Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Ep. 153 - Celebrations of Life. How Sara (venue owner is tapping in the market of Funerals.
75 Plays3 months ago
Happy Woo Wednesdays!
Today I have Sara Portillo in the Get a HECK YES house. She manages The Sepulveda Home, LLC a wedding and special events venue in San Pedro. I've been photographing weddings here for a decade at this Gem, Louisiana French Colonial was designed to honor the majestic estates of the South. It's vintage meets elegance.
If you know Sara, she is unapologetically herself. She is a Sag aftra actress and doesn't sugar coat anything. She has mastered the art of human emotions and family dynamics!
I love the story about how Sara's dad came across this property and had to own it. He didn't know how he was going to do it but he did it. The Sepulveda Home has so much heart and soul from this family. The magic starts with them.
Hot Topic:
Celebrations of Life. How Sara is tapping in the market of Funerals.
Connect with Sara
https://instagram.com/thesepulvedahome
Connect with Carissa Woo
https://instagram.com/carissawoo
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Listener Engagement
00:00:00
Speaker
Thank you for being part of my journey. I truly love reconnecting with people from my 15 years in the industry. It brings up so many, so many funny memories. And if you're loving my podcast, please share this on your IG and tag me and leave me a review. And while you're at it, DM me the word coaching. If you're interested in me being your coach and creating you a new brand and marketing plan.
Interview with Sada Portillo
00:00:26
Speaker
So I just got done with the interview with Sada.
00:00:30
Speaker
For Tilo, her and her family lives and runs as a poet at home in San Pedro, and it's one of the most unique venues I've ever worked out. Every nook and cranny is just so, so beautiful. So this conversation, it's seriously one of my favorites because Sada has such an amazing personality and big heart. Today we talk about the seasons of life and business, her beloved grandma past,
00:01:00
Speaker
last year and gave her the idea to have memorial services at their venue. Talk about a great idea. She's bringing energy to something considered to be morbid and turning it to something very delightful and very special. Enjoy this conversation.
Carissa's Background and Podcast Themes
00:01:22
Speaker
Welcome to Get a Heck Yes with Carissa Wu. I'm your host, Carissa, and I've been a Los Angeles wedding photographer for over a decade. I've traveled the world, built my team, and seen it all. I now coach wedding photographers hit 10K a month and build a thriving business. In this podcast, we are going to deep dive into how top wedding creatives get that heck yes from their dream clients. We are not holding back on the struggles of the business and how to push through the noise. Some healthy hustle, mindset shifts, up-leveling your money story,
00:01:50
Speaker
time hacks because I'm a mom of two, a little bit of woo-woo, and most importantly, self-love and confidence are just a few of the many things we will talk about. I want to give you a genuine thank you for following along my journey. I hope to inspire you every Woo Wednesday so that you say heck yes to listening to this podcast. See you guys soon.
00:02:13
Speaker
Hey everyone, welcome back to Get a Heck Yes with me, your girl, Carissa Woo.
Introduction to Sarah Portillo and Venue History
00:02:18
Speaker
I have Sarah Portillo in the house. She owns a Sepulveda home overlooking Port of l LA in San Pedro. I would describe it as vintage elegance. It was built in 1929. This Louisiana French colonial was designed to honor the majestic estates of the South. And I'm honored to be on her preferred venue list. I've shot many gorgeous weddings here and I'm just so honored to be speaking with you today. Welcome, Sarah.
00:02:47
Speaker
Thank you. been It's been a while since COVID, but it's so good to see you. And fun fact, you were the first one to show me how to like post on Instagram many, many years ago. like you were ahead of the You were ahead of the game before anybody knew what they were doing, which is why she's an author now. So I always think about that. Every time I post, I'm like, don't forget this, don't forget that, don't forget that, because Carissa taught you.
00:03:14
Speaker
We started and we were working together for a long time. Oh my God. Yeah. Like every time I get on the podcast and I haven't seen someone for a long time, like little memories come about. But the last time I visited you, like I think I put up wrong on my maps and I ended up in a jail.
00:03:31
Speaker
Like a white collar jail. te no where am i that Now, I don't remember that story, but that's embedded in my mind forever. Yeah. You're like, oh wait,
00:03:44
Speaker
like i we're like I do remember that. You ended up at Harbor Department, police department. you're like There's cops all around me.
00:03:54
Speaker
Psych. That was so funny. Oh, that's really funny. That was a long time ago. Yeah, you've always been so like spunky and I'm just, I know we have so much to talk about, but in your words, briefly tell the audience who you are in a nutshell. Okay. I am Sara Portillo. I am a sixth generation San Pedro resident in the Port of Los Angeles. And my family and I own and operate this apartment at home, which is the only Louisiana French colonial wedding venue, wedding and special events venue in California. So i I've grown along with it for the last 20 years and that is my baby. that is That is what we do. That's who I am. And I'm mother i'm a mother of two, 16 and 18, and I'm a site actress as well. A site actress? I am. Yeah. Very involved with the labor movement right now.
00:04:47
Speaker
Oh man, I wanna ask you so many questions about that. I know, we have a lot to talk about. Let's go way back to more of your origin story. um Growing up, what were you like as a kid? What were your hobbies and anything you wanna share about your family? Sure, okay. I'm the youngest of three. So I have two older brothers and I was a very introverted child, ah introverted extrovert, I guess you could say, cause I was always into performing.
