makeup brand business plan

Cosmetic Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Cosmetic Business Plan

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 500 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their cosmetic companies.

If you’re unfamiliar with creating a cosmetic business plan, you may think creating one will be a time-consuming and frustrating process. For most entrepreneurs it is, but for you, it won’t be since we’re here to help. We have the experience, resources, and knowledge to help you create a great business plan.

In this article, you will learn some background information on why business planning is important. Then, you will learn how to write a cosmetic business plan step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What Is a Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your cosmetic business as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategies for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan

If you’re looking to start a cosmetic business or grow your existing cosmetic company, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your cosmetic business to improve your chances of success. Your cosmetic business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for Cosmetic Businesses

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a cosmetic business are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans, and angel investors. When it comes to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to ensure that your financials are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business. Personal savings and bank loans are the most common funding paths for cosmetic companies.

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How to write a business plan for a cosmetic business.

If you want to start a cosmetic business or expand your current one, you need a business plan. The guide below details the necessary information for how to write each essential component of your cosmetic business plan.

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your executive summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the kind of cosmetic business you are running and the status. For example, are you a startup, do you have a cosmetic business that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of cosmetic businesses?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan.

Give a brief overview of the cosmetic industry.
Discuss the type of cosmetic business you are operating.
Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers.
Provide a snapshot of your marketing strategy. Identify the key members of your team.
Offer an overview of your financial plan.

Company Overview

In your company overview, you will detail the type of cosmetic business you are operating.

For example, you might specialize in one of the following types of cosmetic businesses:

Niche market cosmetics: This type of cosmetic business specializes in one particular segment of cosmetics. For instance, a niche cosmetic business could sell only fragrance-free products, all vegan products, or gluten free products.
High-end cosmetics: This type of cosmetic business develops and sells premium make-up and skin care products.
Kids cosmetics: This type of cosmetic business specializes in producing inexpensive play-makeup products for children.
Beauty blogger/influencer: This type of cosmetic business involves trying out products from different types of cosmetic brands and providing tutorials, reviews, and other helpful information for people who may be interested in the products. Usually, beauty companies will pay the blogger/influencer to sample or endorse their products.
Make-up Artist: This type of cosmetic business involves providing make-up services for special occasions like weddings or graduation ceremonies.

In addition to explaining the type of cosmetic business you will operate, the company overview needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to questions such as:

When and why did you start the business?
What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of customers served, the number of products sold, and reaching $X amount in revenue, etc.
Your legal business Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry or market analysis, you need to provide an overview of the cosmetic industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the cosmetic industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your marketing strategy, particularly if your analysis identifies market trends.

The third reason is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your cosmetic business plan:

How big is the cosmetic industry (in dollars)?
Is the market declining or increasing?
Who are the key competitors in the market?
Who are the key suppliers in the market?
What trends are affecting the industry?
What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential target market for your cosmetic business? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your cosmetic business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: individuals, families, and corporations.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of cosmetic business you operate. Clearly, individuals would respond to different marketing promotions than corporations, for example.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, including a discussion of the ages, genders, locations, and income levels of the potential customers you seek to serve.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can recognize and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

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Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other cosmetic businesses.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t directly competing with your product or service. This includes mass market cosmetic brands and retailers, as well as secondhand cosmetic retailers. You need to mention such competition as well.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their business and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as

What types of customers do they serve?
What type of cosmetic business are they?
What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
What are they good at?
What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

Will you make it easier for customers to acquire your products?
Will you offer products or services that your competition doesn’t?
Will you provide better customer service?
Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a cosmetic business plan, your marketing strategy should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type of cosmetic company that you documented in your company overview. Then, detail the specific products or services you will be offering. For example, will you provide premium make-up, skin care products, or esthetician services?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your plan, you are presenting the products and/or services you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the site of your cosmetic company. Document where your company is situated and mention how the site will impact your success. For example, is your cosmetic business located in a busy retail district, a business district, a standalone store, or purely online? Discuss how your site might be the ideal location for your customers.

Promotions : The final part of your cosmetic marketing plan is where you will document how you will drive potential customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

Advertise in local papers, radio stations and/or magazines
Reach out to websites
Distribute flyers
Engage in email marketing
Advertise on social media platforms
Improve the SEO (search engine optimization) on your website for targeted keywords

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your cosmetic business, including answering calls, stocking shelves, greeting customers, and collecting payments, etc.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to acquire your Xth customer, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your cosmetic business to a new city.

Management Team

To demonstrate your cosmetic business’ potential to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally, you and/or your team members have direct experience in managing cosmetic businesses. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act as mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in managing a cosmetic business or successfully running a small salon.

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statements.

Income Statement

An income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenue and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you expect to serve 20-30 customers per day, and will each customer purchase 1-5 items on average? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets

Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your cosmetic business, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a lender writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement

Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and ensure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt.

When creating your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a cosmetic business:

Cost of equipment and supplies
Payroll or salaries paid to staff
Business insurance
Other start-up expenses (if you’re a new business) like legal expenses, permits, computer software, and equipment

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your office location lease or photos of happy customers using your products.

Writing a business plan for your cosmetic business is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, you will be able to prepare a winning beauty product business plan, makeup business plan or a business plan for a cosmetic company. You will understand the cosmetic industry, your competition, and your customers. You will develop a marketing strategy and will understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful cosmetic business.

Cosmetic Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my cosmetic business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily write your cosmetic business plan.

How Do You Start a Cosmetic Business?

Starting a cosmetic business is easy with these 14 steps:

Choose the Name for Your Cosmetic Business
Create Your Cosmetic Business Plan
Choose the Legal Structure for Your Cosmetic Business
Secure Startup Funding for Cosmetic Business (If Needed)
Secure a Location for Your Business
Register Your Cosmetic Business with the IRS
Open a Business Bank Account
Get a Business Credit Card
Get the Required Business Licenses and Permits
Get Business Insurance for Your Cosmetic Business
Buy or Lease the Right Cosmetic Business Equipment
Develop Your Cosmetic Business Marketing Materials
Purchase and Setup the Software Needed to Run Your Cosmetic Business
Open for Business

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Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success. Click here to see how Growthink’s business plan writers can create your business plan for you.

How to Write a Beauty Products Business Plan

Updated: 22 March, 2022

As a founder of a beauty brand start-up, you’ll need a clear vision, a well-written beauty products business plan and to have put some skin in the game in terms of hard work, time and funds. But how do you go about getting started on that all-important business plan and what should it contain?

In this blog post, we summarise the 10 key steps new beauty entrepreneurs need to work through to write a business plan for a cosmetics company. This is essential reading for anyone wondering how to start a beauty business from home as it makes you aware of just what you will need to think through and start planning for.

Running a cosmetic business requires you to be very organised. You will need a strong business plan that leads you through all of the main components of your cosmetic business. The relief is that your business plan does not need to be the size of a thesis. In fact, the more concise it is the better as you will be able to tackle it and feel like referring to it in the future.

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Our step-by-step video guide below is based on the business planning exercises we provide as part of our Diploma in Beauty Brand Business Management . The Diploma is an extensive, six-module course that takes you on an intensive journey from would-be entrepreneur to empowered founder armed with a structured business plan. Pre-enrol to find out more about this diploma and our other courses.

10-Step Guide to Your Beauty Products Business Plan

Step 1: why your beauty business needs a plan.

The first step is to set yourself a challenge: ask yourself why you are writing a business plan in the first place. There is no point in going through the motions of writing a beauty product business plan. You need to buy into the very concept of business planning.

We know that the thought of writing a business plan can seem daunting. However, your business plan is a necessary and very important strategic document as it focuses your energy, time and resources on a clear end game; not only that of launching a successful beauty business, but also of ensuring it has the potential to thrive longer term.

Your business plan isn’t just to show potential investors and otherwise hide away in a filing cabinet. It is a tool to refer to every time you are faced with important decisions. Your plan guides your decision-making and makes the everyday of running your beauty business simpler and smoother.

It will take time to write your business plan as it summarises the hard work you need to do beforehand in discovering your vision, working out your ‘why’ and what your brand stands for, what you’ll be selling, where you’ll be selling, who your competitors are and what your market gap is, and how you’ll fund your business. It also entails drafting a full financial plan, based on things like sales’ forecasts.

With this mindset challenge out of the way, let’s cover the key areas of your plan in the next steps.

Step 2: Your beauty brand mission and vision

We’ve seen many start-up beauty entrepreneurs rush into designing their branding before they have even worked out why they are in business. Before branding, come your vision and mission. Often confused and easily ignored, these two statements are the guiding lights of your business.

First, let’s define them. Your vision is about your bigger dreams. It isn’t simply that you want to make organic formulations to sell to anyone. Your vision statement sets out how you want to make a difference with your beauty brand. At Formula Botanica, our vision, in brief, is to make natural formulation as commonplace as cookery.

Your brand mission statement says how you intend to achieve that vision. At Formula Botanica, our mission is to ‘teach the world to formulate’. As you can see from our example, the mission is practical and active and states how we accomplish our vision – through teaching and our online courses.

When you write your brand vision and mission statements, you’re not writing boring, bland, catch-all statements. Coming up with why your beauty brand exists and how it serves your customers is not a quick back-of-the-envelope exercise either. It may take you weeks to define your vision and mission, but this is time well spent as these statements are the heart of your beauty business. Don’t move on to the next steps until you have total clarity on them.

Step 3: Your niche and customers

It’s all well and good having your vision and mission, but if you don’t know your niche in the beauty market nor much about whom you are selling to, then you might not have a business at all. We’re sure you’ve heard this advice a hundred times, but you need to know exactly who you’re going to be selling to. You need to understand who this type of person is, how they live and how they shop.

Once you know who your target customer is, all of a sudden everything clicks into place and becomes easier in terms of selling. You know which marketing messages work best for your customer, you know what they’re looking for and you know how to sell to them. When starting your beauty products business, you need to have a niche and that niche cannot be ‘organic’ or ‘natural’. There are so many untapped niches in the beauty industry, for instance, skincare for women in their fifties, skincare for certain types of athletes (swimmers, runners, etc.), and skincare for teenage boys.

Jot down bullet points about your ideal customer; include where they live, what other brands they buy, how they holiday, what their key skincare issues are and so on. Be brief but on point. Home in on a single person – often called your brand ‘avatar’. It might sound tedious to do, but once you have that person clearly in your mind, everything in your business will work to meeting their needs. Just ensure that you really do have a niche that exists.

We reported on some trends from In-Cosmetics Global , in Paris (April 2019). We’re not suggesting you need to keep up with the latest fad in the beauty industry, but do your market research thoroughly so you can decide where to position your brand and products.

Step 4: Your beauty products

Your business plan needs to detail your initial product(s) and explain what their sales’ proposition is and how they meet your target customers’ needs. This sounds simple to do, but believe us when we say we have seen new beauty entrepreneurs incur huge expenses as they change their direction and minds on products just after launching. Bringing new products on board can often be a way of diverting yourself from the hard task of marketing and sales.

When you learn to formulate natural skincare, you create a diversity of products without much thought about how they fit together as a range or as a beauty routine for customers. When you think like a business, you need to understand very clearly what you are selling and what proposition your products offer your target customers.

It is possible to launch with a single product, and there are well-known examples of beauty brands with only a ‘hero’ product to their name. If you are creating a range, work out how the products complement each other. Also, given issues of sustainable consumption, think about how a single product can demonstrate a unique selling proposition by multi-tasking.

Your range has financial implications so you need to decide how many products to launch with and which create a minimal viable range that makes sense for your budget and for your customers’ needs. Above all, your cosmetics’ range will need to demonstrate it has a place in the market and how it improves your customers’ lives.

Step 5: Your competitors

Yes, your competitors most certainly have a place in your skincare business plan. You, as the founder, bring your individual perspectives and experiences to your brand, so in one sense you have uniqueness built into the foundations of your beauty business. That said, you need to keep a close eye on the movers and shakers in your niche and in particular at your product range’s price point. Knowing your competitors keeps you on your toes and is information any investor will ask for, up front and early on.

It can be frustrating at times to research your competitors as their websites might be PR speak and not give much away. Look for interviews with the founders and follow them on all their social media to glean more. Competitor research can help you identify areas where your brand can thrive and can show you more effective ways to grow customer loyalty – and build your business. See what they are doing so that you know what’s working for them and what isn’t. Write a list of their strengths and weaknesses to see how you can do better. You also need to know where to position yourself in comparison to your competitors.

Don’t obsess about your competitors, but check in on what they are up to every few months. Your aim is not to copy them, but to control your beauty products’ conversation. Again, if you have clarity on the earlier steps – mission, vision, niche and customer – then you are on solid ground. It is just good business sense to know what is going on in the market.

Step 6: Your manufacturing strategy

Your manufacturing strategy is a large part of your business strategy. You need to decide whether you will be producing your beauty products yourself in your own (home) lab – according to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) , using a contract manufacturer or opting for private label products. You need to define also which route suits you at launch and mention any plans to switch model later on.

Each model has its pros and cons depending on your mission and vision, as well as implications for important aspects of your business such as distribution, logistics, financing, and contractual obligations to retailers who stock your brand. How many units of products do you envisage creating a year? Which model suits your entrepreneurial ambitions and lifestyle? As you can see, your business model and manufacturing model go hand in hand. Having an end goal in sight is critical to shaping your overall business plan, the amount of capital you need to raise and the way you conduct your day-to-day operations.

There is no right or wrong choice here, but ensure you know the implications of whichever route your opt for. It might sound perfect making your own products at home in small artisanal batches, but we do know of beauty entrepreneurs who find their business sky rockets faster than they imagined. They then play catch up trying to find and fund outsourced manufacturing so they don’t let retail stockists down. This is a critical area of your business plan and needs you to consider your vision and ethos, as well as think about your own time, hiring staff, and your overall financial situation.

Step 7: Your retail strategy

We’ve seen many indie beauty entrepreneurs think they can sell direct to consumer from their website alone. To do this successfully, you need to invest in becoming a proficient digital marketer – or outsource the role. It can be tempting at the outset to want to sell directly from your own website because your keep all the profit yourself. However, although you receive lower profit margins by having your products stocked in stores and e-stores, retailers can help get your products sold and your brand known as they have a ready customer market; whereas you are unknown and have to build awareness of your brand from scratch.

The work you have done so far in defining your niche, customers, competitors and product range should indicate which retailers suit your brand best. Will your brand fit into the mass, so-called ‘masstige’, premium or luxury retail categories? And which retailers do you hope will stock your brand? What are their likely margins and what implications does this have for your manufacturing model and financial forecasts? Will you also work with distributors in certain markets, especially overseas, and again, how do their margins affect your bottom line?

