Will I Earn Money At This?
One thing we must take into account here first is that you may not be considering taking a course in image, colour, whatever for business reasons at all. If you wish to use colour, style, etc. to help you with your personal development, and you have the money and time to invest in a professional training course, then that's fine too.
I find that most ladies and gentlemen who contact me, though, are looking at this as a way of making money; this could be part-time or full-time income and this business is fabulous for both.
In the last 27 years, I have:
- run a full-time business
- run it alongside a different job (like freelance computer work)
- put it to one side completely when life, family, work and other such joys have taken precedence
- picked it up again when it suited me
- worked for other related businesses on their premises
- rented my own premises, but I prefer to, and currently, run my business from home
- run my business abroad
The potential and flexibility of this business is phenomenal. And I expect to be still madly consulting right up to the day I drop!
Current Climate
This is a great time to get involved as an image consultant. There are plenty of television programmes about how to look good and how to choose clothes. Most of those programmes incite interest, but leave people wondering whether it can work for them.
Did you know?
The stats are that 80% of 'victims' on such TV shows revert back to type within 6 weeks of the show being aired.
This is because there's no real substance to the conversion. It's all done at a superficial level, just for television, in an alarmingly short time span, and the poor client hasn't been given in-depth information that THEY can use later when shopping, creating a wardrobe, applying make-up, etc. This alone could create the basis of a great business for you, especially if you are really interested in helping others to look and feel good - for the rest of their lives.
The current population of the UK is around 60 million. If we split that three ways for men, women and children, there must be 20 million women out there - a huge market of ladies who are looking for ways to improve their lives, their self-esteem and their confidence.
Income Potential
Q: "Typically, what price would you charge a person for the service you provide, i.e. identifying their colours?"
A: There is no 'industry-standard' price in the UK. Some hobbyists charge GBP 35.00 including the wallet and, in my opinion, this cheapens the whole industry. Other business-minded consultants charge GBP 150 per hour.
The final price you charge depends on:
- your target market
- your location
- how long you spend with a client (one hour or all day will make a huge difference to your fees)
- what your outgoings are (travel, office rental, etc)
- what you give them to take away (wallet, documentation, etc)
- and - most importantly - how much YOU think you are worth
We look at all this and how to calculate your charges on the course itself.
The course fees are an investment in your future business. If you charged a mere GBP 50.00 for a consultation (and you wouldn't be doing that for long, I can assure you), then you would recoup your investment after only 16 clients.
Your mindset
At the end of the day, it will all depend on you - your attitude, your determination, and your approach to your new business.
Are you business minded?
If you are thinking of making money from your new business, then you need to adopt a business mindset from the very beginning. You will need to consider the practicalities of setting up a business and how you're going to fund your training, props, premises, advertising, administration, bookkeeping/accountancy, ongoing training and development, marketing, and living expenses while you get the business off the ground. If you are looking to borrow money, then you will need a business plan to present to potential investors/lenders. You will also need to consider how to schedule your time for developing your new business, especially if you already have a busy diary full of commitments.
So many consultants get caught up in the euphoria of colour itself and fail to plan or work on how to make this business work. Improvability courses, our full back-up and support, together with our ongoing training and development resources are all designed to help you achieve a successful business - if that's what you really want.
"Don't panic, Mr. Mainwaring." You do not have to work on your own; we are always here to help you, and just remember this:
Q: How do you eat an elephant?
A: One bite at a time!
