With so many things to think about, running a lash business can feel overwhelming – especially when you’re doing everything singlehandedly. From booking in clients and working on your lash business plan, to trying to fit your personal life around your busy work schedule, it’s a fast-paced world out there.
We’re here to tell you there’s no need to let it get the better of you. Through careful planning and time management, you can squeeze every productive minute out of your day and still have time for family fun or post-work drinks with your friends.
Outsource jobs to free-up time
At the start of your lash business journey, you will most likely find yourself doing most of the work, even if that means picking up the basics of new skills. As you start to expand, however, and your client numbers grow, there will come a time when you will be able to invest money in hiring expert help.
Newsflash: if you’re not a website builder / marketer / copywriter / accountant that is completely okay.
Outsourcing work that you are not already skilled in or don’t realistically have time for, is a great way to get more hours back in the day. Yes, you could spend time learning how to build your own website and if that is something you are passionate about, go for it!
However, in reality, you don’t need to be a superwoman, and paying someone who is already really good at building websites means that you’ll have more time to do what you’re best at: being a brilliant eyelash artist.
Get a planner
If you haven’t already, start planning your weeks ahead of time. Using a digital planner, which you can access through your phone and laptop, or a good old fashioned paper diary, start every week by ensuring you have an overview of everything you need to accomplish over the next seven days.
Don’t forget to allow yourself breaks too, as they are an important part of making sure that you have a productive day.
When you’re working on something that isn’t an appointment with a client, it’s a good idea to practise time-blocking. This means that, rather than jumping from one task to another, you set your focus on one thing for a set period of time.
For example, you might put in your planner that, on Monday morning, you’re going to do some market research from 9 – 10 am. Then, from 10 am – 10:15, you’ll take a break. From 10:15 – 11:30, you’ll move onto working on your social media plan for the following few weeks.
You get the idea. By breaking your day up into manageable chunks and dedicating that time just to concentrate on one thing, you’ll find that you stay focused and achieve so much more.
Have designated working days
Get intentional about when you will and will not be working. You can do this by setting working hours for yourself and sticking to them.
This way, clients have clear boundaries around which days they can book in with you, and you’ll know where your work life ends, and your personal life begins.
The beauty of running your own business is that you’re the boss! If you decide that you want to spend Tuesdays with your children instead of working – that’s completely your choice. Just inform your customers via your website and social media platforms and build that schedule into your planner.
Factor in time to build your lash business
This is where your new planner comes in handy! Whilst your planner should, of course, detail your client appointments, you should also be planning time to work on building your lash business.
If you’re just starting out, you may only have a few clients, which means you’ll have an abundance of spare time to dedicate to your business growth.
If, however, your planner is full with clients, you’re going to need to get tactical with how you factor your business-building time in, using the time-blocking method we just discussed.
Market research
Planning, creating, and posting social media content and keeping your website up to date can absorb a lot of time.
When you’re first starting your business, marketing will most likely be something that you look after yourself, but as you grow, this is one of the business areas which could easily be outsourced.
Keep learning
Just because you’re a qualified eyelash artist with your own business, it doesn’t mean that you’ve finished learning.
There are always new techniques to learn and skills to brush upon. You could commit to completing an online training course once a month on anything from customer service skills to the basics of marketing a small business.
Keep in touch with the lash artist community
Follow other lash artists on social media and read their blog posts. It’s important that you make time to engage with others and show that you are an active member of the eyelash extension artist community.
You can do this by commenting on other eyelash artists’ posts, reaching out to them to share your knowledge, and learning from them in return. Building a business on your own can be lonely, but making friends with people who have the same passions as you is a great way to combat this.
With a clear strategy in place, managing your time as an eyelash extension technician is not as daunting as it sounds. By investing in a planner and keeping on top of business outside of your clients, you can create the work-life balance that you’ve always dreamed of.
