Becoming an esthetician is a rewarding and often lucrative career. With more people and celebrities wanting the best skin care treatments, to make them look younger and give them glowing skin, estheticians are in demand. And now is the time for more Black women to start entering in and diversifying the beauty industry.
Bianca Edwards, says that beauty for Black Americans is culture. Black women have always invested in the beauty industry through routine visits to the hair salon and frequent nail appointments. Yet Black estheticians are few and far between.
Edwards is a professional Esthetician for over 11 years and has built her business from zero to six figures. Some of her services include $300 facials and she’s even provided Floyd Mayweather with a $5000 facial.
If you are passionate about skincare or want to uplevel your current career, here is how you can grow your business to treat luxury and celebrity clientele.
Be passionate about the work
In the beauty industry, it’s easy to want to make quick money by doing nails, eyebrows, and facials, but there is more to providing these services. Edwards mentions that many people get caught up in the potential of earning good money but successful estheticians say ” We get into this business because we want to help people.”
Her professional advice is to “come in with a passion or purpose.” Whether you want to come into this industry and make some extra money or you want a lasting career, having a focus or a passion for this work will lead you to make the profit you desire.
Be perseverant
When starting your career it will take time to develop your skills but also time to acquire a dedicated clientele. “Sometimes you can put in that hard work and dedication and still not make the sell,” mentions Edwards.
To get over the hump of first starting out you must be willing to put your business first and stick it out through hard times. Edwards suggests having that hard but necessary talk with yourself on what you’re willing to sacrifice to make your business a priority.
In addition, she encourages you to believe in yourself and honour the value you bring to your business.
Be confident
“A lot of people take tons of classes, and don’t have the confidence to execute what they’ve learned,” says Edwards. Building confidence means understanding you have to be social and ask for the sale. Don’t be afraid to be a salesperson.
And as you build your skillset your confidence will grow. By doing quality work and making an impact on the lives of your clients, you can put yourself out there and know that you deliver results that only you can give.
Seek quality education and build your skills
“This is where people are going wrong in this industry,” Edwards shares. “They aren’t doing their research and making sure the classes they are taking are from qualified people.”
Edwards advises checking the credentials of anyone who you want to take classes from or study under. Some professionals may appear knowledgeable on social media but don’t have the education to support their work.
Set your price and stick to it
“A lot of people cheapen their service, and they cheapen the quality of their service because it’s easy to obtain clients at a lower price point,” says Edwards. As a result, you will attract clients who only want the low cost and do not value your service.
“This is a specialized service,” Edwards emphasizes “So you don’t have to cater to every price point, if people can’t afford, they just can’t afford.” Edwards also mentions that it may take some time to acquire clienteles at a higher price point but once you do, the clients will be loyal and recommend you to their friends and colleagues.
Don’t offer free services for celebrity exposure
When approached by a celebrity or an influencer, not every person will pay the top rates. Some influencers will even try to get services for free in exchange for exposure. However, as Edwards advises” You’re not guaranteed to go viral or become a celebrity esthetician off of one post from one celebrity, you have to catch the eyes of multiple people.”
Unless you are being offered global exposure, remember that it’s okay to charge for the valuable service you are offering, no matter the status of the client.
Have a vision for your career
What do the beginning and the end of your career look like? Knowing how you want your career to grow is what creating a vision is all about. Think about your end goal and work backwards.
Another way to create this vision is to write a business plan. This way you can see all the components of your business and adjust what is needed to get to the next milestone.
And if you are looking for support in building your confidence within your business follow Edwards on Instagram where she hosts Lives and shares her knowledge with anyone wanting to get into the field.
You can also check out her personal beauty line at https://www.bdrbeautydoneright.com/
