An attractive open eye with wispy lashes — like the one the models from TV ads have — is no longer anything unachievable. Today any woman can get rid of a necessity to reach off the mascara thanks to the modern eyelash extensions. A trendy treatment is always in demand, which makes the idea of starting a lash business so attractive. Read on the article to learn handy tips on how to turn the idea of stepping into the lashing world into a goldmine.

Where to start?

The answer to this question is you. For a successful launch of a lash studio you need to get trained and make tweezers your bestie. It's worth mentioning, that there's another way to start: you can go into business as an owner without getting involved in the subtleties or nuances of the treatment. This scenario requires more funds and you have to be sure about the quality of the provided service. Let's assume that you don't much care for initial investment. But how can you assess the work of a lash artist if you don't know either the fundamental quality standards of a beauty treatment or the basics?

Luckily, mastering the lash artistry doesn't take much effort. The training process lasts for several days on average, while prices for classes range quite dramatically from $200 to $1000. It would be nice to start with some research in order to get what the industry is all about. The training program you pick can boost or kill your lashing career. So read the course outline carefully to learn more about the content and what topics will be covered. If you're a newbie to eyelash extensions, make sure the course matches your needs and corresponds with your current level of skills. Practicing as a lash artist may require a certificate or an esthetician license depending on your local state laws.

At first you may start doing lashes at home after you've telephoned your friends and neighbors. Lashing for free or taking money to cover the cost of supplies is up to you.

Ways of development

In order to create a professional workspace at home you'll need a lash bed or a recliner chair for your clients. The latter option is more preferable, because you can adjust the height and the angle of the chair to suit your posture. You'll also need an esthetician lamp, devices for cleaning and disinfection purposes, work tools and supplies. Choosing proper materials and equipment is essential both for your long-term health and career success, so you have to make careful choices.

Later you may have to refuse from home practice, and here's why.

First, clients seek high-quality service, which means you're not only supposed to do perfect lashes, but also take care of the space you work in. Let's take 2 lash artists with an equal level of skills and pricing: one of them does lashes at home - just like you, while the other one rents a cabinet in a beauty salon. Unless a client is your close friend, more likely she'll choose a lash artist in a salon.

Second, it's impossible to grow the lash extensions business at home. It is also a question of status: neither clients, nor colleagues would take you seriously — no matter how many certificates are placed on the wall of your apartment. Maintaining the work-life balance can also be challenging.

Third, starting a home lash business can be potentially illegal. Depending on the country you live in, there are certain regulations in terms of occupational health practices. Consult a lawyer or contact your state board of cosmetology directly to check if you need any official permissions.

Now when you're educated and licensed, it's time to move on to the next step and do the math. You should figure out the ongoing monthly costs, such as rental fees, electricity, storage equipment, furniture, and don't forget about the tools and supplies.

When choosing a proper space for your own studio, mind a few common requirements that most boards of cosmetology have. The studio should have a separate entrance, which means there should be an opportunity for clients to walk right from the outside of a building into the salon. Make a private bathroom in a lash studio and don't use it for any other household needs. Both storing the supplies and sanitizing the tools are essential, so make sure you have a specially adapted space for storage and a sanitizing station set up that abides by board regulations.

If these requirements seem easy to meet when working at home, please mind the additional costs and time you'll spend on integrating the features in the space of your house.

Redecorating is an important stage of the fit-out of a lash studio. You can either do this on our own, or find a space with a ready-made decoration — in this case you won't have to worry about any conflict situations with a landlord when he asks you to immediately vacate the premises. Ideally, there must be a place with laconic design waiting for you to add furniture, which by the way doesn't have to be new. You will definitely need money when it comes to purchasing the necessary tools and supplies.

Who is going to work with you, share duties and take care of business? A receptionist will make appointments and present the studio on the Internet and social media. A cleaner should maintain order and remove waste. And there should be a lash artist that you're supposed to teach regardless her current level of skills.

Take a closer look at graduates of specialized courses and trainings. For example, Innovator Cosmetics® one of largest manufactures of professional eyebrow and eyelash cosmetics. Company has its own training center called Innovator Beauty Academy. It trains different beauty experts, such as lash techs, brow techs, hair colorists, wax therapists, makeup and nail artists. You can undergo training on your own and find a business partner or a qualified artist for your team among fellow students.

Starting your own lash studio offers a chance for growing business, for opening a chain of lash extension studios, for teaching lash and brow technicians and making substantial profits. But this option requires funds, which many beginners don't have.

Due to obvious difficulties with opening your own studio, you may try to rent a chair or a cabinet in a beauty salon. This level of responsibility is quite different, but there's a number of advantages: a lash artist can start practicing, gain experience and expand the client base not worrying about the maintenance of the workplace, bookings and promotion, because all these tips are on a salon. Another major asset is that you join the community of lash artists and get to know healthy competition. Don't give up your dream: you can still save money for your own studio while working in a salon.

Whatever option you pick to start with, a properly made business plan is a must. You need to figure out your start-up costs, which are usually as follows:

• Training. Pick a course from a reputable lash artist and make sure the program corresponds with your needs.
• Business registration. Fees depend on your country or state, but are most commonly a few hundred dollars.
• Equipment and supplies.

Next thing to consider is your potential income. To figure it out, you should learn how much local lash artists charge per set and decide how many sets you're able to offer per day.

A business plan reflects the current state of affairs and helps you to understand if investing initial capital makes sense.

