Zeliam Santiago Cruz started watching YouTube tutorials at thirteen. She practiced on her friends, her sister, at school events. She loved it, but never imagined it would become her career. Years later, with her certification, seven years of content creation, and a loyal client base, she shared in a webinar what nobody told her when she started: the difference between operating from emotion and operating from structure.
This is what she learned.
Hobby mindset vs. business mindset
Picture this scenario: a client messages you at 11pm asking for a service tomorrow. Urgent. No price question, no details.
If you are in hobby mode, your first reaction is excitement: Yes! I have a client tomorrow! You cancel whatever you had planned, rearrange your schedule to fit her in, and say yes before you even know if you can.
If you are in business mode, you pause. You check your availability. You send your rates. You explain the process. If you have an opening, you take it. If you do not, you do not. And that is perfectly fine.
Zeliam was clear: the problem is not starting from a hobby. The problem is not realizing you are still operating that way when you already want to scale. Awareness is what allows anything to evolve.
The foundation: service, style, and ideal client
Before talking about pricing or systems, Zeliam proposes three fundamental definitions.
1. Your core service. You might be able to do all kinds of makeup — bridal, editorial, drag, body paint — but to scale you need to focus. Pick one. Master it. Make it what defines you.
2. Your style. Natural, glam, alternative. What you excel at and what makes you different. Your style is what turns your work into a brand.
3. Your ideal client — and this is where most people fail. It is not everyone. Zeliam gives a concrete example: her ideal client lives in Dorado, Puerto Rico. She is a businesswoman who attends corporate events constantly. She barely has time. She values punctuality, convenience, and personalized service.
That specificity is not arbitrary. It is strategy. When you know exactly who your ideal client is, you know exactly what problems to solve, and those problems justify your price.
That businesswoman barely has time. Me going to her, at her location, solves her time problem. That is what I am charging her for.
The real cost of a makeup service
This is where many makeup artists get lost. They think the price is: time applying makeup + products. But the reality includes much more.
Zeliam breaks down the real costs of an on-location service:
- Time: prep, setup, pre-appointment communication, the makeup itself, breakdown and cleanup. Example: 3 hours x /hour =
- Hidden costs: ongoing education, tools, digital platforms, physical and mental energy. Per client:
- Materials: foundation, concealer, blush, contour, powder, eyeshadow, disposables. Per person:
- Travel: gas, tolls, parking, vehicle wear, transit time. Example:
Zeliam was direct: her makeup service costs without travel. Makeup and hair together, . Travel is billed separately, from to depending on the destination. And her clients pay without negotiating, because they understand the value of what they are getting.
Price perception changes everything
A price does not just live in a spreadsheet. It lives in the client mind. And according to Zeliam, there are three levels:
Cheap price: the client sees you as the budget option. Not an experience. Not a professional. You could do the same flawless work, but if the price says , the perception puts you on the same level as anyone else.
Fair price: here you are generating profit and the client sees you as a professional. They respect your time because they perceive real value behind it. You can reinvest in education, products, and systems.
Premium price: it is no longer a service. It is an experience. Peace of mind, punctuality, home visits, top-quality service. The client is not paying for makeup — they are paying for everything you built around that makeup.
The client who comes to you only because of price will leave you the same way — for a better price. The one who comes for your structure, your punctuality, your artistry — that person stays, even when you raise your rates.
On raising prices: Zeliam raises hers every year. Your prices should go up when your experience increases, when your investment increases, and when your physical and mental toll increases. The problem is not charging more. The problem is having nothing to back it up.
Systems that transform a hobby into a business
Once you have clarity on your ideal client, service, and price, the next question is: how do you operate? Zeliam describes the natural evolution: from a physical notebook to digital systems that work for you.
The systems that make the difference:
- Digital calendar: blocks your time without compromising your personal schedule. Your client sees your real availability and books without back-and-forth.
- Message templates: how many times do you send the same quote, the same confirmation, the same instructions? Consolidate them. One click and done.
- Organized contracts and quotes: for brides, social events, on-location appointments — ready to send without digging through your phone.
- Clear policies: deposits, cancellations, late arrivals. Without these, you depend on good faith. With them, you have structure.
- Booking platform: let clients see your availability and book themselves, without endless back-and-forth messages.
How Zeliam uses Puny to automate her business
Zeliam mentions Puny directly as her tool for organization and processes. In her own words:
Puny helps me let clients book and see my availability so they can schedule their own appointments. It helps me showcase my portfolio, photo gallery, links, everything I want — pointing clients to wherever I want to direct them. And another important thing: it helps me with repeatable processes.
Repeatable processes are key. If you have to write the same message ten times to different clients, that time adds up — and it is time you are not getting paid for. Puny centralizes your portfolio, forms, booking links, and service info in one place that clients can visit on their own.
Zeliam also points out that platforms like Puny are part of the real operating cost of a business, which is why they need to be built into your price. It is not an extra expense — it is part of the infrastructure that justifies charging like a professional.
The phrase Zeliam repeated most throughout the webinar sums it all up: Talent gets you in the door, but structure is what keeps you there.
You might be the best makeup artist in the room. But if you do not have a deposit policy, if you do not know your real cost per service, if you rely on memory to follow up with clients — you are still operating like a hobby. And a hobby does not pay the bills.
The good news: none of this requires being tech-savvy or having an MBA. It requires deciding you want a business, and starting to build it like one.
Ready to give your business some structure? Get started free on Puny and organize your bookings, portfolio, and processes in one place.