You must address all these questions and more in your beauty business plan . It is no good working out how and where to sell once your products are all stacked in boxes in your living room or at a warehouse!

Step 8: Your funding

We might have left finances to last, but finding the money to fund your business is an issue that dominates your entire business plan. As you’ve seen, each previous step has financial implications. As we mentioned in our post on how to start a cosmetic business from home , you won’t be able to run a successful beauty brand without having a firm grip on finances. Having sound plans for raising finance at various junctures in your business is sound business practice.

Your business plan needs to cover the different types of funding options available to you now and in the future, whether ‘love money’ loaned from friends and family, bank loans or other sources such as crowdfunding. it needs to look at short-term and long-term sources of finance. You need to understand and pre-empt what your potential investors will ask you about financing and demonstrate in your business plan that you and your business are worth investing in.

Step 9: Your financial forecast

If you are reading this, it is likely you are thinking of starting an indie beauty business. As business plans are best written in the first year of your beauty business, you may well be pre-revenue when you draft it – or need it when pitching to investors. You may not have sales yet, but you can still show some key figures on the size of your market and your brand’s potential.

To introduce your financial forecast, you should include a timeline showing your milestones, such as when you started, your key achievements, any brand or packaging development, what stage you are at now, i.e. do you have a product in creation and how much have you invested or fund-raised so far? If you are already selling, then you can show how much investment has gone into the company already, what returns and sales you have and what your financial projections are.

There will be a need for you to factor in expenses you hadn’t thought of. One such ‘hidden’ expense we see many beauty entrepreneurs fail to predict is the need to cover retailers’ promotions. Stores generally expect you to contribute to their promotions of your products. Cashflow is everything in a business, even one selling successfully. You may face shortfalls of cash while waiting for retailers to pay you. That time lag means your day-to-day business can grind to a halt if your cash is tied up in stock and you have nothing to cover buying in more raw materials to keep production going or to cover promotions or seasonal campaigns.

As you can see, financial forecasting is about your day-to-day business, and this alone is one reason you need to revisit your business plan frequently. You need to keep an eye on your profit and loss sheets and map the trends monthly. Learn as much as you can yourself about financial forecasting and measuring your business’ financial health. Having an accountant or financial expert assist with this information can help you be better prepared both day to day and when talking about your finances to potential investors.

10: What to do with your plan now

Congratulate yourself. You have made it through the first draft of your business plan – or roadmap. But, now comes perhaps the hardest step of all; that of doing something useful with your business plan, as opposed to archiving it in some filing cabinet. This is a plan to revisit and adjust, and to assess your business’ health and performance against. It is not a document to present to banks and potential investors at the start of your business journey and then forget all about.

So, what exactly do you need to look at it for, and how often? Let’s take just a few examples of areas you will need to review.

First, you need to revisit your financial forecast monthly. See how your budgeting is measuring up against actual sales and expenses. Are things on track? Either way, yes or no, you will have a benchmark against which to measure your current business health. This information will guide you as you go forward.

Then, revisit your competitors and the overall market situation. How have things changed and how might this affect your product range, pricing or development? Be aware that you need time to get established in your market. Knee-jerk reactions can be costly. But use your plan to monitor things.

Examples of areas to review annually are your mission, vision and niche. Was your research when drafting the plan accurate? Have you proved the concept of your brand and product range? Access to a mastermind group of like-minded business founders, even in different sectors, or a mentor can help you work through any changes you think are necessary to your core statements. Again, think these through basing decisions on financials too.

Pre-enrol in a Formula Botanica course and learn how to start a cosmetic business

We hope our points have given you the outline of what you need in to think through in starting a beauty business. If you have a mission to create a beauty brand that’s bigger than yourself – a skincare brand, haircare line or makeup range that changes people lives – we can help you learn how to formulate your own products and all about bringing a brand to market.

Pre-enrol now in our Diploma in Beauty Brand Business Management – the ultimate online training programme in starting or growing your indie beauty brand. We like to refer to it as a Beauty Brand MBA. It is a combination of award-winning teaching materials and a web summit with 30+ influential speakers drawn from the best in the beauty and business community.

Or why not pre-enrol on one of our formulation diplomas and courses in skincare, haircare and cosmetic science to change your life through natural formulation? All our courses are fun and empowering and can be career changing.

Your start-up costs with a beauty business vary according to where you set your sights and relate very much to your personal goals and circumstances and not only to current funds and cash flow. The ballpark figure you find is around US $20,000 or similar in Euros. If you wish to outsource, initial start-up costs are high as most contract manufacturers require large minimum order quantities. Similarly, your branding and packaging also rack up costs especially if you are aiming at the more luxury end of the market. Writing a business plan to help you think through all the variables can give you a clearer idea of your beauty business start up costs and help you plan finances as your business grows. You can start on a small budget by making product at home to sell at local markets. Work out your personal goals and lifestyle needs first to have an idea of what costs you will face.

Indie beauty is flourishing and ever more skincare entrepreneurs find a niche and enter the market. But, finding a niche that resonates with customers is key to defining what type of beauty business to launch. Being clean, green, natural or even organic is not enough these days to necessarily differentiate your potential beauty business. Think carefully about how your beauty products will resolve the issues and fulfill the needs of a clear segment of consumers. Do not be all things all to people. By researching for and writing a beauty brand business plan, you will shape your ideas and define a viable product offer, customer base and route to market.

Join us at Formula Botanica, where tens of thousands of students and followers take our free and paid online courses to learn how to formulate organic skincare and haircare for themselves or to sell and also how to set up a beauty brand and business.

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Liz is Formula Botanica’s Content Coordinator and joined our team in August 2020. Liz worked as a professional blogger, journalist and site developer for many years and was also part of the Formula Botanica student community. Read more about the Formula Botanica Team .

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How to Start a Makeup Business

Written by: Howard Tillerman

Howard Tillerman is the Chief Marketing Officer for Step By Step Business and an award-winning marketing professional.

Edited by: David Lepeska

David has been writing and learning about business, finance and globalization for a quarter-century, starting with a small New York consulting firm in the 1990s.

Published on September 24, 2021 Updated on March 13, 2024

Investment range

$10,000 - $28,000

Revenue potential

$60,000 - $600,000 p.a.

Time to build

Profit potential

$45,000 - $200,000 p.a.

Industry trend

If you’re a beautician or have always wanted to help people look their best, starting a makeup business could be a great fit for you. The beauty industry is nearly a $50 billion market in the US and you could get in on the action and make a good living.

Of course, getting started won’t be easy — you’ll need to work hard and gather the necessary information. Lucky for you, this step-by-step guide lays out all you need to know to develop and launch a beautiful business.

Looking to register your business? A limited liability company (LLC) is the best legal structure for new businesses because it is fast and simple.

Form your business immediately using ZenBusiness LLC formation service or hire one of the Best LLC Services .

Step 1: Decide if the Business Is Right for You

Not everyone is cut out to be a beauty entrepreneur. So, the first step is to understand the makeup industry dynamics inside out. Start by evaluating the following factors:

Pros and cons

Launching a makeup business has its upside and downsides. By assessing each side of the coin, you can decide if pursuing the idea is worth your time and effort.

Below is a rundown of some pros and cons of this business:

Grow into a major beauty brand
Ingredients are readily available
Great potential to diversify products
Establishing a beauty brand takes time
High startup costs

Makeup industry trends

Cosmetics is the 3rd largest segment in the US beauty industry, with nearly 15% market share, and the global beauty market is worth half a trillion dollars.(( https://www.ibisworld.com/industry-statistics/employment/cosmetic-beauty-products-manufacturing-united-states/ ))

As of early 2022, makeup trends include lip contouring, fluffy eyebrows, more gentle skin creams, all-natural products, and more colorful, high-impact eye makeup.

Industry size and growth

Industry size and past growth – Makeup products represent 16% of the global cosmetics market value, which was estimated at $81 billion.(( https://www.statista.com/topics/3137/cosmetics-industry/ )) The US cosmetics industry is valued at $18 billion, after a strong 22% growth in 2021 and an average annual growth of 3% since 2017.(( https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/beauty-personal-care/cosmetics/united-states ))
Growth forecast – The US cosmetics industry is expected to grow 5% annually through 2026.
Number of businesses – There are more than 4,000 cosmetics and beauty products manufacturing businesses in the US.(( https://www.ibisworld.com/industry-statistics/number-of-businesses/cosmetic-beauty-products-manufacturing-united-states/ ))
Number of people employed – The industry employs around 56,000 people.

Trends and challenges

Trends shaping the makeup industry include:

Ingredient transparency
Use of all-natural and sustainable ingredients
Consumer preference for handy and easy-to-use makeup

Challenges in the makeup industry include:

Maintaining product quality
Supply chain issues

How much does it cost to start a makeup business?

You’ll need at least $10,000 to start a makeup business, and could spend as much as $28,000. Your big expenses will be inventory, building a website, and marketing. You should also expect to spend good money on research and producing the first batch of products.

How much can you earn from a makeup business?

The cosmetic industry is comfortable with markups as high as 400% on retail sales, one of the highest in any industry. Products that cost $1.50 to make will sell to customers for $6, giving you a profit margin of 75%.

A small, home-based makeup business can expect to sell 10,000 units per year. These sales will generate $60,000 in revenue and a profit of about $45,000. As your business grows and production capacity increases, you can expect to sell 100,000 units per year and generate $600,000 in revenue. But you’d need to hire staff and open a production facility, cutting your margin down to just over 30%. You’d still make a tidy profit of $200,000.

What barriers to entry are there?

Barriers to entry in the cosmetic industry include strict regulation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Food and Cosmetics Act. Your products will need to meet the safety requirements of these two regulatory authorities, and at the start, you may have a hard time clearing their hurdles in terms of ingredients and testing.

The second barrier to entry is cutthroat competition. The market is awash with makeup products, making it hard to make inroads and establish a new beauty brand.

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Step 2: hone your idea.

You now have an overview of the makeup industry. The next step is to refine your vision in preparation to enter a competitive market.

Market research will give you the upper hand, even if you’re already positive that you have a perfect product or service. Conducting market research is important, because it can help you understand your customers better, who your competitors are, and your business landscape.

Why? Identify an opportunity

Even on a budget, you can launch a makeup business, manufacture at home and sell online. Joanna and Leslie are perfect examples of entrepreneurs who started small and turned Vive Cosmetics into a multi-million dollar company.

Research other makeup companies to examine their products, price points, and customer reviews, and to see what sells best. You’re looking for a market gap to fill. For instance, maybe there’s no company out there focusing only on eye makeup or all-natural skin creams.

You might consider targeting a niche market by specializing in a certain aspect of your industry, such as lipstick or eyelashes.

This could jumpstart your word-of-mouth marketing and attract clients right away.

What? Determine your products or services

One of the essential phases of starting any business is deciding what you will sell. Ideally, you want to offer unique products and services. That way, you can stand out from your competition and attract the right customers.

For a makeup business, some products you can sell include:

Face powder
Highlighter
Rouge or blush
Contour powder/ cream
Lip liner pencil
Eyebrow pencil/powder
Setting spray

How much should you charge for makeup products?

Your prices will vary depending on production costs, product type, and your target profit margin. Most makeup items cost from $6 to $10, and it’s important to be competitive.

Once you know your costs, you can use this Step By Step profit margin calculator to determine your markup and final price point. Remember, the price you use at launch should be subject to change if warranted by the market.

Who? Identify your target market

Your target market will be determined by your level of luxury. If you offer more affordable makeup products, you should target younger women, who might be found on TikTok and Instagram. If you go for more of a high-end look, your target market will be established professional women you could find on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Where? Choose your business premises

In the early stages, you may want to run your business from home to keep costs low. But as your business grows, you’ll want to rent out a shop and production facility. Find commercial space to rent in your area on sites such as Craigslist , Crexi , and Instant Offices .

When choosing a commercial space, you may want to follow these rules of thumb:

Central location accessible via public transport
Ventilated and spacious, with good natural light
Flexible lease that can be extended as your business grows
Ready-to-use space with no major renovations or repairs needed

Step 3: Brainstorm a Makeup and Beauty Business Name

Your business name is your business identity, so choose one that encapsulates your objectives, services, and mission in just a few words. You probably want a name that’s short and easy to remember, since much of your business, and your initial business in particular, will come from word-of-mouth referrals.

Here are some ideas for brainstorming your business name:

Short, unique, and catchy names tend to stand out
Names that are easy to say and spell tend to do better
Name should be relevant to your product or service offerings
Ask around — family, friends, colleagues, social media — for suggestions
Including keywords, such as “beauty” or “cosmetics”, boosts SEO
Name should allow for expansion, for ex: “Flawless Beauty Co.” over “Bridal Beauty Co.”
Avoid location-based names that might hinder future expansion
Use online tools like the Step by Step Business Name Generator . Just type in a few keywords and hit “generate” and you’ll have dozens of suggestions at your fingertips.

Once you’ve got a list of potential names, visit the website of the US Patent and Trademark Office to make sure they are available for registration and check the availability of related domain names using our Domain Name Search tool. Using “.com” or “.org” sharply increases credibility, so it’s best to focus on these.

Find a Domain

Finally, make your choice among the names that pass this screening and go ahead with domain registration and social media account creation. Your business name is one of the key differentiators that set your business apart. Once you pick your company name and start with the branding, it is hard to change the business name. Therefore, it’s important to carefully consider your choice before you start a business entity.

Step 4: Create a Cosmetic Business Plan

Every business needs a plan. This will function as a guidebook to take your startup through the launch process and maintain focus on your key goals. A business plan also enables potential partners and investors to better understand your company and its vision:

Executive Summary: A brief summary of your business plan, highlighting the key points and objectives of your business.
Business Overview: An introduction to your business, including its mission, vision, and a brief history or background information.
Product and Services: Detailed descriptions of the products or services your business will offer, including their features and benefits.
Market Analysis: An examination of the market you’ll operate in, including the size, trends, and potential customers.
Competitive Analysis: An evaluation of your competitors, their strengths and weaknesses, and how your business will differentiate itself.
Sales and Marketing: Your strategy for reaching and attracting customers, including sales tactics, advertising, and promotional plans.
Management Team: Information about the key individuals in your business, their roles, and their relevant experience.
Operations Plan: Details about how your business will run day-to-day, including location, facilities, equipment, and processes.
Financial Plan: Projections for your business’s financial performance, including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow forecasts.
Appendix: Supplementary information that supports and complements the rest of the business plan, such as resumes, legal documents, or additional data.

