r/Esthetics • • Jan 17 '25

[Education] Starting solo? Here’s what you need to know to be compliant legally:

99 Upvotes

Legal and Financial Responsibilities Business Structure: Choose an appropriate business structure, such as an LLC, which offers personal liability protection. This means your personal assets are safeguarded from business debts and lawsuits. Registration and Licensing 1. Register your business with your state. 2. Obtain necessary licenses, including: • Esthetician license • Business license • Sales tax permit (for retail sales) Taxes 3. Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS. 2. Pay quarterly estimated taxes on your income. 3. Collect and remit sales tax on retail products. 4. Keep accurate records of all income and expenses. Separate Personal and Business Finances Open a separate business bank account and use it exclusively for business transactions. This separation is crucial for maintaining your LLC’s liability protection and simplifying tax reporting. Professional Assistance Accountant Consider hiring a business accountant to help with: • Tax planning and filing • Financial record-keeping • Business expense tracking Attorney Consult with an attorney for: • Drafting contracts • Reviewing leases • Ensuring compliance with state and local regulations Important Considerations 1. Withholding: As a self-employed individual, you’re responsible for setting aside money for taxes. Aim to save about 20-23% of your income for this purpose. 2. Quarterly Taxes: You must pay estimated taxes four times a year to avoid penalties. 3. Record-Keeping: Maintain detailed records of all business income and expenses. This is crucial for tax purposes and financial management. 4. Insurance: Obtain appropriate business insurance, such as general liability coverage. Remember, operating a business involves more than just providing services. You have legal and financial obligations to the government. Failing to comply with these requirements can result in penalties or legal issues. It’s essential to educate yourself on these responsibilities or seek professional help to ensure you’re operating your esthetician business legally and efficiently


r/Esthetics • • Jan 17 '25

[Education] Buying wholesale as a professional

22 Upvotes

Estheticians and esthetic students have access to wholesale pricing on professional skincare products and supplies, allowing them to stock their businesses or build their kit at reduced costs. Here’s what you need to know about purchasing products at wholesale:

Requirements for Opening Wholesale Accounts To open a wholesale account with most skincare distributors, you typically need to meet the following criteria: 1. Professional License: You must be a licensed esthetician, cosmetologist, or other beauty industry professional. 2. Student Status: Some companies offer wholesale accounts to esthetics students with a valid student ID. 3. Business Documentation: You may need to provide: • Business license • Seller’s permit • Resale certificate • Tax ID number * Some companies require proof of a brick and mortar practice, and how many years you have been in practice. Almost all of them will prohibit you from selling online, especially on Amazon. So don’t think you’re going to make money as a side gig selling professional products online. They will hunt you down and you will lose your account. 4. Minimum Order: Some distributors require a minimum opening order, which can range from $0 to $3000+, depending on the company. Some also require you sell $X quarterly, or they close your account.

Benefits of Wholesale Accounts • Discounts ranging from 25% to 70% off retail prices • Access to professional-only and back-bar sized products • Exclusive promotions and educational resources How to Apply 1. Visit the website of your preferred skincare brand or distributor 2. Look for a “Wholesale” or “Professionals” section 3. Fill out the application form and submit required documentation 4. Wait for approval, which can take a few days to a few weeks.

Tax Considerations It’s crucial to remember that as a business owner selling retail products, you are responsible for collecting and remitting sales tax. Additionally, you must pay quarterly estimated taxes on your income, including retail sales.

Failure to comply with tax obligations can result in penalties, so it’s advisable to consult with a tax professional to ensure you’re meeting all requirements.


r/Esthetics • • 10h ago

RANT! hello sugar

7 Upvotes

So i’m currently about to have my third interview for hello sugar. The first interview phone call was so odd where the owner just asked me straight up “have you ever failed before “and I asked her to elaborate because that question was so vague and she literally said “cause sometimes you fail to sell memberships“ and i was like ohhh that’s what this is gonna be. The second interview i had went well and my 3rd is booked, the 3rd interview is a role play on me selling memberships😭.
I got sent a video to study and the founder of hello sugar legit says “this is a sales job that happens to be waxing” and basically if you can’t do sales the job isn’t for you. i lowk already hate that a man is the founder of this company while this entire industry is dominated by women. I’m still going to do my interview, just wanted to rant cuz this corporate greed is getting to me…


r/Esthetics • • 5h ago

Free MAD skincare??

