~A Butterfly Story~

By: Amber Austin

Hi! My name is Amber Austin. I am from Cortland, NY and am 24 years old. My lia sophia journey as an advisor began January 19, 2011. Before I became an advisor I would have been your favorite hostess- having a party every 2 months LITERALLY!!! I also would have been your favorite customer who placed a $100 plus order at any party she attended. I think it is safe to say I am a lia sophia addict! So what made me switch from hosting and being a customer to becoming an advisor? Here is my story.

I grew up in a very loving, very welcoming home with 2 amazing parents and a wonderful brother. My brother’s friends and my friends often called our family their second family- we were very fortunate for all the love we had. My parents are the type to always put their children’s wants and needs in front of theirs and in front things that we all dread- bills. Money was always tight and we were a family living paycheck to paycheck but we always had what we needed and had the love that money can’t buy. During my junior year of college- the busiest year of a college student, my dad was laid off his job. I am 100% a daddy’s girl and this just tore me into pieces because my father was looking at the situation as his fault and a failure to our family which he surely was not. My mom was working her hardest to bring everything to the table and to support our family on her own but it is almost impossible in today’s economy for one working parent to support a whole family. Our family was still the same full of love and support but we had to give up some things to make life a little easier finical wise. I wanted to help my family and provide more money for them but how was I going to do that? I worked at a daycare and couldn’t do more hours there because I was a full time college student, I could have waitressed or worked at TOPS grocery store, but then I have no social life…then it happened! I was lying in bed one week night at about 11:30 pm and called my mother. I said “So I have been thinking what I can do to help you and dad pay some bills and it’s obvious that I need more hours at the daycare but they aren’t open past 5:30, I don’t want to waitress, or work at the grocery store. What do you think about me selling lia sophia?!” She said “Well I don’t know, do you think you’ll make any money?” I said “I don’t know how it all works yet but I think I am going to try it! I love lia sophia and maybe instead of me hosting parties

and buying it all the time I could sell it”. Her and my father said they weren’t sure about it but if I wanted to try it I should. After that phone call I got onto the computer, went to the lia sophia website for advisor locator and typed my name into cyber space hoping I would get a call in the next couple days. The very next day I got a phone call from a complete stranger- Lia Fischi and set up my STARTER PARTY!

Before my starter party set for January 19,2011 I attended kick-off and met some lia sisters for the first time. I felt at home. I was sooooo excited to become a part of this legacy and had no idea exactly what I was doing but knew it was going to make me happy and bring a change for my family and I. My starter party was only at $300 in sales when Lia left but I had the five bookings! I couldn’t afford the starter kit- after all I was a poor college student, so I went and I collected $400 more in outside orders and Lia sponsored me starting my business. My first show was $650 in sales and I was sooooooo pumped because I knew that $650 was big and important for something so I called Lia to share my excitement to find out that it was a great show sale wise but importance wise that was for sponsoring someone who wanted to begin lia sophia So shows and shows came along, I recruited 3 people but was just so excited about what I was doing I didn’t really realize recruiting was important or lia sophia career changing.

After 2 years of unemployment for my dad and my mom trying her hardest to bring in some more money, some ends started not meeting anymore. Bills became unpaid, and we were about to lose our house. My family tried not telling me because they knew how much stress I was under and didn’t want to add to it. I came home to visit one afternoon and I could tell that something was wrong. My dad was very quiet and just looked sad. On my way out I asked him what was wrong and he told me the news. My family had to be moved out of the house by the end of the month- 1 week later. The next day the call came! It was Lia Fischi and she said “ SO AMBER I JUST LOOKED AT YOUR NUMBERS AND YOU ARE ON FIRE AND YOUR TEAM IS ON FIRE, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO PROMOTE TO UNIT?!” I Laughed and said my thank you’s and said “SURE! WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?” So after some more talk and more perks of lia sophia we decided to send in the paperwork. It was May 20, 2011- my promotion day, my birthday, and the day I met the love of my life. My favorite day in history so far in my life .My family moved in with my grandmother until we could find a new home. Bills were getting paid now and we were starting to get a good balance on things. I had been giving my family all my commission checks. We were going to be okay.

After the bills were paid, my dad got a new job and my family was stable again, my lia sophia why changed. I had the money now, I was debt free, my parents could afford life again I could walk away and not sell anymore. But NO! Through all the ups and downs of my family lia sophia was the one thing that was stable. It was once was my second job and what set my family free from debt. Now lia sophia is my passion and my family. My team is my family- we are sisters. There isn’t one thing that I wouldn’t do for them, and vice versa. I often think about how I lived and how I was happy before lia sophia. I don’t know why I didn’t join sooner in my life but I believe that everything happens for a reason and at a specific time. lia sophia has changed my life for the better and I have never been happier! This is my lia sophia story and my dream is to share my story so others can start writing theirs.