Do you want to start a makeup artistry business? If YES, here is a complete guide to starting a makeup artistry business with NO money and no experience plus a sample makeup artistry business plan template.
Starting a makeup artistry business from your home – especially if you have a space to use as your studio, is no doubt one of the easy to start but yet profitable business ideas that can be started in the united states of America. As an aspiring entrepreneur who is looking towards starting a makeup artist business, first of all you should go and learn the trade.
You can actually learn makeup artistry at beauty schools scattered all across the United States and also you can work as an intern in a well – established makeup studio or beauty spa around you.
The truth is that if you are good as a makeup artist and your house is easily accessible, you can comfortably start a makeup artist business right there in your home. You will be amazed at the level of response you will get if you list this service online. Besides, you can educate people on how to become makeup artists right there in your home.
If you have decided to start this business, then you must make sure that you carry out thorough feasibility studies and market survey. This will enable you determine if your present location has the right demographic composition for the business.
You can start your makeup artist business from a small town in the United States and if you are consistent and creative, it won’t be too long before your brand becomes recognized.
Steps to Starting a Makeup Artist Business from Home
1. Understand the Industry
Makeup artists are experts in the making use of makeup to enhance the beauty and physical facial appearance of their clients. It could be for a wedding ceremony, public or private events, photo shoots, theater performance, modeling, television production and for personal purpose as requested by the client.
The makeup artists industry has grown as the United States as consumers have enough money to spare for services such as makeup, tanning and other health and beauty services. As a result of this development, the demand for luxury services has risen as consumers increase their spending on discretionary items and services.
It is expected that in 2016, the growth for this industry will plummet as health concerns mitigate improving macroeconomic conditions.
Going forward, the industry is expected to generate more income through the sale of improvised makeup kits and other merchandise, which will to a large extent take care of financially empowered consumers who are looking towards making luxury purchases.
Statistics shows that the United States makeup market exceeded the $900 million mark in 2011, with industry growth having slowed to around -1 percent for the five preceding years, according to research.
Statistics has it that in the United States of America alone, there are about 39,643 registered and licensed makeup artists (those strictly operating from home inclusive) scattered all across the country responsible for employing about 41,714 and the industry rakes in a whooping sum of $1 billion annually.
The industry is projected to grow at -1.9 percent annual growth within 2011 and 2016. It is important to state that there are no establishments in this industry that has a lion market share since the industry is majorly dominated by sole operators.
A recent report published by IBISWORLD shows that the Makeup Artists industry is highly fragmented and distributed proportionally with population in the United States. The report stated that in 2015, the Southeast held the most industry establishments of any region, at 29.7 percent of the total.
New England and the Rocky Mountains are expected to hold the least, at 4.4 percent each. The Southeast region is expected to have 29.7 percent of industry establishments. This region also includes the state with the most establishments, Florida, which has an estimated 13.7 percent of industry establishments.
The report further stated that States like Florida are destination wedding locations. Locations such as Disney World are very popular for weddings, which is why the number of establishments outpaces the proportion of population located in the region.
Despite the fact that the industry seems fast growing, there is still room big enough to accommodate aspiring entrepreneurs. Some of the factors that encourage entrepreneurs to start their own makeup artist business is that the business has pretty low entry barriers and it is easy to set up with relatively minimal startup capital and manpower.
The makeup artist business is very open to any aspiring entrepreneur who has acquired the required training, skills and perhaps professional certifications to start his or her own business from the comfort of their home. Just ensure that your home is located in an easy to locate area and in an environment with the right demography and you will be fine.
2. Conduct Market Research and Feasibility Studies
- Demographics and Psychographics
The demographic and psychographic composition of those who patronize makeup artists cut across people of all genders and age groups; hence the demographic composition for a makeup artist business is all encompassing.
So, if you are thinking of opening your own makeup artist business from your home, then you should make target demographics all encompassing. It should include film producers, photo studios, modeling agencies, corporate executives, celebrities, public figures, tourists and every adult in the neighborhood.
3. Decide Which Niche to Concentrate On
Starting a makeup artist business does not necessarily require that you specialize in a particular niche idea even though we have quite a few niche areas in the industry. Be that as it may, here are some of the niche ideas that a makeup artist can specialize on;
- Bridal makeup
- TV production makeup
- Children makeup
- Medical related makeup
- Mobile makeup
- General makeup
The Level of Competition in the Industry
The competition that exists in the makeup artist business is far beyond competition amongst makeup artists in your location; you are expected to compete with complimentary services such as bridal makeup artists, face painting business, mobile tanning salons and any other businesses that also carryout makeup services. So, it will be right to say the competition in the business is tough.
