Fake News

While attempting to research this article, I came upon far too many opinion-based libertarian lobbying blogs, so I’m anticipating some severely misinformed questions in the comments—and I don’t blame anyone for them. The fear-mongering is ridiculous; I saw one writer lamenting the fact that “the new law” disallows workers from determining or waiving their status, but that has always been the case.

Workers can’t choose exploitative work arrangements that violate federal law any more than people can sign contracts agreeing to unlawful arrangements. 

Several writers argued that this is a “major change” that will bring disaster to workers, business owners, and the economy, but what they’re really telling you is how little they understand the world we’re all living in, where misclassification and wage theft are the default business strategy, not rare exceptions, and where business owners are not receiving the education, guidance, or support required to be both compliant and profitable. 

If you’ve been pushed to the brink of panic by these clowns, take a deep breath: at no time has the definition of the word “independent contractor” changed in this country. The rules provide guidance to help workers and employers understand the law (that is literally their entire purpose for existing), but the actual law in this area is very well-established. Only people who want to lean on ignorance as a defense for their bad behavior consider clarity a threat to their freedom. 

The DOL’s rule change simplifies classification, making it more accessible and comprehensive. This should make violations far less likely, which is a win for everyone involved.

The “new” method is more illustrative; it explains itself fairly well. The way each factor is broken down and clarified—with two examples for each—should make it easier for employers to recognize improper use of the independent contractor classification and avoid the consequences associated with misclassification. 

The Difference Between Laws and Rules

The first thing you need to understand is that laws and rules are not the same thing, and anyone attempting to conflate the two deserves serious side-eye.

Laws are codified by legislative bodies (state or federal) and must be adhered to by everyone who falls under that legislature’s jurisdiction.

Rules are detailed frameworks developed by various government agencies to provide guidance. They clarify the law so the public understands how to comply and so the judges who must enforce the law understand how they are applied in practical scenarios. Various agencies are required by law to enforce these rules. (A judge can’t decide not to apply these six factors, for example.) 

The core legal definition of an independent contractor under the FLSA hasn’t fundamentally changed.

The rules help to clarify the DOL’s position and provide insight into how the law should be interpreted and applied; the rule change doesn’t change the law itself. The statutory law and underlying regulations here are very much the same—only the analytical lens through which worker classification is determined has been changed.

Brief History of Worker Classification Guidelines

In 2021, the DOL moved from a five-factor “economic reality” test to a system weighing two core factors: the nature and degree of control the employer had over the work, and the worker’s opportunity for profit or loss. 

The DOL believes this approach didn’t “fully comport” with the text and purpose of the FLSA as interpreted by the courts because the rule included provisions that conflicted with longstanding case law and the established guidance provided by the DOL. Overall, the rule narrowed the test by excising factors the DOL considers relevant when making a determination about a worker’s status. Plus, it departed from decades of case law, which could confuse workers and business owners. 

For those who know a thing or two about US labor and employment laws, the real problem was the prohibition against examining whether the work performed was “central or important” to the employer’s business. It’s a pretty critical element to consider. 

Ultimately, the tests are similar in the following ways, per the DOL’s FAQs:

Both rules identify economic dependence as the “ultimate inquiry” of the analysis; both rules provide a non-exhaustive list of factors to assess economic dependence; and both rules caution that no single factor is determinative. Both rules also clarify that economic dependence does not focus on the amount of income the worker earns, or whether the worker has other sources of income.

The important thing to know is that none of this is likely to negatively impact anyone who was in compliance to begin with.

Per the WHD’s guidance regarding the 2024 Worker Classification Rule:

The Department emphasized that “because this final rule is aligned with longstanding case law, the Department does not anticipate that independent contractors (who sometimes also self-identify as freelancers or small/micro business owners) who are correctly classified as independent contractors under current circuit case law would be reclassified applying the guidance provided in this rule.” 89 Fed. Reg. 1659. 

If your practices currently align more closely with the looser 2021 Rule, it’s time to reevaluate to ensure you’re still in compliance.

The Six-Factor Test for Determining Worker Classification

Factor 1: Opportunity for Profit or Loss Depending on Managerial Skill

Does the worker exercise managerial skill that affects their economic success or failure? Can the worker negotiate the pay, determine whether they accept or decline jobs, and choose the order and/or time in which the jobs are performed? Does the worker engage in marketing, pay for advertising, or take efforts to expand their business or secure more work? Does the worker have the authority to hire others, purchase materials and equipment, or rent space?

• Interpretation: This factor evaluates whether the worker actually exercises independent effort and decisionmaking, without the employer’s influence or an expectation to comply with the employer’s requirements or limitations.
• The Focus: Does the worker call the shots when it comes to their business, or is their independence theoretical at best?

Factor 2: Investments by the Worker and Employer 

Are any of the worker’s investments capital or entrepreneurial in nature?

• Interpretation: Costs borne by a worker to perform their duties are not considered evidence of capital or entrepreneurial investment. This factor examines the degree to which the worker makes investments in their own business’s growth. 
• The Focus: Does the worker make similar types of investments as the employer or investments of the type that would allow the worker to operate independently in the worker’s industry or field?

Factor 3: Degree of Permanence of the Work Relationship 

Is the work relationship indefinite or continuous in duration?

• Interpretation: This factor examines the nature and length of the work relationship.
• The Focus: How independent is the worker, as a matter of economic reality?

Factor 4: Nature and Degree of Control 

Who sets the worker’s schedule? Does the employer supervise or monitor the worker’s performance? Is the worker limited or prohibited from working for others? Who sets the service prices? Who controls the marketing?

• Interpretation: This factor aims to determine whether the worker has sufficient autonomy to be considered an independent contractor.
• The Focus: How much control does the employer have over the performance of the work and the economic aspects of the working relationship?

Factor 5: Extent to Which the Work Performed is an Integral Part of the Employer’s Business 

Is the work critical, necessary, or central to the employer’s business? 

• Interpretation: This factor does not depend on whether any individual worker in particular is an integral part of the business. 
• The Focus: Is the work they perform an integral part of the business?

Factor 6: Skill and Initiative 

Does the worker use specialized skills to perform the work? Do those skills contribute to business-like initiative? Is the worker dependent on training from the employer to perform the work? If the worker brings specialized skills to the work relationship, it indicates that the worker is an independent contractor.

• Interpretation: Any worker can be skilled, so the fact that the worker is skilled doesn’t indicate one status or the other.
• The Focus: Does the worker use their skills in a manner that evidences business-like initiative? 

The Totality of Circumstances

None of these factors alone are considered definitive. Instead, the DOL looks over the totality-of-circumstances, analyzing the entire working relationship before making a determination.

The primary question the test seeks to answer is this: As a matter of economic reality, is the worker dependent on the employer for work, or are they truly in business for themselves? (See: Fact Sheet 13.)

