
KEY TAKEAWAYS: Being a freelance beauty professional opens up a world of opportunities–but is it the right fit for you? If you're curious if this career path is the perfect choice, this article will lay out a few must-consider elements of being a freelance beauty pro.
*Last updated on 09/12/2024
Whether you’re a nail tech, hairstylist, or makeup artist, working for yourself can be a game-changer in building a successful freelance hairstylist business. Being a freelance hairstylist opens the door to setting your own hours, growing your client base, and creating your unique reputation in the beauty industry. However, starting out as a freelance hairstylist can feel overwhelming. There are no guarantees of steady income, and as a self-employed professional, you’ll need to balance both creativity and business acumen to thrive.
When launching your career as a freelance hair stylist, you're stepping into the role of a business owner. It's essential to stay organized and keep track of everything—from your client list to your expenses. Freelance hairstylists often wonder how many clients they need to sustain a small business. The answer varies, but building and maintaining strong relationships is the first step. Keep in mind that your clients are the backbone of your freelance hairstylist career, and keeping an updated and organized client list will help you manage appointments and plan for busy times, like tax season.
Another key to success is keeping track of your financials. As a freelance hairstylist, especially during tax season, managing your income, deductions, and expenses is crucial. You are responsible for staying on top of your earnings and ensuring everything is accounted for when reporting taxes. Tools like scheduling software or a simple spreadsheet can help you stay organized. The first step to becoming a successful freelance hair stylist is taking your role as a small business owner seriously—organizing your finances and your client list will set you up for long-term success.
Thinking of Being a Freelance Beauty Professional? Top Considerations
Financial Stability
Moving into the freelance world can be tough if you’re not in a good place financially, as you’re required to cover all of your costs as a freelancer without a steady paycheck coming in.
Be sure that you have a reasonable cushion to support travel, supplies, and other associated costs that come with turning your passion into your own business.
Social Media Presence
The industry these days is all about social media, particularly Instagram, as it allows you to show off your work to potential clients. If you’re not very active on social media, get active!
This is often the best way for clients to find examples of what you have done, your style, and who you are as a person.

Separate your personal profiles from your professional profile, but ensure your name and contact info are attached to ensure clients can find you and contact you to set up appointments.
Organization
As a freelance beauty professional, you are your own boss, which means you have to ensure your are as organized as possible.
Whatever works best for you, whether it is notes in a notebook or a full Excel spreadsheet, ensure you have got your system down to organize appointments, finances, client booking information and any other details before you begin taking clients.
Flying by the seat of your pants is no longer an option; disorganization can lead to missed opportunities overall, so starting out organized is key.
"Flying by the seat of your pants is no longer an option; disorganization can lead to missed opportunities overall, so starting out organized is key."
Once you have got those points down, it’s time to think about the type of artist you want to be. There are numerous freelance artists working, so distinguishing yourself by making the services you specialize in clear on your social media pages is key.
If you are skilled at bridal makeup or styling, ensure that work is visible online. If you are all about edgy cutting or color, emphasize that in your posts. Let potential clients know what you are best at by putting those photos front and center.
When you think about the type of artist you want to be, another key point is where you’re willing to work with clients.
If you’re able to travel to them, ensure that detail is clear on your profiles or website. If you are looking to work within a salon, reach out to local salons about renting a chair. Decide what your arena will be, and ensure you follow through on that when seeing clients.
Payment
Review the price points of other freelancers in your area and create your pricing structure with the particular types of services you provide in mind, and remain firm on those prices.
It can seem tempting to heavily discount early services in an effort to attract new clients, but don’t go too low; this can turn off clients in the future who expected that much lower price to be permanent. Know your worth without going overboard and charge reasonable fees for your services.
Once you have got those key points down, you are ready to start off on your freelance journey! Working for yourself may seem like a struggle at first, but we promise—it’s totally worth it.
As a freelance beauty professional, you have something most cosmetologists dream of – absolute freedom! Yes, you definitely have the extra responsibility of wearing every hat in your business (in most cases), but you're giving yourself the gift of artistic expression and business freedom.
The one thing you can't ignore? Liability insurance. Cosmetology liability insurance is always important for beauty pros no matter where they work or what career path they choose–but it's especially important for freelance beauty professionals who don't have any other liability insurance to have their back.
Wanna chat about that? We've got you covered. Take a peek at our cosmetology liability insurance made for freelance beauty pros like you!
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