If you’ve never created a business plan, it can be an intimidating task. You might consider finding and hiring a business plan specialist to create a top-notch business plan for you.

Step 5: Register Your Business

Registering your business is an absolutely crucial step — it’s the prerequisite to paying taxes, raising capital, opening a bank account, and other guideposts on the road to getting a business up and running.

Plus, registration is exciting because it makes the entire process official. Once it’s complete, you’ll have your own business!

Choose where to register your company

Your business location is important because it can affect taxes, legal requirements, and revenue. Most people will register their business in the state where they live, but if you are planning to expand, you might consider looking elsewhere, as some states could offer real advantages when it comes to makeup.

If you’re willing to move, you could really maximize your business! Keep in mind, it’s relatively easy to transfer your business to another state.

Choose your business structure

Business entities come in several varieties, each with its pros and cons. The legal structure you choose for your makeup business will shape your taxes, personal liability, and business registration requirements, so choose wisely.

Here are the main options:

Sole Proprietorship – The most common structure for small businesses makes no legal distinction between company and owner. All income goes to the owner, who’s also liable for any debts, losses, or liabilities incurred by the business. The owner pays taxes on business income on his or her personal tax return.
Partnership – Similar to a sole proprietorship, but for two or more people. Again, owners keep the profits and are liable for losses. The partners pay taxes on their share of business income on their personal tax returns.
Limited Liability Company (LLC) – Combines the characteristics of corporations with those of sole proprietorships or partnerships. Again, the owners are not personally liable for debts.
C Corp – Under this structure, the business is a distinct legal entity and the owner or owners are not personally liable for its debts. Owners take profits through shareholder dividends, rather than directly. The corporation pays taxes, and owners pay taxes on their dividends, which is sometimes referred to as double taxation.
S Corp – An S-Corporation refers to the tax classification of the business but is not a business entity. An S-Corp can be either a corporation or an LLC , which just needs to elect to be an S-Corp for tax status. In an S-Corp, income is passed through directly to shareholders, who pay taxes on their share of business income on their personal tax returns.

We recommend that new business owners choose LLC as it offers liability protection and pass-through taxation while being simpler to form than a corporation. You can form an LLC in as little as five minutes using an online LLC formation service. They will check that your business name is available before filing, submit your articles of organization , and answer any questions you might have.

Form Your LLC

Choose Your State

We recommend ZenBusiness as the Best LLC Service for 2023

Step 6: Register for Taxes

The final step before you’re able to pay taxes is getting an Employer Identification Number , or EIN. You can file for your EIN online or by mail or fax: visit the IRS website to learn more. Keep in mind, if you’ve chosen to be a sole proprietorship you can simply use your social security number as your EIN.

Once you have your EIN, you’ll need to choose your tax year. Financially speaking, your business will operate in a calendar year (January–December) or a fiscal year, a 12-month period that can start in any month. This will determine your tax cycle, while your business structure will determine which taxes you’ll pay.

The IRS website also offers a tax-payers checklist , and taxes can be filed online.

It is important to consult an accountant or other professional to help you with your taxes to ensure you are completing them correctly.

Step 7: Fund your Business

Securing financing is your next step and there are plenty of ways to raise capital:

Bank loans: This is the most common method but getting approved requires a rock-solid business plan and strong credit history.
SBA-guaranteed loans: The Small Business Administration can act as guarantor, helping gain that elusive bank approval via an SBA-guaranteed loan .
Government grants: A handful of financial assistance programs help fund entrepreneurs. Visit Grants.gov to learn which might work for you.
Friends and Family: Reach out to friends and family to provide a business loan or investment in your concept. It’s a good idea to have legal advice when doing so because SEC regulations apply.
Crowdfunding: Websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo offer an increasingly popular low-risk option, in which donors fund your vision. Entrepreneurial crowdfunding sites like Fundable and WeFunder enable multiple investors to fund your business.
Personal: Self-fund your business via your savings or the sale of property or other assets.

Bank and SBA loans are probably the best options, other than friends and family, for funding a makeup business. You might also try crowdfunding if you have an innovative concept.

Step 8: Apply for Business Licenses and Permits

Starting a makeup business requires obtaining a number of licenses and permits from local, state, and federal governments.

Federal regulations, licenses, and permits associated with starting your business include doing business as, health license and permit from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( OSHA ), trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other intellectual properties, as well as industry-specific licenses and permits.

For a makeup business, you will need the following licenses and permits:

A cosmetology license if you plan to apply makeup to your customers
Manufacturer license if you intend to develop your own makeup line
Esthetician license if you want to offer skin care services

You can read this FDA fact sheet for more insights on cosmetic industry regulations.

You may also need state-level and local county or city-based licenses and permits. The license requirements and how to obtain them vary, so check the websites of your state, city, and county governments or contact the appropriate person to learn more.

You could also check this SBA guide for your state’s requirements, but we recommend using MyCorporation’s Business License Compliance Package . They will research the exact forms you need for your business and state and provide them to ensure you’re fully compliant.

This is not a step to be taken lightly, as failing to comply with legal requirements can result in hefty penalties.

If you feel overwhelmed by this step or don’t know how to begin, it might be a good idea to hire a professional to help you check all the legal boxes.

Step 9: Open a Business Bank Account

Before you start making money, you’ll need a place to keep it, and that requires opening a bank account .

Keeping your business finances separate from your personal account makes it easy to file taxes and track your company’s income, so it’s worth doing even if you’re running your makeup business as a sole proprietorship. Opening a business bank account is quite simple, and similar to opening a personal one. Most major banks offer accounts tailored for businesses — just inquire at your preferred bank to learn about their rates and features.

Banks vary in terms of offerings, so it’s a good idea to examine your options and select the best plan for you. Once you choose your bank, bring in your EIN (or Social Security Number if you decide on a sole proprietorship), articles of incorporation, and other legal documents and open your new account.

Step 10: Get Business Insurance

Business insurance is an area that often gets overlooked yet it can be vital to your success as an entrepreneur. Insurance protects you from unexpected events that can have a devastating impact on your business.

Here are some types of insurance to consider:

General liability: The most comprehensive type of insurance, acting as a catch-all for many business elements that require coverage. If you get just one kind of insurance, this is it. It even protects against bodily injury and property damage.
Business Property: Provides coverage for your equipment and supplies.
Equipment Breakdown Insurance: Covers the cost of replacing or repairing equipment that has broken due to mechanical issues.
Worker’s compensation: Provides compensation to employees injured on the job.
Property: Covers your physical space, whether it is a cart, storefront, or office.
Commercial auto: Protection for your company-owned vehicle.
Professional liability: Protects against claims from a client who says they suffered a loss due to an error or omission in your work.
Business owner’s policy (BOP): This is an insurance plan that acts as an all-in-one insurance policy, a combination of any of the above insurance types.

Step 11: Prepare to Launch

As opening day nears, prepare for launch by reviewing and improving some key elements of your business.

Essential software and tools

Being an entrepreneur often means wearing many hats, from marketing to sales to accounting, which can be overwhelming. Fortunately, many websites and digital tools are available to help simplify many business tasks.

You may want to use industry-specific software like Cosmetic Product Manager , BatchMaster , or ProcessPro to manage formulation, R&D, compliance, manufacturing, inventory, and sales.

Popular web-based accounting programs for smaller businesses include Quickbooks , Freshbooks , and Xero .
If you’re unfamiliar with basic accounting, you may want to hire a professional, especially as you begin. The consequences for filing incorrect tax documents can be harsh, so accuracy is crucial.

Develop your website

Website development is crucial because your site is your online presence and needs to convince prospective clients of your expertise and professionalism.

You can create your own website using website builders . This route is very affordable, but figuring out how to build a website can be time-consuming. If you lack tech-savvy, you can hire a web designer or developer to create a custom website for your business.

They are unlikely to find your website, however, unless you follow Search Engine Optimization ( SEO ) practices. These are steps that help pages rank higher in the results of top search engines like Google.

For your makeup business, the marketing strategy should focus on showcasing the quality, variety, and uniqueness of your products. Emphasize the differentiating aspects, such as cruelty-free production, organic ingredients, or a diverse color palette that caters to all skin tones. Here are some powerful marketing strategies for your future business:

Kickstart Marketing

Professional Branding : Your branding should reflect beauty, inclusivity, and quality. This includes an attractive logo, well-designed packaging, and a professional website.
Direct Outreach : Connect with beauty influencers, makeup artists, and bloggers. Send them product samples for reviews and endorsements.

Digital Presence and Online Marketing

Professional Website and SEO : Develop an e-commerce website showcasing your makeup products with high-quality images and descriptions. Optimize your site for SEO to rank for searches related to beauty products, cosmetics, and your specific product lines.
Social Media Engagement : Utilize platforms like Instagram and TikTok, where visual content is king. Share tutorials, product launches, and customer reviews. Engage actively with your audience.

Content Marketing and Engagement

Beauty Blog : Share blog posts about makeup tips, trends, and tutorials. Include posts about the unique aspects of your products and how to use them.
Email Newsletters : Keep subscribers informed about new product launches, makeup tips, and special offers.
Video Content : Create engaging tutorials, behind-the-scenes looks at product development, and customer testimonials.

Experiential and In-Person Engagements

Pop-Up Shops and Makeup Events : Organize or participate in pop-up shops and beauty events to showcase your products and offer live demonstrations.
Collaborations with Beauty Salons and Spas : Partner with local salons and spas to feature your products, offering customers a firsthand experience.

Collaborations and Community

Collaborations with Influencers : Partner with beauty influencers to create product lines or promote your brand to a broader audience.
Community Workshops : Host makeup workshops or classes, which can be a platform for product promotion and direct customer engagement.

Customer Relationship and Loyalty Programs

Loyalty Program : Implement a program offering rewards, discounts, or exclusive access to new products for repeat customers.
Referral Incentives : Encourage word-of-mouth marketing by offering incentives for customers who refer friends.

Promotions and Advertising

Targeted Online Advertising : Use digital platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for targeted advertising campaigns.
Seasonal Promotions : Align your marketing campaigns with seasons, holidays, or events like fashion weeks.

Focus on USPs

Unique selling propositions, or USPs, are the characteristics of a product or service that sets it apart from the competition. Customers today are inundated with buying options, so you’ll have a real advantage if they are able to quickly grasp how your makeup meets their needs or wishes. It’s wise to do all you can to ensure your USPs stand out on your website and in your marketing and promotional materials, stimulating buyer desire.

Global pizza chain Domino’s is renowned for its USP: “Hot pizza in 30 minutes or less, guaranteed.” Signature USPs for your makeup business could be:

The most colors you’ve ever seen
All-natural makeup for all-natural you
Luxury makeup at discount prices

You may not like to network or use personal connections for business gain. But your personal and professional networks likely offer considerable untapped business potential. Maybe that Facebook friend you met in college is now running a makeup business, or a LinkedIn contact of yours is connected to dozens of potential clients. Maybe your cousin or neighbor has been working in makeup for years and can offer invaluable insight and industry connections.

The possibilities are endless, so it’s a good idea to review your personal and professional networks and reach out to those with possible links to or interest in makeup. You’ll probably generate new customers or find companies with which you could establish a partnership. Online businesses might also consider affiliate marketing as a way to build relationships with potential partners and boost business.

Step 12: Build Your Team

If you’re starting out small from a home office, you may not need any employees. But as your business grows, you will likely need workers to fill various roles. Potential positions for a makeup business would include:

Sales Lead — Selling your products to retail outlets, customers
Marketing Lead — SEO strategies, social media, etc.
Safety and Compliance Manager — Ensuring compliance with federal standards
General Manager — Hiring and firing, inventory and maintenance

At some point, you may need to hire all of these positions or simply a few, depending on the size and needs of your business. You might also hire multiple workers for a single role or a single worker for multiple roles, again depending on need.

Free-of-charge methods to recruit employees include posting ads on popular platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, or Jobs.com. You might also consider a premium recruitment option, such as advertising on Indeed , Glassdoor , or ZipRecruiter . Further, if you have the resources, you could consider hiring a recruitment agency to help you find talent.

Step 13: Run a Makeup Business – Start Making Money!

Congratulations. You’re now ready to begin your entrepreneurial journey into cosmetics and beauty!

Now’s as good a time as any to make an investment and take some risks because the makeup industry is growing. Even in this age of virtual meetings and webinars, people still apply eyeliner, swipe blush on their cheeks, and put on lipstick before attending virtual events. As more people return to the office with the lifting of pandemic restrictions, makeup sales are expected to increase further. So, what are you waiting for? Take that first step now and start making money!

Makeup Business FAQs

The first step to starting a makeup business is learning and understanding the FDA regulations. Also, learn how to manufacture the products you want to sell. You will then want to determine your target customers and lay down your marketing strategies.

Yes, it is. In fact, the makeup business has one of the highest markups of any industry. With margins of up to 80 percent, you can generate a net profit of 30 to 65 percent based on the size of your business.

You can use the cost-plus method to price your makeup product. The strategy involves estimating the cost of production and adding a markup that can take care of your expenses and leave you with a reasonable profit. It would be best to consider what your competitors are charging to ensure that you’re within the industry standards when pricing your products.

It is not entirely possible to start a makeup business with no money. The best approach would be to start small. With $5,000 to $10,000, you can get your business up and running. Look for startup capital from angel investors, family, and friends or crowdfunding platforms such as Wefunder .

Starting a makeup business from home is possible with careful consideration of local regulations and licensing requirements. Building a strong professional presence is crucial.

Develop a portfolio showcasing your best work and create a dedicated website or social media profiles to showcase your skills. Offering makeup trials or demonstrations can allow potential clients to experience your services firsthand. Seek testimonials and reviews from satisfied clients to build trust and credibility.

Collaborate with other beauty industry professionals to expand your network and gain referrals. Attend industry events and bridal shows to showcase your skills and make valuable connections. Building a referral network, offering special promotions, and collaborating with influencers can help attract clients. Leveraging social media and networking with wedding vendors can also yield positive results in gaining clients for your makeup business.

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Cosmetic Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Cosmetic Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your cosmetic business plan.

We have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their cosmetic companies.

Below is a a sample cosmetic business plan to help you create your own cosmetic company business plan.

Executive Summary

Business overview.