According to the DOL’s announcement (which I recommend reading in full), the March 2024 Rule returns to “an analysis that is more consistent with judicial precedent and the Act’s text and purpose.” Once again, these are not “new laws,” they merely clarify the application of existing laws. 

Regardless of your situation or position in the salon, it’s worthwhile to read every bit of guidance provided, whether the law itself is changing or not. (I say it a lot, but know your rights.) Once you understand the factors, you’ll know misclassification when you see it. 

Today, the salon owner charged my client’s services before the service was over. She refused to give me the money and told me she would put it towards rent, but I never agreed to this, nor did I agree to her taking a percentage from both the sale and my tip.

When I said that I wasn’t going to tolerate this, she claimed that it couldn’t be helped because the client paid with a gift card. I know the client didn’t pay with a gift card, but that’s beside the point, because the owner knows I don’t accept her salon’s gift cards. (Besides that, nowhere in my lease does it say anything about her stupid gift cards!)

After I caught her in the lie, the owner said I’m no longer allowed to receive any walk-ins. Is this legal? Can she seriously refuse me walk-in clients?

I’ve already addressed this topic, but your story provides important insight.

You did everything right. You took every step you could to prevent being taken advantage of. When your landlord pushed your boundaries, you responded immediately. Few have the confidence to do so, and I’m glad to hear you did. Her treatment of you is nothing more than childish, petty retaliation. I’m embarrassed for her.

However, unless your contract states otherwise, you aren’t owed walk-in clients. (More about that here.)

What can you do about it? Unfortunately, not much. You could bring her to small claims court, but the filing fee will likely cost more than the disputed amount, and unless you really want to make a point, it might not be worth your time to pursue.

In these situations, the only thing you really can do is tell her to make things right, or you’ll warn others, starting with your fellow renters.

If she refuses, make good on that promise. Only state what you can confirm—what you’re willing to swear to in court under threat of perjury. Don’t embellish or get creative. Stick to the facts, and keep your emotions in check.

If she threatens to bring you to court—good. Let her. Be sure to update us so we can hear how she rationalized the theft. 

I’m sorry this happened to you. Sometimes, even when you do everything right, you aren’t entirely safe, and even if you’ve clearly been wronged, you might never see justice.

Take a deep breath. Now read this handy list.

Dress conservatively and professionally. No sandals. No jeans. No tank tops. No t-shirts. Dress like you’re going for an interview at a law firm or to a congressman’s funeral. This is not the time to make a fashion statement. Dressing sexy will win you no points here. If you chose to wear a skirt, make sure it’s no shorter than two inches above your knee.

Courts are weirdly formal places. Prepare yourself accordingly.

Keep your makeup minimal and natural. Don’t get crazy with that eye shadow. You want to be taken seriously, so don’t walk into the courtroom with you eyelids covered in rainbow glitter. Remember, you’re entering a place where people tend to care a whole lot about presentation and decorum. Some judges read a little too deeply into fashion choices and what they say about people.

Remove the metal from your face. If you normally wear facial piercings, take them out. They aren’t appropriate to wear to court. I cannot reiterate this enough times:

As stupid as it is, appearances matter. A lot.

Don’t wear a belt or complicated shoes. You will have to remove your shoes and walk through a metal detector before you can enter the courthouse. Make it easy on yourself by leaving your belts and metal accessories at home and wearing flats you can slip into and out of easily. Don’t create unnecessary stress. You’ll likely be a hot mess of nerves to begin with.

When it’s your turn to sit in front of the judge, follow these rules.

Don’t speak unless you’re spoken to. Never show emotion during your opponent’s testimony. You can be nervous, sad, and scared. You cannot be angry, loud, or disrespectful. Judges have zero patience or tolerance for belligerence.

Don’t roll your eyes, sigh, or draw attention to yourself.

Even if the other party lies through their teeth, keep your mouth shut and your attitude in check. Write down your objections and bring them up when it’s your turn to speak. Put on your best poker face and be patient.

Always address the judge with “Your Honor” or “Sir” or “Ma’am,” and never use slang or profanity. When you’re asked a question that requires a yes or no answer, always say “yes ma’am/sir/Your Honor” or “no ma’am/sir/Your Honor.” Never say, “yeah,” “nope,” or “I dunno.”

Don’t go in demanding justice. Do not bark orders at a judge or demand anything from them. Sure, your tax dollars pay their salary, but they don’t work for you. 

You’re at court to reach a peaceful, reasonable resolution, not to fight with your opponent.

Both of you believe you’re right. You can’t come to an agreement, so you are in court to ask the judge to come up with a fair solution based on the information and evidence that each of you collected. Approach it from that perspective–it’s not about winning or losing but having a neutral party evaluate each of your positions and make a decision for you.

You can think that your opponent’s actions were wrong. You can feel your opponent’s action were wrong. You don’t know they were wrong or not. The judge determines that. (Even if you really do know and you have fistfuls of statutes and evidence to support that argument, never go in with the arrogance of assurance.)

In small claims court, don’t be afraid to tell the judge that you’ve never been in court before and you may have questions during the proceedings. Small claims courts are generally pretty mellow. Nobody has attorneys and judges don’t expect you to be competent in court procedure. If you don’t understand what a judge asks of you or what they mean, politely ask for an explanation.

Keep your testimony brief and only testify to what you can prove. This is so, SO important. Do not pop off with a bunch of irrelevant, unverifiable testimony. If you cannot prove a claim, the judge will likely disregard it.

Bring evidence in triplicate. One for you, one for the judge, and one for your opponent.

A lot of professionals panic at the thought of going to court. Don’t be scared. The majority of the time, you’re going to end up in small claims, where the stakes are low and the process is pretty informal. You don’t need an attorney, the rules are relaxed, and if you’re the plaintiff, generally, the worst that can happen is that your case gets dismissed and you lose your filing fee. No biggie. In other proceedings, you’ll have an attorney representing you and doing all the heavy lifting, so relax and focus on controlling the one thing you can control—yourself.

Have you ever been to court? What for? Were you scared? What happened? Tell us about it in the comments!

Don’t shoot for the moon.

Do you have any idea how far away the moon is? Or how expensive it will be to get there? Just thinking about the work required makes the task of getting there seem overwhelming and impossible. (Plus, “shooting” towards a natural satellite sounds like it has the potential to end pretty painfully.)

Instead of focusing intently on a major, long-term goal, devote your full attention to accomplishing a significant shorter-term goal.

What do you plan to achieve in the long-term? Do you want a twenty-location empire and a mansion on the beach? Write it out in detail on a piece of paper.

What part of that dream can you reasonably accomplish in the next three years? Maybe you can open your first location, or expand your existing business into a new area? Maybe you could also start renovating parts of your home to prepare it for sale? Write those things down on another piece of paper.

Now, you’re holding two pieces of paper, right? Tuck the major “short-term” goal page into your planner. (I don’t care what you do with your “long-term” goals written on it. Some recommend putting it in a visible place, where you can see it every day. I’d recommend keeping it at the back of a planner or journal and only looking at it when you need to reassess your short-term goals.)

