By Signe Langeberg
It’s always best to have a full time job when you’re just starting out with lashes. This is what I always recommend and there’s so many reasons for it but the first and most important one is the lack of skills. You need to be able to do safe eyelash extensions and offer a quality that is acceptable in the industry and for your clients before you can start asking enough money for your services that would benefit you. And you can spend your nights and weekends practicing all different aspects of this art before you start stressing over the business side of things.
The first thing you need is to overcome the fear of not knowing. Because you don’t know how or if it’s going to workout for you but you will never find out either if you don’t take the leap! We’ve all been there!
Ask any business owner and they will tell you that it may have been the most scariest thing they had to decide when they first started out.
Overcoming fear is easy if you are at a point when it hurts to work full time because you are saying “No” on a daily basis to potential clients who you can’t take because of the time. But it is also crucial to plan. Because if you don’t plan-you are planning to fail!
So what should be your steps? There are so many things you will have to consider and a whole lot of personal things that you will need to figure out but here are my tips to help it make it easier for you.
Start with a date!
Decide when you need to quit your full part time job and your business needs to provide you with enough income.Leave yourself enough time to make sure your skills are on point, that you have enough time to save up and market to get more clients. And get excited! Once you put down the date, write it in your calendar and be proud of yourself! You’ve just made the biggest decision to take absolute control over your financial future.
Save up!
Especially if you have financial responsibilities which need to be covered regardless. When I went full time I made sure I had enough money to cover my salons rent for 3 weeks which I don’t recommend but it worked out for me.
You should have at least 3 months worth of savings on your account to cover your living and business expenses. And be ready to give up things that you don’t need but enjoyed spending money on. It will be a sacrifice but it will be worth it by the end.
Go All In.
On Marketing! Create a buzz around your business before you go full time. Think how can you utilize your current clients to bring in their friends and how to get new clients coming in immediately. Put it on a paper and brainstorm every idea that you have. Your marketing should be like a tap that you can turn off and on whenever you need to. Put it into a plan and get as detailed as possible on the promotions you will do online and in salon.
The Best Time.
To go ‘all in’ is spring because summer is the highest season when you will get new clients with the least effort. Don’t go full time in winter or autumn when it will be harder to motivate new people to come to your business.
I don’t believe that at a certain time in a year people just stop having lashes because it’s not true, but I do believe that during Christmas and summer time, it is cheaper and easier to advertise to new people.
Plan For Your Business.
Write down a vision of the purpose why are you in the business, what do you want to get out of it, what are you helping your clients with, how you like them to feel when they leave your studio, what hours will you be working and so on.
Get really clear on everything to the last detail and start creating it. If you don’t know the answer to all of those questions, take yourself for a coffee or a holiday to get inspired. I try to go away every month either abroad or even just in a different city where i don’t have any distractions and i just dream about my business and write down what we will be working on the next month.
Learn Your Numbers!
I know it’s easy to charge half the price of what your competitor charges when you are doing lashes only as aside hustle, but you have to be able to cover your bills, earn a good salary for yourself and stay profitable. Do not compare your prices with a competitor. They are running their business and you have no idea what expenses they have or how they do things.
Look at yourself. What do you want to provide your clients with, how much do you need to earn and how much would you like to earn for yourself by the end of the day. Write all the numbers down and also include your operating expenses: rent, utilities, marketing expenses, booking systems, products – literally everything.
And only then calculate what your prices need to be to cover all of it. I’ve practiced this continuously for years. I have no idea what my competitors are charging or doing because all my focus is on my clients and what can I do to help them.
And Last But Not Least..
If you are not ready to put 200% of your effort and time into this, then don’t do it. You will be stressed, scared, working7 days a week 24h a day, lose touch with your friends and have sleepless nights in the beginning. It will take longer time and much more effort than you thought it will. And it’s absolutely fine if it’s not for you. It could be just worth looking for a job where you can do only lashes and still have a stable income without any of other stress and fuzz around it and still be extremely fulfilled career wise.
If you do decide to go down the business ownership road then check out our group on Facebook eyelash extensions tips & advice where we share business help as well.