Guilt-Free Glow is a cosmetics shop located in Spokane, Washington. The company’s mission is to provide customers with high-quality, cruelty-free cosmetics. We want our customers to look and feel their best without feeling guilty about the harm cosmetics do to the environment and animals. Therefore, the shop will sell a wide variety of vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics for people all over the world to enjoy. Some of these products include makeup, moisturizers, and hair care products.

The company is founded by Kiera Smith, who has been a vegan beauty vlogger for five years. During that time, she has amassed 500,000 followers through her beauty vlogs. She has always been committed to finding products that are vegan and cruelty-free. Now that she has gained popularity on Youtube, she is eager to start her own cosmetics line. She will offer an online shop for her followers around the world but also start a shop in downtown Spokane for local residents.

Products Served

The following are some of the vegan, cruelty-free products sold by Guilt-Free Glow:

Makeup tools and brushes
Shampoo and conditioner
Moisturizers

Customer Focus

Guilt-Free Glow will target both online customers and customers located in the Spokane area that are interested in vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics. Since the founder has a large following on Youtube and social media, we expect most of our customers will come from her fanbase. When marketing to local residents, we will focus our efforts on women ages 15 to 65, as this is traditionally the largest customer segment for the cosmetics industry.

Management Team

Guilt-Free Glow is led by Kiera Smith, who has been a successful beauty vlogger for five years. She creates tutorials on makeup techniques and offers other beauty tips. She has always been passionate about using vegan and cruelty-free products in her videos and encouraged her followers to do the same. Since there aren’t many cosmetics companies that dedicate their whole line to these values, Kiera Smith was inspired to create her own line of cosmetics and beauty care products.

Kiera Smith will be the owner of the company and will conduct much of the marketing efforts through her own social media channels. She will hire other staff to help her with the other aspects of the business, including running the retail shop.

Success Factors

Guilt-Free Flow will be able to achieve success by offering the following competitive advantages:

The founder, Kiera Smith, is a popular beauty guru, and her brand and popularity will help sales and minimize marketing costs.
Guilt-Free Glow offers great pricing in the vegan cosmetics industry. Vegan and cruelty-free products are often expensive and unaffordable to the average consumer. Guilt-Free Glow will sell all its products at a moderate price so that everyone can buy cosmetics without feeling guilty.
Guilt-Free Glow will hire friendly, knowledgeable, and highly-qualified staff to help both our online and in-store customers.

Financial Highlights

Guilt-Free Glow is seeking $300,000 in debt financing to launch its cosmetics business. The funding will be dedicated to securing a retail space, manufacturing the products, and purchasing the necessary supplies and equipment for the store. Funding will also be dedicated toward three months of overhead costs, including payroll, rent, and marketing costs. The breakout of the funding is below:

Retail space build-out: $50,000
Equipment, supplies, and materials: $25,000
Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, rent, utilities): $125,000
Marketing costs: $50,000
Working capital: $50,000

The following graph below outlines the pro forma financial projections for Guilt-Free Glow.

Company Overview

Who is Guilt-Free Glow?

Guilt-Free Glow’s History

In 2017, Kiera Smith started her Youtube channel, which focuses on beauty tutorials and product reviews. Kiera commits to promoting and working with vegan and cruelty-free brands and educates her audience on the importance of these values for the cosmetics industry. Over the years, Kiera has found that very few cosmetics brands commit to any pledge to be vegan or cruelty-free. Therefore, she decided to start her own cosmetics line that is committed to these values.

Since its incorporation, Guilt-Free Glow has achieved the following milestones:

Developed the company’s branding image, social media, and website.
Found a retail location and signed a Letter of Intent to lease it.
Found manufacturers to create the cosmetic products.
Obtained a sales and use tax permit for use in Spokane, Washington.

Guilt-Free Glow Products

The following are some of the vegan and cruelty-free products sold by Guilt-Free Glow:

Industry Analysis

According to Fortune Business Insights, the cosmetics industry is currently valued at $287.94 billion and is expected to grow to $415.29 billion over the next few years.

This growth is due to the increasing demand for high-quality cosmetics. The target market for cosmetics has expanded substantially over the past decade, with people of all ages and genders opting to pay good money for high-quality makeup, hair care, and other beauty products. This trend is expected to continue, and the cosmetics industry will only continue to grow rapidly.

Another important trend is the increasing popularity of environmentally friendly, vegan, and cruelty-free products. Guilt-Free Glow is taking advantage of this demand and selling exclusively vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics.

By capitalizing on these trends and our founder’s increasing popularity online, Guilt-Free Glow is expected to thrive in the cosmetics industry.

Customer Analysis

Demographic profile of target market.

Guilt-Free Glow will primarily target Kiera’s current fanbase on Youtube and social media. This fanbase includes 500,000 followers, with the majority being females and under the age of 40.

The company will also target residents of Spokane who may be interested in purchasing vegan cosmetics. Traditionally, the customer segment most interested in this industry is women ages 15 to 65.

The precise demographics for Spokane, Washington are:

Customer Segmentation

Guilt-Free Glow will primarily target the following customer profiles:

Women ages 15-65
Kiera’s fanbase
Beauty professionals and influencers
Spokane residents looking for vegan, cruelty-free cosmetics

Competitive Analysis

Direct and indirect competitors.

Guilt-Free Glow will face competition from other companies with similar business profiles. A description of each competitor company is below.

Ulta Beauty

Ulta Beauty is a major retailer in the cosmetics industry, being the ultimate provider of all beauty products for millions of people across the globe. The company aims to be the most loved beauty destination of its guests and has ultimately succeeded in that mission. At Ulta, you can find any beauty brand you are looking for, such as Dior, Chanel, and Lancome. Whatever item or brand you need, you are bound to find it at Ulta.

Since 1988, Sephora has been a giant in the cosmetics and beauty industries. It’s one of the top locations to shop for all your high-quality beauty and cosmetics needs and has dominated the cosmetics industry with its global presence. With 2,700 stores in 35 countries worldwide, there are very few locations around the world where you can’t find a Sephora store to visit.

At Sephora, you can find some of the hottest and most exclusive brands, such as Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez and FENTY BEAUTY by Rihanna. Furthermore, Sephora has been recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best Employers four years in a row and scored 100% on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Quality Index three years in a row. When customers are looking to buy cosmetics conveniently and ethically, they often head to Sephora first.

The Cosmetics Company Store

The Cosmetics Company Store is an online cosmetics company that sells high-quality cosmetics brands to customers all around the world. They carry thousands of products for anyone in need of beauty products, including hair care products, makeup, and moisturizers. Customers can purchase from a wide variety of brands they love and are familiar with, including Estee Lauder, Clinique, and Aveda. In addition to having a large online store, The Cosmetics Company Store has a few retail locations in select areas.

Competitive Advantage

Guilt-Free Glow will be able to offer the following advantages over the competition:

Guilt-Free Glow offers great pricing in the vegan cosmetics industry. Vegan and cruelty-free products are often expensive and unaffordable to the average consumer. Guilt-Free Glow will sell all its products at a moderate price.

Marketing Plan

Brand & value proposition.

Guilt-Free Glow will offer a unique value proposition to its clientele:

Wide selection of cosmetics.
A focus on vegan and cruelty-free products.
Competitive prices that are more affordable than the competition.

Promotions Strategy

The promotions strategy for Guilt-Free Glow is as follows:

Guilt-Free Glow will be located in a very convenient, highly-trafficked area of Spokane that is frequented by men and women of all ages and backgrounds. The store will be in the same neighborhood as stores, restaurants, and salons. The area of Spokane is frequented by shoppers who live in the area and have disposable income to be able to spend frequently on cosmetics.

Social Media

Guilt-Free Glow will have Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook business profiles where Kiera will post frequently new arrivals to the store, featured clients who are using the products, and upcoming sales and events. The posts will be appealing with professional photographs and will engage customers with discount opportunities if they tag friends in the comments in order to grow their social media following. Kiera will also use her personal social media accounts to promote the company and its products.

Website & SEO Marketing

Kiera will reach out to a website designer to develop a website for Guilt-Free Glow. The website will be easy to navigate and include an option to purchase items online and schedule a pickup time in the store, contact information, and location. The SEO will also be managed to ensure that anyone searching “cosmetics store near me” or “Spokane cosmetics” will see Guilt-Free Glow listed at the top of the Bing or Google search engine.

Partnerships With Beauty Influencers

Kiera will partner with other beauty influencers to spread the word about her company. She will offer discount codes to the influencers’ audiences to entice them to shop for her products.

The pricing of Guilt-Free Glow will be moderate so customers feel they receive value when purchasing their products.

Operations Plan

The following will be the operations plan for Guilt-Free Glow.

Operation Functions:

Kiera Smith will be the Owner and President of the company. She will oversee the major operations of both the retail and online stores.
Kiera will hire a General Manager for the store. They will be in charge of day-to-day administrative functions, product inventory, supply orders, hiring, and training.
Kiera will hire an Assistant Manager to assist with product inventory, supply orders, and managing the store when Kiera and the General Manager are unable to be there.
The store will have 6 – 8 part-time and full-time employees to assist with stocking merchandise and customer service.
As the store grows and business picks up, more employees will be added to the team to keep up with customer demand.
Kiera will hire a Marketing Specialist and Web Designer to develop the store’s branding, logo, and social media accounts. The marketing specialist will also develop the website and manage the SEO.
She will also hire an Administrative Assistant to help her with the other operations tasks needed to run the company.

Milestones:

Guilt-Free Glow will have the following milestones completed in the next six months.

6/1/202X – Finalize lease agreement for 10,000 square foot retail storefront location.

6/15/202X – Begin build out of leased space.

6/30/202X – Finalize agreements with cosmetics distributors to schedule their upcoming product deliveries to the store.

7/1/202X – Kiera will meet with the web designer so they can get started developing guiltfreeglow.com

8/1/202X – Final walk-through and approval of the built-out beauty retail store.

8/2/202X – Begin social media marketing campaign of Guilt-Free Glow.

8/15/202X – The first shipment of store inventory arrives.

8/16/202X – Hire employees and begin training.

8/18/202X – Stocking and display of product inventory in anticipation of the Grand Opening.

9/1/202X – Grand Opening of Guilt-Free Glow.

Financial Plan

Key revenue & costs.

The revenue drivers for Guilt-Free Glow will come from the sales of cosmetics through the retail location and online store.

The cost drivers will be the cost of the cosmetics inventory, labor expenses, marketing expenses, rent, utilities, and overhead costs.

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

Key assumptions.

The following outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and in order to pay off the startup business loan.

Number of Initial Customers Per Month: 1000
Average Item Cost: $20
Annual Lease: $100,000

Financial Projections

Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, cosmetics business plan faqs, what is a cosmetics business plan.

A cosmetics business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your cosmetics business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections.

You can easily complete your cosmetics business plan using our cosmetics Business Plan Template here .

What are the Main Types of Cosmetics Businesses?

There are a number of different kinds of cosmetics businesses , some examples include: Niche market cosmetics, high-end cosmetics, kids cosmetics, beauty blogger/influencer, or make-up artist.

How Do You Get Funding for Your Cosmetics Business Plan?

Cosmetics Businesses are often funded through small business loans. Personal savings, credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding.

This is true for a cosmetics business, a plan for a makeup company or a personal care products business plan.

What are the Steps To Start a Cosmetics Business?

Starting a cosmetics business can be an exciting endeavor. Having a clear roadmap of the steps to start a business will help you stay focused on your goals and get started faster.

1. Develop A Cosmetics Business Plan - The first step in starting a business is to create a detailed cosmetics business plan PDF or doc that outlines all aspects of the venture. This should include potential market size and target customers, the services or products you will offer, pricing strategies and a detailed financial forecast.

2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your cosmetics business. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your cosmetics business is in compliance with local laws.

3. Register Your Cosmetics Business - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your cosmetics business with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws.

4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to start your cosmetics business, so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms.

5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations.

6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events.

7. Acquire Necessary Cosmetics Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your cosmetics business, you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation.

8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your cosmetics business. This includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising.

Learn more about how to start a successful cosmetics business:

How to Start a Cosmetics Business

Other Helpful Business Plan Templates

Ecommerce Business Plan Template Beauty Supply Store Business Plan Template Retail Business Plan Template

How to write a business plan for a cosmetic brand?

Putting together a business plan for a cosmetic brand can be daunting - especially if you're creating a business for the first time - but with this comprehensive guide, you'll have the necessary tools to do it confidently.

We will explore why writing one is so important in both starting up and growing an existing cosmetic brand, as well as what should go into making an effective plan - from its structure to content - and what tools can be used to streamline the process and avoid errors.

Without further ado, let us begin!

In this guide:

Why write a business plan for a cosmetic brand?

What information is needed to create a business plan for a cosmetic brand.

How do I build a financial forecast for a cosmetic brand?

The written part of a cosmetic brand business plan

What tool should I use to write my cosmetic brand business plan?

Having a clear understanding of why you want to write a business plan for your cosmetic brand will make it simpler for you to grasp the rationale behind its structure and content. So before delving into the plan's actual details, let's take a moment to remind ourselves of the primary reasons why you'd want to create a cosmetic brand business plan.

To have a clear roadmap to grow the business

Running a small business is tough! Economic cycles bring growth and recessions, while the business landscape is ever-changing with new technologies, regulations, competitors, and consumer behaviours emerging constantly.

In such a dynamic context, operating a business without a clear roadmap is akin to driving blindfolded: it's risky, to say the least. That's why crafting a business plan for your cosmetic brand is vital to establish a successful and sustainable venture.

To create an effective business plan, you'll need to assess your current position (if you're already in business) and define where you want the business to be in the next three to five years.

Once you have a clear destination for your cosmetic brand, you'll have to:

Identify the necessary resources (human, equipment, and capital) needed to reach your goals,
Determine the pace at which the business needs to progress to meet its objectives as scheduled,
Recognize and address the potential risks you may encounter along the way.

Engaging in this process regularly proves advantageous for both startups and established companies. It empowers you to make informed decisions about resource allocation, ensuring the long-term success of your business.

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To get visibility on future cash flows

If your small cosmetic brand runs out of cash: it's game over. That's why we often say "cash is king", and it's crucial to have a clear view of your cosmetic brand's future cash flows.

So, how can you achieve this? It's simple - you need to have an up-to-date financial forecast.

The good news is that your cosmetic brand business plan already includes a financial forecast (which we'll discuss further in this guide). Your task is to ensure it stays current.

To accomplish this, it's essential to regularly compare your actual financial performance with what was planned in your financial forecast. Based on your business's current trajectory, you can make adjustments to the forecast.