Come to think of it, irrespective of the level of competition in an industry, if you have carried out your due diligence and you brand and promote your services or business properly, you will always make headway in the industry. Just ensure you are creative at carrying out your services, you home is easily accessible and you can deliver excellent customer care services.
4. Know Your Major Competitors in the Industry
As it relates to makeup artistry business, most of the players in the industry are best known as individuals rather than companies, hence it is easier to rate makeup artists as celebrities based on their level of influence and of course the number of followers they have on social media. These are some of the leading makeup artists in the United States of America and in the globe;
- Sir John
- Patrick Ta
- Robin Black
- Charlotte Tilbruy,
- Mario Dedivanovic
- Pati Dubroff
- Pat McGrath
- Joyce Bonelli
- Mylah Morales
- Tom Pecheux
- Michael Anthony
- Vincent Oquendo
- Lottie S
- Mary Phillips
- Val Garland
- Hrush Achemyan
- Ariel Tejada
- Beau Nelson
- Kate Lee
- Pati Dubroff
Economic Analysis
If you want to launch a business and maximize profits, then one of things you need to look at would be your economic and cost analysis. Starting a makeup artist business from your home is one sure means of cutting the cost of operating the business because you won’t have to pay rent for a studio since the studio is inside your house. In this regard, your major concern should be raising the money to purchase makeup supplies and also the cost to successfully run the business.
If you are considering starting a makeup artist business from your home, then your concern should not be limited to the cost of purchasing the needed makeup supplies, but also on branding and on building a robust clientele base and business network. The truth is that if you are able to build a robust clientele base and business network, you are sure going to maximize profits in your business irrespective of the fact that you are operating from home.
5. Decide Whether to Buy a Franchise or Start from Scratch
If you are looking towards starting a makeup artist business, you would have to start from the very scratch because you can hardly find any makeup artist studio that is into franchising. It is a business that has pretty low entry barriers, hence it is open to all and sundry except you want to partner with makeup production companies that support startups.
Besides starting a makeup artist business from your home from the scratch is less stressful when compared to other small – scale businesses. With your makeup artist business, you should just try as much as possible to ensure that your house is properly located and secured, you have excellent makeup artistry skills and you can network with key stakeholders in the industry.
Please note that most of the successful celebrity makeup artists around started from the scratch and they were able to build a solid business brand. It takes dedication, hard work and determination to achieve business success.
6. Know the Possible Threats and Challenges You Will Face
If you decide to start your own makeup artist business from your home, one of the major challenges you are likely going to be faced with would be the presence of well – established makeup studios, and complimentary services such as mobile tanning salons, bridal make-up artists and any other businesses that also carryout makeup artistry. The only way to avoid this challenge is to create your own market.
Some other challenges and threats that you are likely going to face is economic downturn; if the economy is in bad shape, this business usually struggles to welcome new customers because people will want to do their makeup themselves as against hiring a professional. So also, unfavorable government policies can also hamper the growth of your makeup business especially as it relates to stopping people from operating their business from their homes.
7. Choose the Most Suitable Legal Entity (LLC, C Corp, S Corp)
If you are considering starting a makeup artist business from your home, the legal entity you choose will go a long way to determine how big the business can grow.
You are free to choose a general partnership, limited liability company, or even a sole proprietorship for your makeup artist business. Ordinarily, sole proprietorship should have been the ideal business structure for a small – scale makeup artist business especially if you are starting out with moderate startup capital in a small neighborhood. But if your intention is to grow the business, then choosing sole proprietor is not an option for you. Limited Liability Company, LLC or even general partnership will cut it for you.
Setting up an LLC protects you from personal liability. If anything goes wrong in the business, it is only the money that you invested into the limited liability company that will be at risk. It is not so for sole proprietorships and general partnerships. Limited liability companies are simpler and more flexible to operate and you don’t need a board of directors, shareholder meetings and other managerial formalities.
If you decide to upgrade your makeup artist business to a ‘C’ corporation or ‘S’ corporation you will have the opportunity to grow your business so as to compete with major players in the industry; you will be able to generate capital from venture capital firms, you will enjoy separate tax structure, and you can easily transfer ownership of the company.
8. Choose a Catchy Business Name
When it comes to choosing a name for your business, you should be creative because whatever name you choose for your business will go a long way to create a perception of what the business represents. If you are considering starting your own makeup artist business, here are some catchy names that you can choose from;
- Inglewood Community® Makeup Artist Studios, LLC
- Sandra Bach™ Makeup Artist Studios, LLC
- Next Door® Makeup Artist Studio, Inc.
