Nowadays having a fulfilling career in cosmetology doesn’t require opening a full-time salon.
Clients are increasingly taking advantage of beauty on demand. Meaning, they can hire freelance beauticians to come to a home or venue and provide services that used to require a visit to the spa or salon, such as manicures, pedicures, haircare, waxes, make-up application, and more.
There are even apps to facilitate the hiring process, meaning clients can book professionals with just a few taps.
The perks of being a freelance beautician today are many. There’s the ability to set your own schedule, for one. And you’re free from paying a fee to rent a part- or full-time salon chair.
You’re also poised to market convenience to clients, since they no longer have to leave their homes or make the trip across town to keep up their beauty appointments. You can also generally set your own rates rather than deferring to what a certain salon charges. And the list goes on.
But what you don’t have as a freelancer is the protection of a salon’s commercial General Liability insurance — which covers the business in the event of certain accidents and damage to third parties.
Being your own boss means protecting your livelihood. Thankfully, freelance workers can get salon insurance by the hour, day, or month rather than having to lock into a full-time annual policy.
Here’s more on why you need liability insurance as a freelance beauty worker.
Scenario #1: Property Damage
A client books you to do hair and makeup for their wedding party — a huge honor, and a great income boost.
Except in all the hullabaloo, your curling iron burns a large chunk of the bride’s one-of-a-kind dress. The family threatens to sue you for the cost of the melted dress and delayed ceremony.
The fact is, accidents can happen even if you’re careful during every single appointment.
Whether it’s spilling hair bleach on a client’s furniture or causing an appliance-damaging power surge in a client’s home when you plug in your hair dryer, General Liability insurance will cover those costs if you’re found liable for third-party property damage while working.
Scenario #2: Bodily Harm
You leave your makeup bags and hair tools on the floor for a second while you turn around to adjust the lighting. The client doesn’t see the mess of cosmetics and cords — and takes a spectacular fall before landing face-down on the hardwood floor.
They have to take a trip to urgent care and miss a few days of work as a result of their injuries. Suddenly, you’re facing a bill for their medical bills and time off.
Carrying insurance with bodily injury coverage means your policy will cover these costs in the event you’re found liable; working without insurance means you’ll have to come up with the money yourself.
Read also: How to Open a Beauty Salon
Scenario #3: Personal Injury
The third category of General Liability protection is a bit more abstract. Think of personal injury as anything that’s not bodily injury.
Here are a few specific types of personal injury that are typically covered:
- Copyright infringement: You design a logo for your freelance beauty company, only to find out your competitor has filed a suit against you for copying their trademarked logo.
- Libel and slander: You post on social media about how your competitor uses subpar products or methods during appointments based on something a client tells you. The competitor sues, alleging you cost them business.
- Malicious prosecution: You accuse someone of stealing your expensive salon products, only realizing you left them behind at a client’s house after you file a police report. The accused files a suit against you as a result.
- Advertising injury: You excitedly launch your new marketing campaign across social media, expecting the bookings to roll in. But then a local salon accuses you of stealing their original content ideas.
Working as a freelance beautician gives you lots of freedom — but you still need to protect yourself against unpredictable situations for which you could be found liable.
Finding a flexible General Liability policy to cover you during jobs will allow you to focus on what you do best.