By diligently monitoring your cosmetic brand's financial health, you'll be able to spot potential financial issues, like unexpected cash shortfalls, early on and take corrective actions. Moreover, this practice will enable you to recognize and capitalize on growth opportunities, such as excess cash flow enabling you to expand to new locations.

To secure financing

Whether you are a startup or an existing business, writing a detailed cosmetic brand business plan is essential when seeking financing from banks or investors.

This makes sense given what we've just seen: financiers want to ensure you have a clear roadmap and visibility on your future cash flows.

Banks will use the information included in the plan to assess your borrowing capacity (how much debt your business can support) and your ability to repay the loan before deciding whether they will extend credit to your business and on what terms.

Similarly, investors will review your plan carefully to assess if their investment can generate an attractive return on investment.

To do so, they will be looking for evidence that your cosmetic brand has the potential for healthy growth, profitability, and cash flow generation over time.

Now that you understand why it is important to create a business plan for a cosmetic brand, let's take a look at what information is needed to create one.

Need inspiration for your business plan?

The Business Plan Shop has dozens of business plan templates that you can use to get a clear idea of what a complete business plan looks like.

The Business Plan Shop's Business Plan Templates

Writing a cosmetic brand business plan requires research so that you can project sales, investments and cost accurately in your financial forecast.

In this section, we cover three key pieces of information you should gather before drafting your business plan!

Carrying out market research for a cosmetic brand

As you consider writing your business plan for a cosmetic brand, conducting market research becomes a vital step to ensure accurate and realistic financial projections.

Market research provides valuable insights into your target customer base, competitors, pricing strategies, and other key factors that can significantly impact the commercial success of your business.

Through this research, you may uncover trends that could influence your cosmetic brand.

Your market research could reveal that your cosmetic brand may be particularly appealing to younger consumers, given the vibrant colors and modern packaging. Additionally, your research may indicate that customers may prefer to purchase products from your brand in a set, rather than individually.

Such market trends play a significant role in forecasting revenue, as they offer valuable data about potential customers' spending habits and preferences.

By incorporating these findings into your financial projections, you can present investors with more accurate information, helping them make informed decisions about investing in your cosmetic brand.

Developing the sales and marketing plan for a cosmetic brand

Budgeting sales and marketing expenses is essential before creating a cosmetic brand business plan.

A comprehensive sales and marketing plan should provide an accurate projection of what actions need to be implemented to acquire and retain customers, how many people are needed to carry out these initiatives, and how much needs to be spent on promotions, advertising, and other aspects.

This helps ensure that the right amount of resources is allocated to these activities in order to hit the sales and growth objectives forecasted in your business plan.

The staffing and capital expenditure requirements of a cosmetic brand

Whether you are starting or expanding a cosmetic brand, it is important to have a clear plan for recruitment and capital expenditures (investment in equipment and real estate) in order to ensure the success of the business.

Both the recruitment and investment plans need to be coherent with the timing and level of growth planned in your forecast, and require appropriate funding.

A cosmetic brand might incur staffing costs such as salaries for employees, such as a marketing team, sales team, customer service team, and product development team, as well as associated costs such as benefits. The brand might also incur costs for equipment such as computers, printers, and other technology to support their operations. Additionally, the brand might incur costs for ingredients and materials for their products, as well as packaging and labeling costs.

In order to create a realistic financial forecast, you will also need to consider the other operating expenses associated with running the business on a day-to-day basis (insurance, bookkeeping, etc.).

Once you have all the necessary information to create a business plan for your cosmetic brand, it is time to start creating your financial forecast.

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The Business Plan Shop does the maths for you. Simply enter your revenues, costs and investments. Click save and our online tool builds a three-way forecast for you instantly.

Screenshot from The Business Plan Shop's Financial Forecasting Software

What goes into your cosmetic brand's financial forecast?

The financial forecast of your cosmetic brand's business plan will enable you to assess the growth, profitability, funding requirements, and cash generation potential of your business in the coming years.

The four key outputs of a financial forecast for a cosmetic brand are:

The profit and loss (P&L) statement ,
The projected balance sheet ,
The cash flow forecast ,
And the sources and uses table .

Let's look at each of these in a bit more detail.

The projected P&L statement

The projected P&L statement for a cosmetic brand shows how much revenue and profit your business is expected to make in the future.

A healthy cosmetic brand's P&L statement should show:

Sales growing at (minimum) or above (better) inflation
Stable (minimum) or expanding (better) profit margins
A healthy level of net profitability

This will of course depend on the stage of your business: numbers for a startup will look different than for an established cosmetic brand.

The forecasted balance sheet of your cosmetic brand

The projected balance sheet of your cosmetic brand will enable the reader of your business plan to assess the overall financial health of your business.

It shows three elements: assets, liabilities and equity:

Assets: are productive resources owned by the business, such as equipment, cash, and accounts receivable (money owed by clients).
Liabilities: are debts owed to creditors, lenders, and other entities, such as accounts payable (money owed to suppliers).
Equity: includes the sums invested by the shareholders or business owners and the profits and losses accumulated by the business to date (which are called retained earnings). It is a proxy for the value of the owner's stake in the business.

Analysing your cosmetic brand projected balance sheet provides an understanding of your cosmetic brand's working capital structure, investment and financing policies.

In particular, the readers of your plan can compare the level of financial debt on the balance sheet to the equity value to measure the level of financial risk (equity doesn't need to be reimbursed, while financial debt must be repaid, making it riskier).

They can also use your balance sheet to assess your cosmetic brand's liquidity and solvency:

A liquidity analysis: focuses on whether or not your business has sufficient cash and short-term assets to cover its liabilities due in the next 12 months.
A solvency analysis: takes and longer view to assess whether or not your business has the capacity to repay its debts over the medium-term.

The projected cash flow statement

A cash flow forecast for a cosmetic brand shows how much cash the business is projected to generate or consume.

The cash flow statement is divided into 3 main areas:

The operating cash flow shows how much cash is generated or consumed by the operations (running the business)
The investing cash flow shows how much cash is being invested in capital expenditure (equipment, real estate, etc.)
The financing cash flow shows how much cash is raised or distributed to investors and lenders

Looking at the cash flow forecast helps you to ensure that your business has enough cash to keep running, and can help you anticipate potential cash shortfalls.

It is also a best practice to include a monthly cash flow statement in the appendices of your cosmetic brand business plan so that the readers can view the impact of seasonality on your business cash position and generation.

The initial financing plan

The initial financing plan, also known as a sources and uses table, is a valuable resource to have in your business plan when starting your cosmetic brand as it reveals the origins of the money needed to establish the business (sources) and how it will be allocated (uses).

Having this table helps show what costs are involved in setting up your cosmetic brand, how risks are shared between founders, investors and lenders, and what the starting cash position will be. This cash position needs to be sufficient to sustain operations until the business reaches a break-even point.

Now that you have a clear understanding of what goes into the financial forecast of your cosmetic brand business plan, let's shift our focus to the written part of the plan.

The written part of the business plan is where you will explain what your business does and how it operates, what your target market is, whom you compete against, and what strategy you will put in place to seize the commercial opportunity you've identified.

Having this context is key for the reader to form a view on whether or not they believe that your plan is achievable and the numbers in your forecast realistic.

The written part of a cosmetic brand business plan is composed of 7 main sections:

The executive summary
The presentation of the company
The products and services
The market analysis
The strategy
The operations
The financial plan

Let's go through the content of each section in more detail!

1. The executive summary

The executive summary, the first section of your cosmetic brand's business plan, serves as an inviting snapshot of your entire plan, leaving readers eager to know more about your business.

To compose an effective executive summary, start with a concise introduction of your business, covering its name, concept, location, history, and unique aspects. Share insights about the services or products you intend to offer and your target customer base.

Subsequently, provide an overview of your cosmetic brand's addressable market, highlighting current trends and potential growth opportunities.

Then, present a summary of critical financial figures, such as projected revenues, profits, and cash flows.

You should then include a summary of your key financial figures such as projected revenues, profits, and cash flows.

Lastly, address any funding needs in the "ask" section of your executive summary.

2. The presentation of the company

As you build your cosmetic brand business plan, the second section deserves attention as it delves into the structure and ownership, location, and management team of your company.

In the structure and ownership part, you'll provide valuable insights into the legal structure of the business, the identities of the owners, and their respective investments and ownership stakes. This level of transparency is vital, particularly if you're seeking financing, as it clarifies which legal entity will receive the funds and who holds the reins of the business.

Moving to the location part, you'll offer a comprehensive view of the company's premises and articulate why this specific location is strategic for the business, emphasizing factors like catchment area, accessibility, and nearby amenities.

When describing the location of your cosmetic brand, you may want to emphasize its potential for growth. You could discuss the availability of resources such as a talented workforce, an educated population, and a wide range of potential customers. You may also want to highlight its potential for innovation, its access to transportation and communication networks, its proximity to other markets, and its potential for economic development. Finally, you could emphasize the potential for collaboration with other brands and businesses in the area that could help to increase visibility and recognition for your brand.

Lastly, you should introduce your esteemed management team. Provide a thorough explanation of each member's role, background, and extensive experience.

It's equally important to highlight any past successes the management team has achieved and underscore the duration they've been working together. This information will instil trust in potential lenders or investors, showcasing the strength and expertise of your leadership team and their ability to deliver the business plan.

3. The products and services section

The products and services section of your cosmetic brand business plan should include a detailed description of what your company sells to its customers.

For example, your cosmetic brand could offer customers a wide selection of high-quality makeup products, such as foundations, mascaras, eyeshadows, and lipsticks. You could also provide beauty and skin care services such as facials, waxing, and eyebrow and lash tinting. Finally, you could offer makeup tutorials and classes to help customers learn more about makeup application techniques, color matching, and product selection. All of these offerings would aim to help customers look and feel their best, while providing them with the most up to date cosmetic trends and knowledge.

The reader will want to understand what makes your cosmetic brand unique from other businesses in this competitive market.

When drafting this section, you should be precise about the categories of products or services you sell, the clients you are targeting and the channels that you are targeting them through.

4. The market analysis

When outlining your market analysis in the cosmetic brand business plan, it's essential to include comprehensive details about customers' demographics and segmentation, target market, competition, barriers to entry, and relevant regulations.

The primary aim of this section is to give the reader an understanding of the market size and appeal while demonstrating your expertise in the industry.

To begin, delve into the demographics and segmentation subsection, providing an overview of the addressable market for your cosmetic brand, key marketplace trends, and introducing various customer segments and their preferences in terms of purchasing habits and budgets.

Next, shift your focus to the target market subsection, where you can zoom in on the specific customer segments your cosmetic brand targets. Explain how your products and services are tailored to meet the unique needs of these customers.

For example, your target market might include young professional females. They are likely to be educated, well-off, and busy with their careers, but still want to look their best. These women are willing to invest in products that help them look their best, and are likely to be interested in trends in fashion and makeup.

In the competition subsection, introduce your main competitors and explain what sets your cosmetic brand apart from them.

Finally, round off your market analysis by providing an overview of the main regulations that apply to your cosmetic brand.

5. The strategy section

When writing the strategy section of a business plan for your cosmetic brand, it is essential to include information about your competitive edge, pricing strategy, sales & marketing plan, milestones, and risks and mitigants.

The competitive edge subsection should explain what sets your company apart from its competitors. This part is especially key if you are writing the business plan of a startup, as you have to make a name for yourself in the marketplace against established players.

The pricing strategy subsection should demonstrate how you intend to remain profitable while still offering competitive prices to your customers.

The sales & marketing plan should outline how you intend to reach out and acquire new customers, as well as retain existing ones with loyalty programs or special offers.

The milestones subsection should outline what your company has achieved to date, and its main objectives for the years to come - along with dates so that everyone involved has clear expectations of when progress can be expected.

The risks and mitigants subsection should list the main risks that jeopardize the execution of your plan and explain what measures you have taken to minimize these. This is essential in order for investors or lenders to feel secure in investing in your venture.

Your cosmetic brand could face risks related to product safety and customer satisfaction. Product safety risks may arise if the ingredients in your products are not properly regulated. This could lead to customers experiencing adverse reactions after using your products, which could damage the reputation of your brand. Additionally, customer satisfaction risks may arise if your products do not perform as advertised. This could lead to customers being dissatisfied with their purchase, which could lead to a drop in sales and a negative customer experience.

6. The operations section

The operations of your cosmetic brand must be presented in detail in your business plan.

The first thing you should cover in this section is your staffing team, the main roles, and the overall recruitment plan to support the growth expected in your business plan. You should also outline the qualifications and experience necessary to fulfil each role, and how you intend to recruit (using job boards, referrals, or headhunters).

You should then state the operating hours of your cosmetic brand - so that the reader can check the adequacy of your staffing levels - and any plans for varying opening times during peak season. Additionally, the plan should include details on how you will handle customer queries outside of normal operating hours.

The next part of this section should focus on the key assets and IP required to operate your business. If you depend on any licenses or trademarks, physical structures (equipment or property) or lease agreements, these should all go in there.

A cosmetic brand could have a signature product line or unique collection of makeup as a key asset and intellectual property. These products may have a distinct look, feel, or scent that customers recognize and associate with the brand. Additionally, they might also have exclusive formulas or technologies that are unique to their own products. These formulas and technologies could be protected under intellectual property laws, giving the brand a competitive edge in the marketplace.

Finally, you should include a list of suppliers that you plan to work with and a breakdown of their services and main commercial terms (price, payment terms, contract duration, etc.). Investors are always keen to know if there is a particular reason why you have chosen to work with a specific supplier (higher-quality products or past relationships for example).

7. The presentation of the financial plan

The financial plan section is where we will include the financial forecast we discussed earlier in this guide.

Now that you have a clear idea of what goes into a cosmetic brand business plan, let's look at some of the tools you can use to create yours efficiently.

What tool should I use to write my cosmetic brand's business plan?

In this section, we will be reviewing the two main options for writing a cosmetic brand business plan efficiently:

Using specialized software,
Outsourcing the drafting to the business plan writer.

Using an online business plan software for your cosmetic brand's business plan

Using online business planning software is the most efficient and modern way to create a cosmetic brand business plan.