00:05:15
Speaker
um theater and and anything I could do to express my creative side, but I did not have a lot of friends. I was a reader. I wrote a lot of poetry and it was just always kind of in my head and and making things up and the only girl. So you tend to play make believe a lot by yourself. i And like I said, I'd grown up in San Pedro my whole life and the Sepulveda home is where we moved when I was seven years old.
Transforming the Sepulveda Home into a Wedding Venue
00:05:43
Speaker
So I grew up here with all of these antiques and things you couldn't touch. And ah my childhood was beautiful though. It was surrounded by a lot of family. a lot of parties, a lot of celebrations. We're very, very lucky to have a gigantic family. So I had no sisters, but I had lots and lots of cousins. And as you know, cousins are like sometimes better than siblings because they go home at the end of the day. Yeah, seriously. They're you know they're your first playmates. So we had so many cousins. I have a a very large Mexican and Filipino American family. So we had the best food, the best music, the best gossip, the best stories, the best fights, you know, all of them. That's why you're a firecracker. you firecracker And you know, what I am a total feisty firecracker, but my entire family is like that. Like I don't even deal with the women in my family. i'm I'm probably one of the quieter ones on um one side of the family because we're all just outgoing.
00:06:41
Speaker
And all of us are artists of some capacity. So we inspire each other. Very much a unit of love and talent and ah inspiration for sure. We definitely inspire each other. I had a good childhood. I had a good childhood. My dad's a military man. So we also were very active with military families and supporting the military. We still are.
00:07:07
Speaker
So I feel like I got a good, well-rounded dose of a lot of things, but I hope I got the best out of all of them. The older I get, I feel like all of the goodness is coming out, you know? um i've Well, I've already dealt with all the bad, but like I feel like, okay, you guys did do a good job. I kind of like myself at 45. I like what you did. Good job. Yeah, mean and I mean, I right behind you with two girls and going to hit 40. So it's it's so nice to love yourself.
00:07:35
Speaker
100%. How old are they? ah Piper is seven, and Callie is four. But my mom just called me. She's like, Oh, I'm very like impressed by Piper. She was so like, she's so assertive and like has so much leadership quality. So i was like, oh, shoot, like, I wonder where she gets out from. That's amazing. I feel like the kids these days, because they have so many more resources,
00:07:59
Speaker
yeah There's really no excuse for us not to do our very best and pour our very best into them because that combined with like the modern technology, they' they're just they're all changemakers.
00:08:10
Speaker
Yeah, it could be good. It could be bad. But let's, let's get into why you moved into the Sepulveda home. um Let me paint the picture a little bit. I don't have like your website up or anything. But I just remember just like walking in the Sepulveda home and I'm just like my mouth is, you know, dropped to the floor because every like crevice and nook and cranny is just like like beautiful like a little little mirror and a little rocking chair and like crazy chen chandelier and you know the bathroom is so intricate and like the the bedding um is you know is it looks like it's from the south um yeah tell me the backstory and this is really really really fun for me to learn about okay okay so the land itself was the original ranch land from the Sepulveda family that owns all of southern California I mean
00:09:02
Speaker
really some pulpit of boulevard. San Pedro has a very rich history, but the family did reside here in San Pedro. And there's a rock wall in the front on the entire block, well about halfway, halfway, yes. And it's the original rock wall. So it goes, well, the neighbors across the street have it as well. And it goes all the way to the top where Hanford Street is at. In 1920, probably 1928, Charles Trousdale,
00:09:31
Speaker
who was from the South and I believe he was from Louisiana, but I'd have to check with my mom. I know he's from the Southern States. He was an architect and he was the second cousin of Eastman Kodak of Kodak cameras. Anybody over 30 better know what that is ah or who that is. so
Challenges and Partnerships in the Wedding Industry
00:09:50
Speaker
So they came from some substance in the South. He purchased the land and he designed these homes to resemble the estates of the South. And it was the first of its kind.
00:10:00
Speaker
and he he designed it for his his daughter and her new husband. So it was actually designed for a newlywed couple, which is so fitting. That's so interesting. It is. And so it was in their family, in their possession for a couple of generations, and then in 1985,
00:10:19
Speaker
it went to probate court for whatever reason. um And at the time, my family was living on Santa Cruz Street down the street, 860 West Santa Cruz, and it just got demolished, but it was our first home together. And my dad was driving up the street and he saw a for sale sign, but the house was completely covered by trees and and shrubbery and bushes and The neighbors said that they hadn't actually seen it loved or lived in properly in like 15 years. So nobody really saw the house, but he saw this for sale sign and because it's up on a hill and it looks very grand, he got out of the car and he's like just being curious. And he walked up the stairs and he said, that's my dream house. Being a man of the military and just appreciating you know its history, he said he always wanted to end up in a colonial style home.
00:11:11
Speaker
So he went back home. That is so random, but it's so cool. It's so random. It's so random, right? But this is where it's like, we always say, divine intervention. Because he went back home and told my mom, I found our next home. And now keep in mind, she was raising three kids and very happily at this little Tudor style home with a little farm in the back. We had a really beautiful childhood.