Your short-term goals should only include tasks that are reasonable and attainable within the next 36 months.

Three years away seems like a lifetime (especially given the way some of us have had our perception of time thoroughly thrown off as of late), but it passes much quicker when you’re working in eager pursuit of something that matters deeply to you.

Create a timeline.

For each goal on your short-term page, list every step you’ll need to take to accomplish them. If you want to establish that empire, you’ll need to do some market research and scout locations. Then, you’ll need to negotiate a lease. Then, you’ll need to get started on the build. If you want to get that house ready to sell, you’ll need to deal with that green shag carpeting in your living room…for starters.

Now, estimate how much time each of those tasks will take. For example, how long will you take to scout locations and decide on a home for your new business? How many months will it take to get the rose tile replaced with something a little more modern in your dated ass bathroom? Be reasonable in your assessments, especially if you’re relying on third parties (like accountants, attorneys, state licensing departments, or contractors) for anything.

Keep your personal responsibilities in mind, too.

Think hard about how many hours per day you can realistically dedicate to your tasks. You may find that you have to make some sacrifices or delegate certain tasks to free up more time.

For me, that task was managing my social campaigns for this blog. By automating those tasks through the use of a social calendar software, I was able to free up five hours per week. I also sacrificed non-essential social interaction, for the most part.

You’ll also need to recognize and eliminate time-sucking distractions. For example, I had to severely limit my involvement in professional networking groups to an hour or less per day. In April of 2018, I left Facebook entirely. When I finished my taxes in January of this year, I found that my income had doubled. (I am positive that was not a coincidence.)

Now, you should have a rough outline of what your next 36 months will look like. Transfer all those dates and tasks to your calendar. Once you’re done, they won’t be goals any more; they’ll be plans.

Focus and Execute

Plan to make slow and steady progress. Don’t allow yourself to get distracted by other projects or opportunities. For many of you, this will mean learning how to say “no” more often. Anything that distracts from your goals, regardless of what it is, will push back your timeline.

Most of us are visual people, so maybe it’ll help you to think of these distractions this way:

You’re at the bottom of the ocean and you really want to get to the surface, take a deep breath of fresh air, and see the sun. So, you make a plan to get to the surface and you start executing that plan.

You start to swim upwards but an octopus stops you. He says, “Hey, can you help me with this thing? It’s a great opportunity for you and will only require a few days/weeks of your time.”

The octopus straps a weight to your ankle that’ll keep you at his depth until the task is done. Meanwhile, you can’t really do a lot of swimming, so your goal of reaching the surface is postponed.

You finish the octopus’s assignment, remove the weight, and start swimming again. You’ve made it another twenty feet closer to the surface when a dolphin approaches you. “Hello!” he says. “I have a great opportunity for you. It will only require a few days/weeks of your time…” He holds out another weight for you to strap to your ankle.

Always ask, “What’s in this for me?”

You’re allowed to be selfish, shrewd, and cynical. You’re allowed to expect a tangible return on your time and effort, especially when you’re being asked to put your goals on hold by someone else who’d rather you spend your time in pursuit of theirs. Many “opportunities” I’m presented with aren’t actually opportunities that would ever benefit me—at least not enough to make up for the loss of time I could have spent on my own goals. Be willing to say no to anything that doesn’t move you closer to your destination. Remember, you’re on a schedule.

Outside projects, in addition to robbing you of your valuable time, will tire you out. The longer you postpone your own goals, the easier it gets to postpone them further. Go long enough without working on your goals and they’ll eventually start to look like unattainable pipe dreams. You’ll get frustrated and resentful and will may never resume your work towards that goal again.

The only thing worse for your progress than the interference of others is your inability to commit to a singular focus.

Sometimes, we’re the ones strapping weights to our own ankles. We can set ourselves back when we start twenty different projects and never actually complete anything.

A few of my consulting clients are like this: eager, driven, motivated, but ultimately they’re too impulsive. They haven’t opened their first location before they’re asking to tour empty units in neighboring towns as part of a sudden expansion plan that materialized on a whim.

In this scenario, you’re swimming to the top, but you can only really use one arm (most of the time), because your other arm and your legs are preoccupied managing your other projects. Try not to think too hard about how that would work from a logistical standpoint—it’s a mediocre analogy, the point is…

Successful, productive people commit and follow through.

Don’t sabotage yourself by spreading yourself too thin or set yourself up for disappointment by taking on far too much. Your timeline serves as a guide but also a reminder that big goals sometimes require big time investments. You might get there sooner, but if not, you shouldn’t feel discouraged. Keep checking off tasks one day at a time. As long as you’re moving forward, it doesn’t matter how fast (or slow) you’re going.

Self-Assess

The lists, calendars, and detailed plans go a long way to curb those impulsive behaviors, but daily self-assessment is an absolute necessity.

When you start your day, do the following:

Check your calendar. Ask yourself:

• Am I on track to hit my deadlines?
• What do I need to be focusing on today to ensure that I will stay on schedule?

Check your to-do list. Ask yourself:

• What can I fully complete today?
• What extraneous tasks can I outsource or postpone?

Hold yourself accountable. If you can’t, have someone else hold you accountable.

Once you accomplish one of your short-term goals, revisit your long-term goal. Ask yourself:

• Do I still want this, or have I found a new long-term goal?
• Have new opportunities presented themselves that could get me closer to achieving this goal or help me progress more efficiently?
• Can I add a new short-term goal now or should I buckle down and clear the ones I’m working on first?

I hope you found this approach helpful. Personally, I had a hard time following most popular goal-setting techniques. This strategy works for me, but I encourage you to also be flexible. When something isn’t working, try something new until you find something that works, and don’t get too discouraged when you experience delays or setbacks.

…if you buy their books and DVDs,
…if you commit to their eight-month coaching program,
…if you enroll in their webinar series,
…if you join their mastermind community,
…if…

I tend to be criticized for taking a more rational, realistic approach. Instead of pushing (and profiting from) the absurd concept of “guaranteed success,” I encourage professionals and salon owners to understand that even the best laid plans sometimes fall through.

Nothing—especially success—can be guaranteed.

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Season 3 [2019]

[3.5] The Tempting Illusion of "Guaranteed Success"

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Foolproof plans don’t exist, and anyone who tells you otherwise needs a reality check.

We should accept responsibility for the roles we play in our own failures, but should not allow others to make us feel as if every one of those random, inevitable failures were somehow foreseeable or preventable.

Not every failure you experience will be your fault.

Those who preach the “guaranteed success” gospel have the luxury of pointing at the failures of others and claiming, with complete conviction,

“This would not have happened to you if…”
“Your problem would have been resolved if…”
“You could have prevented this if…”

Nobody can tell the future, not even these supremely uninformed elitists. No matter what inflated title they’ve bestowed upon themselves, experts, gurus, and masterminds of all kinds have no room to shame anyone—unless the person they’re shaming happens to be someone they’ve personally guided who chose to disregard their advice. Even then, they can only speculate as to how the failure could have been avoided.

