October 08, 2021

Business building tips from a professional Makeup Artist

Are you in the beauty industry? This is a smart Business move I wish I made sooner!

As a fully-qualified Makeup Artist of 7 years, I understand that a lot of work in the makeup space by default falls between Friday-Sunday. This leaves weekdays quite dormant and as a result, sometimes there can be this feeling of added pressure to squeeze in as many clients on the weekend, so that it compensates for the quieter periods. This can be a little stressful and exhausting, but I have made a minor change in my business which has changed all of that!  

Recently, I signed up to the RunwayPRO program, which is available to many workers in the beauty industry, not just Makeup Artists! To check if you're eligible to apply, follow this link: https://www.runwayroom.com/pages/pro

The free membership gave me access to 40% off Runway cosmetics - and having artistry discounts at other stores, this is by far the largest industry discount that I have come across!

One thing that particularly stood out to me about the membership was that I can actually on-sell the cosmetics to my clients, at full RRP. Since then, I have been making more money on every service!

Allow me to elaborate.

Exhibit A: I have a woman in my makeup chair who mentions she ''needs a lipstick to touch up throughout the day''. Instead of telling her what shade lipstick I used, so that she can maybe get to a department store before her special occasion, I can now sell her a lipstick at full RRP that I keep stocked in my makeup kit.

Lipstick RRP: $34.95 

My PROMUA price: $20.97

I just made almost $15 in seconds, and now my lucky client can skip the frantic visit to the shopping centre, sifting through hundreds of shades. 

If your weekend consist of approximately 15 clients, you can take home an extra $225 just from carrying lipsticks!

Additionally, the same rule applies with lashes. 

False Lashes RRP: $14.95

My PROMUA price: $8.97

If you charge $19.95 for the lash and application, you can make $11 extra on every service, which by the weekend again can generate an extra $165. 

You don't need to carry a heap of stock, there is no limitations or minimum order quantities! This means you can stock the shades that you use regularly, and can order in stock for bridal parties at the time of trial. This also means that you're not over-ordering or under-ordering! I personally always stock Ballerina, Librarian and Toffee Cream because I know that they are a hit for brides!

These added sales have helped me generate so much more income than I would have otherwise made.

If you have 15 appointments per week, and you're pocketing $390 in profit from lips and lashes, you can be making an additional $20,280 per year!

Founder of Runway Room, Alex Fevola, recognises that if the Makeup Artist is doing the recommending and selling, then the Makeup Artist should be the one profiting, and I couldn't agree more!

Of course, there is some other benefits to the ProMUA program such as:

  • Exclusive access to educational experiences and workshops
  • Early access to special offers
  • Business-building tips
  • Support & advice 

You can also expand your services during weekdays and run personalised 1 on 1 workshops with your clients. This is something I have started doing during lockdown, and not only can you educate and empower your clients to achieve a flawless face, but it is also a great way to generate extra income by on-selling Runway Cosmetics stock!

If you are looking to work smarter and not harder, I implore you to apply for this membership, it is so easy and best of all, completely free!

 

 

 

Written by Enrica Matina