A Reader Asked: Are there Real Advantages to Running my Aesthetics Business from Home?
This is the final installment of our "A Reader Asked" week… this was a great way for us to catch up on questions in the blog mailbag. We may do it again next month!
What are the pros and cons of a home-based aesthetics practice?
Many people have a desire to work from home, wanting the perceived freedom that comes from living where you work and being able to choose your own hours. But, like everything else in life and I business, operating a home-based private aesthetics practice has ups and downs, and pros and cons. Some things are better than working as an employee in a large spa, and other things are not.
The first consideration is where will the business come from?
If you are totally self-employed then marketing expenses fall to you as the business owner. If you are a spa employee, then your boss, the spa owner handles marketing expenses. These can add up when you think about it. Cost of web site creation and maintenance, Yellow Pages ads, newspaper and magazine ads, possible radio and television advertising, and even flyers can all cost a bundle. Also the incidentals like business cards, stationary, postage stamps, and even the use of a copy machine and purchase of pens, paper, calculators. Then add the items that are unique to the business of an aesthetician. Towels, blankets, pillows and linens have to be acquired, and the same with a table and other furniture in the treatment area. Even the cost of cleaning if you hire it out, or of cleaning supplies and your own time if you do it yourself. When you work for a spa someone else takes care of many of these expenses for you.
Next consider the lifestyle of freedom that most who are not self-employed assume comes with the territory. Most people who are self-employed, when business is good, actually put in more hours that employees working for a spa, because they understand the bottom line and have expenses to pay for. The old saying, make hay while the sun shines applies to any small business owner. Many believe that their time is no longer their own, but belongs to the business and to their clients.
What about other family members?
You need a place in your home set aside for business use only to look professional, maintain privacy and avoid interruptions. If you have small children that could mean having to hire a babysitter or make sure that your spouse is available to watch the children when you are working. You could also wind up with clients to just decide to “drop by” to see if you are available at odd hours, and friends and relatives who drop by to visit because they assume you have all of the free time in the world. After all, you work at home.
If you clearly post business hours and go by appointment only that will help with clients. Relatives and friends can be more difficult. You’ll have to make sure they understand that during business ours you are “not at home.” Some may be offended by this, but they will get used to it.
All in all, there are good reasons for both owning a home-based private practice and being employed by a larger spa. You just have to decide which best suits your lifestyle.
