In order to reach new levels in your beauty business, diversify your services and gain new clients, you'll need to work towards creating processes (a.k.a. ways you do things). These may include creating checklists and literally writing out instructions on the specific ways you do activities within your business. A few ideas include the way you pack your kit, work with clients, order supplies to your accounting systems. When you create processes and begin to track these items, the benefits are boundless. You'll become organized, prepared for tax time without overwhelm, be on top of your marketing game which will lead to new clients and you'll know exactly where you stand financially. The more you know, the more you grow!
I'll admit, this may look like the "not so sexy" part of running a business. However the more you track and the more you document "your way of doing things", you can become laser focused on marketing, collecting invoices and your clients. Now this leads to the "sexy stuff". . .doing more of what you love, earning more $$$ and gaining more clients! Today we are focusing on 3 major things to track. Your mileage, your work and your receipts.
1. Track Your Mileage
You may be asking why do I need to track my mileage? Well, let me answer that question for you. You need to be tracking your automobile mileage for a couple of reasons.
For the IRS when filing your taxes to ensure you get your deductions and for proof of using your car/SUV for business purposes.
You may work on a gig where you travel out-of-town by car and need to document your mileage to submit along with your invoice to a client for reimbursement.
So when you make that run to Sephora to grab some new Nars Radiant Longwear foundation (my fave) or head out the door to a gig be sure to track it! I know there are apps to track mileage however the easiest method I have found throughout my career has been using these handy little mileage logs from Dome. They are inexpensive and not dated so you can pick up several at a time. Remember, 1 log per vehicle. I stick mine up in the visor of my car. So every time I back out of the garage, doing business related activities, I jot down my mileage and where I'm going. This makes it easy and painless come tax time. Best part, all the documentation is there showing my vehicle is used for business. #mileage
2. Track Your Work
Tracking the work you do is vital to the growth of your business and key to keeping your clients updated on what you are doing, yet it's so easy to forget to do as we get busy! Let's say you work on a commercial filmed in September but it will not air until during the holidays in December. Between September and December you will work on many photo shoots, video shoots, personal clients and maybe even some weddings! And for all the bridal makeup artists, you know how long it takes to get the good shots from a bride's wedding day either from the photographer or directly from the bride. That's a lot to remember, a lot to collect but so much great content you need for your website, Instagram, Tik Tok, other social media platforms and all your marketing materials.
Old vs. new process of tracking work:
I use to jot down notes or refer to my online calendar but I had post it notes all over my desk or jot down jobs in a notebook. I love to be organized so I finally asked myself, why the heck is one of the most important parts of my business not organized? LOL!
That led me to create a calendar specifically for collecting my makeup work. I listed all of the information to gather from each job so I could keep it all organized and in one place. It has been a game changer. I now can keep on top of collecting the work that result from the gigs I work on. I can now plan out my marketing strategies rather than it being hit and miss. I'm super excited to keep relevant, current content (photos, commercials, videos) in front of my clients so I stay top of mind and on top of their "first call" list.
Whatever method of tracking your work, works best for you just do it! You can find the calendar created by a makeup artist for makeup artists here. The Collect Your Work Calendars can be used as is or customize to fit your branding. #calendars
3. Track Your Receipts
Tracking your receipts is so very important. Actually let me say it this way. Tracking your receipts daily, weekly or at the least monthly is very important. This means entering your receipts into an accounting system/app on purchases you make like supplies, mileage logs, gas, makeup, calendars, online classes, etc. The more often you enter these receipts, the less overwhelmed you will be when tax time arrives. You will also have a solid idea of where you are financially in your business throughout the year. Trust me on this one! I have been the artist who doesn't enter receipts until the end of the year!!! I DO NOT recommend that method to anyone.
Always keep your receipts organized and separated by month. You will want to hang onto those for at least 7 years! Yes, S-E-V-E-N years:-). Quickbooks Online is an excellent accounting system. You can track your expenses, income, create invoices and estimates for jobs, accept payments, capture and organize receipts as well. #bookkeeping
If you like what you have read here today, learn more by following me on my social media platforms, grabbing industry resources or by visiting On the Set Styling.
Thank you for reading!
Cristy
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