Growing up, I always use to watch my mum putting on her makeup, going for facials, and indulging in beauty treatments. Seeing her do this fascinated me, I loved being around that environment. I think this was what initially got me interested in working in the beauty industry and over the years my passion grew.

Working with beauty and makeup is my dream job. I love the social aspect of it, talking to people, finding out if they’re getting the treatment for a special occasion or just to treat themselves. When doing makeup for clients, it’s great to talk to them about the look they want. That’s definitely what this job is about for me; making people feel great about the way they look.

Since opening my beauty training school in Essex five years ago, I’ve been lucky enough to help hundreds of others develop or launch their career. To be able to pass on my knowledge and experience to help other people attain their goals is amazing.

Here are my thoughts and tips about running a beauty training business. If it’s something you’re interested in, hopefully this will help. I’ll also share my makeup tips with you which I’ve learnt over the years.

The business:

It’s hard work

Let’s not beat around the bush, running your own business is hard work. There is so much you need to think about, but mainly: What makes you stand out? Why will people want to train at your beauty school? Check out this article and start to have a think if it’s something you want to do. If you’re like me, working with makeup and beauty is my ideal job, so my passion really drives me. If you’ve worked for a while in makeup then you’ll be confident in your knowledge and experience to get it off the ground.

Do your research

Find out if there is a gap in the market for the kind of training you are offering within your area. If you know what people are looking for then you can find a target market to promote to. This is a crucial part of running a business.

Is the work worth it?

Absolutely! The reason I do the job is because of the many benefits. For me, I enjoy seeing my students grow in confidence, whatever age they are, as they realise they are capable of performing excellent treatments within a very short space of learning time. I love seeing how I can help people develop their careers to do what they love.

The makeup:

Having worked within the beauty industry for many years now, here’s my advice regarding makeup! If you run a beauty training business, both of these things will be beneficial to you:

Use a variety of brands

One company isn’t necessarily good at making all products. When people want their makeup done they want whatever works best for them in terms of tones, colours and products which compliment their skin. Try as many different brands as you like and find products which you and clients both feel are great. This doesn’t necessarily always mean top end brands, some of the ones from the high street can be just as good. Our students are able to try a variety of brands, rather than be introduced to just one.

Invest in decent makeup brushes

Makeup brushes are an essential for any makeup artist, so it really is worth buying ones which will do the best job. As well as buying good brushes, the maintenance of them, and how you look after them is also very important. I’ve had some makeup brushes last fifteen years and they’re still as good as new! Ash wrote a great piece about what makeup brushes you need and what for which is perfect to check out as a starting point.

Perhaps running a beauty training school is something you’d like to aspire to? If so, great. Make sure you have all your knowledge and research done first, it’s hard work but the end result is worth it. Good Luck!