Workspace

Lashing service takes 2 or 3 hours, that's why the centerpiece of the cabinet is the recliner chair or a lash bed. Not only does the comfort of a client, but also the level of your fatigue depends on the choice of a recliner chair. Working for a long time in an uncomfortable body posture brings no joy, but can cause health issues.

Lash artists spend all day taking care of other people, so a proper working chair is essential. You should not feel any discomfort or body pain, that's why you should opt for chairs with wide seats and lumbar support to protect your own wellness.

If you have ever taken a nice photo with terrible lighting, you must know that poorly lit photos never bring satisfaction. The overhead lighting is very important as it lets your clients admire their gorgeous lashes and make photos for Instagram. But what's more important is the lash lamp. This piece plays a huge part in mastering the lash artistry, so you cannot skimp on it. The professional LED lighting mimics natural light — the very effect you're hunting for. A top-tier lamp has a pretty long adjustable stem and multiple brightness options. A portable lash lamp makes life much easier, so find the one that folds up easily in a travel bag. It's very important to exclude blinking, as it affects the eyesight. For that purpose, you can switch on the camera on your smartphone, point it at the lamp and record a short video. The camera captures the wavelengths that are invisible to the human eye.

Flexibility and ergonomics with the workspace pieces of furniture are also a must-have. Nothing should distract or bother you when applying slash extensions.

From the way the cabinet looks like a client will draw conclusions about the competence and aesthetic taste of a lash artist, so take it seriously and discuss all the possible changes and updates with the landlord. In a couple months of work you'll be able to understand how far you're willing to go with the launch of your own lash studio.

Apart from the level of skills, the key factor of the art of lashing is the quality of professional tools and supplies. So be very picky about famous suppliers and trustworthy brands — both your income and customer satisfaction depend on your choice.

What do you need for work?

1. Tweezers (both straight and curved).
2. Scissors.
3. Eyelash brushes and combs.
4. Quality lashes (single, knotted and knot-free).
5. Degreaser.
6. Lash adhesive and an application brush.
7. Eye pads and tape (to protect the under-eye area and keep the bottom lashes down).
8. Lash extension remover.
9. Cotton pads and swabs.

The approximate cost of such a kit is $70. Investing money in high-quality products is the best bet that will pay off in no time.

Innovator Beauty Academy provides all the necessary tools and materials as well as discounts and favorable conditions for their students. It also offers mentorship opportunities and stays in touch whenever you need to solve any issue even after graduation. Such long-term relationships not only help the graduates in future, but also ensure that they get their money's worth.

Promotion

Modern technologies set the rules. Today the winner is someone who can sell oneself in the information field. At the beginning of their career lash artists face the challenge of attracting customers. Not knowing the target audience is a typical rookie mistake. When you have no idea whose attention you're supposed to garner, you risk to get both disappointed in lashing and lost in the ocean of rivals and.

Start with the website and social media accounts and figure out a common style to follow. Clearly, Instagram is a very powerful platform for business development. But don't forget that people use Instagram for entertainment and social news, they want to find handy tips on how to improve their lives. So share advice on taking care of lash extensions, involve followers with direct questions, polls and voting. You're a storyteller, let people know that there's a person behind ‘before and after’ photos of lashing. That will help you build up a relationship of trust with followers. Speaking about the content, maintaining a balance between pictures and texts is the key, so don't overload the content with emoji and hashtags.

Instagram Stories are one of the best options to grow engagement, increase brand awareness and even boost sales. Tons of applications can help you create animated, fun and creative stories to meet your goals. Post short videos of doing lashes, the relevant schedule and prices, highlight the reviews and testimonials and tag your clients.

In order for you to engage as many people as possible, it would be great to learn the basics of targeted advertising. The settings of Facebook advertising are not that difficult. You can spend time to figure it all out on your own or take courses on social media promotion.

We could never have enough ads. Keep at hand your visit cards with all the necessary contacts and links to social media accounts. Offer your client a discount for the next service or a free lash extension removal if she brings her friend to you. Let the word of mouth work for you.

Profitability

Let's do some calculations and check all three ways of development as a lash artist — in case you either set up a home-based business (1), or open your own studio (2), or rent a chair in a beauty salon (3). Rough figures are as follows

The data excludes promotion expenses, salary payments and business licensing fees.

Now let's take an average price for lash extension service and assume that an artist will generate sustainable incomes in 3 months of continuous work.

There are from 21 to 23 working days per month. By offering 3-4 lashing sets per day, a lash artist can have 77 clients per month. Let's assume that 80% for the first or second time, while 20% need to remove lash extensions.

To project the final income we need to reduce the sum ($6650) by the taxes, monthly costs, promotion expenses and so on.

As a result, a lash artist can make $3000 per month on average. Even the lower workload is bearing fruit, while initial investments are paid off within a couple months. The expanded range of services and recruitment of staff members result in a net increase in profits.

Now the idea is beginning to sound like a plan, isn't it? Seize the moment and create favourable conditions to execute the plan. Find supporters that you can always count on. It'll be good to join reputable Facebook groups and follow leading lash artists to get a feel for the industry.

So make your choice in favor of reliable suppliers and trusted business partners.

And above all, keep improving and sharpening your skills to lash quicker and more effectively, learn new techniques and remain open to modern trends.

Read on to learn more:

• How to Start a Makeup Line.
• How to Open a Beauty Salon.