Start-Over Success Business Under $3,000
Personal Stylist
There are obvious skills you need to possess as a stylist, like understanding color, fabrics, and trends.
You’ll need to learn clients’ needs and wants’. You must be expert at understanding body types, ages, professions, and cultural differences.
Your feelings of confidence in your skill and your ability to communicate well ensure you can work with and dress individuals from various backgrounds and with different needs.
You must instill trust, fashion choices are key to clients making good impressions; they must be able to count on you.
Basia Richard, YouTube Channel
Where Will You Work? Who is in Your Personal Stylist Market?
Consider the age group that’s available to you. Will younger women relate better to you? Know this: Those over-55 represent nearly 50% of all shopping. Will you work exclusively with women? Or will you work with men?
Will you specialize in professionals and/or those with particular activities and lifestyles, like country clubs or travel? Are there events (like charity balls, etc.) your clients attend and where they want to “dress to impress”?
What Services Will You Offer? What Will You Charge?
To a large degree, where you live will affect your options. Do an online search for Your City, Personal Stylist, to get information on service packages and prices. Let the examples you find online inspire and guide your offerings and prices.
Notice that being a Personal Stylist is a lucrative path.
Celebrity stylists need to be where celebrities are. But, consider local celebrities like newspeople and other influential or visible personalities.
Professionals want to create a look that attracts success. You can help.
The demographics in your area matter. You’ll make more with high-end clients who will pay for your knowledge and who make it possible for you to make affiliate commissions from brands and stores.
Basia Richard, YouTube Channel
What You Need as a Personal Stylist
- First, you need to love fashion and style.
- You need strong Communication skills
- Investing in your personal style to make the right impression, per your market. ($1,000+)
- You may want to take classes to get the info, lingo, and credibility you need (New York Academy of Arts and Design, ($900)
- You’ll need marketing, marketing, marketing. A blog/website ($3/mo) and YouTube Channel ($0) where you post valuable content can jumpstart – and build – your success.
- As soon as your business can afford it, do Local Marketing with networking (I. E. Chamber of Commerce $500+ annually) and building relationships
Tools You May Need,
Depending on your market & what you offer.
- Clothes rack(s)
- Garment bags for transporting
- Steamer, measuring tape, pins
- Organizing system: label and easy access to items
Canva for Creating Mood Boards, Free
Apps for Working & Running Your Personal Stylist Business
APPS FOR YOUR WORK AS A PERSONAL STYLIST
1- Vogue Runway free
2- Tivvit — affiliate sales, post collections and earn commissions
3- Pantone – color matching system
4- F.A.D. fashion dictionary ($10) Search by fabric, etc
5- Shop Style Search stores, categories, clients
6- Canva for creating & sharing mood boards w/client (Free)
APPS FOR RUNNING YOUR PERSONAL DESIGN BUSINESS
7- Calendly, book session/discovery
8- Quickbooks for bookkeeping, invoicing, and more ($15/mo)
Basia Richard, YouTube Channel
How to Get Clients
Your first clients may come from family and friends. You can work for them cheaply so you can practice your processes and skills, and end up with pictures you can post on your website and online.
Next, reach out to compatible businesses: tailors, clothing shops (especially local), women’s groups, hairdressers, spas, nail salons, and photographers.
It’s helpful to get to know top local real estate agents, too. They often know everyone. And, Interior designers and event planners work with your market, too.
Contact Public Relations Agencies, they will want their clients dressed for success for photo shoots, ads, and more.
With a blog and/or YouTube channel, share helpful information and make a name for yourself.
While building a local business might be the best way to start, learn how to work with clients virtually.
Use Google My Business; when people search for Personal Stylists, you’ll have a good chance of showing on Page One results. Free
What's Next For You as a Personal Stylist?
You can take your business digital after you’ve established your local clientele. You can create an agency with a team of stylists and assistants.
Producing a YouTube Channel, along with a popular fashion/stylist blog, can add to your fortunes. Once you’re successful, you can create workshops to teach others how to become and prosper as Personal Stylists.
You’ll make strong connections with people in many high-powered positions. Keep your eyes open for opportunities.
