Your Cosmetologist Career
is What YOU Say it is.

Your cosmetologist career, literally, can be anything you want it to be.

That should get your blood pumping because it is the absolute truth.

Sometimes you gotta create what you want to be part of. -Geri Weitzman
— Motivational Quotes (@DavidRoads) August 13, 2014

Your Cosmetologist Career, on your terms

We have talked about all of the enormous amount of cosmetologist jobs available to a licensed hairstylist.
I mean there are a bunch of opportunities.

But what do you do when you find your muse, your specialty talent, and there isn't a job in your town for it?

Recently, I had a stylist come to me that was unhappy in her present situation. Basically, she was in the wrong salon for her passions. She was in a barber shop. She wasn't able to express herself and she was getting more depressed by the day.

We live in small to mid sized city in Central Florida, just far enough from Orlando that a commute is not feasible. She is an artist with blow outs! But there are no blow out salons here and she already tried booth rental and wasn't suited for it.

So what's a girl to do?

I showed her how to CREATE THE OPPORTUNITY for her cosmetologist career.

You have to use some creative thinking so open your mind and travel with me down this road of alternative opportunities.

Cosmetologist Career Creation, Alternative Style

Regan is good at blow outs, right? That is her passion and she has a fantastic talent for it. She would be happy as a dog with a bone if she could make her living at this.

Follow a plan and anything is possible!

Alternative Cosmetologist Career Plan

Identify your specialty
Have all the tools you need to do the job
Identify your market
Go where your market gathers
Either become a Freelance Hair Stylist OR
Pitch your services to the right salon

Not Regan, but you get the picture.

Let's break it down using Regan's situation as an example of how to apply the Cosmetologist Career Alternative Plan.

1. Identify your specialty: Blow Out's

2. Have all the tools you need to do the job: In Regan's case, she needs an awesome blow dryer, an assortment of clips and brushes. This way she is prepared to slide right in to the position when she creates it.

3. Identify your market: Women and teenage girls

4. Go where the market gathers: She is looking for the salon that services her market OR she is looking for a market to be a Freelance Hair Stylist. The right salon would be one that could support the blow out service, so it would be best if it were mid to high end in an affluent section of town. If she is freelancing she needs a market to tap into to, like a large business district or large private school full of long haired teens with daddy's money.

5. Either become a Freelance Hair Stylist, OR: Being a freelance hair stylist is a lot of responsibility. It is like owning your own business. You are in charge of every aspect including, scheduling, accounting, inventory, supplies, transportation, marketing, branding. And as a freelancer, you have to determine where your services will take place. As a blow out artist in a small town booth rental would be the best option. But this is determined by your own specialty. For instance, bridal hair can be done in homes and on premises. A mobile hairstylist would be on the move traveling. A color specialist freelancing would need a permanent spot.

However, Regan has tried booth rental already and she didn't have the proper skills to self manage all aspects of the business. So in her case we will choose #6.

6. Pitch your services to the right salon: By this point Regan is prepared by doing all the work above and has a list of salons where her service would blend beautifully and add value to a business.

What does she do now?

She gets a model lined up with beautiful hair . She writes a business proposal describing the service and the benefits to the salon's revenue and image. She does this in a creative and informative/professional way using real dollar amounts.

She develops an appropriate elevator pitch. (An elevator pitch is a 30 second speech that sells your proposition by getting straight to the point. Check out this article to help you write one.)

She makes an appointment with the manager or owner to discuss her possible employment with the salon and what she would like to bring to it.

Here is an example of a Salon Pitch for Regan:

Hi Dorothy! I see that your salon offers styling and finishing. I would like to propose an idea to make your finishing services sales increase drastically while contributing to your salon branding efforts. I'm a blow out artist. There is no other Blow Out Bar in this city. If you were to tweak the name of your service from "blow dry & style" to "Blow Out Bar" you could increase sales. By having a Blow Out Artist in your salon you offer your clientele an experience that is more valuable. Here is my proposal and an article from Launchpad Magazine about the revenue that the new Blow Out Bars are bringing in. As you can see, this salon turned the service into a million dollar stream. I would like to help you grow your revenue. Anytime you like, I would be happy to bring in a model and show you what I'm talking about. Would a time next week be convenient for you? It will give you time to think about the possibilities and we could talk afterward.

This path is not for the weak of heart.

Confidence will make or break you.

But if you find yourself in the situation where you have these big dreams and nowhere to go with them, start using alternative thinking.

You will surprise yourself with a world of possibilities for your cosmetologist career.