Braiding in Festivals: Agents, the Pros and the Cons

If you have never run your own business before, are already working in another career, or don't have the time to drum up your own clients for whatever reason, you may wish to work with an agent. Before you do that however, be warned that there is a line between an agent and a "pimp". That line is at 40%. However, the line between agent and crook is at about 20%.

The best agents for braiders are either specialists who do hairstyling referrals, salon owner/managers, or talent agents specializing in school, party, and festival attractions. In all cases, you should know how much they are charging the patrons, so that you will know how much you should be getting paid.

Some common scams are:

Pay per hour - Many salons, especially in areas where braiding isn't very popular and stylists don't communicate enough, try to get away with paying the braiders minimum wage per hour. They don't tell you how much they are charging the patrons, or they lie about what they charge. If someone offers you less than $20 per hour, just walk out. They don't take you seriously.
Salon space rental - Renting space in a salon is usually a very good deal. You pay them for advertising, and to keep a consistent area, and charge what you like. However, some unscrupulous salon owners charge by the hour for stylists who are working with them more than three days a week. If you're going to be there more than 3 days a week, they should be charging you by the month, not by the hour. What this has to do with festival work is that some salons on the periphery of major sporting or entertainment events, look for extra stylists during these times. They will jack up the rental price when there's a major football or basketball game.
The free ride - Unless you are really good friends with someone, and you've helped this person in some way that warrants it, never work for anyone who offers you space for free unless they are not a hairstylist at all. Usually, this is a set up that's something like industrial espionage. They want to see what you can do, and how much you make from it, and will probably hire someone else who's cheaper. If an entertainment group brings you alone because it helps them out, or if you're part of a team of braiders who are getting paid a reasonable hourly rate or paying a percentage, then that's fine too. Beware of offers that seem too good to be true. In this case sometimes they're not actually scams, but gigs where you're very unlikely to make any money, and will actually lose money in transportation and such.

A good agent:

Relieves you of the stress of having to drum up your own clients. This frees you to focus on the artistic and customer service aspects of braiding, rather than the business concerns.
Has clear rates for their services. They charge you a percentage of what you make, or have a flat per-referral charge.
Gets paid for results. If they don't make you money, they shouldn't be charging you for things they don't do. On the one hand, some services should cost money regardless of the results, because their work is being done whether or not you take the jobs. If they're sending faxes, updating your website (or paying someone else to) and actually travelling around town and beyond, to get you gigs, you owe them at least pay for their time. However, this should be reasonable, and based on work they actually do, and the same fee every month, quarter, or year. There should be no hidden or extra charges other than what was agreed upon, unless they actually get you work.
For the purpose of braiders, your agent should either be an amateur or professional stylist themselves, or know enough about the business to understand what to charge for events. Don't work with someone who will get bargained down so low that you end up doing 30 kids' hair for $20 and don't even get transporation costs.
Is concerned about your safety and security. It has happenned that a braider will show up to an appointment, and get assaulted by their patrons. A good agent will never send you to an appointment at a private residence without a driver/security guard or at least someone who can be there as a witness. They will also partner you with someone or send representatives to check on you if you'll be working at an event where there may be lax security or unscrupulous authorities. Some braiders do get harassed in places where the laws are unclear. We are sometimes fined under the table. If a police officer or someone claiming to represent the state cosmetology board or health department wants to fine you, they should write you a ticket. In general though, these things are alot less likely to happen if there is more than one responsible person around.

There are many levels of agent or referral service. You may only need a webmaster or a regular faxer, or you might need a full manager. If however, you decide to go it alone, understand that it is a business, and it takes alot of work to run a small business. In the end though, you may become a sort of agent or promoter yourself. If you have both the talent for the art, and a talent for business, you are rare, and should definitely consider helping others out.

Lesson 1: Local Braiding Laws
Lesson 2: Agents: The Pros and the Cons

Self Promotion

Lesson 3: Sanitation On the Go
Lesson 4: Festival Styles

Lesson 5: Setting Up an Attention Getting Stand
Lesson 6: Peripheral Sales
Lesson 7: When Things Go Wrong

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