a to z of running your own hair/beauty or makeup business

The A-Z of working in the Hair & Beauty

Industry*

*If you work for yourself!

A - Attitude

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Without the right attitude you aren’t going to have happy clients, happy staff or a happy you….

Clients can tell if you are enjoying what you are doing or not, and they want to someone who enjoys their work!

B - Bountiful


Running your own hair/beauty/makeup business is not all easy and fun, but it is bountiful – you feel rewarded that you – yes you achieved all this by yourself (with support).

When it works you will be excited, pumped up and full of energy, far more than working for someone else.

Working for yourself you create your own future.

C – Client Care


Without your clients you have nothing, so you need to look after them.

It is MUCH easier to keep an existing client than to find new ones.

D - Diary


Your appointment book is your diary, and you should sell the slots that are closest to running out right now instead of offering the client the exact time and day she wants.

Once a slot has gone you can never get it back, so it makes sense to offer your clients the nearest appointment to 'now' that you can and leave the free appointments later in the week to fill themselves!

E - Enthusiasm


Starting out in the industry you need to be enthusiastic, there will be times when you think, oh this is hard and how am I going to do xxx.

Enthusiasm for what you are doing will mean that you stick with it through the bad times because you love the good times.

F - Finance


Finance is something you need to have sorted before you open your business, whether it is a salon or you are mobile. If you don't have enough money to buy stock/advertise/get the right equipment etc. from day one you should really continue saving money whilst working elsewhere until you do.

The money you get paid by clients needs to be managed carefully so that you can pay your bills, rent, staff, equipment etc. while leaving some for a rainy day…

G - Goals


Know exactly where you want to be, and what you want to achieve.

Do you want this as a way of making extra cash? Do you want to do it part time around your family/other job commitments? Do you want this to be your main source of income? Do you want to be the best in your area? Do you want to train in other treatments/products? Do you want to have your own salon? Do you want staff?

You can do whatever you decide, but you need to know where you are going……

H - Healthy


You and your business both need to be healthy, otherwise it will be a recipe for disaster.

This means looking after yourself and not working from 7am to midnight every day, give yourself time off, exercise to give you energy and take time to eat right.

I - Ideas


You can’t do the same as everyone else, you need to be unique, stand out and come up with ideas that will excite and interest your clients and/or staff.

This could be ideas for special offers, events, taster evenings, new products, decoration – it’s your business you decide

J - Job


Yes, if you have your own business you kind of have a job, where you are the boss of yourself, but running a hair/beauty or make up business is SO MUCH more than just a job.

You can’t go home every night and watch TV, there are all the extra bits that come with running a business, like bookkeeping, marketing, buying products and equipment, booking and confirming appointments, organising your days and making sure your income is enough

K - Knowledge


You need to know your stuff, whether it is how to do xxx or which is the best way to treat y or whether product z or a is better you need to know.

Clients will trust you more if you are knowledgeable, can give the right advice and know what you are talking about.

L - Learning


Learning about new treatments, new products, new services, new trends or new way of promoting yourself.

This is what will keep you ahead of your competition, keep your clients happy and boost your business.

M - Marketing


Existing and potential clients need to know you exist – how you do that is by marketing yourself.

It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, but it will take time, before you start think about where your potential clients will go and what they do so you can work out the best way to “talk” to them.

Keep marketing, once isn’t enough as it takes time for people to take action and you have to keep reminding them.

N - Newsletters


Keep in touch, newsletters (either physical or email ones) are the perfect way to keep clients up to date on what is happening in your world and remind them that you exist.

If you do newsletters they need to be sent out monthly at a minimum, any less often and it’s not going to work – think about it people will need some services every month…..

O - Opportunity


Opportunities will come along all the time, whether it is the chance to take on a new product, or learn a new skill or move to new premises etc.

You need to evaluate each opportunity and decide if it is right for you and your business.

P - Products


Products you use and products you sell.

Choosing the right products that fit with the image you want for your business/salon is really important. Plus, if you want to sell products to clients you need to make sure you stock what they will want to buy.

Q - Qualifications


Don’t wake up one day and decide to be a hairdresser with no training, you need to have experience and qualifications to make both YOU and your clients feel happy that they are in safe hands.

R - Reviews


Listen to feedback, whether it is from past, current or potential clients or your team it might be useful – they are looking at your business with fresh eyes and might see what you just can’t because you are too close to it.

Get reviews from clients to promote yourself to potential clients, people are more likely to trust you if they can see that others have used you. Check out www.BeautyHum.com for creating a free profile to get client reviews.

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S – Social Media


Social media like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube etc. are a great way to keep in touch with your existing and potential clients.

Free to use – but it does take time these sites can show off your skills with images, video and testimonials.

T - Team


It might just be you, or you might have staff you employ, but either way you will have a team who support you.

If your business is just you, then your team might be made up of friends, family, partners, children etc.

You can’t do it without your team, so remember to thank them for their support.

U - Understand


Try to understand the challenges and issues that your clients have and find the best way to solve them, whether it is with the right product, treatment, service or just being someone who will listen to them.

Listening and understanding is what is going to make your business amazing!

V - Vent


Everyone needs space to vent, but not to clients!

Vent to friends and family, so that you aren’t holding grudges or worries inside and can be positive, happy and cheerful when talking to your clients.

W - Work


Running your own hair, beauty or make up business is hard work, there is a lot of competition out there - it’s not for the faint hearted!

X - eXpectations


Your expectations and your clients expectations might be the same or they might not…..

Make sure you listen to what they want and try to over deliver on their expectations.

Remember that expectations also extend to how you look, your business logo, your website, how you answer the phone, if you are late etc. Make sure what clients see is what you want them to see.

Y - YouTube


If you are stuck on how to…. Or why…. This is a great go to place to get information and help.

Z - ZigZag


Running a business, any business is not plain sailing, you need to zig and zag - In and out of the good and not so good times- Around clients to make sure they get the service they expect- With your time to make sure you get everything done


I hope you found this A-Z useful.

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Hair/beauty/make up professionals check out Beauty Hum to create your free profile and get more clients.

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