more than 1.1 million professionals work in personal appearance occupations in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Individuals in these occupations have a much higher rate of self-employment, as compared to the overall workforce.
33%of all individuals in personal appearance occupations are self-employed. In comparison, only 7% of the overall U.S. workforce is self-employed.
Of the 770,000 Hairdressers, Hairstylists and Cosmetologists, 35% (or 267,000) are self-employed.
Barbers have the highest proportion of self-employed individuals, at 54%.
84% of individuals in personal appearance occupations are women, compared to 47% of employed individuals in the overall U.S. workforce.
61% of salon businesses are owned by women, compared to just 30% of businesses in the overall private sector.
21% of businesses in the salon industry are Black or African-American-owned, versus just 7% of total private sector businesses.
17 % of salon businesses are Asian-owned, nearly three times the six percent Asian-ownership rate for businesses in the overall private sector.
It's plain to see, the cosmetology industry is run by a population that are typically the underdogs in the business world. Females, and People of Color. Of them, we outrank the self-employed standard almost four-fold! Why then is it that the teaching of running a successful micro business is all but non-existent in cosmetology school? I aim to educate and empower the entire industry to be stronger, more successful business owners. “Don’t just stand for the success of other women - insist on it.” - Gail Blanke, President & CEO, LifeDesigns Style Sheets are a collection of bookkeeping basics created by a hair stylist who turned accounting major when she experienced a total lack of preparation to run her micro business. She saw the need for more business support for hair stylists, makeup artists, and estheticians working as independent contractors and freelancers.