Are you ready to go solo as an esthetician?
Are you considering going solo/independent as an esthetician? It can be overwhelming and confusing but I have some tips to share to help you get started. Understanding where you are currently and where you want to go will help your journey start off strong. Reviewing the topics below and rating yourself on a scale 1-5 will help you decide if you are ready to go solo no matter where you are in your journey as an esthetician!
Are you capable of maintaining the overhead of a space month to month consistently?
On average your rent should be about no more than 12% of your overall gross income depending on your budget, monthly income and more! This will be something you will want to evaluate based on your current booking rates and what your average referral rates are. Even if a salon does not allow your clients to find you (which is not okay) you can still know you are able to confidently build a clientele. Starting from nothing doesn’t mean you cannot get started but you will need to have a savings or second form of income until you are able to maintain the overhead monthly.
On average most spaces will ask for first months rent and in some cases first months rent and a security deposit. So being able to cover these and at least 3-4 months of rent without a steady income will help provide the best cushion while building. This will vary person to person based on their needs and area.
Have you established what sets you apart from other fellow estheticians (i.e. specialities, brand and client experience)?
Opening your own space will be like putting your space on the map as a small business or spa. If you have not had a change to find your specialities, for example I focus in brow transformations, maintenance skincare, natural glam and boho bridal looks, you will need to know this to help build your service menu and to determine the value of these services in the market. Once you have determined your specialties you can begin finding your target market, building your brand and a stellar client experience that will have clients not just coming back to your solo space but referring friends none stop!
Are you seeing successful referrals from clients and marketing techniques monthly?
Depending on your average number of clients per month the number of referrals/new clients for a healthy book can vary. Typically no less than new 5 clients per month will reflect a good level of growth. New estheticians with no clients can expect to need about 10-15 new clients a month for the first 3-5 months for their books to grow consistently to be able to maintain a space. Using referral rewards and new client gifts for pre-booking are two easy ways to start seeing referrals from clients!
Do you feel confident in marketing yourself and asking loyal clients for referrals and reviews?
This is a follow up to the following question. If you are not confident about having these conversations then it may be harder to build the clientele and maintain a healthy book. Having a plan in mind for building your referrals will help build your confidence to talk with your clients about the options. Check out my new FREE Esthetician’s Guide to Confidently Communicating with Clients!
Are you able to market your own brand/business online?
The easiest and best way to grow your brand is to market online. Hitting the major areas like Instagram, Facebook, Google, Yelp and Tiktok!
Are you comfortable enforcing boundaries and policies?
Following up on communication with clients, it is vital to a business. Being able to protect your boundraies is important but also having policies for yourself to proect your client is just as important. Consider your policies to protect yourself from no-shows, cancellations, and late arrivals as well as policies revolvoing around how you will handle you needing to cancel or reschedule a client.
Now that the easy part is done, communicating them to clients can be difficult. If you are not comfortable having difficult conversations, opening your own space could result in emotional discounting on your part and potentially unhappy clients!
