I'm considering going to school for cosmetology, but I'd like to make at least 27,000 a year. Is that realistic? I'd like to learn how to cut hair and I love dying hair. It brings me happiness after dying hair and seeing the person's face when they see it for the first time when I'm done.
I’ve always had a passion for beauty but have been scared to pursue it because it’s scary not knowing if I would actually be good at it and not make decent money. I’m almost 29 and so sick of the type of jobs I’ve had. I have a cleaning business that makes decent money but I don’t like the work. I’ve also worked as a leasing agent and done other office work which is soul crushing! I’m thinking it’s time to just bite the bullet and enroll into school or else I’ll always look back and think “what if”. And no, I don’t think of it as the easy way out. I know it’s hard to build etc. I’m just scared of the unknown :/
So my questions are:
How long did it take you to build a solid clientele?
Is reaching at least $50k profit possible? I’m in Roseville California. Lots of nice high end salons in my area.
Did you start renting right away or assist?
Are most clients talkative?
I have some social anxiety, will this career eat me alive because of this?
Are other stylist friendly and helpful or are they catty?
What are your hours like? Like do you have to work from 9am - 9pm? Is having Sunday and Monday possible?
Are you happy with your career choice?
Thanks for any advice! I appreciate it :3
I moved here from Wisconsin almost two years ago. Thankfully I work from home, remotely, for the same company I worked for when I lived in Wisconsin [programming job].
Unfortunately the main problem is I moved to Troutdale area, so of course tech jobs are all on the other side of Portland.
That's not a problem though, because I still work full time from home, and in fact I've gotten three raises since moving. So my career is doing fine.
However, I'm pissed that my wife can't find a decent place to make good money, she's a cosmetologist, and damn good one. To me it seems like the market is just too saturated out here or something.
Every fucking salon in this town wants you to bring existing clientele. How the fuck are you supposed to get a chair and build clients when I have yet to find a place that gets any substantial walk-ins? Plus salon owners continue to fuck you over. They say they advertise but I call bullshit, etc. Nobody is ever pushing to get customers to come in. What the fuck is wrong with these people?
First, she's rented a chair at two different places. The first place wanted $600/month, we basically never even broke even there, that was because the location was just a bad location. You couldn't even tell that there was a salon there, their advertising sucked [in my opinion] even though they said "oh we go to trade shows and we advertise..and some of your rent goes to that]..bullshit.
Second salon was in Gresham along a major road, but still some months we made a decent profit, but still maybe $400 or something profit for the month after all costs. The rent was pretty good, only $400/month for chair rental there. But the clients were just too far and few in between, not enough walk-ins to keep growing a base. She did get a few loyal clients now that follow her wherever she goes at least.
Third place is now a barbershop in another small town, she started there as an employee [paid hourly], but then the owner switched , about 5 months after my wife started, to a chair rental, at a cost of @ $50/day! Each day you work you have to pay that. Now, that is insane pricing, but the barbershop got lots of customers so we figured, hey should be ok.
Many days were pretty good after that, she would make around $180ish, pay out the rent and bring home $120 or so, in fact though to "break even" to when she was an employee she has to make around $132 ish a day , because now we have to pay taxes ourselves, for example. [when you are self employed you have to pay full social sec tax yourself, so you add another 7.5% to your taxes essentially]
The owner said she was switching to chair rental because she wanted to girls to make more money. But I still call bullshit on that. What owner is going to go for "less" money? I think they made more when working as employees [my wife was getting close to $11/hr]. At least on average over time she would make more - because.....:
So for example now last week two days my wife worked she made a profit of $20 [after paying chair rent]. That's right fucking $20. Because the customers just weren't there. And the owner now also hired another barber. So like I said we always get fucked by the owners, and I'm sick of it. Sure, hiring another chair is great for the owner, because they get paid for every day someone is there, but it fucks all the other workers over because now they have to share with more people.
I don't get why these owners keep fucking everyone over, and I've had it. Seriously seems like there is just no money in cosmetology in this damn town.
In Wisconsin you can't even rent a chair until you have two years experience under an apprenticeship [after you already had school and gotten your license]. Here is Oregon the rules are way more lax and I think the market is just flooded, it's so much easier to get into.
Sick of this bullshit. So my wife and I have been thinking of a different career possibly for her. Of course we are still paying some student loans now for her schooling.. She went to schooling in WI but we figured it should be a transferable skill, but the market out here just seems like shit.
How the fracking fuck can anybody even run a salon and make a living in this town? I swear all these people working in salons are living off of their husbands/boyfriends income mostly.
The salon market just seems shit in this state. Am I wrong? Are we doing something wrong?
Edit: I just checked my wife's Square account today, end of day for her is 6pm, she only had 3 haircuts today, that means she actually lost money [rent is @$50/day], she lost $5. This is what I'm sick of, every fucking salon in this state so far, we eventually just end up losing money. It is unsustainable.
Page 2
Posted byu/[deleted]7 years ago
42 comments
So I’m about to start cosmo school but I have doubts that it won’t be the best career :[ I’m tired of office jobs and I prefer working with my hands. But I’m worried I’ll suck and won’t make money! I currently make $40k in California which is nothing but I saw online that hairstylists don’t even make $40k?! Is that true?!
Also, would I be stuck working at nights and during weekends? How am I going to have time for friends and family?! I’m really interested in this career but I need money and time for others though
Do you enjoy what you do?
Is it physically challenging?[I'll explain below]
Do you have any regrets?
Are you able to work while going to school?
Is it difficult to get a job after graduating?
I'm about to get my associates and I am pretty burnt out on college. I really want to do something that I enjoy and I have cut and colored my own hair since I was in high school. I am engaged right now. My fiance is going into Geology and won't be graduating for a couple years. I think that this is a good idea for me because I will be able to work while my future husband is in school and I really think I would enjoy it. I asked if it was physically challenging because I am a type 1 diabetic and sometimes my sugars drop much lower than they should.
Any advice or info about anything cosmetology is much appreciated :]
Page 2
Posted byu/[deleted]9 years ago
7 comments