How to start a lash business

Being a lash artist is a fulfilling and creative career, but like any other job, diversifying your income stream is a great way to prepare for the unforeseeable future.

After all, we all saw how everything came to a halt because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There’s always a chance that something could disrupt your business. Whether that be something personal or something on a global scale that affects everyone, it’s good to plan ahead. This year was a wild one, and who knows what 2021 will bring. We’re not being pessimistic, but pragmatic. 

In this post, we’ll look at ways you can boost your income aside from just lash extension application. Best case scenario, you earn extra money while still doing what you love but still be prepared for the unexpected.

Offer courses on lash extensions

Publish an e-book on Amazon

Another way you can take advantage of the influence of the internet is to publish and sell an ebook on platforms like Amazon. Share your knowledge by writing it all down and uploading it to Amazon.

It may require some hours of putting your know-hows together into a book but once you got the contents together, it can really help you rake in extra cash over time.

Currently, Amazon pays out a royalty of 70% on all Kindle titles priced between $2.99 to $9.99. If you can sell 100 copies of an e-book priced at $5 per month, that’s already $350 of monthly passive income you can earn from doing pretty much… nothing.

Start in-person training sessions

You love creating works of art with beautiful lash sets. If you want to share that love, you can become a lash trainer and help create the next generation of fabulous lash artists. Not only will you get the satisfaction from mentoring others, but you can also earn up to $1,000 per person* for a 1 to 3-day course! That’s not just pocket money!

*course fee may widely vary depend on your offering. We see some courses conducted by popular trainers going up to $4,500. 

What’s more, you can also generate more cash by selling training kits or lash extension supplies to your students by buying at wholesale and selling at a markup. 

To become a trainer, you first must get certified. Look up where in your area you can earn your certification and what kind you need (for example, in the UK you need an AET Level 3 Award in Education and Training). Then, make a decision on what kind of training you’d like to offer, as what you’re able to do depends on that.

Workshops and advanced courses are great if you’d like to share a particular skill or technique you excel at, and they’re geared toward more experienced lash artists.

Foundation courses are best suited for creating a basis for beginners for the various techniques there are in lash extension artistry. For this, you can sign up to teach via an accredited provider, through a brand collab, or by creating your own manual and getting it accredited.

Read more about their experience from BL accredited lash trainers:

My Lash Journey: Maren Littledike from Utah, US

My Lash Journey: Annie Annabelle Soo from Singapore

My Lash Journey: Jiyoung Ko from Korea

Offer online courses 

The whole world is online, and many people turn to the internet to learn all sorts of things. Why not capitalize on this trend by offering online classes of your own?

If you’ve ever watched a YouTube makeup tutorial, you’ll see what a rabid fan base some of these beauty influencers have. You can have the same, but for lash artistry! Well-made online content, whether that be on YouTube or as part of a blog or whatever, can generate lots of passive income by getting  affiliate commissions for years once you upload it. With the right kind of audience, you can have your online courses available on many platforms, shared over and over again.

Sell a VOD (video-on-demand) course 

Video-on-demand courses are also a great way to earn money while helping others learn your craft. Unlike YouTube, which requires you to have a certain amount of likes and followers to get paid, video-on-demand is a pay-per-play service. It is an instructional video that you can provide to people and for which you will get money any time someone watches it since to watch it the person must pay first.

On teaching platforms like Udemy, for example, is a great place to start for people looking to earn extra income. You'll earn money for every student who enrolls and the platform takes 50% of the commission. 

Start a private label

If you already have an established career as a lash technician and you want to take the next step, consider starting a private label. Using your knowledge and experience, you can launch products you only wish you had when you were just starting out. Or you can improve on ones currently out there. 

See how to start a private lash label

It helps to have a large (and loyal!) client base who will follow you onto the next leg of your journey. Starting a private label isn’t hard, but it does take a lot of dedication, so if you picture yourself as CEO of a successful lash label down the line, all you need to do is take the first steps, tackling all challenges along the way head-on.

Pros

• Create unique and improved products
• Grow your personal brand
• Set up the foundation for a successful business
• Open up the opportunity for further growth

Cons

• Slow-going at first
• Requires a lot more investment of time and money
• You’ll have to work hard to push ahead of the competition

Become a wholesaler

Of course, a less risky version of branching out and selling products is to become a wholesaler. Like creating a new business, it requires you to invest both your time and money, but much less.

When you buy supplies at wholesale, you can get them in large quantities for a much lower price. Then, you can add a markup and start selling. BL Lashes, for example, provides a great option for you to become a Wholesale Partner, where you can save up to 60% on all sorts of lash supplies, and with just one order per month required!

The benefits of becoming a wholesaler 

As mentioned already, buying wholesale is cost-effective as you can buy in bulk for much cheaper than when buying retail. You save money and also earn much more through reselling at a higher price.

What’s more, even if you don’t end up selling certain products, you can be sure that your lash salon will be well-stocked! It’s a win-win situation. Just make sure you prep your space so that you can keep all the products well-organized.

With these tips, we’re sure you’ll be ready to branch out soon. Whether you decide to just offer training courses or opt in for a few other options too, you’ll create an extra revenue stream that will not only help you to branch out but it will also help you to grow on a personal level. Good luck, lashers!

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Read more: 

How to create a website for your lash business

How to choose the best lash extension glue