00:11:33
Speaker
um but he was like, no, no, you're going to love this house. So he took her to see it and she's like, okay, you want it? You really want it? And he said, yeah, I don't know how we're going to do it, but I really want it. And she said, I'm going to make it happen. They were the youngest bidders and they had the least amount of money and it was a probate sell. Okay. There was a supposedly, they and they were, yeah, the youngest. So supposedly they were like,
00:11:59
Speaker
up against multiple bidders, because you can imagine. I think a lot of people were surprised the house
Shifting Focus to Celebrations of Life
00:12:04
Speaker
finally went up for sale after, well, for the first time since 1929. And ah the community had a lot of eyes on it. And lo and behold, there was traffic in l LA on every freeway that day.
00:12:18
Speaker
But my dad worked for the city of Los Angeles for many years. And so he knew all the shortcuts. That was his thing. That's like my dad's thing. I know a shortcut. I know a shortcut. and We always make, we always make fun of him. Cause the way he says, I know a shortcut like he's, but he did, he knew a shortcut. And that day his his talent came into play because they made it so to court on time. Literally, I think they had less than a half an hour to get in there and they were the only ones that showed up on time.
00:12:44
Speaker
So the judge awarded my mom and dad this home. And of course, when it's already said and done, everybody came flooding in and were like, there was accidents on the 405. There was accidents on the 710. But it was, yeah, so we, they always say it was, it was truly meant for them because he saw it and he told my mom, I really want it. And she said, okay, I'm going to make it happen. and Watch. And I, we always, yeah, we always laugh. Like the power of a woman, right? Like the strength. She's like, I'll make it happen. And she did. Wow. Is there any other houses that look like this? Like in,
00:13:18
Speaker
um there's There are a few colonials that are just beautiful because San Pedro is one of the like oldest cities where that still have original architecture. there's They're not all torn down and replaced by apartments. There's a lot of Spanish and Victorian. I mean, it's just it's a hidden gem that I think if you're into architect and you're and appreciate if you appreciate old homes, this is a great city to look in.
00:13:45
Speaker
um But to answer your question, nothing that is Louisiana French colonial by design. This is the only one. And it is the only venue, I know that, that hosts celebrations. There are a few that that film, but nothing that, like us, no.
00:14:01
Speaker
yeah Yeah. And like you said, San Pedro has such a really tight knit community, but I wanted to ask you, like what was I know it's growing up there and you kind of painted the picture. here I really thought that was really beautiful. But what was it like like trying to make it into a business? like What year was that? How old were you? how was um What was the process like? And like what were the early years? but What did it look like?
00:14:27
Speaker
So when we, when they purchased it, there was five layers of wallpaper that my mom loves telling the story about five layers of wallpaper that she had to hand scrape off painstakingly. it was It was dark and dreary inside. I mean, it looked like The Haunted Mansion. Can you imagine? This house could easily look like The Haunted Mansion. Yeah, seriously. I mean, easily. And so we ah us three kids came here. We were like, oh my gosh, what did you do to us? You uplifted us? And what what is this? So over the years, because she is a designer, her work has been featured in magazines on film, just freelance. just It's just her her natural gift. she's not She's not a profession. It's just who she is.
00:15:04
Speaker
We started hosting
Business Strategies and COVID Impact
00:15:06
Speaker
you know little private parties for neighbors and relatives, friends, people local, not nobody, like not to the public. That was an absurd idea in which we would never ever do. In fact, I remember her saying, somebody asked us, will you let our daughter get married there? It's so beautiful. And she looked at me, she's like, I will never do that.
00:15:26
Speaker
That does not sound fun at all because we already had hundreds of family members who got married here, baptisms, birthday parties, graduation parties, you name it. we We did it on very big scales, like costume parties and all kinds of things.
00:15:45
Speaker
Pardon this short interruption, but guess what? I have a new program. It's for all wedding professionals. It's called The Triple Threat. We redo your brand messaging, the homepage of your website. Part two is we do all your marketing. we create a beautiful brochure so you could start getting on Prefer venue vendor list and we do all your sales so we actually make you a sales presentation leading your client to the heck yes so you get paid. I have a free 20 minute demo training. It's only 20 minutes. Go to my Instagram at Carissa Woo.
00:16:25
Speaker
and DM me the word DEMO. I will send it right over. It's how to get 10 to 15 quality leads in your inbox per month. Enjoy, guys.
Advice for Wedding Professionals
00:16:37
Speaker
Krista Wu is a LA-based wedding photographer who's actually turning business coach. She helped me grow and change, and I'm so proud to call you coach.
00:16:47
Speaker
tell us how you're feeling. Like, I want to just know a little bit more about your thoughts. Yeah, it's beautiful. And you're, you're awesome. It's beautiful. I'm speechless. I just like the fact that it feels like myself. like I can I feel myself when I see this. Oh, man. Well, you got me pumped and excited for this. Carissa, thank you.
00:17:08
Speaker
Um, and we, we had filming too. People filmed here too. So we were already busy and then when somebody approached us, she's like, no way. And then, so we had been asked literally from day one and then it wasn't until I, I got married here and I realized that I could do it. And then I was, I got pregnant with my first child and we were asked again by strangers and I told her, I'm like,
00:17:36
Speaker
I think I can do this. If you'll do this with me, I can stay home and raise my kids, which is something that every mom wishes she could do. It's like a dream come true. like i can I can really do it.