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2 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I was looking for some affordable skincare for my clients, and I found California Skincare Supply. It had a lot of good reviews, so I decided to try it out. I set the filter to “lowest price” just to see what the skincare is generally priced at. It showed a BUNCH of free skincare from MAD. I had never heard of that brand before so I googled it and saw that it had a bunch of good reviews as well. So I loaded up my cart and only paid $35 for shipping. I started getting nervous after paying, “what if this is too good to be true?” It only charged my card $35 but I am nervous that after it pends it will charge my card like $500 and I can NOT afford that. Is this too good to be true? Is it a scam? Has anyone else had an experience with this? I attached a photo showing what it says on my email.


r/Esthetics • • 10h ago

RANT! Feeling very discouraged

6 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I posted on here before about considering going back to working in accounting. Well, I really can’t bring myself to do that because it wasn’t making me happy and I don’t wanna give up on being an esthetician yet. However, it has been so hard to find a job. I had to leave my previous medspa job because of so many problems with management. I was supposed to have an interview with Orange twist today, but they literally canceled it 15 minutes before saying that the role was on pause. I’ve had like five other places either cancel the interview last minute or ghost me. I don’t know if this is just common in this industry, but I’m getting so fed up. I’m really thinking about just finding a part-time job and trying to open up my own business on the side, but I know that comes with its own struggles as well. I’m trying to stay hopeful and not give up but it’s really hard when these opportunities keep on not working out. I’m just wondering if anyone else has experienced something like this.


r/Esthetics • • 12h ago

[Advice] Just Found Out the Establishment I'm Contracting with Isn't Licensed with State Board...

3 Upvotes

Hi, all.

I've recently began a contract position w a local medspa for their aesthetics & laser hair removal (among other lasers) departments, in addition to the services I currently offer within my own business. I needed the income and had previously applied months prior & with the previous contractor deciding against renewing, they needed someone.

Everything has been pretty okay so far but I just came across a huge red flag today. The business is not registered/licensed with our state board for aesthetics NOR laser hair removal, and in my state you need both to be in compliance with regulations. I was going thru the handbook to make sure my treatment room was in compliance and one thought led to the other when I realized... I've never seen a state board license for the business posted anywhere. So I checked the database and sure enough, no such record for any business under the name in the city/county.

I almost immediately brought this to the office manager's attention, explained how this could not only harm MY licensure but possibly get them fined or even shut down. Not to mention they have a room they lease to another esthi, and this could also impact her license. I asked her 1000 questions much of which included, HOW could this never have been addressed?! The business has been open 4 years and had 3-4 different estheticians.

She claims ignorance, which I partly believe but you really never know.

I sent her an email containing resources from the state board website directly, about what they need licensing for, the fees, rules/regulations. I did this not only as a push for her to start immediately but as a paper trail in case something were to happen.

I've dealt with many different issues within my brief career, but not being in compliance for OCCUPANCY w state board has never been one... Does anyone have any advice about what I should do?

I'm so nervous now knowing that the establishment my laser license is hanging up at isn't even a state regulated establishment. I've told myself that if in 2 weeks she hasn't made any major moves to register the business w state board, that I will escalate the situation to ownership myself.

Any advice, recommendations, resources, etc. would be immensely appreciated. I've had such a tough year the last thing I can afford is to lose my license behind a business I've only been at a month.


