You bet they are! As long as you manage your business with the same effort and respect that you would a store-front, these businesses can bring in a lot of income with fewer expenses, leaving more money in your pocket!
What do I need to have a home business?
First, register your business.
You must register your business name. There are a few choices for you when registering your business, most people who run a small business opt for a sole proprietorship.
You will also need a business license, not to be confused with your hairstyling license or esthetics certification.
You will also require a business license and a development permit. This type of license is granted by the city. Home-based business must follow special regulations since they are located in neighbourhoods designed for living, not business.
Zoning bylaws are used to determine whether the city can grant you a home business license. Don’t be surprised if your neighbours are contacted to ask if they are ok with your particular business being on the same street as them.
Beauty industry home businesses are MAJOR businesses.
Because beauty industry businesses have clients coming to the home for services that are not typical of a residential area, they are considered a major home business. Major home businesses cause a degree of interruption to the neighbourhood, for example, less parking available for residents and their guests, versus minor businesses that typically do not receive clients in their home.
What about insurance?
Insurance is important for any business, including a home business. There are some insurance companies that specialize in beauty industry insurance, an insurance broker may be able to help you find the right company for you. Your insurer should understand the specific challenges of beauty industry businesses. Some insurance companies serve both home and business.
Fees and other things to consider.
Registration/licensing/insurance all cost money. Luckily, home businesses today have the advantage of free marketing on social media! Instagram in particular is an excellent tool used by all beauty industry businesses, but has a spectacular impact on home businesses. Many clients use instagram as a way to find their service provider, who quite often has a home business.
If your work culture and mission are not parallel to your personal values, it is only a matter of time before you decide no amount of money is worth your time at your current job.
Changing careers is scary but its more common than you think. We have a theory based on observations, our knowledge of human behaviour, and our understanding of social psychology: We go through multiple career changes due to an abundance of career options, and our values changing as we mature.
Many people choose the now-known-as Personal Care Services industry. There are several ways to join, but first we recommend becoming fully informed before making life-changing decisions. We believe choosing a career is dependent among many factors, for example, interests, abilities, work values, personal values, and future life plans.
Where to begin…
ALIS is a great place to start your research. This website will help you gather information about the credentials necessary to reach your goal, and what you can expect in terms of job duties, salary and wages, occupational outlook, plus more!
In addition, if employment is your goal, review job banks in order to have an idea of how likely you are to find a job after training.
However, if you are interested in self-employment, a great tool to start with is the Business Link.
At ESG, we specialize in beauty industry careers. If you are thinking about changing careers. furthering your education, or transitioning back to employment, we can provide industry information and career and employment consulting to help you make the right decision.
Esthetics is not a regulated industry in Alberta, Canada. However, industry guidelines exist to help estheticians reach their goal of becoming effective industry educators. We recommend that estheticians have at minimum 2-3 years of experience in their field before taking the next step into education.
Different roads to teaching esthetics.
Depending on your final goal, there are different ways to become an esthetics instructor in Alberta. Ask yourself a few questions to help you clarify your goal. For example, do you visualize one-on-one training or large classes? Do you want to be self-employed? Or would you prefer to work for a school?
Working at an existing school is a good path for those that want to mentor future service providers without worrying too much about administrative details . This pathway follows a student-centered approach where the focus is the development of your students.
Schools have their own criteria when hiring these positions. Leadership and organizational skills are important qualifications for instructors.
Smaller classes or one-on-one training, also known as private trainers or private vocational training, is the path for entrepreneurs.
Private trainers develop their own curriculum. In addition, they are often responsible for student recruitment and procurement of goods. One-on-one training is a good way to start as it allows for low delivery costs with little financial risk.
Certainly regulations exist at most levels of government to ensure private trainers meet minimum licensing requirements in their fields. Consequently, there are many requirements to meet to achieve a training license. For instance, private trainers must show that they have consulted industry leaders in approving their curriculum.
Will I need a teaching license?
If you are visualizing larger classes or courses that will cost students over $1,000 in tuition fees, you will need a teaching license. This license is different than a business license issued by your municipality.
Not all private educators have curriculums that require a teaching license. There a few exemptions to licensing revolving around the price and purpose of your course amongst other factors.
What is the difference between licensing and accreditation?
Licensing refers to the provincial government’s approval of a private trainer. Accreditation refers to the ability to offer students federal and provincial student loan options to pay for their tuition.
Your goals and values will help you decide whether you want to pursue a job versus a career. But first, let’s clarify the difference.
Job vs. Career vs. Occupation
An occupation is a group of similar jobs that require some type of training and the continuous development of your skills and knowledge in order to remain current in the field. An occupation is a specific category of work; examples of occupations in the beauty industry include Estheticians, Hairstylists, and Nail Technicians. People can have different kinds of jobs within the respective occupations; for example, Hairstylists can choose to specialize in specific skills within their position, such as cutting vs. colouring.
A job is a particular position you hold doing specific duties. In the beauty industry, if the occupation is Laser Tech, an example of a job is all the duties you would provide at any particular spa, for example, providing IPL/Laser treatments, product sales, customer service, sanitation duties, and any other duties you may agree to when you accept any given job.
A career is the sum of all work activities. You can think of it like a portfolio of all the efforts you make that are related to field you work in, in our case, the beauty industry. In addition to the work activities you achieve, also included are any activities that you do at home, at school, in your community, etc.
Career Development is essential to a long lasting beauty career. With so many new services and the advancement of existing ones, it’s important to stay current.
However, work gets comfortable and it’s easy to forget about career development. Updating your skillset every couple of years increases the longevity of your career, in addition to your satisfaction!
How does ESG help?
Connect with our Career Consultants. As trained professionals, we can help you clarify your goals and organize your career path.
ESG can guide you through the ever-expanding world of beauty educators. Our experts can help you answer questions like, “Are there night classes available?” or “What’s the best course for my budget?” In addition, we can help you find loans or grants to pay for your education when applicable.
What happens AFTER training?
ESG can assist you in finding employment or starting a small business after completing your training.
Furthermore, ESG can provide other resources for every new step in your career. If you reach a point in your career that you decide to hire staff, we can help with that too. Contact us today!
EXECUTIVE SPA GROUP
(780) 604-2772 (Call or Text)
info@executivespagroup.com
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