This is a great question, and there are no exact right or wrong answers, but there are definitely things each person should consider when it comes to planning to open up their new eyelash extension business.

In this post, we will cover what you absolutely need for your business, what you can do to minimize costs, how to plan and prepare for the future of your lash business.

WHY lash business cost is IMPORTANT

So let’s discuss first why it’s important to understand lash business costs. Your first year in business will be new, challenging and exciting, but it does take time and effort to build up your clientele. If you aren’t properly prepared financially, you could find yourself in a stressful situation. Planning and preparing financially is essential to your business’s growth both in the short term and the long term.

PREPARE FOR YOUR LASH BUSINESS

First, I would recommend having 4-6 months of finances saved so that you can safely survive even if you had zero income. So how much money should you have saved? That is for another blog post, but keep that in mind as we go through this blog.

When you start your lash business, some essentials for business will include:

An online booking system ($30-40/month)

Rent of your space ($300-1700/month)

Equipment (varies)

Supplies (varies)

Products (varies)

LASH BOOKING SYSTEM

You need a place to work, and then you need to have supplies to work. You also should have an online booking system that automates reminder emails and texts. If you have a booking system with these types of automations you will usually need to pay for it. Some of you may say you don’t need that, but these automations significantly reduce the number of no shows you get. For example, if you’re paying about $38 a month for a booking system like mine (I use Vagaro), and it saves me one single person from no-showing on a Volume fill (I currently charge $110 for a fill), then it’s already more than paid for itself. Sure, you can send reminders yourself, which will take time each day to send out via text and email, which these systems automatically do for you. So, the choice is yours.

LASH ROOM RENT

Your rent can vary significantly depending on where you choose to work. My first suite ever was $800 a month, in a tiny room, and I had difficulty paying for that when I first started, so I worked out a trade with the suite manager to do her lashes twice a month as a trade for less rent. So I really only paid $640 a month that first year. (My prices were obviously much lower back then). See what kind of trades or negotiations you can make with landlords.

My next suite was only $500 a month in an office building, it was huge, and had windows on 3 of the 4 walls and I loved it. When that building was bought out, I moved into a Med Spa where I currently work. Due to my contract I can’t reveal my current rental agreement, but I will say its a great work environment, the location is fabulous for my daily commute from home, and although I pay a bit more, it is worth every penny to me.

My advice on renting spaces is to think outside of the box. What can you do to make your rent more affordable? Can you negotiate? Could you sign a longer lease in exchange for a couple months free? Talk to the person you’re looking to rent from.

LASH ROOM BASICS

Next, some basics you will need are a lash bed, a chair, a trolly or side station to hold your supplies, and lash supplies, of course.

Many beds are on amazon ranging from $80-2000 and up. Look online in lash groups and see if anyone is selling a premium bed for less if its gently used. If you’d prefer a brand new one, they are very affordable online these days.

You will want an initial lash stock of multiple sizes, lengths and curls. If you are brand new, I would recommend sticking with mix trays and C or CC Curls. That curl works for most clients, and you can get a variety of lengths in mix trays. Simply Lash mix trays carry lengths in one single tray from 7mm-14mm and have 16 rows of lashes. This allows for 3-5 clients per tray or more for a classic set, for example. If each tray is around $20, and you charge $125 for a full Classic Set, then one set easily pays for those lashes and many more.

Each month you will likely order around 3-6 trays as a fully booked artist, along with glue each month (lash glue should be replaced monthly).

Tweezers, and other supplies that are reusable, only need to be purchased for the first time and then later if you want to change them, try something new, or if there is damage to them (dropping them, etc).

LET’S DO THE MATH

So, let’s do the math!

These are MONTHLY COSTS based on if you are already established and have the opening basics like a bed.

This is also based on you have 80 clients a month, or 20 per week, a very busy lash artist and an average to high rent (We are not including any licensing or insurance in these figures):

Rent ($800)

Booking System ($38) hours

Lash Trays ($100)

Eye Pads or micro foam tape ($30/month)

Tissues ($10/month)

Cleaning Supplies ($20/month)

=$998

Can you afford running your own eyelash extension business?

The next step is to add up your monthly home expenses. Let’s say your home expenses are the following (example only):

Home Rent: $1200

Utilities: $300

Phone: $120

Gas: $140

Car insurance $145

Groceries: $300

Miscellaneous (eating out, emergencies): $250

=2455

So then you need to add your home expenses to your business expenses (2455+998=$3453) so see what you need to earn monthly to survive.

Divide this total number by the price of your lash fills to understand how many fills you need to have booked to break even. For example, if you charge $65 for a lash fill,

3453/65= 53

This means you need to do 53 lash fills each month to survive at that price point.

That is 13 fills per week, or 2.6 per day if you work 5 days a week.

KNOW THY NUMBERS

And there you have it. This is how you work out what it costs to run a lash business. Know thy numbers!

HOW TO LEARN MORE

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