- Santa Fe Community™ Makeup Artist Studio, Inc.
- Sharon Brownie™ Makeup Artist Home Studio, Inc.
- Home Alone™ Makeup Artist Studio, Inc.
- Face Lift© Home Makeup Artistry, Inc.
- Ageless Look® Makeup Artist Studio, LLC
- Rainbow™ Home Makeup Artist Studio, Inc.
- Shavonne Williams© Home Makeup Artist Studio, Inc.
9. Discuss with an Agent to Know the Best Insurance Policies for You
If you want to start a business from home in the United State, you can’t operate without having some of the basic insurance policy covers that are required by the industry you want to operate from. So, it is important to create a budget for insurance and perhaps consult an insurance broker to guide you in choosing the best and most appropriate insurance policies for your makeup artist business.
Here are some of the basic insurance covers that you should consider purchasing if you want to start your own makeup artist business from home in the United States of America;
- General insurance
- Health/Medical insurance
- Liability insurance
- Workers Compensation
- Overhead expense disability insurance
- Business owner’s policy group insurance
10. Protect your Intellectual Property With Trademark, Copyrights, Patents
If you are considering starting your own makeup artist business from home, usually you may not have any need to file for intellectual property protection/trademark. This is because you can successfully run the business without having any cause to challenge anybody in court for illegally making use of your intellectual properties.
But if you just want to protect your company’s logo and other documents or software that are unique to you or even jingles and media production concepts, then you can go ahead to file for intellectual property protection. If you want to register your trademark, you are expected to begin the process by filing an application with the USPTO.
11. Get the Necessary Professional Certification
If you just want to run a small scale makeup artist business from your home, you would not need any professional certifications, but if you want to run a standard makeup studio from your home, a business that you hope to grow and go into franchising, and work for high profile people in entertainment, then you need some form of certifications.
The truth is that if you want to make an impact in the industry, then you should work towards acquiring all the needed certifications in your area of specialization. Certification validates your competency and shows that you are highly skilled, committed to your career, and are up-to-date in the competitive market. These are some of the certifications you can work towards achieving if you want to run your own makeup artist;
- Makeup and Nail Technician Advanced Diploma – CPD Certified & IAO Approve
- Makeup Artist Certification
Please note that you can successfully run a makeup artist studio on a small scale from your home in the United States without necessarily acquiring professional certifications as long as you have adequate experience cum background in the business.
12. Get the Necessary Legal Documents You Need to Operate
It is a fact that you cannot successfully run any business in the United States without the proper documentations. If you do, it won’t be too long before the long hand of the law catches up with you. These are some of the basic legal documents that you are expected to have in place if you want to legally run your makeup business in the United States of America;
- Certificate of Incorporation
- Business License
- Tax Payer’s ID / Tax Identification Number
- Health inspection Certificate
- Copy of license for the service support facility and/or a recent inspection report
- Business Plan
- Employee Handbook
- Employment Agreement (offer letters)
- Operating Agreement for LLCs
- Insurance Policy
- Online Terms of Use
- Online Privacy Policy Document (basically for online payment portal)
- Company Bylaws
- Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
- Building License
- Franchise or Trademark License (optional)
13. Raise the Needed Startup Capital
It is important to state that starting a makeup artist business from your home is relatively cheap. You would have successfully eliminated the cost of renting or leasing a studio facility which can be expensive and would naturally consume the bulk of your startup capital. You are only expected to spend money in constructing a makeup studio in your home and purchasing makeup supplies.
When it comes to financing a business, one of the first things you should consider is to write a good business plan. If you have a good and workable business plan document in place, you may not have to labor yourself before convincing your bank, investors and your friends to invest in your business. Here are some of the options you can explore when sourcing for startup capital for your makeup artist business;
- Source for soft loans from your family members and your friends.
14. Choose a Suitable Location for your Business
The fact that you are going to be starting your makeup artist business from your home means that your house should be well – positioned, easily accessible and must be able to secure permits for you to use it as a business facility especially if you want to put signage outside the facility.
These are some of the key factors that you should consider before choosing to start your makeup studio from your home;
- The demography of the location where your house is located
- The demand for makeup services where your home is located
- The purchasing power of residents of the location
- Accessibility of your house
- The number of makeup businesses and complimentary services in the location where your home is located
- The local laws and regulations in the community/state
- Traffic, parking and security.
15. Hire Employees for your Technical and Manpower Needs
There are no special equipment needed to run this type of business, but you would definitely need makeup supplies to start your business. Some of the working tools and supplies you will need are brushes, towel, powder, mascara, color pack, bowl, apron, and disposable shower caps et al.
