Have a creative streak and enjoy the satisfaction of sculpting unbelievable eyebrows? You can channel your love of make-up and harness your artistic skills into a profitable business by offering microblading services.
The best part is that you can make good money microblading without crazy high starting costs (it can even be started from home). We’ll get into how much it costs to get started and how much you can make later on in the article.
This article will provide a complete guide to starting your own microblading business, which will include the following six steps (you can skip ahead to any one of them by clicking on the desired link below):
- Step 1: Get Proper Microblade Training
- Step 2: Obtain Appropriate Licenses and Insurance
- Step 3: Establish Your Microblading Business
- Step 4: Create a Business Plan
- Step 5: Get Equipment For Your Microblading Business
- Step 6: Market Your Microblading Business
It’s a lot to cover so let’s get into it!
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and complete a transaction, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
The information contained in this post is for informational purposes only. It is not a recommendation to buy or invest, and it is not financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. You should seek the advice of a qualified professional before making any investment or other decisions relating to the topics covered by this article.
Introductory Questions
What is Microblading?
Microblading is a semi-permanent make-up treatment where you create natural looking hair-like strokes on your customer’s eyebrows. This is done by using a very fine blade that deposits pigment under the skin. Because the pigment is applied very close to the surface of the skin, the hair strokes can be very fine and there is no “spilling” of the pigment under the skin.
It is used to enhance the attractiveness of eyebrows by providing thicker, fuller and perfectly shaped arches. It can also be used to cover up spots or patches on the eyebrows where hair is missing.
But it is important to note that the pigments can fade over time. Thus, touch-up treatments are necessary to maintain the look achieved by the initial microblading session.
How Much Money Can I Make Microblading?
On average you can expect to earn about $500 for an initial microblading session and $150 for touch up sessions. Of course, as a business owner, you will be responsible for all of the marketing, materials, and other expenses associated with operating the business, so you won’t get to keep all of the money you make. But the revenue you can generate from a single session is pretty compelling.
And once you have a satisfied customer, they will probably come to you for touch-up sessions in the future. If you continue to perform top-notch work, you should be able to create a large and loyal customer base that will generate reliable income for you each month.
Of course, how much you can charge will depend on your local market, but it’s easy to figure out what market rates are.
Just do a google search for “microblading near me” and it will pull up a bunch of local microblading businesses. All you need to do is go on their websites and check out their pricing. It’s an easy and super-accurate way to figure out what you should be charging (or at least what average prices are in your area).
What Are the Pros and Cons of Microblading?
Microblading can be a terrific business, but you need to go into this with your eyes open. The only way to do that is by weighing the pros and cons and deciding if the business is right for you.
Pros of a Microblading Business:
- You get to work on something that harnesses your natural abilities
- You get to unleash your creativity and skills everyday – not too many businesses allow you to do that
- You can help make people feel beautiful
- People come to you to enhance their attractiveness (and their life). If you do a great job, they will leave feeling on top of the world. That can be immensely gratifying.
- You can make great money doing this
- We talked about this earlier, but microblading can be a very profitable business
- The start-up costs are relatively low
- Although the cost of training courses and equipment is not negligible, it can be far cheaper than opening other types of businesses (which can cost tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars to start).
- You can start this business without a brick and mortar salon
- For example, you can provide your services from home or at client’s homes, for example
- You are your own boss and can set your own hours
- This type of freedom is awesome (especially if you are currently stuck in a job you don’t like)
Cons of a Microblading Business:
- Training is rigorous and can take a long time
- To become truly proficient, you will need to spend countless hours practicing. Some people take short cuts and wind up doing botch jobs. Don’t be that person. That will not serve as a foundation for long term success.
- High Competition
- This business is growing in popularity, which means high competition. You just need to be prepared for that.
- Interaction with Customers
- Even if you offer top notch services at a great price, there are always going to be customers who are not satisfied. You will need to deal with the headaches that come with a service like this.
Step 1: Get Proper Microblade Training
If you want to get started in this business, you need to make sure you are appropriately trained and certified.
Luckily, you have a lot of options available to you. I am not affiliated with any courses, so am not going to lead you one way or another. I would google “microblade courses” and start doing your research. Look at customer reviews. Compare what each course offers and try to find the best bang for your buck.
There are all sorts of courses and different price points, but you are likely looking at around $3,000-$4,000 for a quality course that offers in depth coverage of the tools, techniques, health and safety procedures, color matching, and other skills needed to successfully run the business. You also want a course that offers plenty of practice opportunities as well as ongoing support.
If you want a less expensive option, you can opt for an online course, which is often much cheaper, but even they can run well over a $1,000.
If you don’t know where to start, here are some popular courses that you can look at (checking them out will at least get you familiar with what courses generally tend to offer).
Step 2: Obtain Appropriate Licenses and Insurance
Another crucial step before you set up your microblading business is getting the right licensing and insurance.
Different states have different requirements around operating a microblading business, so you need to make sure you comply with the rules of your jurisdiction. In most states you will need to get a formal professional license to practice legally. If you want to know your specific state’s rules, check out this link.
