Starting out in the beauty industry is challenging. As with most sectors, it’s competitive. But it is also an opportunity to thrive in a career you love (a rare thing these days).
But what do you need to do? What’s likely to work? How can you start making an income while doing something you enjoy?
Find A Niche
The first stop should be finding a niche – something you feel comfortable doing. You want to find something that appeals to you from the inside out and feels natural.
For some, that’ll be becoming a beautician or makeup artist. For others, it’ll be doing lashes or starting a product brand.
Whatever it is, make it about you.
Look For Qualifications
Next, you’ll need to get on the qualifications train. It teaches you how to do all the treatments properly and means you have something you can use to get insurance, which is essential no matter what you’re planning to do in the sector. (If a treatment goes wrong, you’ll need cover).
When looking for qualifications, try to find something that will genuinely interest you. Remember, this is a career, so you want something that’s going to motivate you for years to come.
Once you have the qualifications you need, the next step is to build skills. You want to have a foundation that will let you go into independent practice.
The best way to do this is to take an internship. Working in a salon for a summer should do the trick.
You can also ask hotels to take you on. The money isn’t particularly good at first, but it gets you the experience you need to thrive in the future.
Spas and makeup counters will also sometimes take people on. However, you might not learn skills directly if there are already staff on hand to provide these services.
Spread The Word
After skills and qualifications, you’ll want to spread the word about what you do. Getting your brand out there helps you to get found by people looking for beauty treatments.
Seasonal occasions are the best times to give your marketing that extra push. These times of year, people tend to want more treatments because of gatherings and social events, so you can piggyback on that publicity when everyone else in your area is busy.
You’ll also want a pocket full of business cards you can hand to people whenever they mention wanting one sort of beauty treatment or another. These can direct people to your website or social media, making your outreach efforts easier.
Learn Business Skills
If you can learn business skills, that can also help get your beauty career off the starting line. Understanding how accounts, marketing, sales, and customer service work is essential. If you can master these basics, you will immediately stand out from the competition.
Social media management is particularly important in the beauty industry. If you can show prospective customers your portfolio, you’re more likely to be successful in the future. Building your clientele will become easier.