Freelance hairdressing business options

If you’ve attained your NVQ/SVQ Level 4, then you may be considering what your freelance hairdressing business options are. You’ve already determined you would rather trust in your own abilities and management skills to get you through the current economical and banking crisis. It’s just too scary having to rely totally on someone else’s whims and business management skills. However, it’s just as scary to be self-employed in times like these. You’ll have to carefully consider what each type of business entails, and then decide which one is the right one for you.

Although there are many variations possible, there are four main types of freelance hairdressing businesses in the United Kingdom. The first one is known as home hairdressing, and requires working on your clientele in your own home. The second type, known as mobile hairdressing, requires you to go to your customers’ homes or places of business to perform your work. The third type, called chair renting, requires you to rent a chair from an established salon and then work on your own clientele or work on the salon’s customers as a subcontractor. The fourth option is to open your own salon.

Home and mobile

Both home hairdressing and mobile hairdressing permit you to be your own boss, and lets you choose when and where you want to work, and what type of services you will offer. Both allow you to become much friendlier with your customers. Both let you set your own charges, so you can make much more than what you’d be making by working in a salon owned by someone else. Both provide you with more flexibility, freedom, and greater income potential. Moreover, both permit you to operate your business on a much more relaxed level than renting a chair or owning a salon allows you. However, both also require putting in many long hours, especially on weekends and evenings, in order to make an adequate income.

Chair renting

Renting a chair from a salon may seem less risky than doing home or mobile hairdressing. You’ll be working in a familiar environment, and possibly be working with people you already know. The main differences will be that you will be responsible for doing your own bookkeeping, appointment setting, accounting, and self-promoting to increase your clientele. Depending on the contract, you may have to provide your own customers, equipment (other than the chair), and supplies. In other cases, the salon may provide all the equipment and supplies, and possibly even some of the customers.

Owning a salon

Running your own salon may seem to be the riskiest option of all. It will require handling a lot of responsibility. This includes hiring and firing employees, bookkeeping and accounting, ensuring all laws and regulations are properly followed, and setting the right atmosphere for your employees and customers. There’s also much more to consider before opening your own salon.

Each of these freelance businesses has much to offer you. However, choosing the right one for you will require lots of honest assessment and consideration. You will need to consider the pros and cons of each option if you wish to successfully be self-employed as a freelance hairdresser.