Speculating and determining a list of potential solutions can be a valuable exercise that could help you prevent future mistakes, but to claim your success was a certainty, if only you had done something differently is absurd. People selling this narrative (both literally and figuratively) keep crawling out of the woodwork and poisoning our industry, deluding people into believing success can be packaged and sold like a commodity when it most certainly cannot.

This business can be rough.

Even with the progress we’ve made in the last decade, we’re probably not going to be ranking anywhere on the list of “employee-friendly careers” any time soon.

• Our industry still suffers from chronic wage and labor abuses that are so common they’re considered “customary.”
• Exploitation of students by for-profit beauty schools has put us into the national spotlight—in a bad way.
• The student debt to income ratio continues to lean heavily in the wrong direction.
• Our disturbingly high attrition rate leaves our profession vulnerable to constant assault from those seeking to deregulate.
• Human trafficking operations and sex businesses posing as salon and spa businesses delegitimize and devalue our industry.

It can be incredibly difficult to make a career—let alone build a successful, profitable company—in the beauty business. The burdens of self-employment and salon ownership are intense, especially in such a competitive industry. Even figuring out how to find gainful employment can feel impossible for new entrants.

With such a steep learning curve, failures are inevitable.

New professionals who are just starting their careers and beauty entrepreneurs who are launching new enterprises are both doing something incredibly brave, but instead of finding praise and support, may find themselves battered with damaging messaging (whether in the form of “inspirational” memes or outright bad coaching).

Throughout my career as an educator and consultant, I’ve witnessed other so-called “industry leaders” do the following:

• repeatedly claim, “failure is a choice,” in a trade show business seminar,
• publicly condemn a salon owner in a professional networking group for being “naive” after her landlord unlawfully locked her out of the building without warning, and
• blame professionals for being misclassified and having their wages stolen (calling them “stupid” and “victims of their own ignorance who deserved to be taken advantage of”).

The vast majority of the time, these people (who hilariously consider themselves “coaches” or “educators”) have a strong profit-motive or are trying to abdicate themselves of responsibility after someone has suffered the consequences of their bad advice.

Cultivate self-compassion.

Today, I’m here to tell you that sometimes, there are no viable solutions. Sometimes, the best you can do won’t be enough. Positive thinking isn’t a substitute for rational strategy, and neither can guarantee successful execution. Even the most hard-working hustlers fail.

After a professional setback, we tend to be harder on ourselves than we should be. Don’t let egomaniacs victim-blame you when you don’t deserve it or convince you that you’re the problem. Those who enjoy success the first time they attempt anything are the slim minority; not the rule.

The most successful people in the world are those who have failed over and over and over again.

As an industry, we’re having a hard enough time staffing our businesses and convincing the next generation that the careers we have to offer are viable, long-term opportunities. We can’t allow this bad information to continue to circulate, nor can we allow these amateur, wannabe “coaches” to poison our profession to line their own pockets.

If you happen to see this idiocy playing out in classrooms, conference venues, networking groups, or trade shows, please speak out against them. Don’t allow others to ruin this industry. In your own communications with other professionals, strive to be encouraging, supportive, and constructive. We can’t afford to allow others to drive a wedge between us for their own benefit.

If you liked this post, you might also like my article, “How to Progress After a Negative Career Experience,” a post written to help you move on in the most productive, least traumatizing way possible.

You might also enjoy, “Why You Should Quit,” where I teach you all about loss aversion, the sunk cost fallacy, and why persistence isn’t always a virtue.

What about you? Have you been victim-blamed or failure-shamed? How did it happen and how did it affect you? Have you ever been guilty of promoting damaging and overly-simplistic business advice? Has your opinion changed since reading this post? Tell me about it in the comments!

Reason 1: Because you’re losing. Whether it’s money, overall life satisfaction, or self-respect you are losing something by not prioritizing your goals. You’re missing opportunities–opportunities to learn, to succeed, to progress, to make new friends, and to fail and learn and fail better. Every day you spend doing something that doesn’t fulfill you is a waste, and you deserve better.

Reason 2: Because you’re running out of time. It might not feel like it, since every day you work in a job you hate makes the days feel as if they’re everlasting, but every second the clock ticks forward towards your final moment.

Facts are facts—you are going to die.

Do you feel that existential dread? If not, you should.

You probably won’t die today or tomorrow, but maybe you will. You can’t rely on tomorrow because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed to any of us, not even you. Time is a finite resource, and you’re meandering through each day as if you’re immune to accidents, disease, and all the other random, tragic things that suddenly and permanently end the lives of the humans around you every single day. You can be taken just as easily. What the hell are you waiting for?

Reason 3: Because you can. You want to move into your own suite? You want to open your own salon? You want to expand into another location and/or hire more employees? You want to launch that YouTube channel and become an educator or influencer?

Do it, because you can.

You are capable. While success can’t be guaranteed, you can make failure a lot less likely if you start preparing now. Things are not just going to just happen for you, so stop waiting for the planets to align on your behalf. Establish reasonable deadlines and set a plan into motion. Break your big goals into small ones and get to work.

New Years’ Resolutions are for suckers. Quit making empty promises to yourself and start executing.

Are you done making empty promises to yourself? What are you going to do to make your dreams happen—starting today? What reasons excuses are you setting fire to right now? Let us know in the comments!

Self-employment can be as liberating as it is stressful. Here are five quick tips for being the best boss you’ve ever had.

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Season 2 [2018]

[2.4] 5 Quick Self-Management Tips for Self-Employed Professionals

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Invest in yourself and your business.

Your continued success relies to an appreciable degree on your willingness to invest in yourself. Your education should never stop, nor should your business planning and development. Commit to spending at least three hours per week educating yourself. Watch technique videos on YouTube, read an industry-related blog, and/or buy a book on business or management.

Plan to spend one hour per week with a blank sheet of paper. Ask yourself:

• What lessons have I learned this week?
• What would I like to achieve or learn next week?
• How is my business doing?
• How can I improve myself or my business?

Establish systems and routines.

To keep tasks from piling up (and eventually stressing you out), establish systems and routines and stick to them. You should have daily and weekly chore lists, open and close procedures, and a set monthly agenda. If you establish habits and complete routine tasks on a set schedule, you’ll never forget them.

Treat yourself like an employee and manage yourself appropriately.

Respect yourself and your salon. Require others to do the same.

1. Keep your professional and personal separate.
2. Never answer calls or reply to texts or emails outside of business hours.
3. Enforce your policies when clients violate them.

Respect your salon enough to never want to let it down.

Stay professional at all times. Just because you work for yourself doesn’t mean you can arrive to work late, dress sloppily, or behave inappropriately. If you expect others to take you and your business seriously, conduct yourself as a proper business owner.

Prioritize what matters.

