How to Start a Home-Based Facial Business

A home-based facial business is a cost-effective and potentially lucrative start-up. Because your business' overhead is included in your monthly mortgage, your start-up costs and monthly overhead are minimized. The only start-up costs that you will incur are products for your facial treatments, décor for your facial space and marketing costs. Additionally, you can write off a small portion of your mortgage when tax season rolls around because it will be considered a business expense.

Things You'll Need

• Business plan
• Aesthetician license
• Copy of local ordinance
• Designated room
• Decor
• Website
• Business cards
• Fliers
• Marketing budget

Instructions

1. Create a business plan (see Resources). Any successful business owner will tell you that a well-written business plan played a great part in his success. Steal a chapter from his book and map out your own success by creating a detailed business plan.

2. Become an aesthetician (see Resources). Before you can open the doors to your home-based facial business, you will have to become a licensed aesthetician. You can locate a government-certified aesthetician course at your local cosmetology school. If you attend an aesthetician course full time, expect to complete the course within six months. If you attend the course part-time, expect to complete the course within nine months.

3. Call your local city clerk's office to learn about your town's zoning laws concerning home-based businesses.

4. Create a facial space. Ideally, you want a place in your home that has its own entrance so that your clients will not have to enter your family's living space. However, if you do not have access to this kind of space you will have to designate a room within your home for your business space, such as a spare bedroom, a den or the basement.

5. Decorate your facial space. Make the décor appear spa worthy. Take a look at successful spas in your area and on the Internet. Do they share certain similarities in décor? If so, take those similarities into consideration because those are the pillars of décor of a successful spa.

6. Build a website. In today's technologically advanced society, most service-based businesses simply cannot function without a website. When a prospective client wants more information on the facial treatments that you offer, she will try to look up your business online. If your business doesn't have a website, it may turn the prospective client off and she may decide to go with a local facial spa that does have a website. Building a website for your home-based facial business isn't dramatically time-consuming, expensive or difficult. With websites such as GoDaddy.com (see Resources) offering all in one packages that include (hosting, design services and domain names), you can get your business website up and running for less than $25.

7. Make business cards. Networking is the best way to build business relationships with potential clients. However, you can't network effectively without business cards. Visit VistaPrint.com (see Resources) for a set of 250 free business cards. Vista Print offers professional quality business cards free of charge; your only expense will be the $5 shipping charge.

8. Spread fliers. Fliers are an inexpensive way to market your business. Create professional looking fliers on your computer, print them out and them place them in high traffic areas in your town such as local malls, libraries, supermarkets and car repair shops.

9. Take your marketing a step further. If your budget allows, you can take your marketing a step further by placing paid advertisements across local media outlets. Place ads in your Sunday newspaper, place an ad on your town's most popular radio station and if your budget is ample enough to allow for a pre-movie advertisement at your local cinema, go for it.

Tips & Warnings

• Ask other successful home-based business owners to clue you in on their most effective marketing methods.

Resources

• Becoming an Aesthetician
• Vista Print
• Go Daddy
• Creating a Business Plan