<iframe style=”border: none” src=”//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/7489208/height/90/theme/custom/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/eb2aa1/” height=”90″ width=”100%” scrolling=”no” allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>You’re a passionate new lash artist ready to go out and show the world what you’re made of. Naturally, you decide to seek some advice from other people in the industry (preferably someone who runs a successful lash business).
Maybe you go online and chat to a few lash artists who look like they’ve got it all figured out. They’re happy to share a few words of wisdom with you and sure, some of it sounds a little odd, but you’re grateful for their time and go off with the full intention to replicate each piece of advice that was bestowed upon you.
Hold it right there, dreamer!
Let’s not do anything rash here. While that lash artist probably had good intentions and genuinely wanted to help you out, some of their business advice might not be the way to go. In fact, it might even cripple your success and stifle the growth of your business.
The truth is that every lash artist, business owner, educator and supplier are all crafting their own paths. It just so happens that some of us are ballsy enough to regurgitate some form of our education to share with others. But much of what is out there in the lash world is either opinion, up for debate, straight up wrong, or actually based on truth!
{If you want to listen to the podcast episode on this topic, click on the player at the top of the post. Alternatively you can watch the video below, or read on…}
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Let’s dive into the top 10 WORST pieces of advice lash artists are given.
1. “Temperature and humidity don’t affect your glue”
Are you rolling your eyes as much as me? I bet you are!
Why do people even think this is true? Of course temperature and humidity affect your lash adhesive! I understand that different suppliers and manufacturers use different formulations but every adhesive on the market today contains an important ingredient called Cyanoacrylate.
Let’s have a quick science lesson. Cyanoacrylates are a family of strong and fast-acting adhesives often used in the medical and beauty industry. They cure using surface moisture, and their bonding performance is directly affected by both the surrounding temperature and humidity. Whether the impact on the glue is positive or negative depends on how well you know your adhesive.
The point is, your lash glue is without any shadow of a doubt, affected by temperature and humidity.
It’s science, not opinion.
2. “The customer is not ALWAYS right”
How many times have you heard this one?
Heck, even people who don’t work in the beauty industry have heard this, and while it may hold some truth for other businesses and industries, it has no place in the lash world!
Lash artists tend to have one-to-one relationships with their clients. But you wear all of the hats and are solely responsible for the financial aspects of your business. If you let yourself get walked all over by a client because “the customer is always right,” you end up hurting your business.
We get some crazy customers sometimes. Admit it, there’s maybe one or two clients that make you wish someone invented a human mute button just to give your head some peace. God knows I’ve had my fair share of this type of client and no matter what you do, no matter how perfect you do her lashes, she’s never happy. This is the type of client who’s going to take you on a wild ride and expect you to cater to her every whim.
If you do everything they say and treat them like the queen they believe themselves to be, you’ll turn into their personal doormat. You’ll end up feeling miserable. You’ll lose out on money from other clients because so much of your time is spent on this one person and you’ll probably do a lot of refunds too.
Some customers are bad for business
It’s expensive if you have to cater to every client’s whim and it also makes your employees unhappy because they feel like they’ve been thrown under the bus.
So, no…the customer is not always right. It’s a dated concept that’s been floating around since 1909, and it’s time to put it in a grave and bury it! Instead, I recommend having policies in place that openly and clearly communicate information to your customer. That way, everybody is on the same page.
3. “You can take legal and/or medical advice from the internet” (i.e. a Facebook forum)
Who knew there were so many qualified medical professionals hanging out in lash forums? It’s amazing that they grace us with their all-knowing presence and share their medical or legal advice. This is the worst place for you to seek any sort of legal or medical advice and here’s why:
First of all, even if somebody says that their husband is a lawyer, you can’t take legal advice from strangers on the internet. If they don’t practice in your city and/or state, your laws could be completely different.
With medical advice, the one I see most often is when lash artists seek advice about a client who has had an allergic reaction. Remember, it’s not within your license or scope of practice to give a medical diagnosis, medical advice or to tell them to take a medication because you don’t know their medical history.
If you so much as hand your client ibuprofen for a headache, you are now responsible for any reactions that client has as a result of taking the medication that you gave them. Worst case scenario, she sues you, puts your livelihood up for risk and you’re headed for a hefty lawsuit!
The next time a client has a medical question, tell her that you’re not a doctor or medical profession and ask her to consult with her own doctor. And remember, stay away from Facebook forums when it comes to giving or receiving medical or legal advice!