There are several advantages to using specialized software:

You can easily create your financial forecast by letting the software take care of the financial calculations for you without errors
You are guided through the writing process by detailed instructions and examples for each part of the plan
You can access a library of dozens of complete business plan samples and templates for inspiration
You get a professional business plan, formatted and ready to be sent to your bank or investors
You can easily track your actual financial performance against your financial forecast
You can create scenarios to stress test your forecast's main assumptions
You can easily update your forecast as time goes by to maintain visibility on future cash flows
You have a friendly support team on standby to assist you when you are stuck

If you're interested in using this type of solution, you can try The Business Plan Shop for free by signing up here .

Hiring a business plan writer to write your cosmetic brand's business plan

Outsourcing your cosmetic brand business plan to a business plan writer can also be a viable option.

Business plan writers are skilled in creating error-free business plans and accurate financial forecasts. Moreover, hiring a consultant can save you valuable time, allowing you to focus on day-to-day business operations.

However, it's essential to be aware that hiring business plan writers will be expensive, as you're not only paying for their time but also the software they use and their profit margin.

Based on experience, you should budget at least £1.5k ($2.0k) excluding tax for a comprehensive business plan, and more if you require changes after initial discussions with lenders or investors.

Also, exercise caution when seeking investment. Investors prefer their funds to be directed towards business growth rather than spent on consulting fees. Therefore, the amount you spend on business plan writing services and other consulting services should be insignificant compared to the amount raised.

Keep in mind that one drawback is that you usually don't own the business plan itself; you only receive the output, while the actual document is saved in the consultant's business planning software. This can make it challenging to update the document without retaining the consultant's services.

For these reasons, carefully consider outsourcing your cosmetic brand business plan to a business plan writer, weighing the advantages and disadvantages of seeking outside assistance.

Why not create your cosmetic brand's business plan using Word or Excel?

Using Microsoft Excel and Word (or their Google, Apple, or open-source equivalents) to write a cosmetic brand business plan is a terrible idea.

For starters, creating an accurate and error-free financial forecast on Excel (or any spreadsheet) is very technical and requires both a strong grasp of accounting principles and solid skills in financial modelling.

As a result, it is unlikely anyone will trust your numbers unless - like us at The Business Plan Shop - you hold a degree in finance and accounting and have significant financial modelling experience in your past.

The second reason is that it is inefficient. Building forecasts on spreadsheets was the only option in the 1990s and early 2000s, nowadays technology has advanced and software can do it much faster and much more accurately.

And with the rise of AI, software is also becoming smarter at helping us detect mistakes in our forecasts and helping us analyse the numbers to make better decisions.

Also, using software makes it easy to compare actuals vs. forecasts and maintain our forecasts up to date to maintain visibility on future cash flows - as we discussed earlier in this guide - whereas this is a pain to do with a spreadsheet.

That's for the forecast, but what about the written part of my cosmetic brand business plan?

This part is less error-prone, but here also software brings tremendous gains in productivity:

Word processors don't include instructions and examples for each part of your business plan
Word processors don't update your numbers automatically when they change in your forecast
Word processors don't handle the formatting for you

Overall, while Word or Excel may be viable options for creating a cosmetic brand business plan for some entrepreneurs, it is by far not the best or most efficient solution.

A business plan has 2 complementary parts: a financial forecast showcasing the expected growth, profits and cash flows of the business; and a written part which provides the context needed to judge if the forecast is realistic and relevant.
Having an up-to-date business plan is the only way to keep visibility on your cosmetic brand's future cash flows.
Using business plan software is the modern way of writing and maintaining business plans.

We hope that this practical guide gave you insights on how to write the business plan for your cosmetic brand. Do not hesitate to get in touch with our team if you still have questions.

Also on The Business Plan Shop

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Key steps to write a business plan?
Free business plan template

Know someone who owns or wants to start a cosmetic brand? Share this article with them!

Founder & CEO at The Business Plan Shop Ltd

Guillaume Le Brouster is a seasoned entrepreneur and financier.

Guillaume has been an entrepreneur for more than a decade and has first-hand experience of starting, running, and growing a successful business.

Prior to being a business owner, Guillaume worked in investment banking and private equity, where he spent most of his time creating complex financial forecasts, writing business plans, and analysing financial statements to make financing and investment decisions.

Guillaume holds a Master's Degree in Finance from ESCP Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Business & Management from Paris Dauphine University.

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How to Start a Makeup Business in the US: A Step-By-Step Guide

Businesses/Owners

Starting a makeup business in the US can be a rewarding and fulfilling journey, but it also requires careful planning and strategic decision-making. At Booksy, we believe in providing entrepreneurs with the tools and resources they need to succeed. In this guide, we'll provide an overview of the key steps in launching a makeup business , from creating a business plan to building your brand and reaching your target audience. Whether you're an experienced makeup artist or a beauty industry newcomer, this guide will provide valuable insights and practical tips to help you achieve your goals. So, let's dive into the world of beauty entrepreneurship and discover how to make your makeup business a success!

how to start a succesful makeup business

Grasping the Makeup Industry Landscape

The makeup industry is a dynamic and multifaceted world, and understanding its complexities is crucial for building a successful business. From the latest trends to changing consumer preferences, staying informed and agile is essential.

Keeping Up with Makeup Trends and Consumer Behavior

Understanding trends and consumer behavior nowadays is key for entrepreneurs looking to succeed in the beauty industry. By understanding what consumers want and what's popular in the market, you can make informed decisions about your product offerings, marketing strategies, and overall business direction. Here are some reasons why it's important to stay up-to-date on makeup trends:

Stay Relevant and Competitive

The beauty industry is highly competitive, and trends change rapidly. By keeping up with the latest developments, you can ensure your products or services remain relevant and attractive to your target audience. This can help you stand out in a crowded market and gain a competitive edge.

Identify New Opportunities

Keeping up with trends can help you identify new growth opportunities. Whether it's an emerging trend in clean beauty, sustainable packaging, or innovative product formulations, staying informed can inspire new ideas and directions for your business and tackle that niche of clients who are looking for businesses that offer you the first on the list.

Understand Consumer Behavior

Tracking makeup trends can provide valuable insights into consumer behavior and preferences, allowing entrepreneurs to adjust their marketing strategies and product offerings to better meet the needs and desires of their target audience. In today's digital age, social media has become a powerful tool for monitoring trends and engaging with consumers. Platforms like TikTok , with its massive Gen Z user base , have become go-to destinations for discovering new makeup looks , reviewing products , and sharing tutorials . By actively participating in these online communities and leveraging social media to share content related to your makeup products or services, you can attract new customers and build a loyal following. For example, you could create short videos showcasing your products in action, share tips and tricks for achieving popular makeup looks, or collaborate with influencers and content creators to reach new audiences. By staying active and engaged on social media , you can not only keep up with the latest trends but also become a trusted and influential voice in the beauty community. This can help differentiate your brand, build a strong reputation, and drive long-term success in the competitive makeup industry.

Look for gaps in the current market offerings and consider how you could fill those gaps with new products or services . Are there any emerging trends that are not yet well-represented in the market? Are there any unmet needs or desires among consumers that you could address?

Identifying Your Makeup Business Niche

In a crowded makeup market, specialization can be a powerful way to differentiate your brand , connect with a dedicated customer base, and build a strong reputation. Whether you're interested in natural and organic products, specialize in bridal makeup, or offer special effects services, identifying your niche is crucial for standing out and building a successful business. Here are some reasons why specialization is important in the makeup industry:

1. Differentiate Your Brand

By specializing in a particular area of the makeup industry, you can create a unique brand identity and stand out in a crowded market. Whether you focus on a specific type of product, a particular demographic, or a unique style or technique, specialization can help you build a distinct and memorable brand.

2. Build Expertise

Specialization allows you to build deep expertise in a particular area of the makeup industry, which can enhance your credibility and reputation. Whether you become known for your exceptional skills in bridal makeup, your expertise in natural and organic products, or your innovative special effects techniques, specialization can help you establish yourself as a leader in your field.

3. Connect with a Target Audience

By focusing on a specific niche, you can build strong connections with a dedicated customer base that shares your interests and values. A niche is a specific group of customers that a business focuses on. It's like a special area that the business is good at, and that makes it different from other businesses.

This can lead to repeat business, word-of-mouth referrals, and a loyal community of supporters who champion your brand.

4. Streamline Your Operations

Specialization can also simplify your operations by allowing you to focus on a specific area of expertise, streamlining your product offerings, and optimizing your marketing and sales strategies. This can help you work more efficiently, reduce costs, and increase profitability.

An online booking software like Booksy can be valuable tools for streamlining your operations and optimizing your scheduling, booking, and customer management processes. By leveraging technology and automation, you can save time, reduce errors, and provide a seamless customer experience, ultimately supporting your niche specialization strategy and enhancing your overall success

Essential Requirements to Start a Makeup Artist Business

Essential Skills and Training: Ensure you have the necessary makeup artistry skills and consider obtaining professional training or certification from a reputable institution to enhance your credibility and expertise.
High-Quality Tools : Invest in a comprehensive professional makeup kit with a wide range of high-quality products to cater to different skin tones, types, and preferences. Include essential tools, brushes, and sanitation supplies to ensure a safe and hygienic experience for your clients.
Comprehensive Business Plan : Develop a detailed business plan that outlines your services, target market, pricing strategy, and financial projections. This roadmap can also assist in securing funding or support if needed, so be sure to research and comply with legal and regulatory requirements for operating a makeup business in your area.
Strong Branding and Marketing Strategy : Establish a strong brand identity, including a memorable business name, logo, and visual aesthetic. Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy that utilizes both online and offline channels to reach your target audience and effectively promote your services.
Legal Compliance : Register your business, choose a suitable structure (like LLC), and obtain any required licenses or permits. Also, get liability insurance to protect against potential claims.
Portfolio Development : Build a portfolio showcasing your makeup work. This could include before-and-after photos, testimonials, and diverse styles. An online portfolio or social media profiles dedicated to your work can be very effective.
Networking and Relationship Building: Connect with local photographers, event planners, and bridal shops to build a referral network. Establishing good relationships within the beauty industry can lead to client referrals and collaborations.
Continuous Education : The makeup industry is continually evolving. Keep up with the latest trends, techniques, and products through workshops, online courses, and industry events. Workspace: Decide if you'll work from a home studio, travel to clients' locations, or rent a space. Your workspace needs will depend on your business model and target clientele.
Workspace: Decide if you'll work from a home studio, travel to clients' locations, or rent a space. Your workspace needs will depend on your business model and target clientele.
Customer Service Skills : Excellent customer service is vital. Be professional, punctual, and attentive to client needs to build a loyal customer base and positive reputation.

Launching a successful makeup artist business demands a unique blend of artistic talent, business know-how, and strategic planning.

Developing a Makeup Business Plan

As you embark on your makeup business journey, taking the time to carefully consider each aspect of your plan, you'll increase your chances of success and gain a deeper understanding of the market, your target audience, and your competition. Your business plan should include key elements such as a

Mission statement
Market analysis
Marketing strategy
Operational plan
Financial projections

As you develop your plan, be sure to seek feedback and advice from experts or mentors in the industry to ensure that you're on the right track.

Service-Oriented Business Plan

Whenever you're starting a business it's essential to have a clear plan in place that outlines your service offerings, target audience, pricing strategy, and operational plan. Your plan should also include strategies for building a strong client base through effective marketing and networking. As you develop your plan, consider potential challenges and opportunities associated with running a service-based business, such as managing client expectations, scheduling appointments, and maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction. Seek feedback and advice from industry experts or mentors to ensure that your plan is comprehensive and realistic. With a well-crafted business plan in hand, you'll be well-positioned to launch your makeup services business and achieve success.

Financial Planning and Budgeting

As you begin the process of launching a makeup business, financial planning and budgeting are critical steps . This plan should account for startup costs, such as makeup supplies, marketing expenses, and any necessary licenses or permits. Additionally, carefully consider your pricing strategy and develop realistic revenue projections based on market research and a thorough understanding of your target audience. A well-crafted financial plan will not only serve as a compass for your business but will also be essential in securing any necessary funding or investments. As you navigate the financial aspects of your makeup business, remember to stay true to your vision while keeping a watchful eye on the horizon of financial stability.

Here are some important things to keep in mind while crafting your financial planning and budgeting:

Accurately estimating startup costs, including supplies, equipment, and any necessary licenses or permits
Researching and understanding the competitive landscape and pricing strategies of other makeup businesses in the market
Setting realistic revenue projections based on the target audience, market demand, and pricing strategies
Developing a budget that allocates funds for ongoing expenses, such as marketing, advertising, and operational costs

Legalities and Compliance in the Makeup Business

No matter the industry you’re in, it's important to ensure that your business is operating in compliance with legal requirements. This helps to protect both you and your clients, and can also give you peace of mind as you focus on growing your business. Research the laws and regulations that apply to your business, such as health and safety standards, product labeling requirements, and any licensing or certification requirements.

Asking Google it’s a great idea for quick answers, but it’s not tailored for everyone and might come with side risks when completely relying on it. Consult with a legal professional if necessary to ensure that you are fully compliant. Remember, taking the time to understand and comply with legal requirements can save you time, money, and headaches in the long run, and allow you to focus on what you do best - creating stunning makeup looks!

Choosing a Location for Your Makeup Business

Selecting the right location for your makeup business can be a critical factor in its success. Whether you're considering a retail space, a studio, or a combination of the two, carefully weigh your options to ensure that the location is both practical and aesthetically pleasing. Consider factors such as visibility, accessibility, parking availability, and proximity to your target audience. Think about your client's needs and preferences, and strive to choose a location that will be convenient and inviting for them. Also, take into account your personal preferences and vision for your business. Whether you prefer a chic studio in the heart of a bustling city or a quaint storefront in a charming neighborhood, make sure the location aligns with your overall goals and values. Remember, the right location can be a powerful catalyst for success in your makeup business!

Designing an Appealing Makeup Space or Website

Your makeup space or website can have a significant impact on the customer experience. Whether you're designing a physical space or a digital one, strive to create a welcoming and inviting atmosphere that reflects your brand's personality and values. Pay attention to details such as lighting, color scheme, decor, and layout, all of which can influence customer perception and engagement. Consider incorporating elements that enhance the customer experience, such as comfortable seating, soothing music, or engaging visuals. For your website, prioritize user-friendliness and ensure that it is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and optimized for search engines. Remember, creating a memorable and inviting makeup space or website can be a powerful way to differentiate your brand, attract new customers, and foster repeat business.

Creating a Memorable Customer Experience

Your customers are the heart of your business, and providing them with a memorable and positive experience is essential to building a loyal clientele. Focus on building genuine connections with your customers, taking the time to understand their needs and preferences, and exceeding their expectations at every turn. Prioritize excellent customer service, offering prompt and friendly assistance, and addressing any concerns or issues professionally and effectively.

