The pros and cons of being a self-employed beauty therapist

More and more professionals in the beauty industry are deciding to work for themselves. In fact, according to recent research, as many as 57% of beauty professionals have taken the leap into self-employment. It’s a tempting decision, especially if you enjoy the freedom to choose your own hours and do things your own way, but would it be the right choice for you? Here are a few things to consider:

The pros of becoming a self-employed beauty therapist

• If you’re independently minded and want to take control of your own destiny, going freelance is definitely the way to do it. When you’re self-employed, you can select the clients you want to work with according to your own skills and interests, and make sure you’re the perfect fit for each other.
• You will get to choose your working hours, and where you’ll be based. You could choose to rent a chair in a salon, which is a great option as you’ll pick up clients from the existing salon customers. Another option is to become a mobile therapist and deliver treatments in your client’s homes.
• You’ll be in charge – every part of your business will be in your control.
• All of your profit will be going back to you and your business, for you to reinvest or spend on yourself.

The cons of becoming a self-employed beauty therapist

• Getting started is always tricky. You’ve got a lot of decisions to make (not least filling out all the tedious paperwork re. tax and insurance etc) and establishing a regular clientele can take a while. There may also be a high initial expense, as you will need to buy supplies, equipment, business cards and consider your transport.
• You will need to consider who will deal with your accounts – managing your taxes and expenses is an essential part of running your business, so you may want to hire an accountant to take care of this.
• When you’re self-employed you’ll have no guaranteed monthly salary, no holiday pay, and no sick pay if you’re ever too ill to work.
• You’ll have all your day-to-day administration to take care of: arranging appointment bookings, dealing with cancellations, marketing your services. Many freelancers are surprised by how much of their time is taken up by administrative chores they wouldn’t have to think about if they were employed by somebody else.

Is self-employment for you?

Going freelance can reap great rewards, but it also comes with some risks. You have to be passionate and driven about working for yourself and make sure you stay motivated. If the main reason you’re a beauty therapist is because you love being ‘hands on’ with your clients and enjoy a regular income (as well as the company of your other team members), going solo may not be the choice for you. However, if you’ve got ambition and drive and a diary full of useful personal connections, self-employment could be your avenue to success.