Syndication:
The RSS newsfeed for this site is located at http://cornrows.co.uk/mag/backend.php
|
|
To promote yourself, the first step is knowing what exactly you're
promoting. Remember that at a festival or event, you'll likely be
under alot of pressure to work efficiently. So go with what you know
you're good at.
If you're good at public speaking, and an expert in the art of braiding and hair extensions, you may want to offer seminars and lessons. This is especially good if you've mastered one of the newer techniques, or have a new approach to a standard. If you work well with kids, you may want to offer workshops and activities for children. If you're pretty focussed on braiding, then stick to that, and run a braiding stand. |
In some festivals you may be renting a space for this, and charging per student. In others you can be invited as a guest speaker/instructor, and paid a flat rate. Then then will handle charging the students. The latter is usually a better deal, since you don't have to shell out as much investment, you know how much you're getting paid, and you will almost certainly have enough students and therefore opportunity to promote yourself further. If you have the time, you can also offer private tutoring sessions.
|
|
Because braiding is a time consuming art, you will probably want to
offer hour blocks instead of half hour or 15 minute blocks of time.
Often these sessions will include a student bringing their model or mannequin
head, and attempting performing a style while you coach them through it,
and point out any problems with their technique.
The best places to offer such services are schools and beauty specific festivals, shows, and events. It helps if you have some experience with teaching, and some publications. Here in Cornrows.co.uk you have the perfect opportunity to post articles, and gain alot of visibility very quickly. There are other online magazines though, and of course there is the possibility of running your own website. See the course links section for specific resources. Festivals and events are also good places to run workshop and class stands, not just classes at the actual festival. Have a couple of your students and their models performing various hairstyles at a show, and give out information on how one can take your class or workshop. You can even take a volunteer, give them a 'beginner' smock or something, and teach them to demonstrate how well you teach. Braiding and Hair Accessories Workshops If you don't want to do a big demo or class, or are still trying to make a name for yourself, doing small workshops for kids and beginners can be alot of fun. Teaching how to braid basic cornrows or pinch braids might be nice for a school project, but for festival work you want to offer something that kids or parents can pick up quickly, but that has a beautiful enough outcome that they get a smile out of it. Plan a few easy projects that kids can do within 15 minutes at a table with chairs or even better, at a low table with blankets and beanbags around. Making scrunchies, braided ponytail falls with beads, single braid rubber band type extensions, and decorating barettes or hair sticks can be lots of fast fun. Such activities can be offered at festivals at a stand where you charge each on the spot, or you can offer a package deal for parties or kids events where the hosts want it to be a free activity. To offer your services at parties and as attractions, you will need to find out what the general policies are in your area, and prepare a fax flyer to send to local malls, events, and party planners. |
When planning parties and attractions, many events managers and planners like to get everything in one stop. So you may want to consider becoming part of a cultural entertainment group, or at least working with one occasionally.
Still, your fax should be a basic abbreviated version of a proposal letter. They want to know what you do, how much you want for it, when you're available, and how to contact you. Make it attractive but not too longwinded.
Quick Styles
These are promoted the same way as the small workshops. They're often more profitable since when you're doing it and not teaching it, you can do things alot faster for more people. However, quick styles are almost just as attractive for adults as they are for kids, so you can promote them to cafe's, pubs, and clubs that serve patrons who'd be interested. Imagine the cost of a beer, and think of what you can do quickly for that price or less. Folks can pay at the bar or the establishment can pay you to do however many you can during a set time.
The reason why this would interest a club or cafe is that such things attract more women to a place, and make them want to return.
A single braid with extensions, up to half head styles are good to offer for these things.
Again, you'll need to fax your proposal. If you're promoting to clubs though, be sure to know what style of club you're promoting to. Offer styles that fit the venue. You won't offer the same thing at a hip hop club that you would at a rave type club for instance. No glow in the dark plastic or phosphorescent wispy dread extensions at the hip hop club, but if you don't offer them at the rave club, you'd be missing out.
Business Cards
These are a standard for self promotion. You must have two sets of business cards: a great big stack of simple black and white ones with maybe a small logo, and a smaller but substantial stack of glossy color ones.
The simpler ones are your backup for passing out cards, and also the bulk of what you leave at any place that will take a stack of your cards. The nicer ones are what you give to folks from your hand to theirs.
Booklets
Once you have enough photos of your work, you should have some booklets printed. You may even want to consider putting out a yearly nice picture book to place in cafes where people often sit around and page through interesting magazines. You never know who's stopping by a cafe. Some may be potential customers, and some may be event planners. Just make sure that it's in the booklet and picture books that you are available for events.
Pay Your Taxes
Sometimes, if you're doing it on the side, and on rare occasions, this isn't really relevent. Unless you make more than $500 in a year from it in the U.S. they don't even care. However, if you're doing it as a business or regularly even if you're not necessarily a business, you should pay the government their due. This way, you don't have to hide. It's hard to advertise while looking over your shoulder. If it's your first year or the first year you actually make enough to warrant reporting, then keep careful books so that you can take these to whoever does your taxes.
At festivals it is quite normal in some places (especially where I live in Israel), or when its a local moms kind of thing, that patrons don't ask for and don't expect receipts. Whether they do or don't, you should keep a record of how much you made. Making a note each time you finish a style like "single extension: $3: 5:20 pm", and then later putting these details in your ledger might save your butt if you get fined, audited, or investigated for some other reason. If your manager or the events sponsor/host/manager whatever gets into trouble, the you know what may roll downhill.
Whatever anyone else is doing, keep your own books tight, and this way
you don't have to be quite so underground, even if you're in a regulated
state. You'd be able to tell not just a judge, but those who seek
your services and might be wondering, that you have done everything you
can to operate within the law.
© 2006 Nicole Singleton Lasher
Syndication:
The RSS newsfeed for this site is located at http://cornrows.co.uk/mag/backend.php