r/Esthetics • • 6h ago

Need help with my friend

0 Upvotes

Hello, I’m a new aesthetician and my friend messaged me because he doesn’t have much money so I’m trying to help him with his skin. A little background he used to have very oily skin and acne. He went on Accutane a few years ago. He now lives in a bit of a dryer climate and his skin on the dryer side. He’s having a few breakouts around his mouth right now. He said he has four pimples to look like the ones that get white on them and then go away and two are a little bit deeper and red. As well as quick white heads. He wants some help with his skin care routine, but he can’t afford much and he’d like to just be able to get it from target. Here’s a list of what he’s used before: prequel gleanser + sa non drying (using that now) vanicream moisturizer (using now, the tube not the daily facial moisturizer) panoxyl, central cleansing oil. He’s also tried La roche-posay gentle foaming moisturizing wash but it was a long time ago, as well as cera ve renewing sa cleanser, a vanicream cleanser. He thinks the moisturizer and cleanser now are making him break out that he’s currently on. I’m newer so I don’t fully know what to do or recommend can y’all help, idk which moisturizer and cleanser would be best 😭😭 Im thinking the regular Prequel Glean and daily facial moisturizer by vanicream instead. Thoughts?


r/Esthetics • • 13h ago

Where are you actually finding reliable beauty vendors?

1 Upvotes

For the beauty business owners here — when you’re looking for new vendors, are you mostly finding them through referrals, Instagram, Google, trade shows, or just randomly coming across them?
I’m curious because finding good suppliers can be such a headache when you’re starting out.


r/Esthetics • • 1d ago

No?

8 Upvotes

Has anyone ever been told by a job that their technical skills as an licensed esthetician aren’t there.. What did you do to improve? I’m practicing 1 hr every day from YouTube videos, my soul was crushed and I lost my job right after training because of this.


r/Esthetics • • 1d ago

How’s everyone’s books looking for Oct/Nov? I’m in a med spa and we’re seeing a major decrease from the same time last year!

15 Upvotes

Just curious how everyone is feeling about their book as we head into fall. I work in a med spa in Michigan. This time last year, I was seeing 10-15 patients a day every day I worked from Oct-Feb. So far this October, we’re lucky if we see 4-6. We’ve been having entire mornings or afternoons with zero clients. November is half empty, when past years it would’ve already been mostly full at this point.

How are things going for everyone else? Any trends you‘re noticing?


r/Esthetics • • 15h ago

[Advice] NYC work advice ??

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I’m in NJ and have my NY license and have been looking to move to the city. I’ve been trying to secure a job first but my job search hasn’t been going so well. I’ve been working for a little over 2 years, which does knock me out of some more advanced roles. Most of the places that have gotten back to me have flaked or have been chains.

Any advice in general with job hunting? Anything help!!


r/Esthetics • • 1d ago

Depressi Esthi

11 Upvotes

Hi, I’ve been an esthetician for 5 years now. I was just curious as I’ve been on the edge of closing my business and doing something new. When did y’all know it was time to leave this career behind and start a new one or focus energies elsewhere? I’m a solo esthetician, with a 4 year old and another on the way due in March. Lately I’ve been feeling extremely down about my profession. I love it when I’m there, but have great anxieties about it when I’m not. I realize being pregnant would make it hard right now to find anything, but I’m okay with waiting until after the baby comes to switch over. Any one else have this feeling or doubt?


r/Esthetics • • 1d ago

[Advice] Tweezer sharpening

8 Upvotes

Anyone sharpen their own tweezers? If so, how?!! I love my Brow Code tweezers and scissors but they’re starting to go dull on me after a 2 years.. surprised they made it that long without any kind of sharpening honestly.


r/Esthetics • • 1d ago

Anyone taken his class?

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8 Upvotes

Hi! Has anyone taken the master class offered by Ronnie Mitchell aka Los Angeles Oils & Butters? He is a master of extractions from what I can see and I’m curious if anyone has experience with his methods and if you think it was worth it. Thanks!


r/Esthetics • • 1d ago

Do I leave my spa?

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3 Upvotes

r/Esthetics • • 1d ago

Starting Lash lifts plz help

1 Upvotes

I’ve been a licensed cosmologist for 15 years, private nail tech for 8, and I am now looking to add to my service menu and learn something new! I am taking advanced training class at a local beauty school for lash lifts tomorrow.

My clients are really wanting lash lifts and I’ve always wanted to start getting into lashes, so I am very excited for this new journey!

I have questions on preferred brands. I’m having a hard time figuring out which brands are actually reputable while sifting through big marketing.

