How to become a mobile hair stylist
First you need to be a certified Barber, cosmetologist or hairstylist
Before becoming a mobile barber or mobile hair stylist you need to be certified. In most states you will find those 3 types of diplomas training and certifying you to be a hairdresser. Once graduated you need to apply for a license in the state you want to work in. Be careful you can not work in a state with a license from another state. Once you got the license, you are a hair stylist or a barber. To be a mobile one you dont need anything else !
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How do you start a mobile stylist business ?
You are a hair stylist or a barber, and sometimes you happen to think "Gosh, commissions and fees are crushing me in the salons ?" or you wish you had "more flexibility and freedom in your lifestyle" ?
You may think of starting mobile hairdressing ...
Starting a mobile hairdressing business is not really different from starting a regular hairdressing business, main differences are obviously the store and the hardware. Let us break it down for you.
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Then how to become a mobile hair stylist or barber and start a real business ?
1. Make sure you have a valid license in the state (or states) you want to work in
For any hairstyling or barbering job in most US states you need a valid license either in Cosmetology, Barbering or Hair Styling (3 types of licenses allow you to service clients hair, only the scopes are different).
License requirements vary from one state to another but the common grounds are :
studies and diploma from a beauty school,
practical exam or hours in a real salon
written exam
Be careful, in most states the license needs to be renewed every year. Check out the guidelines for the state or states you wish to work in.
In each State you can reach out to the State Board of Cosmetology & Barbers.
2. Register your business
In some states, it is not required that you register a business, however we strongly advocate in favor of the registration. Registration comes with many potential benefits : it may give you protection under the laws, it will enable you to seek for a bank loan, it allows you to register a brand, and it is often necessary for obtaining benefits from the government …
Moreover nowadays, it is super easy to register a company.
3. Get a professional insurance
You may want to get an insurance, at least a general liability insurance to protect you and feel reassured.
You can also get a Professional Liability Insurance policy to cover your professional mistakes, but you must consider the price of the insurance compared to the value of a failed haircut .
4. Consider writing a business plan
We highly recommend to write one, because the business model of mobile personal services is pretty specific.
In many ways a mobile hairstyling business model is easy to apprehend : basically their is only one main expense (your time), and one revenue (prices of services you charge your customers for.
But of course, it is not that simple, there are a few tricky issues and differences with a mobile hairstyling business model that you want to take into account :
commute time : you definitely want to accurately estimate the time you will spend in you car to go to your appointments and take that time into account when you define your prices
car expenses and fuel : using your own car to perform your services has direct and indirect costs, think to include them in your expenses and somehow in your prices
tips : that in on the positive side, you should include tips in your future revenue (some additional 15% to 20% to the revenue)
Don't forget to think specific services can bring a nice dough to the P&L, like hair extensions or braids.
5. Gather the material
There is no MOBILE hairdresser without … a car. So starting with the car - you can't afford to have a car in bad shape that might let you down easily. Your business depends on your transportation and this could be the end of your business.
And of course you need the usual your kit which should consist of the following ; scissors, combs, hairdryer, flat irons, brushes, towels … Basically everything you need to service your clients from a mobile standpoint.
We also encourage you to keep an updated inventory of your items you will need to buy or replace.
6. To start the business, reach out to your network
Your network (professional and personal) is were you will find your clients, so … get cracking ! Recommendation and word of mouth are great tools especially when starting out.
You can also decide to join our marketplace of mobile hair stylists, that will introduce customers with no front fee, the marketplace keeps only a commission on what you charge to customers and this commission in only a fraction of what a salon would take.
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