Sometimes, it can be hard to determine what matters and what doesn’t. As a result, self-employed professionals often make poor decisions, resulting in lost time and/or money. When prioritizing tasks and purchases, ask yourself:

• Does this require my immediate attention? If so, why?
• Can my time and money be better spent somewhere else?
• Are there preferable alternatives available?

Take a few minutes to think about what you’re doing or purchasing and why before you commit to doing/buying it. Generally, if a non-essential purchase wouldn’t substantially affect the service experience or outcome, it’s not a necessary purchase at all.

Don’t burn out.

Automate what you can and outsource what you can’t. Take vacations and keep your schedule reasonable.

Don’t believe the lie that if you aren’t constantly hustling, you won’t be successful.

Get where you’re going on your own terms and on your own schedule, without sacrificing your passion, sanity, or wellness.

Do you have what it takes to be your own boss? Take our quiz to find out! 

Are you considering going out on your own as a salon owner or a solo owner? If so, visit the store where you can find downloadable business tools like The Salon Compensation and Pricing Megakit and The Microsalon Owner’s Complete Business Toolkit!

$89.99Add to cart

$39.99Add to cart

It seems we’re holding everyone responsible for their actions, using the power of social media to publicly shame shameful people. Abusers, harassers, racists, thieves, and those who treat service workers like trash are no longer safe in their assumption that their crimes will only be remembered for as long as the witnesses talk about it. No longer will they remain cocooned in the relatively anonymous nature of their physical descriptions. People cannot play the role of “the woman at JCPenney who cursed out the cashier,” or “the old man who shouted racial slurs at a woman at the park” and walk away without consequences. Their crimes and abhorrent behaviors are recorded, uploaded, shared, swiftly attached to their real names, etched in digital stone, and woven into the potentially eternal fabric of the internet.

When are beauty workers going to start naming and shaming those who exploit them in the workplace?

Audio Version

Salon owners, before we continue let’s have a chat. You’re probably not going to like what you’re about to read. As a salon owner myself, I get that. Please understand that exploitative salon owners hurt our businesses by creating an atmosphere of unfair competition. Those of us who compensate and classify our employees legally incur far more costs than those who steal from their professionals and evade taxes.

If you aren’t intentionally exploiting your professionals, this post isn’t about you so you have nothing to be offended by. If you are, please DO take offense. You deserve it.

Professionals, I need answers from you. Why don’t I see you on Instagram, posting pictures of the $60 paycheck you brought home in exchange for 80 hours of your time? Where is your Facebook post about how your so-called employer doesn’t deduct or remit taxes but does deduct 20% from your paycheck for “product fees?” Where are your Snapchat stories, explaining and displaying the insane contract you were asked to sign? Where are the Tumblr videos of you confronting the salon landlord who unlawfully changed the locks to your suite and refuses to return your tools and equipment to you? Where are the screenshots of the abusive text messages from the employer who fired you for asking for reasonable accommodation?

When will we demand that those who steal your wages, misclassify you to evade taxes, and deny you your rights be held accountable?

• Wage theft is the largest form of larceny in our economy, accounting for more than the $13.6 billion we lose each year due to other forms of theft (like burglary and vehicle theft).
• By paying less than the legal minimum wage, employers steal an estimated $15 billion every year. This singular form of wage theft alone exceeds the estimated $14.7 billion lost annually to shoplifting.
• Nationally it is estimated that workers are not paid at least $19 billion every year in overtime and that $40-60 billion is not paid due to all forms of wage theft.

You can (and should) report wage theft and misclassification to the Department of Labor, the IRS, and/or state agencies, but do so with the knowledge that you’ll likely be waiting a long time for your case to be resolved, and that in an estimated 83% of the cases, even businesses that lose the dispute never paid back any wages. Sometimes, you have to seek your own justice, but do so the right way, lest you find yourself in the defendant’s chair learning a harsh lesson about defamation.

1.) Know your rights. Don’t embarrass yourself by making demands before you understand what you’re legally entitled to (and what you aren’t).

2.) Keep detailed records and evidence to support your claim. Before you make a statement, you need to be able to verify it. Keep your own records. Log your hours, sales, and tips. Keep those records somewhere safe—either on your phone or at home.

3.) Have an adult conversation first. Many owners in our industry have no idea that they’re breaking laws. Don’t assume intent. Follow the steps in this article and speak with someone before you put them on blast. Assume ignorance and give the owner the benefit of the doubt until it becomes clear they don’t deserve it.

I absolutely do not recommend outing a salon owner until you’ve given them an opportunity to explain themselves to you first.

If you don’t have the spine to have that conversation with the salon owner, leave this article immediately and forget about launching that smear campaign—you aren’t mature enough to be holding anyone accountable for anything.

4.) Be aware of the consequences. Before you move forward, ask yourself if you’re ready to be fired, because you very likely will be (so have a plan to file a retaliation complaint).

You should also keep in mind that you will be exposing a bad employer in a very public way and that other employers in your area will most definitely hear about it. However, if you’re truly not willing to tolerate exploitation and unlawful employment arrangements, the fact that your actions will cause other bad salon owners to blacklist you shouldn’t be a problem. (You may actually catch the attention of ethical salon owners in your area who would love to have you.)

Expect to be served with a cease and desist letter.

Cease and desist letters are not court orders. Understand that a cease and desist letter is nothing more than a scary looking notice sent by the other party’s attorney, designed to intimidate you into doing what the other party wants. Essentially, they say, “Stop doing what you’re doing, or else…”

The letter should have legal merit, but it may not. Consider it a cautionary notice—a threat that may not be fulfilled—especially if the person who sent it doesn’t have the tiniest bit of actual legal leverage. The language within the letter may sound official. You will likely be accused of committing some crime (through carefully-worded insinuations), but an accusation or insinuation isn’t a conviction. The other party will have to prove that you committed a crime in court, which will be difficult at best if you haven’t actually done so.

A “whistleblower” is an employee who reports a violation of the law by his or her employer.

Read up on the defamation laws in your state. Generally, for a defamation claim to stand, the accused must have malicious intent and/or the accusations made against the other party must be false. As a general rule, if you are telling the truth, you are not committing defamation. Additionally, defending your civil rights (which include your employment rights) and questioning or speaking out against unlawful employment practices is often considered protected speech under the NLRA and a variety of other whistleblower protections.

5.) Never lie, strategically omit information, or exaggerate your claim. When you’re calling attention to someone’s unlawful or shameful behavior, your credibility is everything. All of your arguments become invalid the second you’re caught lying or stretching the facts. Stick to the truth.

THE BURDEN OF PROOF RESTS ON THE SHOULDERS OF THE ACCUSER.

If the other party accuses you of defamation, they will have to prove you are lying. Similarly, you must be capable of proving they actually committed a crime against you. Save those receipts and never say anything you can’t prove with actual evidence. For example:

Defamation: “My boss stole $10,000 from my paycheck this year and violated prevailing wage laws, but I don’t have proof.”

