Becoming a Beauty Freelancer: Working for Yourself in Cosmetology
Thinking you'd like to work for yourself in the beauty industry? You're in good company. In February 2024, freelancers made up almost half of today's global workforce—46.6%—and the freelance workforce has grown 15 times faster than the traditional job market in recent years.
People choose a freelance lifestyle for many reasons, like better work-life balance, greater job satisfaction, and the potential to earn a higher income. Here, we'll explore what you need to know about working as a freelance beauty professional.
What Is a Beauty Freelancer?
First, let's clarify our terminology. " Freelance" and "self-employed" are frequently used interchangeably, but they mean slightly different things. A freelancer typically works on a per-project basis for a variety of clients. For example, you might travel to events to do hair and makeup for wedding parties or be hired to do stage makeup for a play.
On the other hand, a self-employed beauty professional may own and operate a salon on their own or with employees. They don't tend to take "gigs" or individual projects but instead have customers at their business. Unless you have a full-time job and just freelance on the side to make extra money, a freelancer is self-employed, but not all self-employed people are freelancers.
Tax-wise, however, these beauty entrepreneurs are the same, which we'll discuss in a bit.
What Can a Beauty Freelancer Do?
Freelance beauty professionals can be found doing a wide variety of jobs, from renting chairs in salons and spas that they use a few times a week to do hair, nails, or esthetic work to working as a mobile esthetician, mobile hairstylist, or mobile makeup artist attending weddings or special events to do bridal party hair and makeup, and more. Here are a few other ideas:
Some, but not all, of these jobs require professional licensure, so be sure to check with your state's board of cosmetology.
How Freelance Beauty Professionals Find Clients
The exciting thing about freelancing is that your clients can be anyone and come from anywhere. Every interaction is a potential marketing opportunity. Freelancers who rent chairs in salons frequently find that other salon workers refer customers to them. Remember that your existing clients can be your best advertising medium. If you give a great haircut or nail design and if your service is friendly and professional, those clients' friends may notice and want to know how they can get those same services from you.
Also, consider attending networking or trade show events for beauty professionals to make connections. Social media can be an excellent, free method for showcasing your portfolio and promoting your services.
How Freelance Beauty Professionals Get Paid
Any freelance or self-employed individual is paid directly by clients or customers rather than employers. The payment method depends on you; you may accept cash and checks only, or you might decide to accept electronic payment through an app such as PayPal. You might also be able to accept credit cards if you pay for a point-of-sale system such as Square or Stripe that allows you to process cards through a small mobile device. This usually involves fees that you might opt to pass on to customers.
Note that because you aren't being paid by an employer and having taxes automatically withdrawn from your payments, those client payments help make up your gross income, which is untaxed. That means you will then need to claim that income to the IRS and pay taxes on your own.
READ MORE: How Much Do Beauty Professionals Actually Make?
Do Freelancers File Business Taxes or Just Income Taxes?
The IRS sees freelancers as self-employed individuals, and they may need to obtain business licenses as sole proprietors or limited liability corporations (LLCs), which have slightly different tax implications. And rather than having the employer withhold money for taxes, which is reflected on a W2, a freelancer is responsible for declaring and paying their own taxes, in addition to any household income tax they may file. To learn more about what's involved in this complex issue, seek the advice of a financial professional.
How to Become a Freelance Beauty Professional
Any cosmetology freelancer who wishes to operate legally must be trained and licensed, just as any professional working for an employer would. You need to earn the required training and licensure called for by your state's board of cosmetology. That means that, in general, hairstylists, barbers, estheticians, manicurists, and perhaps waxers or laser hair removal specialists will probably need formal training and state licenses to practice.
However, your state may not require professional licenses for certain types of beauty work, such as hair braiding, lash technician, beauty consultant, or makeup artist. Although you'll definitely want to receive proper training to provide safe, effective services, be sure you know the rules in your state.