Consider offering added value such as personalized recommendations, exclusive offers, or loyalty programs to foster long-term relationships with your customers. Additionally, seek feedback and actively incorporate it into your business practices to continuously improve and exceed your customers' expectations. By prioritizing a customer-centric approach, you can build a loyal following and establish a reputation for excellence in the makeup industry.

Building Your Makeup Brand

Crafting a strong brand identity.

Your brand should be unique, authentic, and consistent across all touchpoints, from your logo and packaging to your website and social media presence. Consider your brand's values, personality, and target audience as you craft a distinctive visual identity, voice, and messaging. Incorporate these elements into your marketing and communication strategies to create a cohesive and memorable brand experience.

Establish your brand's values : For example, if you prioritize sustainability, use eco-friendly packaging materials and donate a portion of your profits to environmental causes.
Define your brand's personality : For instance, if you want to be known for fun, quirky makeup looks, create social media content that showcases your playful and creative side.
Consistently use your brand's visual identity: Use your logo and color scheme consistently across all marketing materials, from business cards to your website.

By investing in a strong and distinctive brand identity, you can build credibility, foster trust, and drive business growth in the long term.

Marketing and Promoting Your Makeup Business

As a makeup business owner, you know that marketing is the fuel that powers growth and attracts customers. With an abundance of channels and tools available, it's important to develop a comprehensive marketing strategy that aligns with your brand and resonates with your target audience. From establishing an online presence to partnering with influencers, there are countless ways to promote your business and generate buzz.

Establishing an Online Presence and Utilizing Social Media

One key element of your marketing strategy should be establishing a strong online presence. This means creating a professional and user-friendly website, optimizing it for search engines, and engaging with customers through social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. Additionally, utilizing tools like scheduling and booking software can help streamline your business operations, improve customer experience, and enhance your overall marketing strategy.

By leveraging technologies, you can effectively manage appointments, reduce no-shows, and build a loyal clientele, which can contribute to the growth and success of your makeup business.

Launching Your Makeup Business

As you prepare to take your makeup business to new heights, crafting a memorable launch is paramount. Whether you opt for a grand in-person event or a sleek virtual affair, think big and think bold. Grab the spotlight with live makeup demonstrations, invite influencers to add some star power, and entice customers with exclusive deals and promotions. To build momentum, consider offering introductory specials or loyalty programs to attract new clients and keep them coming back. Word-of-mouth promotion can be a powerful tool, so incentivize your satisfied customers to spread the word by offering referral discounts. With a little creativity and strategic planning, you can create a buzz around your launch and kickstart your makeup business with a bang!

Cost Considerations in Starting a Makeup Business

Understanding the financial requirements is crucial for a successful makeup business launch. The cost to start a makeup business varies based on several factors, including the scale of the business, location, and business model. Initial expenses typically include product inventory, legal fees for business registration, insurance, marketing, and website development for online presence. So here’s a small summary of things to keep in consideration when starting a makeup business

Product inventory : Investing in high-quality makeup products is crucial to providing your clients with a top-notch experience.
Legal fees : There may be legal costs associated with registering your business, obtaining licenses or permits, and consulting with a lawyer to ensure compliance with local laws and regulations.
Insurance: Consider purchasing insurance to protect your business against potential risks and liabilities.
Marketing : Investing in marketing efforts such as social media advertising, influencer partnerships, or local events can help build brand awareness and attract new customers.
Website development: Having a professional website can help establish your online presence and make it easy for customers to find and book your services.

Starting a makeup business in the US can be a thrilling journey filled with creativity, strategy, and a deep understanding of the multifaceted beauty industry. By following this comprehensive guide, you've equipped yourself with the tools to build a brand that stands out, serves your client's needs, and establishes a solid presence in the competitive makeup marketplace.

Remember, success in this industry requires a persistent drive to learn , adapt , and innovate , as well as a commitment to providing exceptional customer experiences that keep clients coming back. With passion, dedication, and the insights gained from this guide, you can turn your dreams of a thriving makeup business into a reality!

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How to Start a Makeup Business in 14 Steps (In-Depth Guide)

Updated: March 8, 2024

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The makeup industry is booming, with a market size expected to reach over $430 billion globally by 2026 . With more people becoming interested in cosmetics and looking their best, there’s no better time to start your own makeup business.

Whether you want to sell beauty products online, open a makeup studio, or provide mobile services, a makeup business can help you tap into this growing industry while pursuing your passion.

This comprehensive guide covers how to start a makeup business. From writing a business plan to obtaining licenses and insurance, you’ll learn insider tips on sourcing quality makeup products, marketing your services, and retaining happy clients.

1. Conduct Makeup Market Research

Market research is essential to developing a successful makeup line. As you start your own makeup line you’ll need to know about your target market, top beauty brands in the industry, and other elements of the cosmetics industry.

Some things you’ll learn through primary and secondary market research for your beauty business include:

Target market: The rise of social media and beauty influencers has sparked major interest in cosmetics, especially among millennials and Gen Z.

Useful tools: Makeup tutorials and product reviews on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are inspiring consumers to experiment with new looks.
Beauty brand trends: The natural and organic beauty boom has introduced consumers to cleaner ingredients and ethical production methods.
Market value: The natural makeup sector alone could be worth up to $54 billion by 2027, showing the shift in consumer values.
Niche markets: The rise of men using cosmetics has also expanded the market. Male consumers are now a prime target.
Best region to develop a beauty brand: Geographically, the Asia Pacific region provides massive potential, due to its high population density and growing middle class.

For entrepreneurs starting a makeup business, the possibilities are endless. Those creating new makeup brands can tap into social media for inexpensive marketing. Although major players like L’Oreal and Estée Lauder dominate, small businesses can find niches to develop a strong brand.

2. Analyze the Competition

Carefully analyzing your competition is crucial when starting a makeup business. This gives you an accurate lay of the land so you can differentiate yourself.

Some ways to learn about competitors in the beauty industry include:

Identify salons and studios in your geographic area.
Visit their shops, and take notes on pricing, services offered, ambiance, and customer demographics.
Research their web presence for reviews, offerings, and branding.
Investigating online competition is equally important.
Search for makeup brands selling through the same channels you intend to use – marketplaces like Amazon, their e-commerce stores, and social platforms.
Analyze the top brands’ product selection, pricing, special offers, marketing messaging, reviews, and followers.
Research competitors outside your niche too, like top mass-market brands.
Online tools like Semrush , Buzzsumo , and SimilarWeb provide additional data on competitors’ digital footprint and strategy.
Analyzing competitors in such depth equips you to spot gaps or consumer needs not being met.

Staying up-to-date on competitors also helps you respond to their new product launches, campaigns, and more. With rigorous competitive analysis, you will carve out your niche in the makeup industry.

3. Costs to Start a Makeup Business

Beginning a makeup business requires careful financial planning and cost analysis before launching. Between start-up expenses and ongoing operational costs, entrepreneurs need to budget realistically.

Start-up Costs

When first starting, administrative costs must be accounted for. Some common startup costs for a makeup brand, storefront, or online store include:

Registering your business as an LLC costs roughly $100, depending on your state.
Other legal and permit fees can range from $50-$500 for things like a state sales tax permit or business license.
Basic business insurance will be around $500 annually.
For brick-and-mortar spaces like salons or retail stores, a lease deposit typically costs 1-2 months’ rent upfront.
Lease rates vary hugely based on location and size but expect at least $2,000 per month for a modest space.
Any renovations or build-outs can easily exceed $10,000-$30,000.
A professional makeup chair is around $300, quality lighting is between $150-$600, and a vanity/station for products is about $200.
Stocking a high-quality makeup inventory including skincare, tools, perfumes , and cosmetics ( lip gloss , powder, nail polish, etc.) requires an upfront product purchase of $3,000, more if you plan on offering permanent makeup services to customers.
Ongoing inventory costs will be about $500 per month.
Website design and hosting will be roughly $100 per month.
Custom packaging and labeling for makeup products can be $2-$5 per item.
Initial digital advertising and marketing budgets should be $300 per month minimum.
Good makeup artists charge at least $50 per hour, so their wages, commissions, and benefits add up.
For your salary as owner, plan on paying yourself around $40,000-$60,000 initially.

All said total start-up costs for a lean operation can be as low as $15,000. Realistically, have $25,000-$75,000 ready to launch a makeup business right? Secure this through personal savings, loans from family and friends, small business grants, and loans.

Ongoing Costs

Ongoing costs include a lot of the upkeep and replenishment fees for your startups, along with some additional expenses, including:

Rent and utilities: $2,000
Staff wages: $4,000
Insurance: $200
Accounting services: $300
Product restocking: $500
Software subscriptions: $100
Advertising: $500
Credit card processing fees: 2-4% of revenue
Income taxes – at least 20% of profits
Equipment upkeep and replacements: $2,000
Professional development and training: $1,000
Legal and professional fees: $1,000

Careful financial planning and cost analysis are vital when embarking on a new makeup business. Set realistic budgets for one-time startup costs and ongoing overhead based on your specific concept. Leave room for unforeseen and emergency expenses that inevitably crop up.

4. Form a Legal Business Entity

When establishing your makeup business, one key decision is choosing the right legal structure. The four main options each have advantages and drawbacks to weigh.

Sole Proprietorship

A sole proprietorship is the simplest, with you fully owning and operating the business as an individual. You can get up and running quickly, with minimal paperwork and legal fees of around $100-$200. However, you’re personally liable for all financial and legal obligations. Any lawsuit or debt impacts your assets.

Partnership

Partnerships allow two or more co-owners to share control and liabilities. You can combine different skills and investment amounts, ideal for a makeup artist pairing with a retail operator. However disagreements can arise, and each partner is responsible for shared debts.

Corporation

A corporation offers the most formal structure, registering as a separate legal entity. Owners buy shares of stock, elect directors, and follow stricter processes. Corporations limit financial liability but have complex tax and paperwork burdens costing over $1,000 to set up.

Limited Liability Corporation (LLC)

For most makeup businesses, forming an LLC provides the best protections without overcomplicating operations. As of 2022, LLC filings exceeded corporations for the first time.

LLCs limit personal liability and allow flexible management options. Taxes are passed through to members so you avoid “double taxation” on corporate income. Startup costs range from $100-$800 depending on your state.

5. Register Your Business For Taxes

Once you’ve structured your makeup business, a crucial next step is obtaining an Employer Identification Number, or EIN. This unique identifier is essential for federal tax purposes.

An EIN acts like a social security number for your business. It allows you to open a bank account, apply for licenses and permits, hire employees, and file taxes properly. Without an EIN, you can’t operate legally or take key steps to grow your company.

Applying for an EIN is free and fast directly through the IRS website .

Here’s an overview of the online application process:

First, gather your business information including legal name, address, structure, and ownership details.
Next, go to the EIN online application. You’ll need to create an IRS account if you don’t already have one.
You’ll be asked why you need an EIN. For makeup businesses, choose “Started a new business” as the reason.
Enter your business details like name, address, and responsible party. Double-check that all information is accurate.
Review your application information. Once submitted, your EIN will be provided immediately.
The entire application takes less than 15 minutes. You’ll receive your EIN confirmation via email and IRS mail.
With your new EIN, you must register for state taxes to legally make sales. Expect fees of $10-$100 depending on your state.

Filing as a sole proprietor ? You can use your Social Security number instead of an EIN. However, an EIN adds credibility with vendors and lenders.

Overall the EIN application process is quick, easy, and free. Don’t delay this essential step in legitimizing your makeup business. With your EIN, you can move forward confidently and legally operate your company.

6. Setup Your Accounting

Proper accounting is crucial for any makeup business to succeed. Meticulous record-keeping and financial management will save you headaches and heartaches down the road.

Accounting Software

Using small business accounting software like QuickBooks can automate tracking of all your financial data. Connect your business bank accounts and credit cards so transactions automatically sync. Run reports on sales, profits, taxes owed, and more with ease.

Hire an Accountant

While software does the heavy lifting, having an accountant’s expertise gives peace of mind. A bookkeeper can reconcile accounts, ensure your records are audit-ready, and provide guidance on finances. Expect to invest around $100-$150 per month for basic bookkeeping.

Come tax season, your accountant can handle completing tax forms, optimizing deductions, and advising on tax payments. This may cost $500-$1,500 annually. If you get audited, your meticulous records will prove invaluable.

Open a Business Bank account

Keeping business and personal finances 100% separate is also non-negotiable. Get a dedicated business checking account and credit card solely for company transactions. Never co-mingle funds or pay yourself from the business account. This strict separation protects your assets if sued or debts arise.

Apply for a Business Credit Card

Applying for a small business credit card gives flexibility to make large purchases. Credit limits are lower than personal cards, often $1000-$5000 initially. Boost your chances of approval by providing your EIN, business address, and financial statements.

7. Obtain Licenses and Permits

Before officially opening your makeup business, it is crucial to have the proper licenses and permits in place. Federal license requirements can be found through the U.S. Small Business Administration. The SBA also offers a local search tool to find state and city requirements.

A general business license is often required to legally operate within a certain city or county. Fees are typically $50-$100 annually. This allows you to conduct business activities in that jurisdiction.
For brick-and-mortar shops, a building permit ensures your commercial space meets occupational safety codes.
Selling cosmetics requires special licensing. States regulate makeup as a “health and beauty” category with specific regulations.
Mobile makeup artists must also comply with health and sanitation rules. States like Florida require a Mobile Cosmetology Salon License to operate outside a fixed location. Expect fees around $25-$100.
If employing others, you must register with your state labor department for permission to pay wages and worker’s compensation.
Selling cosmetics with CBD or hemp also necessitates special licensing. States are increasingly regulating topical CBD products separately from consumables.

Check with your city, county, and state commerce departments to identify all required registrations, certificates, and clearances. Obtaining the proper permits avoids disruption to your business and shows you operate legitimately. Display all your licenses prominently.

8. Get Business Insurance

Insuring your makeup business is a vital protective step. Without coverage, a single incident could destroy everything you’ve built.

Business insurance shields you from financial ruin if sued, burglarized, or disaster strikes. It covers legal liabilities, lost income, and repairs.

Some scenarios where a lack of insurance could cripple a makeup biz:

A customer has an allergic reaction to products and is sued for medical damages. Without liability coverage, you’d pay from your pocket.
Your salon floods after a storm. No commercial property insurance means you shoulder the costs of ruined makeup and renovations.
You get robbed of $10,000 of cosmetics. Without coverage, that huge loss comes straight out of your bottom line.

