Be Your Own Boss: 5 Tips on How to Start Your Own Hair Business

You’ve always prided yourself on your skills as a stylist and you certainly know your way around nail technology and trends. Wouldn’t it make perfect sense to start your own small business doing what you love? Getting into the salon business is a great way to connect with your community and flex your creative muscles; however, it’s not as simple as getting customers into the chair. Here are a few tips that can help get you off the ground.

Make sure you have the education

Even if you’re naturally gifted, it’s important to have a cosmetology school background. Cosmetology educators are adept at enhancing your strengths and addressing their students’ educational needs. Applicants to cosmetology school or a cosmetology program need to understand that, while fun, it’s also hard work. If you need financial assistance, you can consider applying for Federal Student Aid. Plus, working with a licensed instructor can help you become a stronger business owner. You might even have time over the school year to discuss your business model with your instructors while you pursue your cosmetology license.

Know how to market yourself

You did it. You completed beauty school and now have a cosmetology license to prove it! Over each school year, your cosmetology program has given you the confidence to succeed as a business owner. You’re shaping up your business model and you’ve started setting up social media channels. Yet, when it comes to digital marketing, graphic design, web design, public relations, and brand development, you’re a little lost. Consider partnering with a full-service advertising agency. If you live in Fresno, for example, try a Google search for “Fresno advertising agencies.” You’re bound to find solid local results that can help you with the fundamentals of a marketing campaign.

Shape up your website

Nowadays, it’s advisable for almost every business to have a website. Social media, while helpful, isn’t enough. At the same time, neither is a minimalist website. Invest in graphic design and web design to create a page that shows off your personality and speaks to your business model. This may be another place where an advertising agency can give you an edge when it comes to the design of your site. The design should be clean, inviting, and easy to navigate. You don’t necessarily need to invest in high-end video production design for your site to accomplish this, either. Sometimes, less can be more.

Community connections

Since stylists operate as local businesses, it’s important to amp up your public relations to make yourself a cornerstone of your community. As a cosmetology student, you likely practiced haircuts on members of the community. Using those established relationships can be a great way to get your first few customers in the chair. Reaching out to your local Chamber of Commerce can be beneficial as well. Remember that Fresno example? In that case, you’d reach out to the Fresno Chamber of Commerce to discuss ways you can get your business involved in the community. It’s a simple step that many prospective business owners tend to overlook, but small businesses are only as strong as the communities backing them.

Have fun with it

Chances are it was your passion that drove you to the cosmetology industry. Especially if you received your cosmetology school license, it goes to show that you’re committed to this industry. While owning a small business is, of course, hard work at the end of the day, cosmetology should also be fun! You’re laying the design groundwork for how your clients present themselves each and every day. If you find yourself losing steam, take a step back and see if you need to make adjustments.

Cosmetology school applicants should start thinking long-term before they ever learn from an instructor. Often that end goal is to own their own stylist or nail technology business. Keeping a goal in mind will help you achieve business success in the long run.

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