How to Increase Your Clients as a Makeup Artist (part 2)

On this second segment, I will address the various methods of how a makeup artist can use easy ways to expand his/her portfolio.

Generate a collection that exhibits your talent

To acquire a clientele, it is extremely crucial to possess a portfolio of 10-12 different looks that displays your true talent. To build your collection, you can simply ask family or friends to pose as a model if you’re on a tight budget to get a professional one. When you’re creating a portfolio, it’s equally important to have coherence in terms of accessories and costumes.

Furthermore, since it’s your chance to demonstrate your ability as a makeup artist, get a little creative— within limits, of course— and generate a soft copy so that you can share your collection on different social media outlets such as Facebook, Instagram, Google plus, etc.

Create a website or modify it if you have one

As I have mentioned on my earlier post, the best way to advertise your business as a makeup artist is to create a website or to refine an existing one to make it look more professional and engaging. This will keep your potential clients updated with your work and the services you provide. It is also essential to replace recent pictures with the old ones from time to time.

Get additional training

To make your makeup artistry business more sought-after, advance your training and licensing. If you consider taking complementary classes on skin care, hair styling, and special effects, it will bring about more yields for you.

Utilize Good Products

The cosmetic you use must be of a professional grade makeup; for if they are easy to access, the chances of your business growing is narrow.

Additional tips

•  Expand your networking with other people in the makeup industry.

•  Remember to always demonstrate your gratitude towards your clients so that you could gain their loyalty. Also, request a feedback on your work.
•  Maintain a good relationship with other makeup artist; you never know when you would need help from them professionally.

How to Increase Your Clients as a Makeup Artist(part 1)

I love my makeup artist; she is someone I rest every speck of my trust on. Fortunately for me, she’s a veteran in the industry—has been working for over a decade now. She always does an impeccable job glitzing me up for special events. How she has been able to amass such a huge clientele has always piqued my curiosity. So I probed into the matter and gleaned some very important pointers. So, whether you’re a Studio owner or a freelance makeup artist, you could make use of them.

Marketing Strategy

Your business plan doesn’t have to be a complicated one— just keep it simple.

Set aside a weekly or a monthly blueprint for your marketing pursuits. The following should be keystones to your planning:  a strategy to get new clients, to keep the existing ones, and to establish your brand.

A sales pitch

You need to have a portfolio that stands out. Branding starts from you, so have a personal pitch: keep it crisp, about a hundred words or less. Talk about yourself, your past experiences in the industry. And give a little information about your business and your working principles.

Logo

A logo is a must, and I’m not talking about those macabre kinds. You need to get a professional one done. It is one of the first impressions clients get from you; don’t let it disappoint.

A website

Just like the logo, a website needs to project a professional feel. With graphic designers everywhere, this should be an easy job.

Be sure to add your contact details and to link the site to your social media accounts. Have a detailed description of your skills and your price rate.

Other thing you need to consider

A contract form is very essential. I have touched upon this topic— clickhere.

You’ll also need a booking form. When booking clients, however, don’t take on more than what you can handle.

I’m just getting started; there are more pointers coming your way. Keep an eye out for part 2; in the mean time, please do share pointers you have.

Contract Forms: Why they are Important to a Makeup Artist

At the absence of a signed contract, makeup artists are exposed to many unfavorable conditions. Being vulnerable to last minute cancellations is one of the many irksome incidents.

There are various reasons to why some clients cancel; for instance, a bride might be on a tight budget, so she might have a family member do her makeup for free. But on the makeup artist’s end, they have to lose a good night sleep to wake up early to reach the brides house, wait until the bride is awake, get paid late and much besides.

If you are a makeup artist, I advise you not to rely on verbal agreements with your clients because if there are any complications, you will be the one dealing with the unjust outcomes. So, remember to initially adhere to your Makeup Service Agreement/Contract to mainly protect yourself of any last minute cancellation, rescheduling, delay, disagreements, etc.

Please don’t hesitate to share your experiences with us.

 

The Ugly Reality of Taking Loans from Loved Ones

It’s quite common for entrepreneurs to find capital for their businesses from family and friends. In fact, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2012 Unites States Report, most startups are funded by those close to the entrepreneurs.  

But, embarking on such financial arrangements could lead to the erosion of good relationships here are some of the challenges you need to contemplate before borrowing money from loved ones.

1.       Money Might change both of you.

Money will inevitably cause strain in the relationship. No matter how reasonable you or your lender is, financial issues like deficits or even profit will change both of you and cause disagreement at various intervals.

2.       You’ll be enslaved by the lender.

Until you’re able to pay off your loan, you’ll have this shadow of insecurity cast over you.

At the beginning, most lenders will be cool about it, but when you start spending, say on a new car or a fancy wardrobe, and he/she notices, things start to get ugly. Instantly the lender/your friend or family will start thinking, “How is she squandering the money on expensive stuff, when she still owes me money?”

3.       It’s possible your business go bust.

What if your entire plan turns out to be one big failure? How will you be able to pay that person back? That’s sure to cause a huge gap in your relationship.

So here are ways to avoid loans from destroying your relationship with loved ones.

·         Keep the arrangement strictly formal; let it resemble that of a bank loan. There should be obligations of repayment – by the way, failing to pay back what is borrowed is never okay, under any circumstance. You should have terms of payment- perhaps a little flexible than that of a bank though.

·         Create a schedule for payment. Your business might not generate enough revenue. In that case, make monthly payments to the lender and add penalties to late payments.

·         Add interest payments. Normally loans come with interests, so why should your arrangement be any different? 