As for insurance, there are a number of specialty companies that offer insurance tailored made for microblading businesses. This type of specialized insurance includes professional liability insurance that covers claims for loss of appearance.
Here are some links you can check out.
Step 3: Establish Your Microblading Business
If you want your microblading business to be legit and not just a glorified hobby, you need to actually set up the business. This includes selecting your name and logo, establishing your website, and setting up your business entity.
Name and Logo
The first thing you want to do is select a name and logo that you like.
Having trouble figuring out a name? Try Shopify’s business name generator. It’s free.
As for a logo, you can go on canva and check out some of their logo templates and start from there. It’s a free option, but you will need to customize the logo templates to your liking. If you prefer a more ready-made solution, you can outsource this task.
One solid option is to go on Fiverr and hire someone to create your logo. There are tons of people who do this, and I have seen pricing as low as $5. For that price, you can probably try a bunch of folks and pick the logo that suits you best.
Or you can go with Looka. They are an AI-powered platform that will provide you a professional looking logo at reasonable prices. You can choose from hundreds of logo designs (based on parameters and preferences you select) before settling on one you like. You can also customize to your heart’s content. Check them out here.
Note: You want to make sure your name and logo are original to you and are not going to infringe someone else’s intellectual property. If you are unsure, you can check the USPTO’s trademark search tool as a starting point.
Set Up Your Microblading Business Website
If you want an online presence for your business (and you should), you should set up a website. The website does not have to be incredibly fancy or cost a lot of money to set up. There are a lot of resources available to help you with this.
In fact, Google allows you to build your first business website for free. Just follow the instructions and you will be on your way.
List Your Business Online
It is also important to get your microblading business on Google. You can do this by listing it on Google My Business. This way, people who are searching for microblading services in your area can find you.
If you want to learn more about how to do this, check out this tutorial from Google.
Set Up Your Business Entity
If your business is going to be a corporation, LLC, or some other business entity, you should establish that as well. Setting up a business entity can give you a range of benefits, including liability protection. You can hire a lawyer to help you, or you can use many of the online resources that can help you set up your business entity.
I like Northwest because they can get you up and running quickly and easily. They are also one of the most affordable options that I was able to find that still offered great customer service ($39 as of the date of this article).
According to their website, they are the only national registered agent service that lets you use their office address so you don’t have to use your own. That’s a killer privacy advantage.
Definitely worth checking out.
You should consult with your accountant and lawyer before taking this step, so you understand the tax and legal consequences of setting up this type of organization for your business.
Step 4: Create a Business Plan
A business plan is essentially a roadmap for your business.
It organizes your thoughts relating to your business into an actionable plan. Some things to include in your business plan are budgeting, identifying your target market and competition, pricing strategy, marketing strategy, and growth projections.
Don’t stress too much about getting it perfect. I would use it more as an organizational tool at this point.
Stuck on how to get started? The Small Business Administration has a great tool to help you write your business plan.
Step 5: Get Equipment For Your Microblading Business
As you can imagine, getting the right supplies for your microblading business is essential. Most high qualify courses I saw provide you with a starter kit, but you will need to buy supplies on an ongoing basis as you use up blades, etc.
I am not going to provide every possible thing you could buy – I am limiting the list to the essentials.
As far as tools go, they include a quality universal holder (which holds your microblades and is what you use to make the small incisions), a golden ratio divider, pigment mixer, marking pen, scissor and tweezers.
Or course, you will also need microblading pigment in all of the necessary colors (e.g., black, brown 2, yellow, red, etc.) and the actual microblading blades. And in order to create as pleasant an experience for your customers as possible, you will want to have microblade pain relieving anesthetic, base cream and disinfecting wipes.
You may also want to invest in good aftercare products that promote healing and prevent infections.
If you are looking to set up your own studio, this article provides a very comprehensive list of equipment and supplies you may want to consider buying.
Step 6: Market Your Microblading Services
For online marketing, you can do the following:
- As mentioned previously, set up a Google My Business, so that people looking for microblading services can find you. You want to encourage people to leave good reviews there for you if they like your work. Research has found a strong relationship between the number of online reviews a business and the revenue that it generates.
- Get a great website that draws traffic to your business (you can hire an SEO expert to help you do this)
- Get on Yelp for business and let your customers find you. They are an extremely well-known brand, and many people look there when searching for local businesses. Want to learn more? Check them out below:
- In addition to advertising on Yelp, you can buy online ads from other online and social media outlets (Facebook, etc.)
If you want to go old school, you can also advertise in your local newspapers, circulars, or through direct mail, etc.
Finally, you may want to do some “boots on the ground” marketing. Walk around your neighborhood and leave flyers.
Ultimately, you want to experiment with various marketing strategies – you may be surprised at what works best.
Once you have developed your marketing campaign (and completed all of the previous steps), you are ready to launch your microblading business. Put your marketing plan into action and wait for the flood of customers (hopefully!) to come in.
Conclusion
So, there you have it: 6 simple steps to start your microblading business.
For more great ideas on starting a business in the beauty and make-up industry, check out my articles on how to start an eyelash extension business and how to start a press on nail business.