Not Defamation: “My boss stole $10,000 from my paycheck this year. Here is the offer letter showing my compensation agreement. Here are the paystubs showing the deductions that prove that my pay routinely fell below the prevailing minimum wage. These are the statutes that were violated. Here are screenshots of her text messages admitting she took the money and will never give it back.”

6.) Keep calm, keep it short, and stick to the facts. If you choose to proceed, let me do you the favor of telling you that nobody wants to hear your whole life story. Nobody cares about how you met the owner, what you think of how she dresses or manages the business, how the vein in her forehead throbs when she’s mad, how you became a professional, or any of the other minute and completely irrelevant details you believe add flavor and context to your story. None of that matters. You aren’t trying to persuade anyone to pity or like you.

No matter how angry or distraught you are, Leave your emotions out of it.

Follow this format:

[YOUR NAME] [YOUR POSITION] [YOUR TENURE] at [SALON NAME] [SALON LOCATION]. [OWNER/SALON NAME] [ACCUSATION]. [PROOF/STATUTE]. [YOUR DEMANDS]. [TAGS AND HASHTAGS]

For example:

My name is June Whistleblower. I worked as a stylist for three years at Fictional Salon in Faketown, Fakestate. The owner of Fictional Salon, Suzie McFakeface:

• unlawfully deducted and withheld $13,225 of my wages for “product costs” (in violation of state law 38.3948),
• misclassified myself and my coworkers as independent contractors when we are very clearly employees (in violation of both state and federal employment classification laws),
• paid myself and my coworkers “commission-only,” and did not guarantee prevailing wage or overtime compliance (in violation of state and federal wage laws).

I sent Ms. McFakeface an email about the violations with links to the statutes on Wednesday, June 25th. After speaking with Ms. McFakeface privately on Friday, June 27th, she refused to pay and fired me. She has since sent several threatening text messages, after I repeatedly told her to stop contacting me.

I’ve attached images of my employment agreement, pay stubs, sales reports, the email sent on Wednesday, and the text messages to prove my claim.

I demand that Ms. McFakeface immediately repay the wages she stole from me and that she cease stealing the wages of her current employees. Customers and beauty professionals in the Faketown area need to be aware that Suzie McFakeface at Fictional Salon has been (and apparently plans to continue) stealing from and exploiting her employees.”

Your real power lies in your tags, hashtags, and shares. Tag relevant people, pages, and organizations. Hashtag relevant topics. Share your post to relevant groups and other places where it will be seen by people who matter (like local employee rights organizations and labor authorities).
@[local news channel], @[local news station], @departmentoflabor, @[state attorney’s name], @[local employment law firm], #[city/town] #workersrights, #wagetheft, #employmentlaw

Don’t let your narrative go off the rails. Don’t make legal threats or personal attacks. Facts > Evidence > Demands. Do not stray from the formula or you’ll risk a.) seeming petty or unstable, and b.) committing defamation.

Wage theft has frequently been referred to as “the crime wave that almost nobody talks about.” Let’s change that.

Let me put this bluntly: YOU ARE BEING STOLEN FROM. Your rights are being violated. These practices are an actual epidemic in this industry and will continue to create toxicity that poisons the entire profession. Stop allowing yourself to believe that you don’t matter and that you don’t have the power to make change. YOU ABSOLUTELY DO. You have every legal right to demand that your employers comply with the laws that protect and defend your wages and freedoms.

Where is your outrage? What are you afraid of?

I receive thousands of emails, comments, and messages from beauty workers every year.

I read and reply to every one of them. For nearly a decade, I’ve been pushing professionals to take action, but very few are willing. What most professionals are doing right now (tolerating it quietly, complaining to their friends, and never filing/following up on complaints) isn’t working.

Frankly, I’m tired of the excuses. People seem to have all the time in the world to complain about the abuses they suffer, so don’t tell me you don’t have time to complain to the people who need to hear it or to bring the issue to the attention of the public and demand someone answer for what they’ve done to you.

“But I need a job…”

You sure do, but I would argue that nobody needs a job where their wages are being stolen and their rights are being violated. Recognize that by accepting these practices you are endorsing them. You are allowing them to continue and are therefore complicit in your own exploitation and the continuance of crimes that harm everyone in this business. If you truly want the industry to become a better workplace for everyone, accept the fact that you are not above working in other industries while you’re looking for a legal employment arrangement. I love this business and the thought of working in a different industry doesn’t appeal to me either, but I have more pride and respect for myself than to tolerate a salon owner who believes they’re entitled to steal from me for their own gain.

Quit allowing yourself to be used.

These practices have fractured our industry, contributing to the delegitimization that makes it all too easy for legislators to dismiss us and deregulate our professions. So, I’ll ask you again—WHERE IS YOUR OUTRAGE?

Professionals, if you want to see change happen in the industry, make criminal salon owners scared of you. Terrify them with your education and your fearlessness. Refuse their job offers, challenge their illegal practices, hold them accountable by filing reports and sharing their shameful actions with the public.

Bring these practices out of the shadows and force these owners to explain themselves to their family, friends, and customers.

We have tried playing nice. Change won’t happen on its own. We have to make people uncomfortable. We have to apply pressure. We have to talk to the media, talk to the public, and stop being complicit ourselves. Ask questions. Demand answers. Stop giving those who victimize you a free pass.

Have you ever filed a complaint against an exploitative salon owner or held them accountable some other way? Did you speak to the media (or social media)? What happened? Tell us about it in the comments!

What about you? Is your business plan fully developed? Do you know about your legal obligations? Have you worked out your budget?

Are you truly ready?

Before you quit your day job and start filing business registration papers, take a few minutes to evaluate this self-employment preparedness checklist.

Audio Version

Are you familiar with your rights, obligations, and potential liabilities?

• Do you know what it means to be truly self-employed?
• Is your business model legal in the state where you plan to operate? (On-location services tend not to be legal and mobile salons are typically heavily regulated.)
• Will you require any special licenses to do business in your area? (For example, a sales and use tax certificate?)
• Does your business require a fictitious name registration (DBA) or will you be better off forming an LLC?
• Do you know how to file your estimated federal self-employment taxes quarterly or will you require the services of a CPA?
• Do you have professional liability insurance? Will you also require general liability insurance?

Have you done your market research? 

• Who are your clients?
• Where do they live?
• What do they need?
• How do you plan to fulfill that need?
• Who are your competitors?
• What challenges are you likely to face and how will you overcome them?
• Does your area truly have a need for your business or will you have to find a more unique and marketable angle?

What do your numbers look like?

• Do you have enough starting capital?
• What will your annual operational costs be, including your salary?
• How much revenue will you need to make to generate a profit?
• How will your costs affect your service pricing?
• Can your target demographic afford you, or are your projected prices going to be too high?

Where and how will you do business?