Community and Camaraderie in the Wedding Industry
00:17:48
Speaker
So I think that's what it took for her to say, okay, let's try it. She knows that she knew that I really wanted to be a stay-at-home mom and work freelance and just do something fun. What you had to do to marry? I got married in 1990. No, I'm sorry.
00:18:04
Speaker
so I got married in 2000. I'm saying that because I'm divorced now, so I'm trying not to remember. 2005, because my daughter was born in 2002. I was like, no, no, I would have been 17. It was the same person. I was i was dating their dad from 1997 or something. It's not a long time. I got married in 2005, had my daughter in 2006, and we did our first wedding like in 2006.
00:18:36
Speaker
So it was immediately after I got married, I said, I can do this. I pulled off my own wedding, like a drill sergeant. I had way too many bridesmaids and they all thought I was crazy. And I am, I'm totally meticulous the same way. All I did was take that crazy bride energy and like put it into wedding blood energy. But um so I started immediately and that was the year that It was a new, a new era came for weddings. Nobody wanted to do hotels anymore. Nobody wanted to do ballrooms. They were calling everything cookie cutter. Remember? I don't know if you remember, but that was like the, it's cookie cutter. It's everybody was saying, I was like a trendy thing to say, right? Yeah. So I would tell all the girls that came, well, this is not I remember that was like the slogan back then. Yeah. So, uh,
00:19:28
Speaker
It grew really fast. This was at the time when libraries started hosting weddings and gardens and girls, guys and girls just wanted something different. Nobody wanted to be in a ballroom.
00:19:43
Speaker
you know, sitting at a table where it was very formal. Cookie cutter! That's all they ever said. Cookie cutter! And it was so funny because every time I heard them come in and say, oh, this is not cookie cutter. I was like, ding! I'll see you next month.
00:19:59
Speaker
I was like, yeah. I was like, oh, I think they liked it. Yeah, we're good. but Now they say silly things like demure, demure, all these words. Oh, God. All these words that are trending and I just roll my eyes. I'm like, yeah, that's how that's how it was a cookie cutter. So yeah, they didn't want this weddings anymore. So it was just the timing aid of of it all just lined up so good. And immediately we started getting bookings. I mean, we were really, really busy for a solid 10 to 15 years until COVID hit, and then we all had to shift. you know Okay. Okay. All right. We'll talk about shifting. It's very soon. I guess one more question before Hot Topic. Let me think of a good one.
00:20:46
Speaker
um What gave you this drive to want to pursue? like You pretty much made the business happen. And yeah I know it sounds all like so easy. Oh, it was just right timing. And like you know we were so busy. But I'm sure it wasn't easy. No, it wasn't easy at all. And there was a lot of trial and error. Exactly. Oh, yeah. So what were like the biggest struggles of the business? And like how did you overcome it?
00:21:14
Speaker
ah The fact that I okay, I'll be honest the fact that my mom was so like hesitant in the beginning She did not allow me to partner with anybody. She said if you're gonna do this, it's me and you and and And mind you, she and I had run a coffee shop before for years, so we had already been entrepreneurs for many years together. But this was an industry that I had no clue what I was doing. All I did was plan my own wedding, and I knew that everybody didn't want cookie cutter. like I really had no clue where to begin, which is why I love you, because you did show me a lot about social media. like I didn't know I had to like tag other people. i i Really, that that naive. like No, you have to tag your other vendors. like you have to You taught me a lot.
00:21:57
Speaker
Um, so ah you really, did thought I love you. i'll see Yeah. Take it. Own it. Take it. I mean that. Um, so literally the hardest part was just learning the industry. A O yeah okay Besides that, let's be honest, dealing with brides and grooms for their wedding day, the the the heightened emotions that come with that, yeah ah that's a skillset that either you have the capacity to learn or you absolutely don't. yeah That was hard. The first two years I was rolling my eyes all the time like, is this for real?
00:22:37
Speaker
you know like But but it took me it took me a couple of years to realize, yes, it is. And I was either going to do a really good job at it and show empathy because this is a business unlike going to the store, going to a restaurant where it's transactional. This is a personal business. This isn't this is an industry where you you you'd better be empathetic and put your moods aside and understand that they need you and and you better give them your all.
00:23:03
Speaker
yeah So that took a couple years to adjust and I did go through some bridezillas in the meantime and I will admit that we all have had them and that was in the early years and then as I got better at it, as my people skills got better, as my my empathetic skills got better and as my children grew, my motherhood kicked in and I think it all just flowed. So that part of the business probably was the hardest to adjust to. And now I'm a pro at it. You are too. And now we know, like we're there to make people happy at the end of the day. And it's up to them whether or not they want to let us, right? yeah It's up to them. And let's be honest, like, Pijo, Bri, they get down.
00:23:48
Speaker
They get down. They do. They do. I mean, they get down and they get dirty if they're upset with you too. right so you have you really You have to learn to pivot. and then And then I was getting a lot of the brides from out of the country. So throughout the years I had to learn different cultures, a little bit of different languages like just and and and family dynamics.
00:24:10
Speaker
which come to find out after 20 years of doing this are really all the same. All family dynamics are the same. And when you can master them, you've mastered the wedding business, I think.