You can visit shopping malls or beauty stores in your city to source for these supplies or better still check online stores. Also, you will need computer, internet facility, telephone and studio furniture (chairs, tables, and shelves) amongst others and all these can be gotten as fairly used.
The Service Delivery Process of the Business
The business process as it relates to makeup artistry business is to a large extent dependent on individual makeup artist. Most makeup artists work from home and operate a one man show. They go to venues with their makeup kits and catalogue sourcing for deals. Once they secure any business deal, they charge per hour and their charge is about $100 per hour.
A standard makeup artist business usually owns a studio and also carries out other complimentary services such as tanning. They bid for makeup contracts from TV production companies, movie producers, modeling companies, photo studios, celebrities, wedding planners and event organizers especially those that handle concerts.
Once they secure the contracts, they deploy their workers and carry out the jobs. It is important to state that a makeup artist that operates from home may decide to improvise or adopt any business process and structure that will guarantee them efficiency and flexibility.
16. Write a Marketing Plan Packed with ideas & Strategies
Running a business requires that you should be proactive when it comes to marketing your goods or services. If you choose to launch a makeup artist business, then you must employ strategies that will help you attract customers or else you will likely struggle with the business because there are well – known brands that determine the market direction for the business.
As a matter of fact, your marketing strategy should center on creativity, reliability, swiftness, safety, pricing, thoroughness, and above all excellent customer service. You should ensure that whenever your customers hire your services, they will get excellent service. If you are able to put the above stated in place, then you won’t struggle to retain your old customers and at the same time win over new customers.
Businesses these days are aware of the power of the internet and which is why they will do all they can to maximize the internet to market their services. In other words, a larger percentage of your marketing effort will be directed to internet users.
These are some of the marketing ideas and strategies that you can adopt for your makeup artist business;
- Introduce your makeup artist business by sending introductory letters alongside your brochure to TV production companies, movie producers, modeling companies, photo studios, celebrities, wedding planners, event planners and other key stake holders throughout the city where your makeup studio is located.
- Advertise on the internet on blogs and forums, and also on social media like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Instagram to get your message across
- Print out fliers and business cards and strategically drop them in offices, public facilities and train stations et al.
- Give great customer experience to all your clients the very first time
- Make use of attractive hand bills to create awareness and also to give direction to your facility
- Create a basic website for your business, so as to give your business an online presence
- Directly market your products.
- Provide discount days for your customers
- List your business on yellow pages ads (local directories)
- Encourage the use of Word of mouth marketing (referrals) in and around your neighborhood.
17. Work Out a Reasonable Pricing for your Services & Products
One key factor that will help you offer your makeup services at rock bottom prices is to purchase your makeup supplies directly from the manufacturers in pretty large quantities. The truth is the higher the quantities of items that you purchase directly from the manufacturers, the cheaper you tend to get them.
Another strategy that will help you offer your services at the right price is to ensure that you cut operational cost to the barest minimum, channel your efforts towards marketing and promoting your brand name.
18. Develop Strategies to Boost Brand Awareness and Create a Corporate Identity
If you are in business and you are not deliberate about boosting you brand awareness and communicating your corporate identity, then you should be ready to take on whatever the society portrays your business to be. One of the secrets of larger corporations is that they are willing to spend fortunes to boost their brand awareness and to continue to communicate their corporate identity the way they want people to perceive them.
If your intention of starting a makeup artist business is to grow the business beyond the city where you are going to be operating from to become a national and international brand by opening chains of makeup artist studios and selling franchise, then you must be ready to spend money on promotion and advertisement of your brand.
Here are the platforms you can leverage on to boost your brand awareness and create corporate identity for your makeup artist business;
- Place adverts on both print (newspapers and beauty magazines) and electronic media platforms
- Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google + et al to promote your makeup artist business
- Distribute your fliers and handbills in target areas
- List your makeup artist business in local directories / yellow pages
- Advertise your makeup artist business in your official website and employ strategies that will help you pull traffic to the site.
- Ensure that all your staff members wear your branded shirts and all your vehicles are branded with your company logo.
19. Create a Suppliers/Distribution Network
In order to successfully run a makeup business from your home, you must establish good business relationship with wholesalers of makeup supplies within the city.
So also, you are expected to create business networks with TV production companies, movie producers, modeling companies, photo studios, celebrities, wedding planners, event planners and organizers. They are in a better position to give you makeup contracts. Depending on your agreement with them, you might be compelled to pay certain fee or commission.