My 8 biggest business mistakes
Hey gang. First off - I’m super proud of myself today. I have been pretty consistent over here on the blog, so thank you for holding me accountable with your messages on how much you like to read them! Today I wanted to talk about mistakes, and why we need to make them and why we should give ourselves some grace when it comes to making them.
I think a lot of people are under the assumption that educators don’t make mistakes, but boy have I made some mistakes. Today I wanna talk you through 8 things I have most certainly done wrong, and why its OK!
1) Testing relentlessly.
Let’s rewind to 2017. I had just started making big moves in my portfolio, like majorly. I wanted to get signed, so I started taking control of my portfolio and what I wanted it to look like. So I had a spare room, and I created a super cool studio in there. I then, decided I wanted to shoot at least once a week in it. Ambitious right? But I had this crazy idea in my head that I would create monthly colour themes on my Instagram, starting with Pink. So all my shoots HAD to be pink. Then purple. Then blue. Whilst I don’t regret doing this, or spending the time working on my portfolio, I put a lot of pressure on myself and I lost sight of why I was doing it. I started to it for Instagram clout, rather than for my end goal, which was to get signed. I started prioritising volume over quality work - and because I was trying to fill my time, I booked in with any free photographer and any free model - resulting in a lot of wasted time for me because the shots were not the standard I wanted. I wasted a lot of time, a lot of other people’s time and generally, was a bit lost for a while because I was doing it for all the wrong reasons. If you are going to test, make it purposeful, give it a reason.
2) Doing Wedding Fairs
Don’t get me wrong, I am not an expert in this field, but I am sure SOME wedding fairs have resulted in amazing results for makeup artists. For me however, I started to do them because I didn’t know what else to do. I opted for the cheapest, free fairs and created a stand which was cheap, cheerful and in all honesty, forgettable. I was doing it because I thought “ahh yes, this will get me clients. Instead of doubling down on WHO my ideal client is and if she would even be browsing wedding fairs (short answer, no.)
3) Spraying hairspray near some very expensive camera equipment (general set etiquette).
This one comes with time (and yes I really did that, I sprayed hairspray all over a VERY expensive lens). In my younger makeup years, I landed some pretty impressive jobs, but having not assisted before, or even really researched it - I ended up not knowing how to conduct myself in on set environments. I didn’t conduct myself badly, because generally I’m a pretty professional person. But I definitely had some moments where, looking back I probably could have been better to get rehired. Here are some of my biggest fails:
I wore a hoodie and jeans to a VERY fancy event and wasn’t allowed near any of the talent.
Saying “oh yeah, I can do this hair” having not done hair before. Hair ending up being awful and ruining the scene.
Forgetting to pack nail varnish and having to run to Boots to cover up a models chipped nails. Putting production behind an whole hour.
Here’s the thing with these mistakes. I don’t regret them. I now carry nude nail polish regardless. I now say no to hair I know I can’t confidently do. I always wear black now. These mistakes are tiny, so don’t beat yourself up. Mistakes are part of the journey (also point out someone who has never made a mistake before, they don’t exist).
4) Not having a contract.
We’ve all done it and I always say, you don’t know you need a contract until you have been burnt. If you are reading this without a contract, please get one. The inevitable time will happen when someone wants to take you for a ride, or you need to protect yourself and your business. This can be so easily avoided with a simple contract (which can be purchased for £5 on my shop!)
5) Investing everything into my kit.
When what I really needed to do, was invest in other ways. I blindly invested into palettes and blushers, thinking THIS would bring me more clients. What I really needed to do was invest in a mentor, or a web designer. A branding expert or a really really good camera. These would have gone way further than my kit. Trust me. Kits do not equal clients. Clever investing does.
6) Not seeing the value in outsourcing and delegating.
You knew it was coming. I am so adamant on this one and it’s something I wish I had known sooner. But we can’t be one women shows forever. We can’t do everything, we are not masters of everything and we shouldn’t be. We are the masters of our craft, so if you can and your business is in a position to - then hire additional help. A VA is a great start. The help I receive in my business, means I can dedicate more time to doing what I am good at. It means I have more time to scale. Let me ask you one thing: with all the time you are spending scheduling socials, and responding to emails and doing the general day to day tasks. Imagine if you put that into GROWING your business. You could double your income, but you can never double your income by doing the same thing. Nothing changes if nothing changes. The same action that got you here, will not be the same action that will get you to your dreams. You need to evolve past that mentality and the sooner you do, the sooner you can leap.
7) Saying yes to things that didn’t get to me to my goals.
I see this time and time again, where makeup artists are asked to work for free, under the premise of more work. “next time we can pay you” “the exposure will give you loads of new bookings”. As someone who fell for this, who did a tonne of free work for that promise - I can tell you I never received ANY bookings or money from working for free to build someone else’s business. I worked with a huge social media influencer, doing her makeup for a photoshoot. She didnt even tag me. And for the magazine covers, she hired someone else. She loved the makeup, she even messaged after and said she loved it. I didn’t even get a copy of the photos. Don’t say yes building someone else’s business. Only say yes if it grows your own.
8) Not Self Developing sooner.
I recall going into a Waterstones bookshop in Canterbury many years ago. My ex was in the bank setting something up and I had time to spare waiting for him. I was looking at a book called, The Rules to Wealth, because at the time, I was really quite bad with money. He walks in and see’s me standing in the “self help” section and bursts out laughing. I put the book back, filled with shame as he told me this section is for those who need help. “You know, mental people” he whispered. Aside from that awful attitude he had, I did need help though, I needed help and guidance and education on managing my money better. This stuck with me for a long time. I secretly watched self development channels and always felt a twinge of shame. This person’s closed minded view, stopped me from further educating myself and developing my skills that I needed to grow in business. You’ll be glad to know I am no longer with that person, and when we broke up, my self development flourished. I’m a huge advocate for it now. Readers are leaders, and we cannot be expected to know EVERYTHING in business. So hold no shame for wanting to learn more. And feel no shame if you find yourself in the self help section. I was too insecure and too reliant on what other people thought at the time to realise this. There is no shame in seeking help, be it education, or for mental health.
Here’s the thing about mistakes and failure. It’s all part of the journey. So many people beat themselves up - but what we are doing, navigating the worlds of business, is a brave beautiful thing. Not everyone is cut out to do it. And we put so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect, that we don’t allow ourselves the grace to mess up. So please, laugh with me at my mistakes. They are part of who I am, each and every one of them. So are yours.