Freelancers reveal the main issues facing the sector today

To celebrate Freelance Week, HJ asked freelancers and self-employed hairdressers to share ideas for creating a freelance career in 2018. Freelancing is big business for hairdressers but it can be hard to know where to start or what path to follow. Not to worry, our panelists have revealed their top three tips that could benefit you if you decide to go solo... Name: Carolyn Newman Job Title: Colour and education consultancy director Carolyn's tips:

• Be super focused and organised even when doing an admin day at home and working through your ‘to do list’. Work to a daily schedule.
• Spend time thinking clearly about how you want to present your skills and brand, and your USP to attract clients and new business. Always review this regularly. Know and progress your strengths, be honest about your weaknesses and improve skills through training.
• Attend industry events to network and promote yourself and your business.

“Technology has made working from any place or location at any time easy to manage in your day and working week. Communication is very different now due to social networks, Skype and FaceTime. The basic shift and working times seem to have changed now to suit us and our business. I think people want variation in their lives. Freelancing means you can hone your specific skill set strengths to build your business. I set up my consultancy because I wanted to focus on my strengths as an educator and colourist.” Name: Claire Guy Job Title: Freelance hairstylist and bridal specialist Claire's tips:

• You should never stop learning because you will never know it all.
• Be reliable for all of your clients to get repeat business.
• Be the best freelance hairdresser you can be.

“I believe the biggest issue freelancers are facing today is the fact that a lot of brands and salons don’t take the freelance community seriously. It is important for the industry to realise that freelance and self-employed hairdressers are no longer just a cheap way for clients to get their hair done at home by someone who is ‘just okay’ at hair.” Name: Julie Dowen Job Title: Freelance hairdresser Julie's tips:

• Keep yourself up-to-date with education by attending at least two courses a year.
• Make sure your social media is relevant and use good quality photos to promote your work.
• You should be professional at all times. Be on time for each appointment and provide a thorough consultation. Conduct a skin test for every client, keep record cards and become an insured member of the Freelance Hairdressing Association (FHA).

“The issues facing freelancers today are the same as before. We have to be as perfect as possible and we have to go the extra mile to show that we are as professional and driven as a salon. If one freelancer does a bad job we all get lumped into the same category and it’s assumed that all freelancers are rubbish. However if a hairdresser in a salon does a bad job, it is the salon that gets the bad reputation. It’s also a challenge to get manufacturers to treat freelancers the same as salons.” Name: Lynndy Rolfe Job Title: International educator, freelance assessor and hairstylist  Lynndy's tips:

• Don’t give up. I hit a lot of brick walls and I had a lot of doors closed in my face but I simply dusted myself off and never gave up.
• Get qualified. I have all of my teaching qualifications so I can plan lessons and understand various teaching methods. This helps when I’m on stage as I can demonstrate and explain step by step what I’m doing and why.
• Be yourself. Some people will like your style of work and teaching and others won’t. Don’t let that put you off. Remind yourself there is enough room for everyone and you are brilliant in your own right.

“The biggest issue for me is responding promptly to enquiries and appointments. I manage my own diary and appointments so it can be difficult to respond to enquiries straightaway when I’m really busy. Plus, I have three young children so trying to juggle work, children and enquiries can be tricky. Plus, it can be a little daunting trying to compete with huge companies who have the budget for advertising and collections.” Name: Ikram Asmar  Job Title: Stylist and manager at Chop Chop Ikram's tips:

• Be extra organised because time management and reliability are essential if you want to be a successful freelancer.
• Be really good at what you do before going into freelancing. There is no room for mistakes and no one is there to clean up your mess.
• Be up front. Don’t over-promise and under-deliver – it should be the other way around.

“The main issues that freelancers face are the stability and security of the flow of work. Jobs in London are better paid. If you live outside central London the commute can be quite expensive. As a result money management becomes critical as money earned during the stable times needs to be put aside for the down times. There is no sick pay or holiday pay so you may need to work longer hours to afford the time off work.” Name: Nikita Smith Job Title: Freelance hairdresser and educator Nikita's tips:

• Offer your clients a variety of different services. If you pigeonhole yourself you will make your target audience a lot smaller.
• Keep your skills fresh by going on courses. This will give you a new set of skills and information. Plus, you will meet a lot of new people, make new contacts and learn so much.
• Meet other freelancers in your area because they are your support network. Organisations such as the FHA make freelancing less lonely and will give you a group of work friends to go on courses with and attend events.

“There is still a negative stigma against freelancers. There are some freelance hairdressers out there who are unqualified and uninsured who give us a bad name, but this could also be said for salon workers. A lot of salon workers are self-employed so they could be considered freelance as well. We get caught up in labels, when we should support each other. It can be difficult to obtain products from some colour houses unless you have a salon or can make the minimum orders they require. Another difficulty is knowing what to charge and not undercutting other hairdressers or underselling yourself. Every area of the country will have a different idea of what is acceptable to charge, but you should know your worth. This is a topic that always comes up with my students.” Name: Laraine Rose Job Title: Freelance hairstylist Laraine's tips:

• It’s essential to be organised and to bring the luxurious salon experience into your client’s home.
• Be prepared for the day ahead and be punctual.
• Be professional and work hard to keep yourself up-to-date by attending all of the latest training courses.