• Are you going to freelance?
• Will you rent a booth or studio?
• Are you opening a home salon or mobile facility?
• How will you generate additional revenue beyond the beauty services you offer?

Are your branding and marketing materials well-developed and consistent?

• Have you designed a website?
• Have you claimed your social profiles?
• Do you have a high-quality portfolio of your work?
• Does your logo suit your brand’s tone, personality, and message?
• How will you internally and externally market your business to ensure it stands out?

Have you finalized your service protocols?

• What services are you going to offer?
• What are the steps to each service?
• How long does each service take?
• What is the material cost for each service on the menu?

What are your policies?

• Will you have a cancellation or late-arrival policy?
• Will you require appointment deposits.
• Have you written your policies out?
• How will you enforce your policies?

THE FACTS

Before we get into the benefits and drawbacks, let’s establish a few facts.

• Pros and cons are subjective. Please keep in mind that this list consists of opinions based on my personal experiences in this industry. Your experiences may not align with mine, resulting in a difference of opinion. That’s totally okay, just so long as you don’t misconstrue either of our opinions for absolute truths.
• Self-employed professionals are self-employed. The simplicity of this statement isn’t meant to offend, but it’s important to understand what self-employment entails from a legal perspective. Here are some posts on the topic to help you get a firm grasp of your rights and responsibilities under federal law.

Know Your Rights

Important Definitions

The 20 Factor IRS Test

What Are Booth Renters Entitled To?

As a self-employed professional, you are not entitled to the protections (from discrimination, retaliation, sexual harassment, etc.) and benefits (prevailing wage, overtime pay, family and medical leave guaranteed by the FLMA, worker’s comp, unemployment, etc.) that employees receive from state and federal governments.

That isn’t opinion. That is verifiable fact.

• Written contracts are almost always necessary, regardless of how you work when you’re self-employed. If you are a renter (studio, booth, etc.) you will require a written lease agreement. If you are a freelancer, you will need written work agreements (which you can present yourself, or accept from whatever company is contracting you). The only self-employed professionals I can think of that likely don’t require contracts are those who own their workplaces (home salon and mobile facility owners).

Can you work without a contract? Sure. Should you? I highly advise against it. Formal agreements clarify the terms of the arrangement, protect both your interests and the other party’s interests, keep disputes to a minimum, and reduce the likelihood of litigation.

few states have commercial landlord/tenant laws.

Commercial landlord/tenant laws prohibit or restrict a landlord from taking certain actions against tenants—for instance, locking them out of their units and seizing their belongings. In states lacking commercial landlord/tenant laws, the courts default to the terms of the agreement between the landlord and tenant and let contract lawyers sort it out. Barring any legislation that criminalizes certain actions, landlords may very likely be within their legal rights to take devastating actions against tenants, leaving renters with no recourse. If you didn’t make a formal agreement (or if you made a verbal agreement for which evidence of the terms doesn’t physically exist), it will be nearly impossible to enforce. For more information on contracts, click here.

Now, on to the list. Let’s start with the drawbacks.

CONS

• Unless you own it, you can’t choose (or control) your neighbors in rental salons. Your landlord may have expectations outlined in their lease agreement regarding professional conduct in common areas, but as a general rule, they often can’t do much to discipline their tenants. (Some landlords only care about collecting their rent, so they may not even desire to deal with renter conduct at all.)

You may end up working alongside professionals who are loud and/or unprofessional.

We’ve all heard a few horror stories from renters about their colleagues day-drinking at work, stealing tools and products, making loud and inappropriate comments, trying to poach clients, and otherwise making their rental space uninhabitable. When another renter violates your workspace like this, it can impact your business negatively, making your clients uncomfortable or irritable until they either give you an ultimatum or disappear from your books.

• Studio and booth rental, on a price per square footage basis, is expensive. When you sublet space in a salon or studio complex, you’re generally paying out far more per square foot than you would if you rented commercial property yourself. That being said, you also aren’t dealing with the commitment or hassle of leasing and maintaining a commercial unit. It’s up to you whether paying $800+ per month for a workspace that may not be much bigger than the size of a walk-in closet is right for you and your business.
• To say the competition is fierce is an understatement. If you’re working in a booth or suite rental salon, you will be working under the same roof as your direct competitors, within mere feet of them.

You may, in a very literal sense, be surrounded by competitors.

Unless you have a pretty well-established clientele or a substantial advertising budget, it can be really difficult to set yourself apart from the hundreds (if not thousands) of self-employed professionals who may be working in your local area. Modern professionals require exceptional branding and marketing skills to get visible and draw new clients; they need exceptional technical and customer service skills to retain them. For marketing, branding, and social media strategy help, I recommend following The Nailscape and SunnyStorm Marketing.

• Your competitors may not be business savvy. While this may be a boon to your microsalon at times, with regards to pricing and policy differences it may be a major hindrance.

One of the problems in our industry is mathematical illiteracy.

Salon owners and self-employed professionals often fail to properly calculate their service pricing. As a result, our prices have not kept pace with inflation. Instead, they’ve stagnated for the last thirty years, with the average prices for some of our services (nails, in particular) actually dropping in price, despite our costs increasing substantially over the same period of time.

I’ve written a bunch of posts about the pricing issues that plague our industry (here’s one, here’s another, and here’s another), but I’m mentioning it here because other self-employed professionals who don’t set their prices correctly will create an atmosphere of unfair competition. These microsalon owners generally end up operating at a loss until they fail completely, but in the meantime clients will have the impression that their unsustainably low prices are acceptable. As a result, you will appear to be overpriced by comparison, so it will be your job to ensure you communicate your value.

• In open-air booth rental salons, clients may not understand the business model. Unless you’ve done the work to establish a clearly separate brand from the salon you’re working in, you may suffer from the poor reviews of fellow renters, or the salon itself if it’s a hybrid model (where the salon’s employees are working the floor with the renters).

When a client has a negative experience at a salon, their negative review tends to be about the salon itself, or at least appended to the salon’s online profiles. That negative reputation may tarnish your professional reputation or hinder your ability to attract new clients. (This is another reason why self-employed professionals really need to be on their branding and marketing game.)

• Some people abuse (or attempt to abuse) self-employed professionals. This shouldn’t need to be said, but people are people—and some people suck. Just as employers may attempt to exploit their workers, landlords may attempt to take advantage of their renters by exerting more control over them that is appropriate or legal. Just as clients may attempt to take advantage of salon employees, so too many opportunistic, parasitic clients attempt to take advantage of a self-employed professional by violating their policies, pressuring them to work outside their scope of practice, and outright stealing services.

“Thanks for the corrective color! Oh, btw, I can’t afford to pay you until next week…”

Some clients will attempt to pull things over on self-employed professionals that they would never dare attempt in a traditional salon. (Sure, some people are shameless enough to behave poorly any damn place, but self-employed artists, photographers, and beauty professionals seem to be targeted more frequently.)

It can be just as hard to find the right rental salon as it is to find the right employment-based salon.

