I have recently had some pretty bad experiences with so called Hotdesking facilities in Birmingham, UK and this got me thinking about the subject.
I think part of the problem is that they are more experimental models than professional businesses and the people that are running them are just not up to the task. Simple questions,enquiries,suggestions and even help given get very weird responses and you just wonder where these people have been, are coming from and why they are suddenly hosting Hotdesking facilities. Desperation springs to mind ??
In all the years that I have been meeting people in Birmingham in hotels I have never experienced any negative issues. In fact the reverse. As I cast my mind back over hundreds of meeting I can only remember positive experiences.
Over the last year I have used The Malmaison and Marco Pierre Whites in particular. Both are great but of course MPW has the advantage of the amazing views. I have always had good service at the Ibis Chinatown and there is another hotel where I had amazing support from staff with my laptop connectivity – will update soon.
It really begs a few questions:
– Why would you use a Hotdesking facility rather than e.g. a Hotel or Coffee Bar ??
– What are the most important criteria for a venue to meet with somebody ??
– What is the best place to open up your smartphone, notepad or laptop and get a bit of work done ???
There are probably a few other questions that could be asked aswell.
I am going to leave this article for further updates soon.
Belfast based makeup artists and other beauty professionals have an amazing opportunity to rocket their income
Check out this guide to getting more income from the same time
I have recently talked to a lot of Makeup Artists ( MUAs ) and what a hard working, talented bunch of ( mainly ) ladies they are.
It’s a great job – making people look great – but it is also a very time consuming job. One MUA I know was recently up at 1.30 in the morning to drive to London to get a bride ready for her wedding then back to Birmingham to attend an event and then another private client. She didn’t finish until the evening of that day. A long day and while the pay is reasonable as a freelance MUA it is not brilliant.
Time and money are definitely connected in a strong way.
I personally feel that the objective should be for an MUA to get to the point where he or she can work with the clients that they want to – not the clients that they have to.
The way to do this is to .. Add ( Income ) and Separate ( Time from Money )..
Dealing first with ADD..
At the moment most MUAs only charge an hourly rate or a rate for their art/handiwork. Of course top MUAs can and do charge premium rates.
MUAs have a collection of product that they have assembled over time and know work. This might be in a suitcase or makeup carrier or at their salon. The client might not be aware of the products used – only the end result. If the client is inclined to buy the products that the MUA uses and recommends then it probably means a trip to the shops.
Whilst such a trip might not be an issue it might also be inconvenient and would have a cost to the client in time and money. ( Whether that matters to someone who can afford an MUA is another matter).
It could be that the easy provision of the products used to the client is actually an enhanced service.
If the client goes and buys those products from the shops then there is nothing in that for the MUA in financial terms.
If on the other hand the MUA could make say 30-50% profit on the products sold then this will have added to the income from any particular client appointment. In fact the product profit might be more than the hourly or set rate.
The MUA would need to have the product on hand in order to sell it or have some sort of online shop ( <<<Link here ) where the client can go. Having the product on hand is ok if you have a salon ( although stock is an overhead ) but means that you have to carry it around if you are mobile.
An online shop ( <<< Link ) is definitely preferable especially if it has rapid delivery times ( eg 24-48 hour delivery ).
Talking to MUAs recently I noted that many of them gave the client a summary of what they had done for them during that appointment and what products they used and also kept a record for themselves.
I took this idea and developed the idea of the Online Beauty Prescription ( <<< Link – thanks to a friend who is a Beauty Blogger for that description ) which is a blog post that can be written up afterwards and can be anonymous or name the client and will direct them straight to the place in the online shop where they can buy these products. ( Posting a blog actually has many potential benefits to the MUAs online marketing but I will not go into that now ).
Now, at the time that the client purchases these products the MUA may well be working with another client i.e. the MUA has begun to separate time from money or multiply the effect of that time.
We can imagine the client coming back again and again and the only time that the MUA will be aware of this is when they get an email saying ” You have another order placed from ( whoever ) , Value £x “.
Here’s another great thing about this.. If you have not already got the clients email address you will have when they register and buy from your shop.
That email address can be used to communicate with the client on an ongoing basis. The MUA can email them ” special deals ” or ” new products or services “. Such communication can be automated in an appropriate and tailored manner.
Once you have your own shop you will obviously be able to buy certain products at a ” Wholesale ” price yourself. With some companies ( e.g. Motives and Shop.com ) you can buy more than just beauty and cosmetics products at wholesale prices, You could for example buy multivitamins and isotonic products. Such purchases represent a clear saving to you on products that you are already going to buy. This is the online equivalent of having a Costco or Makro account in the UK.
