How To Become A Stylist: 6 Ways To Make Money As An Entrepeneur
Business planning in key. Once you’ve made the decision to become a full time stylist, you need to plan out your next move. You officially need to start thinking like an entrepreneur.
I remember my last job was a business manager at a medical spa, I had a lot of freedom & my boss was amazing. But I grew up with the mentality that without money, I couldn’t achieve anything. I thought I needed to sacrifice 8-12 hours of my day for someone else so I often dreamed of being my own boss and working from home the entire time.
I had the mindset that you needed a lot of money to become self employed. I thought I needed to save enough money to become an entrepreneur but you can actually work on both at the same time. Luckily, with advances in technology, it is easier and more affordable than ever to launch your new business as a stylist, from the comfort of your home!
As an entrepreneur, we’re working 16 hour days minimum, so if you put aside 8 hours doing some side gigs and another 8 planning and prepping your styling portfolio, working as an assistant and interning for your dream celebrity stylist, you can achieve so much and still have enough to pay your rent. In today’s post, I’m covering six ways you can start your journey to become a stylist, with no money saved in advance.
1. Digital Side Gigs
If certain applications were around when I was younger, I would have spent so much time testing out different digital side gigs.
With digital side gigs, you can complete various tasks like taking surveys, testing websites, offering advice, answering questions, completing administrative tasks — the possibilities are endless!
While you’re not going to get rich completing micro-tasks, it’s an excellent way for you to start making some money on your own terms. It also gives you experience, and it doesn’t take any money to get started!
Here are some of my favorite digital side gigs to check out:
FANCY HANDS
Hires freelance virtual assistants to complete one-off tasks like research, appointment setting, and answering emails. Each mini assignment pays between $3-$7, and payments are distributed every other Tuesday.
FIVER
Fiverr is an online platform where you can sell mini freelance services like designing a logo, writing an advertisement, editing a photo or video, image creation, voice-overs, and so much more. With Fiverr, most gigs are priced at $5.00, which means you’ll earn $4.00 after they take their 20% cut. While this may not seem like a lot of money, some Fiverr freelancers have been known to rake in six-figures a year!
INBOXDOLLARS
InboxDollars allows you can earn cash for surveys, reading emails, playing games, redeeming coupons, searching the web, and shopping online. Membership is free, and you’ll receive $5.00 for signing up. Payments are made via check. INBOXDOLLARS which is part of CotterWeb Enterprises, Inc., has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
JUST ANSWER
JustAnswer hires independent contractors in various niches (lawyers, nurses, doctors, mechanics, tech experts, etc.) to share their expertise and answer questions online. They currently have an urgent need for experts in the areas of appliances, computers, electronics, finance, and veterinarians. Must be from the US or Canada, and payments are distributed via PayPal monthly.
SWAGBUCKS
Swagbucks is an online platform where you can earn points called SB, which can be redeemed for gift cards from Amazon, Target, Starbucks, PayPal, and Walmart. You can easily earn SB points by watching videos, playing games, answering questions, shopping online, and even surfing the web using their toolbar. Refer your friends, and you’ll earn even more SB points. Swagbucks also gives you a $5 bonus for signing up!
USER INTERVIEWS (My Favorite!)
User interviews recruits individuals from around the globe to participate in surveys, focus groups, and website testing gigs. Most studies take between 30-120 minutes and pay between $40-$200 per study.
2. Start a Blog for Free
Carrie Bradshaw of your dreams? Obviously, I’m a huge advocate for starting your own monetized blog. However, it does become a bit tricky when you’re trying to do it for free. First, you have two options for getting started – you can either use the free WordPress option, or Blogger, which is a commercial-free platform. Both have similar features regarding functionality and design, and both can be monetized, but only through their respective ad networks.
What this means is that you’re able to monetize your blog, but only by using WorkAds or Bloggers AdsenseAds. WordPress does allow affiliate marketing on their free platform — as long as you comply witj their terms. Using a free platform may limit your earning potential, but it gives you the initial foundation for building an audience. Once you have a little bit of money rolling in, you can easily transfer your blog over to the paid version of WordPress, where you will be able to monetize your blog any way you want.
You will need some tools to get started, but here is a list of my favorite free blogging tools for beginners:
Elementor – Free design plugin
Sendinblue – Free email marketing service
Elite Blog Academy – 20 free WordPress plugins
Monetize with ShopStyle or RStyle. Theyre both incredibly great and interactive for tagging all of your looks and similar brands to what you’re wearing.
