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SEARCHThen you are a HOT topic! What you do and how you do it is creating more buzz than ever in the professional beauty industry.
Then you are a HOT topic! What you do and how you do it is creating more buzz than ever in the professional beauty industry. Here are few recent facts and figures about salon professionals who choose the “independent beauty” lifestyle and rent a salon chair or salon suite, or work freelance.
Did you know. . .
There are a lot of you. It is estimated that more than one-third of working stylists in the U.S. today are “solo artists,” meaning they are self-employed as a contractor, rent a chair or space in a salon business, lease a suite or studio, or work freelance. In other words, they do not collect commission or salary, and are solely responsible for their own income tax and other assessments.
You may be a little “too flexible” with your business. Approximately 60% of professional beauty Solo Artists have a formal rental agreement. That means 4 of every 10 don’t have one. (Learn more about why this is important—and what you need to know about agreements—in a future edition of Solo Artist updates.)
Being “on your own” isn’t the right fit for everyone. Of current commission-based stylists, 38% have worked as a Solo Artist (in a rental or freelance situation) at some time in their careers. The beauty of the beauty profession is that there are SO many options, environments, situations and career paths from which to choose.
Stylists who go solo have a lot in common with stylists who work in traditional salons and compensation structures. At the end of the day, it’s all about your work, your artistry, your passion for your clients and the services you perform. Techniques, trends and the “how and why” you engage with clients are the common denominators that put you –and keep you—behind the chair. Here are a few demographic facts and figures the “average stylist” shares, whether working independently or on commission:
90% are women
You are in your mid ‘40s, with Solo Artists trending just slightly younger
In both cases, about half provide the primary household income
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