Lets add another dimension to this.. Some of the MUAs friends, business contacts and work colleagues e.g. Hairdressers, Nail Technicians, Manicurists, Masseurs also recommend products off of the MUAs’ online site that are relevant to them. Again these sales come in without any direct effort from the MUA and they come in alongside the MUAs other work.
One or two of the MUAs friends decide that they would also like to have their own online shop and the MUA helps them set that up and guides them on it’s use. The MUA and the friend both get commission on the sales.
Time goes on and more and more friends are selling products off of the websites or have their own websites. The result is a substantial income for many of them that is independent of the number of hours that they put in and which allows them to select which clients they actually want to spend their time with.
Take a look at this video:
Which is about a product range that originated in the U.S. ( in 2010 ) and was conceived by Loren Ridinger and enhanced by LaLa Anthony ( if you are fans of The Kardashians then you may of heard of them ).
This is a high quality, affordable cosmetics and beauty product range which is endorsed by many Celebrity MUAs globally. ( <<< Link ) It is being sold direct via MUAs, Salon and Spa owners and other beauty related professionals. The reason that you can have high quality product at mid range pricing and give high commissions to resellers is that NO money is being spent on advertising or corporate fatcats – the profit goes to the people that deserve it – the MUAs and their business partners. There is a sophisticated 24 -72 hour global delivery system to support sales from the Online sites though.
The Motives business system is a turnkey system that accomplishes EXACTLY what I have said above. Retail profit is added to time for money ( the appointment itself ) and in addition there is profit sharing for group sales.
N.B. We have built a financial model spreadsheet ( mini business plan ) to support this blog. See what happens when you add this to your normal MUA income !!!!
If you are based in Belfast and ready for a change and high earnings Contact me @cwindley, skype chris.windley or phone 07881 500002 to discuss this opportunity in greater detail.
I would recommend professional makeup artist Debbie O’Brien for special occassions like weddings
Debbie works in and around Dublin, Ireland and is a Motives cosmetics specialist
Here’s Debbie’s introduction to herself:
Hi everyone, and thank you for taking the time to stop by and have a look at my website. I feel that to be a really good make up artist you have to have two things, a creative flair with cosmetics and also a really good rapport with people. Since make up artistry was not my first love, it was however something I always said I would get involved in at some point. Having spent many years in the hospitality industry, I built up a fantastic work ethic, key qualities, such as always being punctual, pride in my appearance, attention to detail (slightly OCD at times to be honest) and most importantly I pride myself at being really good with people.The many years of experience from that industry, built the foundations I needed, to do what I really always wanted to do, and that was to become a make up artist. It’s not a job for me, in the sense that I don’t dread going to work!! I spend hours looking at new make up trends, new fashion trends, browsing from make up counter to make up counter, ensuring that I’m not limiting my knowledge in any way.
Its also really important to me that I don’t allow myself to be slotted into any one category when it comes to age brackets and make up styles. I really believe it’s important to teach girls from a very young age, how precious their skin is, and how important it is to look after it properly. So if its a young lady wishing to have her first make up experience, or a lady that wishes to celebrate her 50th wedding anniversary, its my job to make every woman feel fabulous!!!
Here’s some testimonials from happy clients:
TESTIMONIALS
Official Make-Up artist for the Tweeting Goddess – Sam Kelly Winner of Tweetie inspire award and star of RTE’s Dragons Den and ‘She’s the Business’
Debbie did my make up for the Tweetie awards in October. I was delighted and felt beautiful after she worked her magic!! Debbie is a professional and also puts you at total ease and I put total trust in her. I will be using her as my make up girl from now on! Highly Recommend!!! – Sam Kelly
After being disappointed with my original bridal make-up trial, Debbie(Decadent Beauty) came recommended through a friend. I was quite fussy about what kind of make up I wanted for my big day, Debbie really listened to what I wanted done but she gave a few suggestions too which worked out perfect. Debbie was so professional and insisted on getting my make up just right, she wanted to be 101% sure I was happy with the end result on my make up trial. On the big day, she kept me calm and stayed right up till I was ready to leave my house to touch up any last minute lippy etc. I would recommend Debbie to any Bride that is looking for hassle free make up artist to do their make up on their special day. I would definitely use Debbie again for any future events. Helen
I could not recommend Debbie enough. She graciously agreed to do my makeup on my wedding day. I have never felt so beautiful. The look she created for me was exactly what I wanted (although I actually didn’t tell her what I wanted) & it lasted all day. This photo is taken hours after I had my make up done and it stayed this fresh all day long, bearing in mind I got married in Greece and it was also hot. Honestly, Debbie is such a professional & highly skilled, everyone commented on how amazing my make up was. Susan.
Recent Comments