Do you enjoy wearing false lashes and applying for eyelash extensions? Have you always wanted to start a business in the beauty industry but haven’t found the right niche yet? As a small business owner, you can become a lash extension entrepreneur and earn good money. All you need is a passion for beauty and a desire to sell lashes.
What exactly is an eyelash business?
There are numerous niches in the beauty industry, but the eyelash business is unquestionably profitable. According to Grand View Research, Inc., the global false eyelashes market is expected to reach $1.6 billion by 2025, implying a large number of potential customers.
A trained technician applies eyelash extensions and other lash aesthetics to clients in an eyelash business. To be profitable, the eyelash business, like any other, requires marketing, sales, customer service, and other operations.
How Much Does It Cost to Launch Your Own Lash Company?
To start your own lash business, you’ll need money. When starting an eyelash extensions business, you’ll need to buy supplies and equipment. You’ll need to establish your salon location and possibly hire lash artists. Overall, you could expect to spend between $30,000 and $60,000 to launch your lash business.
How to Start an Eyelash Business: 20 Crucial Steps
Are you ready to start your own business selling eyelash extensions? The 20 critical steps outlined below will assist you in launching a successful eyelash extensions business:
1. Get the Necessary Training and Qualifications
Unless you intend to hire a lash artist, you must obtain the necessary training and qualifications to work as an eyelash technician for your lash business. Being licensed gives your clients a sense of professionalism while also keeping your business legally compliant.
Of course, each state and country has its own requirements, so be sure to research the qualifications required in your area. To obtain an esthetician license in your area, you may need to complete a series of courses, pass a test, or pay a fee.
2. Name Your Business and Create a Brand
What will you call your lash company? Every business requires a creative and distinct business name that will help it stand out in the minds of customers. Make sure to register the brand name to prevent competitors from using it.
Of course, your company name is only one component of your overall lash brand. Create a logo that visually represents your brand’s products, values, and vision.
3. Know Your Target Market
Who is your ideal customer? Your market, like most, will not include everyone. What kind of client will seek out your aesthetic services? When deciding to whom you will market your business, consider the demographics and characteristics of that target audience.
4. Research the Competition Providing Eyelash Extensions
In the lash business, who will be your competitors? What other local businesses will offer eyelash extensions and other lash services to your target audience? Investigate your competition, paying close attention to what services other lash businesses provide and how they promote their businesses. What works for them, and what can you do better in your lash business?
5. Create a Business Plan
You’ll need to create a business plan before you can get funding for your eyelash business. Even if you intend to launch your company without the assistance of a bank or investor, writing a business plan will assist you in better defining your company, identifying your target customer, and developing effective business strategies.
An effective lash business plan should include an overview of your company, including a general description of your company and the services it will provide, as well as financial projections, a description of your target market, and a general marketing plan.
6. Choose a Business Entity
How will you set up your lash extension company? Will you be the sole proprietor of your small business, or will you have one or more partners? Who is legally obligated to protect the brand? Who will be held accountable for profits and losses?
When it comes to establishing the structure of your eyelash business, you have several options, including sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, or even corporation. Most lash businesses will be established as a sole proprietorship or an LLC, depending on who will be personally liable.
7. Set Up a Business Bank Account for Your Eyelash Extension Business
Open a business bank account before your lashes business begins sending or receiving money. A business bank account adds a professional touch to your small business by separating your business and personal finances, which helps protect the business and keep it legally compliant.
You should also open a business credit card account for your eyelash extension business, which can be used to help finance your company during slow periods and purchase inventory until you start turning a profit.
8. Sort Out Licensing, Permits, and Fees
What licenses and permits will you require to run your lash salon? There is no simple answer to this question because requirements differ by region. Make sure you research any business licenses, as well as aesthetic or healthcare licenses, that are required in your area, and that you are prepared to pay any fees associated with obtaining them.
9. Set A Budget
What is your budget for launching your lash business? Any new small business incurs a variety of startup costs, and the eyelash extension industry is no exception. Consider the costs of your salon or other location, employees, equipment, and supplies, as well as the costs of starting your business. As a new small business owner, you should think about your financial resources so that you can save money when necessary.
10. Choose a Location
Where do you intend to do business? Will you rent a space to convert into a salon, or will you have your own location to house your own eyelash brand? There are numerous options available. You can conduct business from the comfort of your own home studio, or you can choose a posh high street location. You can even provide mobile eyelash services in many areas by operating out of a company van or another commercial vehicle.
11. Purchase Business Insurance
Running a business entails risks. What if a natural disaster wipes out all of your inventory? What happens if an employee or a customer is injured? What if a hacker compromises your online business operations?
You’re going to put a lot of time and money into making your lash business a success, so you’ll want to get business insurance to protect that investment. If you are selling or marketing services in an online marketplace, you should consider insurance policies such as property insurance, liability insurance, and cyber insurance.
