How to Start a Mobile Beauty Therapy Business

Making someone look and feel their best is so rewarding, and this is one of the main reasons why people choose a career in beauty therapy.

After you have completed your qualifications, you might want your own salon, but what if this is not a practical option straight away? Well, one option is that you can set up your own mobile beauty therapy business. It gives you the chance to do your dream job, and fit it around your other commitments.

Many clients use a mobile therapist to do their treatments when it’s convenient for them. Clients can have the same choice of treatments in the privacy of their own home as they can have in a salon. Here’s how to start a mobile beauty therapy business.

Gain beauty therapy qualifications from a reputable training provider

Here at the academy, we offer a mobile beauty therapist qualification, which is a comprehensive 8-day course, focusing on the most popular and most often requested treatments, to get you on the path to running your own successful mobile beauty therapy business. Once you have completed your training, you can add on further courses if you wish. The more you can offer clients, the more they will book with you, time and time again.

What are the benefits of being a mobile beauty therapist?

• You can choose your working hours
• You can determine which clients you work with
• You can increase your skills whenever and however you want

These are just some of the benefits of working for yourself.

Starting up as a mobile beauty therapist

What will you need?

You might need some kind of trolley to transport any kit like a mobile couch, and a reliable car is essential. You will need to make sure you update your car insurance to include business usage. Any other equipment you need will depend on the services you offer.

Some equipment you will probably need to consider includes:

• Makeup and associated products: If you’re going to be doing makeup, you’ll need a full makeup kit, and a chair for your client.
• Waxing kit: You’ll need things like paper towels, wax products, a heater to melt the wax, wax strips, and any aftercare products.
• Manicure and pedicure equipment: You’ll need a variety of different nail colours, possibly a gel or nail extension kit if you’re going to be offering them, nail files, buffers, cuticle remover tools, and other hand and nail treatment products like cuticle oils.
• Massage kit: You will probably need to invest in a folding treatment table, towels, massage oils, and maybe some scented candles or similar.

Insurance

Insurance is a must when you are starting up, because you need to protect yourself and your clients. Look around for the most comprehensive insurance you can afford, even of it costs you a bit more, but make sure you’re getting a good deal. Not being fully insured could cost you more in the long run if you end up exposing yourself or your client to unnecessary risk. Remember too, that if you qualify in any new treatments, they will need to be covered by insurance too.

You’ll need

• Public liability insurance: Which insures you against claims made against your business by a member of the public. This can include injury and loss or damage to property.
• Product liability insurance: This applies to you if you sell products to customers. It insures you against any injury the product might cause to a client.
• Professional indemnity insurance: This insurance will cover the cost of compensation for customers who suffer loss or damage in the event of being provided with negligent advice or services by you.

How to promote your mobile beauty business

Choosing a business name

Your business name is a part of your brand, and it will give your potential customers an idea of what you’re all about. It’s fine to be creative, but remember that your business name and any logos will be associated with the business for a long time. Check that the name is not too similar to other businesses, especially those operating in the same area you’re going to be working in.

Getting your business out there

You’ve set up your business, but now people need to know about it! Here’s the different ways you can promote your business:

Word of mouth

This is one of the most effective ways of advertising. Tell your friends and family that you have set up a business, what you are offering, and ask them to hand out some business cards or flyers for you. Think about offering some discounts to entice people to use your services. Ask your clients to leave reviews, make sure they get an excellent service, and they’ll be sure to tell people all about you.

Social media

A social media presence is a must for any business. Facebook is a great place to advertise your business as you can reach a lot of potential customers for quite a small amount of money. You can run competitions to win free treatments, or discounted treatments, you can post photos of your work, reviews from happy customers, and anything else you feel might be relevant to your current and potential customers. And as most of your services will be aimed at ladies, think about this; 76% of women have a Facebook account.

Set up a website

Most people will look on the internet for recommendations when they are looking for beauticians. You can either create your own site for free, or you can invest in a professional web designer that will put a little professional polish on a site for you.

Leaflets

Leaflets are an effective way of letting people in your local area know about your services, especially your prices and how they can contact you.

Business cards

They contain all the vital contact details clients need, plus they can double up as appointment cards, if you leave some space on the back.

Top tip!

Don’t expect your business to take off straight away. Building a client base takes time. Focus on promoting your business through social media and word of mouth, and ask clients to leave reviews. Your reputation will soon grow.

You can do a job you love and build a business to be proud of. The key is to offer a wide range of services at reasonable prices. One way to continually offer clients more, is to advance your skills by gaining more qualifications.

All our courses are taught in small groups which makes for a relaxing learning environment where you’ll get all of the attention you need. Steph, our academy director and trainer, has over 20 years’ experience in the industry so when you book a course with us, you’ll be perfectly prepared to be the most successful therapist that you can be. For more information on any of our courses, call Steph on 07825337342