4. “You get what you pay for”
Expensive prices don’t always equate to quality goods or services.
Let’s take lash courses as an example. You can take the cheapest training course you can find and get the same results from the most expensive training in the industry.
The same goes for adhesives. There are some $200 lash glues on the market but using them doesn’t guarantee better retention.
There are some things that you probably shouldn’t pay rock-bottom prices for such as your lashes, adhesive, and eye pads. But on the other hand, there are things (such as tools, paper towels, training, etc.) that you don’t have to pay extortion prices for because higher rates don’t always mean higher-quality.
5. “.25’s”
I’m going to keep this one short.
You should know that .25 lashes are a terrible idea. They’re thick and heavy, making them one of the worst lashes to put on a client.
Need I say any more than that?
6. “You don’t need a website”
If someone ever tells you that you don’t need a website to run a successful lash business, I give you my full permission to abruptly end the conversation right there.
It’s 2018. If you don’t have a website, you don’t exist.
You need to get your footprint on the digital landscape.
If you think social media is enough to have a long-term thriving business, you’ve got a failing business strategy. Clients are going online to look for you and if they don’t find you, they’ll find your competition and go there instead.
7. “You need a WordPress website”
I’m not going to bash WordPress here but what I will say is that it’s by far the most complicated and high maintenance website platform that ever existed.
As you can see, I have a flair for the dramatic BUT hear me out. WordPress is fantastic for things like backend customization, plugins and in-depth SEO, which is excellent if you have a six or seven-figure business and do A LOT of online marketing.
But 99% of lash artists only need about 50-60 regular clients to be fully booked, and it is a costly mistake to use WordPress. Unless you’re a computer whizz and do coding on the side of placing beautiful lashes, you’ll probably need to hire a designer to maintain and update your website.
Your updates are mainly going to be things like changing photos, fixing a broken link, adding in a testimony, embedding your booking software and changing your hours, etc. Do you really want to pay someone $40-70/hr to do that for you?
I recommend using WIX for your lash business website. It’s super easy to use and primarily uses a drag and drop process to create and update your site. No fuss. No hiring of any expensive web developers to help you out. What could be better.
8. “You can learn how to do lashes on Youtube”
This is akin to diagnosing yourself with some rare terminal illness by way of a Google search. YouTube is great to learn insider tips and tricks, but it’s NOT a place to learn an entire trade skill!
It’s not going to show you how to do an entire lash set from start to finish much less show you how to hold your tweezers.
If you want to take your lash artistry and business seriously, you need to take a real training course. It can be an online course, but you better make sure it’s organized, comes with a manual and teaches you everything you need to know about lashes from start to finish.
9. “You can earn six-figures as a lash artist easy”
I bet you’ve all seen that infographic that’s been going around. It promises that you can make $180,000 a year as a lash artist working five days a week. The catch? You’ve got to do six full sets a day!
Think about that. I mean, really think about it. Doing one full set takes around two hours, and if you did six per day as the infographic suggests, you’d have to work 12 hours a day!
How’s that $180,000 a year sounding now?
Not to mention, you’d need to take home $8,333 every month to reach that amount, and that’s AFTER your business expenses are paid. If you bring home 50% of your gross revenue as your pay, the business would need to do $16,666 monthly. Most successful lash artists are doing anywhere from $5,000-$8,000 a month and work for four days a week.
How much of that do you think they’re taking home?
Being a six-figure lash artist is entirely possible, but it’s not easy. It takes a lot of marketing, a clear schedule, determination and a lot of hard work.
10. “Just hire someone and give them 50% commission. It’s a win win.”
Is it just me or does it sound crazy that there are lash artists out there giving their staff up to 50% of commission?
Handing out 50% of sales to payroll is an outrageous expense, and if you sat down with an accountant and really looked at your numbers, they would agree with me.
News flash! No industry offers 50% commission! It only exists in our industry because this piece of bad advice has been handed out by salon owners who don’t understand how to run their business, manage their financials or operate their expenses.
If you’re offering 50% commission, you’re making a huge mistake. This is not a “monkey see, monkey do” situation, so take some time to rethink your finances and get ready to make some necessary changes!
If you haven’t done so already, I’d appreciate it if you would head over to iTunes and leave a rating for the Lessons of a Lashpreneur podcast and don’t forget to subscribe to keep up with the latest episodes!
Have a Good One!
Tara Walsh
The Lashpreneur