Part-time business idea – hair cutting

If you have a few years’ experience of cutting and styling hair then this gives you an excellent opportunity to run a part-time business that will earn you a reasonable extra income.

Mobile hairdressers cut hair in people’s own homes. Once you’ve established a customer base they are likely to become very loyal and you will have a sustainable business, so being a good ‘people person’ is an essential along with your hairdressing qualifications. Being good with children is also a bonus. Many children hate sitting in a chair in a salon and are much happier having their hair cut at home, so you may find that you acquire several customers in one house.

You will need some capital behind you to start up. Hairdressing equipment does not come cheap – even a decent pair of cutting scissors can be expensive. But you can at least keep your marketing costs relatively low. Local advertising in shop windows and newspapers, along with cheap flyers for door-to-door distribution is probably all that it needs. Word of mouth is likely to be your strongest marketing tool – if you can cut the hair of just one mum or child at your local school, you can guarantee that your reputation will quickly spread throughout the school community and beyond.

There are a few things to be aware of when setting up your hair cutting business:

• You should hold a GNVQ Level 2 qualification in hairdressing.
• Portable electrical equipment must be checked every two years to ensure it’s properly maintained. You are responsible for this and should ask a reputable electrician to carry out the check.
• If you are handling hair dyes you must abide by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations – they relate to the use and storage of chemicals at work. Full information can be found on the Health and Safety Executive website.
• Check out local competition to make sure you are offering competitive prices.