00:24:21
Speaker
and that's a good That's been the hardest. yeah Yeah, it is. We can go on for hours. Besides that, the back the back end of it, the business end of it, I mean, I had to do accounting. I had to learn contracts. I had to learn all of that because again, she wouldn't let me hire anybody. yeah So I was doing it all. And I'm sure I didn't do it all perfectly, i but I definitely tried.
00:24:43
Speaker
yeah And i gave I gave it my heart. and And I think my reviews speak that because I connected on a human level with every single one of them, even if I goofed on a few, like, you know, forgetting a bouquet toss once in a while or like something like that that I forgot to put in Thailand. Who's a bouquet toss? Yeah, I know. I know. I did that twice. I'll never forget it. Yeah. And that's literally because they didn't want to let let go of the control on the back end by letting me get the help.
00:25:11
Speaker
But I appreciate it now because now we have all of that under control and I've learned how to multitask and pivot and get yelled at and be okay and just smile at it because it's temporary. Yes, we've been through it all. Let's get into Hot Topic. I'm going to say the Hot Topic. You could kind of rephrase it if you want. Okay. Okay. Hot Topic today is revolving your business around moments of life.
00:25:38
Speaker
and that's the whole circle of life. So let me ask you in your words, what is your hot topic and why is it so near and dear to your heart? Because it's going to allude to everything that's happened in your business. Yeah, absolutely. So our hot topic, and I will say this, I added it on our, we just rebranded after 20 years. We finally got a real website and a real web designer. Thank you. Haley Petri Design. I'm plugging for her because she's amazing. Another ah working from home wife. So I love that. I support all of that.
00:26:08
Speaker
Um, love in all seasons is celebrated in our home. That is, that's it in a nutshell. So I am in the process of, well, I just recently partnered with, uh, uh, Juliana Holmes of, uh, beyond the event. So I was, ah my mommy finally let me bring in.
00:26:32
Speaker
ah a certified wedding coordinator to help me with all the weddings. So the brides will get the best of from this point forward. And yes, I love her. She's a military wife. We're a military family. she you know she stands she's She's a mom of a girl. She's a girl mom. And it just felt right. I talked i met her once and I said, this feels like a good match. I mean, it works. So the weddings will be taken care of and I welcome them. but We are now transitioning to celebrations of life. And I have i will have my hand in all of those. Wow. I want to give you a big applause. Yeah, I'm so excited. I really am so excited. And you know this was a ah personal journey on on a lottery for a lot of reasons. um Again, I had
00:27:22
Speaker
I wanted to do this many years ago and we had been requested by a lot of people, obviously. But my mom my mom said no. My mom said no. I really don't know how I feel about that. you know She's always the hesitant one and I'm the one that just like dives right in. Like, let's do this. Let's do that. But she's always been really careful. So we're a good Ying and Yang. We're a good team.
00:27:43
Speaker
but we lost our grandmother a year ago, to almost to the day, almost a year ago. And she, they yeah, she was, I actually have a picture of her that I am going to share because look how pretty she is. Can you see? Oh, I don't know if you can see. Oh yeah. now you can yeah so So that's my grandmother, Florence Gomez, Florence Batista Gomez. She did a lot of the baking for the first 12 years of our business for a lot of couples and families that came here.
00:28:11
Speaker
And she was very much a part of our story. I'm excited to share with you all about our first Get a Heck Yes sponsor, Seventeen Hats. I've been using the CRM company for over a decade and I've been referring them to all my frienders for all this time. I always know when I'm going to get paid and most importantly, I get paid. So here is a question. What is holding you back? What's keeping you from finding success as a small business person?
00:28:41
Speaker
It's not passion. The fact that you're listening to my podcast shows that you're eager to learn and get better. Know what holds you back is all the chaos of business, paperwork, mailed invoices, and no system to handle at all. That's where Seventeen Hats comes in. Seventeen Hats is a better way to manage your small business. It's an all-in-one platform that streamlines everything from lead capture to client communication to clicking your done automated invoices.
00:29:11
Speaker
17 Hats paves a way for success you deserve by giving you back hours in your day. Find what success looks like for you with 17 Hats. Get started for free at 17hats.com and use my code HECKYES and it's going to give you guys 50% off your first annual membership. How amazing is that?
00:29:35
Speaker
So now that you're all organized in 17 hats, I have one more quick commercial, but this is really gonna change your life. And it's with Kickstart Accounting. Go to episode 131, check out the podcast all about how to change your finances.
00:29:52
Speaker
So yeah, ever since the podcast, I signed up for Kickstarter Accounting and wow, so much peace of mind in my finances. So if you are a wedding pro looking to streamline your financial processes and gain clarity on your business financial health, I have the perfect solution for you.
00:30:10
Speaker
Kickstart Accounting Inc. offers specialized bookkeeping services designed by entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs. Their services are tailored to woman-owned businesses, focusing on providing clear, accurate financial records, allowing you to focus on what you do best, growing your business. I invite you to book a discovery call with Kickstart Accounting. The link is in the show notes. Mention heck yes.
00:30:38
Speaker
And yeah, they are going to get your finances in order so you can continue to scale and succeed. Back to the show. This is very much a family business. And again, we kept it that way. So she passed away. And when she passed, it really put things into perspective for me.