7 things that are holding you back from Success

The thirst for success is in the very fiber of humanity. Every one basks in the reverie of a prosperous and flamboyant life- but only some of us actually turn that imagination to reality. So if you really have this unflinching desire for success, here are 7 obstacles you need to get rid of.

1.       Obsessing over past mistakes

We’re all humans thereby prone to make blunders. The sooner you learn that, the faster you get over past mistakes, learn valuable lessons from them and simply move on.

Don’t look back; just feast your eyes on the treasury that awaits ahead.

2.       Allowing envy to get out of control

It’s always healthy to adapt lessons from successful people. It could be the smart choices they’ve made or their diligence. Learn from them, but do not let envy play into the factor, for that would breed negativity, creating an unhealthy environment for work.

3.       Surrounding yourself with a mob of negative moochers

You know those people who are always negative, and needy? You don’t want them around. They will suck the energy out of you and fill you with negativity. So find a positive and prosperous crowd to be around.

4.       Lacking assertiveness

As discussed above, people do make mistakes, but they learn from them. And it is those lessons that make you wiser and confident.

While it’s smart to make cautions decisions, it’s also detrimental to second-guess your every move to the point where you are paralyzed to make necessary decisions essential to success. Be assertive.  

5.       Stagnancy

Feeling content with the success you have achieved so far is a good thing, but you must always have that avid lust for change and further growth. There’s always something new to learn out there; keep an eye out for that.

6.       Failing to act on your plans.

Anyone with a drive for success is equipped with a well-defined plan. But many are hesitant to take steps towards those goals. Don’t be one of them. Turn your plans to reality and keep a record of the progress you make.

7.       Allowing money to define success.

Yes, money is a bewitching entity that could have you lose focus. Increasing your revenue as a business woman/man or an employee is a must. But money is not the keystone you should build your success on. Things like bettering your product or services, motivating your crew, diligence, play into the factor.

8 Ways to Finance Your Startup Business

It is our innate desire to startup a business one day. And when that day to act on our plan arrives, we ruminate various ways to fund our startup.

There are multiple options that are available for establishing a business, even though all the alternatives might not suit you. Below, I have listed 8 most reliable ways to fund your startup business.

1. Seek a bank loan

If you have a robust business plan and have a good credit history or existing assets, then you might get loans from Small Business Administration (SBA).

2. Join a startup incubator or accelerator

Business incubators such as YouWin Nigeria are getting very popular these days. They tend to have a more positive response to promising ideas and smart entrepreneurs. This sort of funding is sometimes called “seed financing.”

3. Solicit angel investor groups or Venture-Capital

Most angel-investor groups are interested in subsidizing qualified startups. They give smaller loans than VCs (Venture Capitalists).

Venture Capital contains professional investors who usually invest a substantial amount of money in qualified business startups.

4. Ask for micro-business grant

Government funds are there to financially support various causes.  Thus search for good places to get subsidized for your business.

5. Initiate a crowdfunding campaign online

This is the latest mechanism for funding, where people make online promises to pre-purchase your product for later delivery.

6. Partner Savings

Partnership is very crucial in terms of sharing the financial burden, as well as developing the business management.

7. Tell family and friends your needs

Get your family and friends to believe in your startup. Broadly explain to them that it will be a promising business.

8. Sponsor your startup yourself

If none of the options mentioned above are not available or do not conform to you, bootstrapping might suit you.

Many startup businesses have been self-funded. Even though saving money might take time, it would be a gratifying experience.  

Marital Rape; Yes, it does Exist

We all are aware of the fact that this world of ours is riddled with horrid occurrences, or, in simple terms, crime. And rape happens to be one of those crimes that have devastated the lives of many from around the world.

Under the rubric of the law rape is defined as the crime of sexual intercourse without the consent of the woman, and when it’s accomplished through force, threat of violence or intimidation. Lack of consent consists of saying “no” or being under the influence of substances such as drugs or alcohol, that tampers with the woman’s ability to resist or consent.

Rape is characterized as a crime committed on a woman by some stranger. But can her husband, the very man with whom she uttered the sacred vows of marriage, be charged of raping her? Yes.

Marital rape, which is also known as Spousal rape, or rape in marriage, is stated by the law in many counties such as the U.S., Europe, and some developing countries, as a form of domestic violence or sexual abuse.    

Nowadays, so many women are coming out and sharing their stories about how their husbands use to rape them. And one of the many things you learn from their share of horrible experiences is that rape in marriage isn’t only in the form of physically forced sex. It can also be accomplished through manipulation and threats.

If, for instance a woman is asleep, intoxicated, drugged, unconscious, or in any other condition that can’t enable her to make mindful decisions, and her husband has sex with her, then that would be rape.

And if a man uses verbal threats of harm to have sex and the wife complies with his need for fear of getting injured, it’s rape.

      

 Sometimes men also manipulate their wives in to having sex with them. He would either threaten to leave the house with the kids, or go to other women to fulfill his needs.  In such circumstances a woman’s compliance isn’t valid, as she wouldn’t be having sex with him for love but for fear of losing her marriage.

One of the many women who have brought light to Spousal rape is the 26 year old Sarah Tetley. On an interview with ITV’s This Morning, she told the world of how her husband has been raping her while she was in a profound state of sleep.  She also reviled that the police found over 300 pornographic videos of her in Charlie Tetley’s, her husband, computer. Certain scenes of the video have also led the officials and Sarah herself to the assumption that she might have been drugged.

Charlie has pleaded guilty to 26 counts of rape and assault and now faces to up to 12 years in prison.