3. Provide Child Care Services
As a teen, babysitting is bread and butter for a lot of my friends. I’d babysit my mom’s co-worker’s kids, neighborhood kids, my cousins, as well as my moms friends children. It was an easy way to make extra money, and obviously, I didn’t spend a dime on advertising my services. While most of my clients were from word of mouth referrals, I was also able to offer my services on the local bulletin board at church, at school and online.
You, too, can make good money by offering your services as a nanny, babysitter, or elderly caretaker. Gather up some positive referrals from friends and family members, and then spread the word that you’re open for business. Places like Facebook, Craigslist, and local bulletin boards are great places to promote your business and, they’re free!
You can also check out on-demand platforms that connect caretakers with caregivers. If you choose to use these platforms, they’ll take a small percentage of the total transaction fee.
Of course, you can use this same business model to start almost any service based business for free.
Here are a few service-based businesses you can start with zero money, or you can use an on-demand app to connect you with potential customers:
Dog Walking
House Cleaning
Laundry Services
Meal Prep
Yard Work
4. Provide Freelance Writing Services
You don’t need to be an English major to be a freelance writer; in fact, this is an excellent way to make a living if you enjoy writing – and the more you write, the better you get.
While I’m not an advocate of selling yourself short or devaluing your worth, there is a time and a place for freelance job sites. These sites are job boards for freelancers and businesses; it is a place to connect, shop around, and, most importantly, get some money into your pocket. While many of these sites may offer smaller payouts, they are a great place to gain experience and build up your portfolio.
Freelance Job Boards:
After you’ve been freelancing for a few months, you should have some good samples, testimonials, and experience that will give you the leverage to start going after better-paying clients. Remember to set up your digital footprint from the beginning; social media sites are free to join and are great for building your customer base.
Not a writer? No problem! Most of these freelance sites have gigs for proofreaders, bookkeepers, graphic designers, virtual assistants, editors, transcribers, and so much more! If you have a professional skill that you can offer to the public, use this free business model to start your own freelance business.
5. FREE Internet Business Opportunities
While most direct sales and internet business opportunities have a small startup fee, there are a few that do not. Each company allows you to set up shop online for FREE. Then for each item that is sold through your shop, you’ll earn a specified commission.
Country Scents – Candles, Melts, and Home Decor
fibi & clo – Sandals and Accessories
J. Elizabeth – T-shirts and Tanks
Kaeser & Blair – Promotional Products
Mayvenn – Haircare Products
She Anna Bella – Jewelry, Handbags, and Scarves (Canadian)
StyleChest – Clothing
Stylevate – Clothing
Teespring – Graphic Tee Shirts, Bags, Pillows, and Mugs
Wink Kitten – Sells fake lashes.
Looking for something different? Many direct sales companies offer a FREE starter kit if you meet certain milestones during your first 30-60 days. You can check out this master list for direct sales opportunities.
6. Sell Stuff For Money
You can pretty much sell anything online nowadays, from old clothing and books to CDs, DVDs, games, toys, printables, art, crafts, cars, and so much more. To get started, look around your house to see what you’re no longer using, use the platforms below to sell your unwanted belongings, and cash in!
Sell Stuff Online:
Amazon – Anything
DEPOP - Anything
eBay – Anything
Gazelle – Electronics
SellBackBooks.com – Text Books
thredUP – Clothing
Meet In-Person to Sell Stuff:
Design and Sell Things Online:
Absolute Arts – Art
Creative Market – Stock Photos, Printables, Templates, and Fonts
Saatchi Art – Art
Society 6 – Everything
SpreadShop – Tee Shirts and Merchandise
Teespring – Apparel, Home Decor, and Accessories
While selling items might not seem like a business, some individuals turn it into one by reselling. Often called retail arbitrage, this is where individuals buy something for cheap and then sell at a higher price for a profit.
People can earn between $1,200 a month by reselling items on Amazon. Others are flipping flea market finds on eBay & making 6 figures.
One Last Word About No-Cost Business Opportunities
As you can see, there are a lot of entrepreneur opportunities you can start with no money! But no matter which journey you plan on launching, you should create a business plan to help guide your way.
Not sure where to get started? DM me and Ill be more than happy to help guide you in the right direction!
For everyone who has asked me about where you can start looking for jobs as a stylist, I started with an investment towards School of Style in Los Angeles. Theyre online only now but they taught me a lot of things I would have never learned on my own (coming from a tiny gilmore girls town). You’ll love it, I know I did.
