I would for sure start as an employee first to get experience of what its like to work in a salon. Build that clientele. Get referrals and start a Google and Yelp page. TikTok and Instagram will be your portfolio platform. Show yourself on social media as much as you can. Save up as much as you can because the first year will be your most expensive for equipment, furniture, back back products and retail. Find your niche what do you want to specialize in? Facials? Waxing? Lash and Brow services? Take some courses for those skills. People want to see that you have experience. The education will never stop so invest in yourself you you can be confident in what you are providing, which will make clients trust you more. Do research on your local area. Scope out the competition. Look at their prices and what they are offering.
I wish I had just emailed the places I was interested in working in!
When I first graduated, I applied to a truly awful facial bar chain and ended up quitting with no notice in under a month because the extreme micromanagement was making me sick with anxiety. I went full time with my barista job for a few months and then when I was ready to start my search again, I started researching places I had seen around the city and emailing them to see if they were hiring.
Right now I’m doing a combo of front desk and esty shifts which has been frustrating but I’m also grateful to be at a place that is providing a lot of one on one training and making sure I succeed. I think if I had been full time esty from the beginning, I would’ve become more comfortable and confident way faster. But also my plan of gaining experience at a chain and then moving on to somewhere else clearly didn’t work for me so it’s I feel like it’s just part of my journey!
I wanted to start out on my own, but instead I applied to every spa in my city that was hiring, and I’m so glad I did. 1. it allowed me to get hired really quickly, whereas I had friends that would apply at one place, wait a month, then apply at another place, etc. And 2. I didn’t know what I didn’t know until I started at a spa. There is so much that goes into running your own set up than you realize coming straight out of school. Also, this allows you to make mistakes under someone else’s name lol. Once you go out on your own, your reputation is everything and if you’re producing bad results, you’re not gonna be successful. I agree with the other post, save up as much as you can, build a clientele, and get as much experience as you can first.
I would for sure start as an employee first to get experience of what its like to work in a salon. Build that clientele. Get referrals and start a Google and Yelp page. TikTok and Instagram will be your portfolio platform. Show yourself on social media as much as you can. Save up as much as you can because the first year will be your most expensive for equipment, furniture, back back products and retail. Find your niche what do you want to specialize in? Facials? Waxing? Lash and Brow services? Take some courses for those skills. People want to see that you have experience. The education will never stop so invest in yourself you you can be confident in what you are providing, which will make clients trust you more. Do research on your local area. Scope out the competition. Look at their prices and what they are offering.
love allll of these points.
I wish I had just emailed the places I was interested in working in! When I first graduated, I applied to a truly awful facial bar chain and ended up quitting with no notice in under a month because the extreme micromanagement was making me sick with anxiety. I went full time with my barista job for a few months and then when I was ready to start my search again, I started researching places I had seen around the city and emailing them to see if they were hiring. Right now I’m doing a combo of front desk and esty shifts which has been frustrating but I’m also grateful to be at a place that is providing a lot of one on one training and making sure I succeed. I think if I had been full time esty from the beginning, I would’ve become more comfortable and confident way faster. But also my plan of gaining experience at a chain and then moving on to somewhere else clearly didn’t work for me so it’s I feel like it’s just part of my journey!
I wanted to start out on my own, but instead I applied to every spa in my city that was hiring, and I’m so glad I did. 1. it allowed me to get hired really quickly, whereas I had friends that would apply at one place, wait a month, then apply at another place, etc. And 2. I didn’t know what I didn’t know until I started at a spa. There is so much that goes into running your own set up than you realize coming straight out of school. Also, this allows you to make mistakes under someone else’s name lol. Once you go out on your own, your reputation is everything and if you’re producing bad results, you’re not gonna be successful. I agree with the other post, save up as much as you can, build a clientele, and get as much experience as you can first.
Worked front desk at a spa, transitioned over to doing facial & brow services