00:30:59
Speaker
I got a divorce two years prior, so that's another thing. i will not I told myself that I didn't want to continue doing weddings if I didn't feel like I was giving them my authentic self.
00:31:09
Speaker
wow Because it's a human connection. The minute it feels corporate or it feels like I'm forcing an emotion, I don't want to do it. I'm also an actor. I do that in front of the camera. I don't want to do that for my baby, my business. So a lot of things happened that changed the way that I viewed our business.
00:31:29
Speaker
changed the trajectory. And I told my mom, I said, you know, grandma passed and all I want to do is celebrate her. All we're doing is talking about her. We still, you know, try to keep her recipes and keep her memory alive. And I told her it's, I think it's time we pivot for a lot of reasons um and allow families to come in here and celebrate their loved ones too. Because yeah, we've been making people happy for so long at this capacity for weddings that it's time it's time to shift. So It just, I told my mom, I go, look, love in all seasons is celebrated in this house. And I said, oh, that's a tagline. That's a tagline. That's our hot topic. So we said, put it on the website and, and cause that's who we truly are. And I just, I, I won't do anything that I, it doesn't feel authentic.
00:32:18
Speaker
And so it's not that weddings feel unauthentic. I've just been doing them for so long. And the advice that I was giving brides is probably not going to be the same now coming from a woman who's divorced. you know It's it's just just not. And I am all for authenticity and people really getting married for the right reasons and staying together. And Juliana is like the perfect person to bring in to handle that for this new generation of non-cookie cutter loving women and men. Yeah, I'm going to be a like a photographer. Totally. Yes, please. I love it because I mean, when you it's so funny too because when you think about it, a lot of times we don't see our family members unless someone passes away, right?
00:33:03
Speaker
or or close friends. You always see them at a funeral or a wedding, always, because we're all so busy to see each other 365 days a year. So it's either one or the other if you can't do it on holidays. um Why not embellish this, embrace this, and like share this with people and make it something else. Yeah, let's talk about that. Let's talk about that for a second. This isn't the Louisiana French colonial. In the South,
00:33:30
Speaker
Death is celebrated. It is romanticized. There are multiple religions that come together to make it a beautiful thing. I think that only here, it's it's it's considered morbid. People don't talk about it. And you know what? That's so unfair because it's a part of life. So this home, I think is like the perfect setting for it. you know You really are going to get Southern hospitality when you come here. You're going to get great food by Chef Dora, who we've partnered with. She has an amazing Southern menu.
00:34:00
Speaker
with a beignet station, fresh beignets, you know, as good as Disneyland. Yeah, I was going to say. Yeah, no, truly. And I just think that the garden lends for so many more things besides weddings. And I think that it it truly is something I'm excited about.
00:34:16
Speaker
And I know that if I'm excited and it feels good, that it will be a successful for our family so I can continue to raise my kids and and work from home. But I know it'll bring a lot of happiness to people. I know it. I know your grandma gave me that gift. She did. She did. And two weeks before I decided to do this, a dove landed in our yard with an injured wing, not a broken wing, and an injured wing.
00:34:41
Speaker
And the dove let us pick it up, care for it take it, put medicine on it. And it stood with us for a week and it flew away. And I knew, I said, okay, I think I'm, I say, the dog was just like walking around all peaceful and I'm just very spiritual person. So I was like, okay, that's a sign. I need to do something more. There's something telling me. And then I started like praying to my grandmother and it just came to me and I'm like, you know what? Let's let people celebrate their their loved ones here in different ways.
00:35:09
Speaker
That's crazy. And the thing is that you said about your marriage, like, you know, like not being able to show up to with your brides, like as your authentic self. I think that was really powerful to say because you probably feel more free, right? I absolutely feel more free. I still believe in marriage. I will always push for marriage. I think too many people don't take chances and get married. I will do it again. And I i was married for 17 years and I will do it again. That's how much I love being a wife.
00:35:39
Speaker
So that I know. So it's definitely not a bitterness or like an anti-marriage. It's not. However, I'll be honest, sometimes you see couples and you're like, okay, I really want to give them honest advice. But now that I know the other side of what could happen, maybe I shouldn't be the one to do it. Cause I might be too honest and my, and my, uh, you know, I have to cut it. So I think Julianna is perfect for this portion and and I'm great for,
00:36:07
Speaker
Again, for families who are in a different mindset, because I've been through some stuff. And when you've been through some stuff, yeah I think you have, I definitely have more to offer, but to a different demographic of clients now at this point. And I will- What is your kind of, I know you're so smart, so business savvy, so that's why I want to pick your brain. like What is your business plan and like how to tap into this impact market that's Um, obviously saturated. So this is, but yeah, talk a little bit about that. Sure. So, um, the rebranding has really, really helped with Haley Petri because she's, I mean, I don't have artistic skills for like Instagram or, or websites. So she's designing a lot of really beautiful imagery for me to post first and foremost.
00:36:58
Speaker
with all of the sappy songs that I post too much of. So I definitely get to use my my actress side by trying to evoke feeling in all of my posts on social media. Because I believe that when a person can feel through social media, it it'll garner results. I just had a meeting with our local, and I say local, but it's a gigantic ah Burial site, Green Hills is where everybody, yeah, everybody goes there. I just, we're trying to, you know, partner with as many people as we can and just show that we are people behind this operation. It's not corporate. I think not being corporate is always my business plan, even though I have a business degree, I have a minor in law. Of course, it's always on my mind. It's sort of a history and heart behind it too. That's it.