12. Buy the Necessary Equipment
What equipment will you require to run your eyelash business? Of course, you’ll need basic office supplies like a desk, chairs, and a computer, as well as decor to create a relaxing environment. A small business owner starting an eyelash extensions business, on the other hand, will want to invest in the following equipment:
- Lighting – You will require bright, high-quality portable lighting to ensure that you and your aestheticians can clearly see each individual lash.
- Where will your customers relax while you work on their lashes? A reclining chair or a lash bed
- Linens and sanitary covers – Don’t forget about lash bed covers to keep your customers comfortable and clean.
- Comfy chair – You and your lash artists will be sitting in your chairs for hours as you apply eyelash extensions. Make sure you’re at ease while doing it.
- Shelves and storage – Having plenty of shelves and other storage containers will help you keep your salon organized.
- Lash cart – A lash cart can be outfitted with all of your different extensions as well as other lash supplies and equipment for easy access.
- Sink and sterilization area – Provide a sink and sterilization area in your salon to ensure a clean and sterile environment.
13. Set Your Prices and Create a Menu
What services will your lash business provide to customers, and how much will each cost? Examine the competition in your area when determining your pricing schedule. You may want to match your competitors’ pricing, or you may want to start with promotional pricing and charge even less than another local business when possible. Create a menu of services and pricing for your customers to use when purchasing lashes from you.
Read How to Pick Colors for Your Business Website.
14. Create a Professional Website and Email ID
To be successful in today’s marketplace, every business must have an online presence. Even if you do not intend to engage in e-commerce, a well-designed website and official email address will lend a sense of professionalism to your new business and serve as an important source of promotion for customers looking for lash services. It can also provide a booking tool, allowing customers to easily reserve appointments.
If at all possible, match your website domain to your overall small business brand. Don’t be concerned if you have no prior experience with web design. Many new business owners hire a professional web designer to create their own website.
15. Choose a Booking System
How will you schedule your customers’ lash extension appointments for your company? Gone are the days when small business owner could track their engagements with a pen, paper, and a desk calendar. To ensure the most professional scheduling, today’s lash business owner requires a solid booking system.
There is a wide range of booking software available, with features to suit almost any type of business. Choose from the best online booking software systems available, such as Boulevard, Fresha, or Gloss Genius.
16. Invest in Point of Sale Software
How will your lash company accept payments? You can ensure that your business can accept a variety of payment forms from customers both online and in-person by investing in point-of-sale software, as well as accurately tracking your sales.
Point-of-sale software, like booking system software, comes in a variety of flavors, each with its own set of features and tools. Small business owners can select from some of the best points of sale software options available, including Square Point of Sale, Shopify POS, Quickbooks Point of Sale, and Revel Systems.
17. Market Your Business and Build a Customer Base
It’s a competitive market, and you can’t expect customers to form a line just because your new lash salon opened its doors. To build a customer base, you must market your eyelash extension business.
Small business owners no longer need to spend money on traditional advertising to promote their goods and services. Engaging with prospective clients on a social media platform is one way to reach them. Create social media profiles for your lash company on popular platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
You can attract an audience of lash enthusiasts and potential clients by posting compelling content. Some lash artists have amassed large followings on YouTube and TikTok by posting videos of themselves applying eyelash extensions to willing customers. You can even use your own lashes to generate interest in your company.
18. Launch Your Business
You’ve obtained the necessary skills and certifications, purchased the necessary equipment and supplies, established your salon, and built a clientele. It’s finally time to start your lash business! Planning and organization are essential for the successful launch of your own eyelash brand.
19. Expand Your Services
You’ll want to start thinking about future growth now that you’ve successfully launched your small business. How will you broaden your offerings while increasing your earnings? Remember that more high-quality services can lead to more customers… and higher profits.
An entrepreneur who has successfully launched a lash business can consider expanding to other services in a variety of ways. Maybe you’ll create a webinar and sell eyelash tutorials online. Perhaps you will assist in the development of your own custom eyelash extensions and launch your own lash label. You could even work as an eyelash wholesaler. The possibilities are practically limitless when you have a creative mind. You can also research how to start a hair salon or how to start a nail salon to expand your offerings.
20. Be a Successful Business Owner
When your lash business starts making money, you’ll be well on your way to becoming the successful small business owner you’ve always wanted to be. You’re now your own boss, but your lash artist career is just getting started. To thrive, your company will require your ongoing assistance.
Is it possible to make money from a lash business?
Are lash shops profitable? According to Giovanni Eyelash Factory, customers in the United States now use more than 40 million pairs of false eyelashes each month, and that figure is expected to rise. It stands to reason that more entrepreneurs are finding success in the eyelash industry.
You can make money by opening an eyelash salon, and the 20 steps outlined above should help you along the way.
Learn more from business and read Start 2022 on the Right Foot with These Local Small Business Grants Opportunities.
