Pros and Cons of Self-employment and salon work

In the UK 60% of hairdressers are self employed with a massive shift towards self employment in the hairdressing industry we have put together this list of pros and cons for both sides so you can make an informed decision about what option would be best for you. 

PROS OF SELF EMPLOYMENT

• Freedom, control of your own career - freedom and flexibility to work how you want, when you want, where you want. People are craving this freedom and flexibility more than ever before. Allows you to explore different ways of working, allows you to be more creative and allows you to explore different parts of the world as you aren’t tied down to one location. 
• No brand affiliation - If you’re working in a salon you may be restricted to working with one product brand and although you may love it you may want to explore or recommend other products to your clients and being self employed allows you to do this. 
• Uncapped earning potential - Salons take a portion of earning in order to pay for rent, bills and products / sponsorships. 

CONS OF SELF EMPLOYMENT 

• Miss out on being part of a team / having that team environment - find ways to connect with other stylists
• Loose chance of career development that comes with working in a salon - a lot of workplaces have career and education pathways available to their employees. Requires a lot more self motivation to do these things on your own. 
• Admin that comes with managing your own books - do your own accounts and marketing as well as managing your own clients. 

PROS OF EMPLOYMENT 

• Ability to earn a set salary and commission every month - financial security
• A salon will take care of a lot of the administrative tasks - don’t have to worry about reports, tax or accounts. 
• Really clear career paths and development plans - a business will pay for your education / to do any extra qualifications and courses. A salon is driven to move you forward. 
• If you’re in a salon you’re surrounded by people and have the option to lean on team members if and when you need to 

CONS OF EMPLOYMENT 

• Less flexibility - set structure around locations and the hours that you work and also less opportunity to be creative 
• Data of the clients legally belongs to the salon not to you as the stylist
• Revenue that you earn is split between you and the salon - feeling of balance is not their in the stylist mind, salons may have to take a bigger portion of the revenue to contribute to the running of the salon and this may not always add up in the stylists mind. 

Theres value in both these ways of working its very much a personal preference. Salons need to be mindful of the shift to self employment and create more opportunities for co-working where a stylist may do a few days in the salon and spend the rest of their time as freelance.