00:37:55
Speaker
That's it. That is my business plan. That'll always be my business plan. So like it's not that I don't have a business plan. I definitely know like, okay, mortuaries, green hills, other funeral homes, obviously word of mouth, community. This is a personal venture as much it as it it is business. So as long as I lead with my heart yeah and I have everything, all my P's and Q's, then I think it'll I'll be okay. And that's always kind of been my business plan.
00:38:24
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, the the last um funeral I went to was my friend's dad. And the church was pretty nice. It was like very like bright and white and like, um wood beams are very contemporary. And then the mom told everyone to wear like color, but I didn't get the memo.
00:38:42
Speaker
So i occasional you wear're black yeah I came in all black, but she was wearing like a pop of color and I'm like, why didn't anyone tell me? But it was so cool. Like she ran up to all her friends and gave them big hug and like all like super happy and just like happy to see them. And it was just a celebration of life and everyone just said really amazing stories about the dad. So I was like, oh my God, like this is like the happiest, um you know,
00:39:06
Speaker
funeral I've ever been to. And not everyone's like, you know, I've been to really bad ones, it's sad ones too. Right. And they're all bit but I'm like, they lived a great life. Like, you know, like my One, like my grandma's brother died. Everyone, just it was like, so yeah, so morbid. And I'm like, morbid they should die. They're like 90 years old, you know? Right, right. She had a great life. She had a long life. Exactly. Okay. Well, first of all, it's a good thing you weren't in color and everybody else was in black. So at least you did the appropriate thing. um So it's okay that you didn't get that memo.
00:39:41
Speaker
It would have been worse if it was the opposite. Secondly, yeah, morbid. Morbid is the word that my grandmother who passed, Florence, good old Florence, good old Florence. She is the reason, I'll be honest, I'm going to call her out because I laugh at this. She's the reason we didn't do funerals because she told my mom, well, that's so morbid because she's very old fashioned. And my mom came home and told me, and tell them no, because grandma said that's morbid. She will not bake.
00:40:09
Speaker
for anybody. You just reminded me of that story. She will not bake for anyone's funeral memorial, a celebration of life, because she said it's morbid. And wouldn't you know that she passes away, and I know she's the one that told me, yes, do it now. Go. She sent the dog. And so that's kind of funny, because the words, yeah, but the word morbid, it's like, that's exactly what I don't want, right? That's what we're trying to avoid. So that's your new cookie cutter word. That's good.
00:40:39
Speaker
That's my new cookie cutter word. Yeah, I know it really is. Photographers, I am so thrilled to announce my new sponsors Aftershoot, an AI editing company. They do AI editing, unlimited cropping and straightening. I am seriously blown away by the precision and five hours a week I get back in my life. My life is so much better and I literally don't have any more anxiety. It's so crazy.
00:41:09
Speaker
I remember being at barbecues with my laptop because I had to get out of shoot and and that was so stressful, so not fun. And the best part about after shoot compared to their competition is that it's a monthly minimal cost, not cost per image because I am a true overshooter. I could shoot like, I don't know, 3000 photos in an engagement shoot, which is not good. But anyways, using my code in the show notes to get a 30 day trial and 20% off You're going to get in the software and just go crazy with it. And AfterShoot edits 2.0 just released and they have a lot of new features that you are going to love. AfterShoot, I can't thank you enough for giving me back my time to focus on this podcast. Oh yeah, back to the podcast. So I just think, I know based on what we've seen, what we've done in the past, that like we have something special, we have something unique.
00:42:04
Speaker
And I know, like, when our heart is in it, it can't go wrong. And I just, I'm really excited. um Everyone in town to locally, and I'm hoping I get a lot of people from all over the place. We'll see. I mean, I don't know. I'm just kind of putting it out in the universe. but um There's like two or three restaurants that they can go to or they can go to like a hall, but nothing like this. And literally families, well just like our weddings, we have it very controlled and very organized. So they'll literally just show up and enjoy themselves.
00:42:36
Speaker
i you know As long as they bring me like like whatever like photos and whatnot, we do it all. so i Just like with weddings, I don't want to see any family members breaking a sweat or having to stress or to get there early to set up or to you know be an on-site planner when they're really just trying to mourn because i i mean that that's very common where someone's so busy trying to do the planning and the organizing and the gathering and the inviting and the whatnot.
00:43:06
Speaker
that they don't get to mourn until it's over and then they go into deep depression. But by then their families are already back home and that one person or the one or two people that had the responsibility really are left in limbo. I mean, we've all been there because we've all experienced death, unfortunately, in our families. And that's what I'm trying to avoid. I really just want to offer a home, a beautiful home.
