By Tara Walsh
Gone are the days of taking 8,9, even 10 or more lash clients in a day and working endless nights and weekends. Here is how you can focus on a healthy work/life balance and avoid injury and lash artist burnout:
The physical nature of our job and treating our bodies right to ensure the longevity of our time behind the chair as well as staying healthy outside of our lash life. Self-care is not a luxury but a necessity, view this as more an investment than self-indulgence. Yoga, acupuncture, and massages are all great ways to take some time for yourself and re-centre after your wok day is done. During the workday, find time to step away for 10-15 minutes to clear your head between clients. This will help you stay fresh and prepared as the day goes on.
Another important aspect of being a lash business owner is to set your open hours. Coming from a business owner, I know it is hard to set a limit to the number of clients you see a day or what days you are open. It’s important to set these boundaries as you could soon find out that you are suddenly working 12 hour days, 7 days a week. After those boundaries are set, if clients request after hours services, you can charge an after-hours fee for services rendered. An after-hours fee will either deter a client from booking outside of your working hours or compensate you for working past your scheduled hours and the effects long hours have on you physically or the inconvenience to your family/life.
Beyond setting boundaries for yourself, let’s not forget to set boundaries in pricing. Raising your prices over time is a good way to earn more while working the same. As a lash boss, running a business is costly and it is important to keep your prices up with the rising costs of business while also paying yourself respectably. Be ok with a handful of current clients dropping off because they can no longer afford the new price and focus on bringing in new clients at the new price point. You have the opportunity to scale back the hours worked while keeping the same, if not more, income generated into the business, depending on the increase in pricing (we recommend at least a 20% increase).
Working smarter, not harder is not just a cliche thing to say to someone struggling to keep up with the demand for their services, it’s a wise business approach to ensuring the longevity of your ability to continue as a lash artist for the long haul. By treating your body just as well as your most coveted pair of volume tweezers, knowing just how many clients you need to reach your goal income, and having a plan to steadily and regularly increase your prices based on the demand for your services will create a healthy work/life balance and help you to avoid lash artist burnout!