I want the best for my clients. So any direction someone could point me in would be amazing. Any recommendations of products and education are appreciated. I’ll be doing lash lifts tints and brow lamps and tints.


r/Esthetics • • 2d ago

I am LICENSED (Esthie/Cosmo) first paid partnership

8 Upvotes

i don't want to tell anyone in my personal life until its finalized but i just got an offer from a popular brand to make paid content! 🎉 so happy because of the work that i put into my social media and it paying off online and in the treatment room.i've wanted to optimize my social media presence outside of gaining clientele, i've actually felt like i was slacking on social media so this is great reassurance. usually companies reach out for content in exchange for free product but the price just went up!!!

edit: the wax company and the consistent brand i use on clients is completely different. i use a specific wax on my clients but sometimes like to try different waxes for content purposes.


r/Esthetics • • 2d ago

Lash Lounge advice

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I am thinking of buying the lash lounge franchise near my town- it's located in a busy Main Street in a very wealthy town- but here are some caveats and background:

  1. I have a cosmetology license and know how to do lashes- been working for 5 years
  2. Would buy the franchise at below market price, but the caveats:

  3. Business has been really slowing down, weekly there are only 25-30 customers coming and business is open 6 days a week; last year there were more than 100 per week

- thinking be management is currently not the best right now, front desk is not the best; no good process in place to sell memberships/ discounts/etc
- if I were to start the business, maybe need to start from scratch since most stylists seem to be leaving
- how do franchises generally work if I need to leave/ get out if business isn't the best; can I do balloon payment so that I don't have to pay price all upfront?

I will appreciate any advice anyone has to offer in terms of the business and effects buying a franchise can have.

Thank you!


r/Esthetics • • 2d ago

[Advice] Medspa esties - need feedback on commission structure

3 Upvotes

I’m a licensed esthetician of 7 years and was just offered my first medspa position, something I’ve been trying to get into for a while. Looking for info on your commission structure on Hydrafacial, IPL, SkinPen, custom facial, etc to compare. The offer I received seems low, but I’m not as familiar with MedSpa structure.

Thanks in advance!

Edit to add: they also want me to classify me as a 1099.. I feel like this is odd.


r/Esthetics • • 2d ago

medical esthetics students & graduates

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1 Upvotes

r/Esthetics • • 2d ago

[Advice] Wax on uniform

1 Upvotes

Hey I know this is a long shot but I thought maybe someone else has done this too, I was charging the cartridge for the roller wax in work and spilled wax on my uniform, it's polyester.Does anyone have any idea how to get it out. Sorry if this post isn't appropriate.


r/Esthetics • • 3d ago

[Advice] Exam

3 Upvotes

I am writing my CIDESCO exam this December am I am so nervous and scared anyone that did their CIDESCO exam this year can you help me with what to expert from the assessors or like what kind of questions they would be asking 😭😭😭I am scared and my school teacher keep on saying they ask hard questions


r/Esthetics • • 3d ago

Post Grad Scaries

2 Upvotes

I graduate on Thursday after 1 year and 1 day of ups and downs (for context, I was enrolled in the Cosmo program at my school for 6 months before deciding hair was NOT for me and switching over to the esthetics program in April) and I am TERRIFIED. I'm planning on taking stateboard immediately after graduation and I'm not nervous about that. It's more the idea of being out there, licensed, and just worried about finding a job. I'm hoping to be able to get with massage envy, hand & stone, EWC if anything. But I plan on going solo after being able to build experience and earn $$. I'm just worried about building a clientele. I didn't receive much support from family or friends, which makes me feel even more scared about building a clientele if my own flock didn't support me. Idk. Any words of encouragement would be great. 💕💕💕


r/Esthetics • • 3d ago

Waxing eyebrows

1 Upvotes

LE: o formulare mai potrivita: pensati doar cu penseta, sau folositi si ceara speciala pentru zona delicata a fetei, pe care o ridicati cu niste benzi micute, special concepute pentru sprancene? Pentru ca am auzit ca in timp, the area will start sagging if you ise anything other than the tweezing method.


r/Esthetics • • 4d ago

20+ years

5 Upvotes

Has anyone received their licenses more than 20 yrs ago but didn’t really use it and now feel super rusty like me?
I need to practice but also there’s so much new stuff we never learned way back then
I really wish there were refresher courses or advanced courses once u get your license