00:43:32
Speaker
that we will feel warm and fuzzy and welcoming and loving and they can actually let it all out here with their families, enjoy their families and walk away with good memories because I know that's what we can do. And why, you know, why not? I just, yeah, I'm excited. I hate to say I'm excited because it's still death. i know I'm not excited. I'm not excited for, you know, people to die, but I am excited to be honest you' be able to like celebrate with families and and just offer this And I thought i think that there's a need for that too, someone to be excited about this. I think it's a revolution that you're doing. Let me ask one you one more question to just kind of wrap it all up. But um you did mention many, many times like me through texts or email and on this podcast about like COVID and pivoting. um Get in a mindset and speak to the hearts of wedding professionals right now. Like maybe in that kind of era of
00:44:27
Speaker
maybe wanting to get out of the weddings, but maybe not. And what would maybe like encouraging words be to them to kind of pivot their business? Okay. So I'm going to be completely honest. It and may not be encouraging, but I'm going to be honest because I don't know any other way to be. And that's, I think what's gotten me here all of these years ago. It's the same, it's, this is the same advice that I give to all my actor friends who Both industries, let's face it right now, both industries, the actors are all on, yeah the the industries are all on strike and the wedding industry is still recovering from COVID. And anybody who says that they're thriving after COVID is probably either pivoted, settling for less or not being honest because COVID changed our industry and probably indefinitely. um I would say this, if your heart is truly in it to serve people, to make people happy,
00:45:20
Speaker
And to make a difference, then you should have something else to garner your income. You need to have, I don't want to call it a backup plan because there's no such thing as a backup plan, but you need to have your hand in multiple areas, planting seeds all over the place so that weddings can actually stick to what they're supposed to be about, which is love.
00:45:42
Speaker
right? The minute you make it, in my opinion, 100% business, especially during times like this, your morale is going to affect your business and they're not going to want to hire you because you already wear it all over your face, just like an actor. You have to be smart about it and you have to have multiple businesses or multiple avenues, figure it out. It's not impossible. We are in the the greatest country in the world despite what everybody might think right now where the opportunity is here. So I say pivot in any which way that feels right that you can utilize your talents and make money because eventually this industry will pick back up and all of us will be busy. All of us will be working and hopefully all helping each other.
00:46:33
Speaker
Which brings me to my second thing. I absolutely think that the the community, the camaraderie, the referrals, what you have been doing with our community all of these years is not only necessary to sustain, but I think a lot of people needed that little bit of ego checking because our industry very much like acting, because I see Hollywood first you know firsthand, the minute our egos take over is when we all lose.
00:47:02
Speaker
We all of us lose. So if we keep this about love and keep it about the couples that are coming to you, eventually we will all get through it. Don't allow yourself to get frustrated. Have a backup plan. Figure it out. There's so many things we could do. And I say this because I am amongst the hardest working union middle-class actors in the world that have three, four, or five jobs just to do the one thing that they love. Wow. Our industries are very similar.
00:47:31
Speaker
Which is what makes me appreciate you. Well, it makes me appreciate you. I just want to say this I'm not just saying this because it's get a heck yes podcast But as I'm growing as I'm learning as as my acting career is growing I I think back to when I started this and you have always led with love and spunk and and that's why you've maintained that your position in this industry and you're able to help other people and have this podcast, have people like me on it. Community is everything. I really feel that way. I'm so happy you said that. That makes me feel so happy. It's the truth. It's the truth. Everybody loves you, Carissa. Oh my God. No way. And you look like Wonder Woman or something.
00:48:15
Speaker
Tell that to Hollywood because I'm trying to get work. These are just like little short answer questions and then we'll wrap it up and tell everyone how to work with you. But um you told me I taught you social media, but what are your your biggest like social media hacks today?
00:48:35
Speaker
I'm still learning Like okay, so again, I'm still learning I and I'm not the greatest at it and there may be one or two pictures that I have it tagged like that the florist or the dress designer so excuse me if that's you if somebody sees this and they say well she never I'm I really am learning because I did this all by myself, but um the only social media hack that I have that works is that I've noticed. Posting on Sundays when everybody's laid in bed, I get way more likes, way more, yeah, because everybody's being lazy, rightfully so, rightfully so. Sunday mornings, I always get a good result on how many likes, and again, evoking emotion.
00:49:18
Speaker
i I try to show some personalism in everything I do. wow okay but everybody Anybody can be corporate. Anybody can work for somebody else. It doesn't feel the same. and i think that but I know besides the uniqueness of our venue, I think i know that that's what makes the Sepulveda home stand out and and and still here after this many years because it is personal.
00:49:43
Speaker
Always keep it personal. That's it. Always keep it personal. Yeah. I mean, yeah, leaving with that. I mean, in our industries. I'm not saying keep it personal in like everything because a lot of business people would laugh at me with that. But if it's not a little personal in this industry, it's just not going to work.
00:50:03
Speaker
It's just not. So yeah. So good. I mean, all your answers have like 10 answers in them. So I know I just wrap it up and how can everyone find you and how can everyone work with you and just lasting words from Salah.
00:50:18
Speaker
ten Yes, um our website, Sepulvedahome.com, Instagram, at the Sepulvedahome. All of our contact info is on there. We have our packages ready to go with Chef Dora, who's amazing. the The wedding packages are all revamped. We're doing cocktail parties, weddings, and memorials, and everything is ready for viewing. Just give us give us a follow and email us. Thank you, Sara. This is powerful. Thank you. That was fun.
00:50:52
Speaker
Thanks for joining me this week on Get a Heck Yes with Carissa Wu. Make sure to follow, subscribe, leave a review, or tell a friend about the show. Take a screenshot and post to IG. Tag me. Also, don't forget to download my free guide on how to become a lead generating machine. See you next time, wedding pros.