“We are still trying to change people’s perception of freelance hairdressers. Many people feel that because we go to their homes we should charge less. We are worth every penny we charge as we are giving them a bespoke service, but salon hairdressers think our standard is lower than theirs. We are quite often faced with difficult working conditions such as not enough light or the chair being too low. The biggest issue we face is clients cancelling at the last minute or just not being there when we arrive. We lose the money and the wasted travel from that appointment straightaway because it’s too late to fit someone else in.” Name: Jayson Gray Job Title: Wella Professionals global creative artist and KARBON KYD founder Jayson's tips:

1. Learn to manage your schedule so you can get some ‘me-time’ to switch-off.
2. Find a good accountant to look over the books and all of the expenses you incur.
3. Work with brands who will support your ventures. Wella Professionals has been part of my working life for 16 years and supported my KARBON KYD venture from day one.

“Freelancing has given me free scope and a new purpose in life. I’m not saying it’s easy to be a freelancer as you have to work hard and learn to split your time to be efficient and manage the people you collaborate with. There is a lot of admin work to do, people to please and loads of hair, but I wouldn’t change a thing. When I have downtime I take two to three days off. When I’m busy, I accept the challenge and work six to seven days straight from 8am to 10pm at night. Freelancing involves lots of travel with suitcases to unpack and repack, but you have to accept work as it comes and feel the love. These are all challenges that freelancers embrace.” Name: Matthew Wade Job Title: Freelance session hairdresser Matthew's tips:

• Hone your skills and make sure you are the ultimate professional in your field. Always turn up to a shoot on time with an immaculate kit. Ask questions to ensure your kit contains all of the products and appliances you may need.
• Network with as many contacts as you can within the industry to ensure you are considered for work and keep your contacts relevant.
• Make sure you offer a professional and personal service on shoots, and this also applies to working with private clients. Check in advance if a client wants particular products used on their hair as some clients will now only use vegan hair products, for example.

“The freelance hairdressing sector is now extremely competitive. For every job you pitch for there are other freelancers who are also being considered because the industry has many more hairdressers choosing to go freelance. It’s vital that you keep your portfolio up-to-date, and only highlight your ‘best work’. Your portfolio and social channels are your ‘shop window’ to show clients your hairdressing skills. The hairdressing industry has changed massively over the past few years. When I first started as a freelancer it was all about print. Now our creative industry has become digital and everything is 24/7.” Name: Ky Wilson  Job Title: Hairstylist Ky's tips:

• Keep self-improving in all areas not just hairdressing.
• Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. We have the biggest pool of experts sat in our chair, on shoots and at the salon.
• As soon as you become a freelancer you become everything else. Make sure you take the time out to get your head in your books and know where you are at all times. There are so many apps that can help with all of this and remember it’s an everyday task.

“The biggest issue I face as a freelancer is with myself. I ask questions like ‘am I good enough?’ and ‘am I progressing?’ I also question when to conform and what’s next? My brain is so active, and I have a million and one entrepreneurial ideas that I want to do. It’s about breaking this all down. You must build a team around you that have your back and never forget where you came from. I learned that patience is key very early on when I became a business owner. Persistence is what will move you forward and always finish what you start. I really enjoy the journey of what I’m creating over and above the finished product. I’m a ‘how can this be improved kind of Ky’. It’s the best reward turning your vision into reality. Keep building your own personal dream and go and live it!” Name: Rita Ferraro Job Title: Freelance hairstylist and MD of Mane Stage Rita's tips:

• Be friendly and memorable because people will always want to work with you and you’ll always be considered for a job if you have left a positive impression.
• Do not underquote yourself just because you want the job – you have bills to pay too.
• Stay on top of your accounts and admin. Being methodical in your art should carry across to the business side because your art is your business and helps when it comes to tax time.

“I became a full-time freelancer this year. I’m now a member of the Hunter Collective and I have a business that I started in 2017 styling bespoke wigs and offering hairstyling at events and festivals. Finding a balance is difficult because I’m often styling wigs and working on a pitch on my salon days and placing orders on my Mane Stage days. I found it difficult to find a professional brand who were willing to open a small account with me. I was not in a position to buy the brand’s entire range for two reasons – I would not use every single shade in every single range and I’m not in a ‘salon environment’ so I can’t display and store an entire product range. Revlon Professional made it so easy for me – they were super flexible, and I was able to order what I needed. Another issue is finding the right trainee because I feel my unconventional situation may deter younger stylists. I love offering training. It’s something I’ve always felt passionate about, however I am on the hunt for someone who wants one-on-one help.” Name: Samantha Toogood Job Title: Freelance stylist and business owner of Toogood Hair & Wellbeing Samantha's tips:

• Teach your clients how you want to run your business and be consistent.
• Join the FHA because it is a virtual family of like-minded hairdressers with years of experience to learn from and share ideas.
• Never stop learning – training for me is essential to keep myself up-to-date and show my professionalism to my clients.

“One of the biggest challenges for freelancers is charging your worth. Clients see the outcome – the hair colour or the haircut and they don’t see the time and effort. I’ve educated my clients to appreciate high-quality products and how I can use my expertise to provide the same salon service in their own home. Being freelance doesn’t have to mean cheap haircuts. Time efficiency is important and can be a big challenge, especially if you have clients living in different areas as it can mean lots of travelling if you don’t plan your day efficiently. Being alone is also an issue. I’m a member of the FHA where we have a virtual staffroom to communicate, share stories and talk about hair! Times are changing, and more companies now give us access to professional accounts.” HJ's Freelance Week is sponsored by Wella Professionals