Everyone dreams of being able to work when they want and have flexible working hours and if you become a self-employed mobile beauty therapist you will be able to do this! As a job it is rewarding because you are helping people to look their best so what more could you wish for? In a previous blog we gave 4 tips for self-employed hair and beauty therapists and now we will tell you all you need to know about how to become self-employed.

Qualifications

To become a beauty therapist you will need to have some sort of qualification which is normally in the form of NVQ’s, City and Guilds diplomas and more. If you are looking to qualify in beauty you will need to research the options that are out there because not only can they be expensive but they can be run at inconvenient times too. You can do full time, part time or evening courses which are designed for any beginners that want to learn all about the beauty industry and how to perform the jobs. The good thing about the unsociable hours is that you are able to study this qualification on top of an existing job or any other commitments you may have.

Benefits

Working in a salon is a good career but if you want to move forward, earn your own money and organise your time then being self-employed is the best way to go. Many beauticians will work in a salon and realise that it is better to be self-employed and therefore take some of their clients along with them.

Starting Up

The first thing you must ensure when becoming self-employed is that you have salon insurance because this will cover you in the incident of loss, theft damage etc. Getting insured will give you piece of mind and will save you money if anything were to go wrong.
When planning to become self-employed you need to ensure you have everything you need including all the equipment you would have in a salon. Investing in something to carry all of your equipment will help you when moving from place to place. You can also purchase portable nail stations or trolleys for your equipment. Making sure you have space in your vehicle to transport everything is essential and it also must be reliable so that you don’t let any customers down.

Finding Work

Advertising is the one of the main ways to find work but the most effective way is word of mouth. Telling all your family and friends about your new business venture will bring business and offering money off for people who recommend a friend could be a great incentive. Printing flyers with information about your services will spread the word so hand them out everywhere you possibly can. Business cards are great for when you are out and about to hand to anyone you speak to about your services.

Many self-employed beauticians use social media to engage with their target audience and the best thing about it is that it’s free! You can use it to post any updates on your business including discounts for example 20% off nails over the Christmas period. Posting pictures of the work you have done can also encourage people to use you. Offering discounts to students or OAP’s will also bring you more business.
Setting up a website for your business will make it easier for potential customers to look up your services, prices and you can showcase your work. There are free services you can use to set up a website or if you have the money you could pay a professional to set one up for you. Make sure your website reflects the type of business you run, for example, if you work with high end clients you should have a professional, smart and polished website.

Maximising your profits

Offer all the services you possibly can for reasonable prices and make sure to keep up with new trends so you can be one of the first to offer them. This will give you a head start and customers will therefore want to come to you. You must also keep your knowledge up to scratch and local colleges can offer master classes where you can learn about the latest technologies and techniques in your industry.
Overall, becoming a self-employed beautician can take time to build a reputation but if you put effort in it will pay off and you will grow a successful business. Through building a name and reputation you could potentially grow big enough to start your own business!

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