petty: And you just had a new baby, so you got all the new baby hormones and everything happening. Now you have three little mouths to feed, not just two, and all the things. But you also knew that trying it on your own hadn’t gotten you where you wanted to be.
Felicia Uribe: Yes, I just jumped in and I followed the system because I needed one. I needed step by step on what I needed to do next. And that’s what the program really did for me is it gave me those systems. As I was going through it, I just gained more confidence.
Sarah Petty: And we give you tools to do all of that. You’re not alone in that. You see everyone else battling that same battle, right?
Felicia Uribe: Especially in the beginning, it felt so good knowing that I wasn’t alone in my doubts. And it’s kind of weird because the more that you hear other people are doubting, it’s almost like the more confidence you have. “Okay, I’m not alone.” So if everyone’s feeling this way and people are being successful, then I can be successful too.” It’s kind of weird that it works that way.
Sarah Petty: And yet I think that’s true. Just trust the process and see what happens. Was the pricing part scary?
Felicia Uribe: Yes it was. I’m not good with being on the phone, or even in person I get really nervous and sometimes I get awkward. But I’ve noticed through the program I have found what works for me.
Sarah Petty: I actually get awkward too, when I don’t know what to say, but when you have the words, you can do really well with my program because you have a script to follow.
Felicia Uribe: Yes. My goal is to serve my clients but I never knew how. So sitting there showing them this is what we created together and having a plan going into it made so much more of a difference. It wasn’t just 100s of pictures being sent to them and asking which ones they wanted printed.
Sarah Petty: More is not better. So you did the hard work making it easy for them to choose. Were you surprised when she was thanking you for showing her less basically?
Felicia Uribe: Yes. It was an interesting meeting, because I had booked her before I started the class. So I had already taken their pictures ahead of time. But I followed the structure that you had and I was looking for a way to create wall art for them. When I went into that meeting, I told them that I was changing my business model and that I’d like you to walk through this with me. I also told them I would honor our previous agreement if they weren’t interested. And she’s like, “I love this. I’m down. You’re doing all the work for me.” They didn’t have to order it from somewhere. They didn’t have to worry about the framing and all the other stuff that comes with it. I did all the work and they just paid me for it. I was in shock.
Sarah Petty: Wow. So you’re sitting there and you’re making recommendations and they’re picking and you get to the total and you realize it’s over $3,000 and you present it to them. What did they say?
Felicia Uribe: They said, “okay”. And they wrote a check right there. Paid in full. They actually called me a day later to add to their order.
Sarah Petty: That is amazing. I love that you did this with a brand new baby at home. I think so many people would actually do the opposite of what you did and say it isn’t a good time. How are you feeling now that you know you can do a 30 minute session and make $3,000?
Felicia Uribe: It feels good. Now I can really schedule my time and say, “Okay, give mom three hours today just to work. And then I’m yours the rest of the day.” And they can sacrifice three hours instead of mom working all the time and not see me that often.
Sarah Petty: How many hours do you think you’re spending a week on the program?
Felicia Uribe: About 10 hours per week. It’s usually at the end of the day when they all go to bed
Sarah Petty: Are you excited now, moving forward, that you know that you have a way to consistently bring money into your family?
Felicia Uribe: Yes. I’m really excited because I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, and it came at the right time. My little one’s four months old now and I don’t have to worry about missing out on anything.Sarah Petty: I love that you’re saying the perfect time. You’re such a great example of someone who takes action even when it’s hard. Thank you for coming and sharing your story.
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