• Self-employment is expensive. You can mitigate this con by knowing your numbers and pricing your services appropriately, but self-employment costs.

Obviously, you’ll be responsible for your rent and possibly your utility costs. You’ll also be providing everything—your tools, equipment, product, promotional materials, advertising, cleaning supplies, client amenities, professional liability insurance, health insurance, facility licensing, and retirement savings account. (This list is just an overview of the myriad of costs you’ll be covering. It is nowhere near complete.)

In addition, you’ll also be responsible for federal self-employment taxes, which are double the rate of an employee (15.3% versus 7.25%), plus any applicable state employment taxes.

• Self-employment is hard work. I don’t want to piss on anyone’s parade or anything, but very few people are capable of self-managing on the level necessary to be successful as a microsalon owner. You will need to know a lot about business, branding, advertising, bookkeeping, networking, effective professional communication, and your area of technical expertise. Not only will you need to know a lot about those things, you will have to be capable of doing those jobs yourself or you will need the funding to outsource them to others.

Can you design and maintain a website? Can you design your own business cards, brochures, and other promotional materials? Can you commit to continuously building your portfolio? Who is making sure your banking and taxes are in order? Do you have a system for assessing new products, managing inventory, arranging relationships with distributors and vendors, handling social media, and keeping yourself educated as both a professional and business owner?

It’s not all beauty all the time.

If you’re not as skilled in business management as you are your trade, you will never achieve anything beyond mediocrity as a self-employed professional. (You can attempt to argue with me on this point, but my opinion is rooted in nearly two decades of personal experience and professional observation.) This industry is too competitive and has too many exceptionally educated and talented people hustling within it for anyone to skate by doing the bare minimum. If you think otherwise, the bar is a lot higher than you’re capable of seeing from your vantage point in the industry and you are clearly not ready for self-employment of any kind.

• The business owns you. If you’re drawn to self-employment because you’re tired of having a boss, please understand that in all likelihood, your business will be your life (especially if it is your primary or sole source of income). It’s all in how you manage it, but personally, I feel like my work never, ever ends. If you’re going into self-employment as a hobby, a side job, or a semi-retirement career option, your experience will likely be very different, but if this is it for you (meaning that your business is a full-time job designed to pay all your bills), be prepared to feel a little like a slave to a monster you created from time to time.
• You’re on your own. I only mention this because some professionals don’t anticipate what it is like to truly be alone, especially if they’re accustomed to having an employer support them during times of sickness or conflict. As a self-employed microsalon owner, you’re it. You’re the boss and usually the sole employee. Needless to say, the business will not generate income without you. If you’re sick, injured, or on vacation, your bills (personal and business) will continue to pile up but your income will cease. Smart microsalon owners keep their savings accounts fat, just in case.

How good are you at having difficult conversations? Are you capable of standing up for yourself and your microsalon’s policies when a challenging client or fellow renter does something that requires you to be assertive and authoritative? You will be responsible for handling all disputes, resolving complaints, and even firing clients when necessary. For a lot of professionals, the thought of enforcing something like a late-cancellation or no-show policy is ulcer-inducing. If you’re one of those professionals, sincerely consider whether or not independence is compatible with your personality. Determine if you’re capable of changing. If not, you may want to consider another option.

What other options? I’ll outline those after we get through the benefits of self-employment.

PROS

This list may seem painfully short, but the two pros are substantial enough to blow almost all the items on the con list away if you’re the right person for the job.

• You’re in charge. This means you call the shots in every conceivable way.
  • You set your schedule.
  • You set your prices.
  • You create your service protocols.
  • You design your own policies.
  • You choose your own dress code (or design your own uniform).
  • You curate your own products.
  • You craft your own brand identity and control your own marketing.
  • You negotiate your own deals with everyone your company does business with–landlords, vendors, freelance customers, etc.

Every aspect of business management that you can think of is within your absolute control to dictate. This results in a high degree of flexibility, which is our next pro.

• Pivoting is easy. I went to college for bioengineering, so it’s no surprise that I often think of self-employed professionals as microorganisms (in a good way—I’m getting there).

Viruses are effective and efficient because of their simplicity. They’re able to evolve quickly into differing strains. That adaptability makes it hard to combat them. Microsalons, because of their small size, can also shift quickly when necessary, allowing them the opportunity to come out far ahead of their larger competitors (traditional salons) who may require considerable time and money to do the same.

For instance, microsalon owners have the flexibility to quickly learn a new skill (like a trend color technique), introduce it to the market, and promote it. By the time a larger operation gets their employees trained, does the math on the pricing, adds it to their menus and website, and gets around to marketing it, consumer tastes may shift, rendering that time and financial investment a wasted effort.

Similarly, microsalon owners can easily target and correct deficiencies in their operations or policies that are causing problems for the business. The simplicity of the model eliminates the myriad of variables a traditional salon owner would have to evaluate and eliminate as potential causes before implementing a corrective strategy—and by then, it may be too late.

THE MIDDLE ROAD: MICROPARTNERSHIP

If you’ve gone through this list and you’re having mixed feelings, there is an alternative to solo entrepreneurship that you can and should consider—one that gives you the benefits of self-employment, without the drawback of being the sole authority. (Before you ask—yes, I had to make up another word for this because nobody has coined one yet.)

A micropartnership is a very small-scale salon operation. It’s self-employment on the buddy system.

I’ve been hearing of these arrangements more frequently lately, where two or three professionals who share similar professional philosophies decide to create small salon businesses together, as equal partners. They combine what they like about traditional salons (support, assistance, and comradery) with what they like about self-employment (freedom and strategic flexibility), and eliminate what they don’t like about both. Together, they work under a shared brand with a shared mission, each splitting the managerial and administrative workload. It seems inevitable that this will soon become as commonplace as microsalon ownership.

Generally, I discourage people from entering partnerships so this option could easily come with its own list of pros and cons (an article I may write as these micropartnerships become more popular), but for now, if you’re going to consider this “safety in numbers” approach, my recommendation is to pay for an attorney to have a formal partnership agreement hammered out far in advance of making any major decisions or investments.

So, are you closer to making a decision? I hope you found this post informative and helpful. If you’ve decided self-employment is the right choice for you, I have created a downloadable toolkit full of resources you may find useful in your journey. The Microsalon Owner’s Complete Business Toolkit has everything you could possibly need to get your business off to a great start.

$39.99Add to cart

If you’ve decided self-employment may be a little more than you’re capable of handling, that’s awesome too! Like salon ownership, self-employment really isn’t for everyone. It can be rewarding, but it can also be a little bit of a nightmare. If that roller coaster isn’t one you want to board, it’s better to step off the platform now before it’s too late.

[Does this post seem familiar? This is an expanded, revised, and re-published version of a previous article posted in 2013. If one of your favorite articles from the 2012-2013 archives is missing, it’s currently undergoing the same process and its new and improved version will be re-posted soon!]