Every makeup artist has dealt with a friend who was super excited about their career—and that makes you feel proud! Except, there’s a difference between being excited for you and accidentally sabotaging all of your hard work!
How do you deal with a friend who only wants to reap the benefits of your new job? You know, a friend who constantly hounds you for discounts? Or the ones that think they can do it better than you? Listen, we love our friends more than anything. We’re definitely not saying everyone is like this (or even realizes they’re doing it!). But in this post, we’re giving you some tips on what to look out for AND how to handle awkward friend situations if they come up. Keep your career moving forward and don’t get caught in these business traps!
Since it’s your passion, we assume that you don’t mind doing makeup in your off-time. However, don’t feel bad about standing your ground if you’re not up to it. Your friends don’t want to bring their work home with them either, right? Let them know you want to hang out and don’t want to feel like you’re working. After all, every application you do involves a lot of skill—you need rest, too!
We’re sure your girls aren’t trying to use you for free samples—but hey, everyone loves trying new things! If you need to cut back on handing out your samples, just be honest with them. Let them know that you need to save your samples for new clients, but you’re still happy to give them product recommendations! Your friends will understand that you need to run your business effectively.
They Ask for Discounts
Your friends know that you do this for a living, so they should also know how important it is to pay full price! Especially for a freelance makeup artist, every appointment can make or break your weekly income. If your friends want to help you out by booking some appointments, be thankful—book them and get a referral! However, you also need to stand your ground if they hint at a discounted rate “because of your friendship.” Asking for a discount is way different than you offering one. Your friends know how tough it is to start up a makeup business, and so they should be willing to pay for your hard work! Unless you’ve offered to practise on them for free. In that case, be upfront in the beginning. If you find this happening all too often, you may be better off recommending your friends to another artist. Of course you want their business, but it’s more important to establish your business. If your friends refer you because of your “discount rates,” it may be hard to get other clients to pay full price!They assume you’ll do their makeup
Makeup artistry is hard work—we don’t need to tell you! And some days, you just want to have a relaxing evening out with your friends. That can become daunting if you’re worried you’ll have to do everyone’s makeup!
Since it’s your passion, we assume that you don’t mind doing makeup in your off-time. However, don’t feel bad about standing your ground if you’re not up to it. Your friends don’t want to bring their work home with them either, right? Let them know you want to hang out and don’t want to feel like you’re working. After all, every application you do involves a lot of skill—you need rest, too!
They try to give advice
This can be a tricky point to navigate with your friends, since they only have your best interests at heart! We all try to give our friends logical advice when facing tough decisions. Yet, if they aren’t professional makeup artists, you’re better off sticking to your own decisions! This doesn’t mean you can’t get an outside perspective on some things. But when it comes to working in the beauty industry, you’re the one with professional makeup training! This is where networking comes in handy. Knowing contacts in your industry can give you someone to go to for advice (who you know will see it from a makeup artist’s viewpoint!). And if your friends are prone to offering advice, don’t shoot them down. Just be gracious, thank them for their ideas, and follow your own instincts!They ask for free samples
You like to recommend products to your clients, and you don’t mind providing samples. However, if you find your stock of samples dwindling fast when your friends are around, you should contemplate their motives…
We’re sure your girls aren’t trying to use you for free samples—but hey, everyone loves trying new things! If you need to cut back on handing out your samples, just be honest with them. Let them know that you need to save your samples for new clients, but you’re still happy to give them product recommendations! Your friends will understand that you need to run your business effectively.