Securing the right policies safeguards your company’s assets and future. Here’s how to get started:

Assess your risks and needed coverage types. Common policies include general liability, commercial property, workers’ comp, etc.
Work with an insurance broker specializing in your industry. They can compare quotes and customize policies.
Provide details on your business operations, location, payroll, assets, and risks. This determines premiums.
Review options carefully. Look for additions like business interruption insurance or flood/earthquake riders.
Pay premiums annually or monthly. Costs vary based on your revenue, locale, and coverage limits. Expect $500-$5,000 annually.
Display proof of insurance prominently on the premises and your website. This shows clients your legitimacy.

Don’t wait until it’s too late to insure your makeup enterprise. The peace of mind is invaluable knowing you’ve safeguarded the business from catastrophic losses. Consult an insurance professional to craft a customized and cost-effective protection plan.

9. Create an Office Space

Having a professional office space lends credibility and efficiency to your makeup business. It provides a centralized hub for administrative tasks, storing supplies, and meeting clients.

Home Office

A home office is the most affordable option starting. Expect costs of $100-$500 for a basic desk, computer, phone and supplies. The convenience factor is ideal for solo entrepreneurs, allowing you to deduct mortgage/rent and utility costs. Downsides include a lack of professionalism and distractions.

Retail Office

Retail space is essential if operating a beauty store, salon, or studio. Prime real estate averages $20-$40 per square foot. A 500 sq ft shop would cost $10,000-$20,000 per month. While pricey, foot traffic and decor elevate your brand power. Onsite product displays and makeup lessons require a spacious setup.

Coworking Office

For collaborative opportunities and networking, coworking spaces like WeWork provide flexible, affordable office rentals. Hot desk rates start at around $300 monthly. Private offices get more costly at $500-$800 but allow client consultations. Community events and shared amenities are bonuses.

Commercial Office

If rapid growth is expected, consider renting traditional office space. Commercial buildings offer custom build-outs but require long-term leases at $25 per square foot. For major makeup brands, the corporate environment reflects success.

10. Source Your Equipment

A makeup business requires quality cosmetics, tools, and equipment to deliver exceptional service. Stocking your arsenal with professional-grade products conveys expertise. Here are the top sources for outfitting your operation:

When buying new, specialty retailers like Nigel Beauty Emporium and Makeup Mania carry pro-level cosmetics and tools. Expect to invest $500 for basic staples like a quality makeup chair, vanity, brushes, lighting, and inventory.

Buying quality used equipment also saves substantially. Search Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist for listings near you. Join Facebook groups like “Makeup Addict Garage Sale” to find deals. eBay and other buy-and-sell apps are also options. Ensure used electrical items work safely.

For major investments like dermaplaning machines or microblading tools, consider renting first. Rental companies like Stage and Screen Beauty let you test products before buying. Rates range from $50-$500 monthly for specialty devices. This avoids major upfront costs when starting.

Salon and spa liquidators sell new surplus supplies at huge discounts. Check Liquid Asset Partners for deals on cosmetics, furniture, tools, and more, often up to 70% off retail.

Leasing lets you acquire essentials with low monthly payments. Equipment financing companies like Marlin Leasing specialize in salon amenities. Build business credit to earn higher lease limits.

By mixing new, used, rented, and leased equipment, startup costs stay reasonable. Seek student discounts from brands like MAC Cosmetics . Scout sales and promos when stocking up on staples. With smart sourcing, your makeup toolkit stays budget-friendly and functional.

11. Establish Your Brand Assets

Creating a strong brand identity is crucial for makeup businesses to stand out and be recognizable. Investing in professional assets conveys polish and builds credibility.

Get a Business Phone Line

Acquiring a dedicated business phone line establishes legitimacy. Customers can call one consistent number rather than their cell. Cloud-based services like RingCentral make it easy to set up a custom greeting, voicemail, call routing, and more for around $30/month. This professionalism wins trust.

Design a Logo

A logo and visual identity should align with your brand vision. For makeup, consider creative logos evoking glamour, artistry, and transformation. Services like Looka help you explore logotypes like abstracts, monograms, letter marks, and more. Expect around $50-$150 for custom design. Use consistent fonts, colors, and imagery across all assets.

Print Business Cards

Business cards are still essential for in-person networking and appointments. They quickly convey your brand story. Vistaprint offers affordable, quality printing with frequent promotions. Order at least 500 to start. Custom signage also adds legitimacy to brick-and-mortar.

Hand these cards out when meeting potential partners and influencers. Give them to happy clients to refer others. They enable quick follow-up so new leads don’t get lost.

Buy a Domain Name

Purchasing a personalized domain cements your web presence. Align it closely with your name for consistency. Namecheap offers domains starting at around $9 annually. Opt for .com over alternatives and make it short/catchy.

Design a Website

Having a website is expected today to engage prospects. Using a site builder like Wix , you can launch one yourself for $10-$20 monthly. Pick a template fitting your aesthetic. Or hire a web developer on Fiverr starting around $500. They handle technical aspects while you provide content.

12. Join Associations and Groups

Joining relevant organizations and networks boosts your knowledge, connections, and visibility when starting a makeup venture. Surrounding yourself with like-minded professionals provides insider tips and expanded opportunities.

Local Associations

Seeking out local makeup artist associations should be a priority. Major ones like the Professional Beauty Association have regional chapters perfect for meeting area businesses. Joining provides access to events, continuing education, and promotion. Annual dues average $100-$300.

Local Meetups

Attending trade shows like Cosmoprof links you to established brands. Here vendors demonstrate new products, techniques, and services on the market. Bring plenty of business cards and mingle after demonstrations.

Use sites like Meetup to find regular local networking meetups in your metro area. These casual gatherings help you organically connect with like-minded professionals. The face-time builds local relationships leading to referrals.

Facebook Groups

Search for makeup groups on Facebook to tap into massive communities. Examples like Makeup Addiction and Makeup Artists have over 100,000 international members. Ask for advice, share work examples, and find collaborators.

13. How to Market a Makeup Business

Implementing an effective marketing strategy is essential for any new makeup business to gain visibility and attract clients. With the right promotion, you can establish your brand locally while expanding your reach online.

Tap Into Your Network

Leverage your network first when launching. Reach out to friends, family, and existing contacts who may become customers or refer others. Offer them a special discount to try your services and incentivize sharing your business if they’re satisfied. Word-of-mouth referrals from happy customers remain incredibly powerful marketing.

Digital Marketing

Digital campaigns allow scalable promotion as you grow:

Run Google/Facebook paid ads targeting local demographics and makeup interests. Geo-fencing around related businesses like salons also works.
Start a YouTube channel showcasing makeup tutorials, product reviews, and business vlogs. Optimizing videos for search helps discovery.
Write blog content focused on makeup tips, trends, and techniques. Promote posts on social media and link back to your site.
Be active on platforms like Instagram and TikTok to showcase work and engage followers. Use relevant hashtags.
Email subscribers with promotions, offers, and value-added content. Collect emails onsite and through lead gen ads.
Partner with influencers in your city to co-create content and run sponsored posts about your business.

Traditional Marketing

Traditional options like print advertising can also help exposure:

Run local newspaper and radio ads focused on a strong call to action. Track conversions.
Design eye-catching flyers and mailers to distribute around your area. Offer discounts to incentivize visits.
Seek out local event partnerships like bridal shows to set up booths and network directly.
For brick-and-mortar, use sidewalk signs and posters in windows to attract foot traffic.

A healthy marketing mix keeps your makeup business top of mind through multiple channels. Dedicate time consistently to promotion and reassess performance monthly, adjusting budgets to highest-ROI initiatives. The more creative you get with marketing, the faster your brand presence will grow locally and beyond.

14. Focus on the Customer

Providing an exceptional customer experience is pivotal for any makeup business. How you treat clients before, during, and after appointments determines your success.

Some ways to increase customer focus include:

Truly listening to their needs, masterfully accentuate their features, and share tips for touch-ups, so they feel cared for.
Taking time to get the look just right and answering all questions shows you prioritize their satisfaction.
Following up after their appointment with thanks and an incentive for future bookings increases retention too.
Sending a handwritten thank you note or complimentary product sample as a surprise gesture.
The extra effort to provide five-star service gives your brand power no advertising can replicate.

With exceptional service baked into every client interaction, your makeup business can build a reputation for the ultimate experience. Word travels fast when you go above and beyond. Online reviews sing your praises, leading new leads your way.

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How to start a makeup business in 10 steps.

Why Start a Makeup Business?

Types of businesses in the cosmetic industry, what is the growth potential for a makeup business, 10 steps for how to start a makeup line, bonus tips for success, start your makeup business.

The beauty industry is constantly growing and evolving. New trends are always emerging, which creates opportunities for entrepreneurs in the beauty space.

Whether you want to create a product to sell in a store or launch your own digital storefront, there are many ways to achieve success as a beauty guru.

In this 10-step guide, you’ll discover what it takes to start a makeup business, market your own line and scale your company to success.

There are many reasons to start a cosmetic business. Here are a few of the most popular inspirations for entrepreneurs to get started in the beauty space:

The ability to start your own brand
Fulfill the high demand for cosmetics
Pursue your passion for beauty
Set your own prices and scale your income
Sell products in-store or online (remote income)

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to your “Why” for starting a cosmetic business. Considering your motivations will help you get focused on your end-goal and see your business through to success.

If you want to start a makeup business, there are dozens of ways to go. Choosing a focus is helpful when you’re starting to build your brand . Your niche could be one specific type of product or a line of products that is meant for a very specific type of consumer.

Choosing a niche will make it easier to hone in on your target market, brand your business effectively and stand out in a sea of other beauty brands.

Traditional Makeup Products

Blushes, lipsticks, eyeliners, mascaras, foundation and eyeshadows are all very common makeup products. However, new businesses that get into makeup production create their own lines of these products all the time.

Each of these products comes with a wide range of variations. For example, when it comes to lipsticks, you have glosses, crayons, mattes, metallics and more. This is on top of all of the color options.

When you decide to create any of these products, you will likely need to put your own personal twist on them and create a themed collection.

Please note that creating products like these may take several rounds of testing formulas and measuring qualitative aspects since anything you release must be safe for the skin.

Over the past few years, eyelashes have been a major trend. False lashes are a relatively easy product to sell since they don’t require as much product development as other makeup products.

For the most part, developing a lash product involves ordering the lash styles you like from a supplier and packaging them with your branding. You can sell your lashes in your own store, either online or in a physical storefront.

Alternatively, you can sell your lashes at other makeup retailers like Sephora, Ulta or even drugstores.

Aside from the lashes themselves, it is very important to consider what type of lash glue you are selling with your lashes. Since the adhesive goes so close to the user’s eye, you need to ensure that it’s not harmful if it comes in contact with the eye.

Body Makeup

Body makeup works very similarly to concealer, foundation and other makeup you’d use on your face. The purpose of body makeup is to help cover up blemishes, even out your skin tone and get the perfect amount of glow.

Since it is similar in nature to many traditional makeup products, product development and the retail process are very similar.

All-Natural Makeup

People are becoming more aware of the ingredients they are putting in and on their bodies. This has created a demand for clean ingredient makeup products.

Consider creating products that are plant-based—nixing chemicals can do wonders for your business. These products are a bit more expensive to manufacture, but there are people who are willing to pay a premium for natural products.

Luxury Makeup

There are people who are willing to invest hundreds of dollars in their makeup even if it’s not made from all plant-based materials. These are typically people who are skilled in the makeup realm—such as makeup artists—and know that high-quality products come at a high price point.

Create a product with the highest quality ingredients available if your goal is to target this market.

The beauty industry is growing quickly as trends evolve and multiply rapidly. As of 2019, the cosmetics industry is worth $532 billion and it is slated to exceed a market value of $805 billion by 2023 . Cosmetic products and skincare alone contribute to nearly 40% of that value.

Additionally, the profit margins for makeup businesses are at an average of 40% and can be up to 80%. As a small makeup business, you’ll likely fall right around the average profit margin.

It is important to note that the cosmetics sector has a few main players that run the show. Not all brands will grow at this rate.

This bit of information should not dissuade you from starting a cosmetic business, but should help you to shape your expectations accordingly.

Starting your own business is exciting, but it can also be confusing if you need help knowing where to start. While there are many paths to success, we’ve outlined the 10 steps you need to help you get started on the right track. With this guide, you’ll have an established beauty brand in no time.

1. Choose a Product

Choose a product that you can create with a unique touch that sets it apart from the competition. You should choose a product that interests you, but you should also ensure there is a demand for what you want to produce.

It’s also wise to consider what it will cost you to produce an item. This will help you set realistic margins and earn a handsome profit on every sale.

We recommend starting with only one or two cosmetic products before growing your business. By choosing one or two beauty products, you can perfect the process and start to build your customer base without a ton of pressure.

2. Create a Business Plan

Before you start developing your product, you should make a business plan. This outlines what you want to sell, who you want to sell it to and how you plan to sell it.

This business plan will be used primarily for your own reference, but it will also help if you are pitching for partnerships, loans, grants or investors.

Your business plan should include:

A company overview
Market research analysis
The legal structure and general organization of your business
A breakdown of your beauty products
An overview of your marketing and sales strategy
A detailed financial outlook
Any and all files related to your business (contracts, legal documentation, tax information, etc.)

In this step, you work out the logistics of your business. Consider things like how much inventory you plan to hold and what the ordering and shipping process looks like. You can also outline how you will send invoices for your makeup business .

Really dive deep into your target audience. See how potential competitors are serving this audience and figure out how you can do it better, making your brand stand out from the competition.

3. Get Funding

Starting a business requires capital and there are several ways to come up with this capital.

You could fund your business with your own savings. However, if you don’t have the money of your own, you have the option of either borrowing the money or seeking investors.

To take out a business loan, you can start by reaching out to your bank. We encourage you to shop around with other banks to find the best interest rates. Also, check out what the Small Business Administration has to offer.

If you decide to go with an investor, determine if you want a partner who is hands on or if you’d prefer a silent investor. Investors could be family members, friends or business associates. Ideally, you’d want somebody who is trustworthy and has the amount of money that you need.

Additionally, some local organizations have grants available for new business owners. This money is often free, meaning you don’t have to pay it back. Google “business grants in [your location]” to find local programs.

Startup costs for a cosmetic business will vary based on the product you decide to sell and how large of an operation you are looking to run, but there are some basic costs that are pretty much standard across the board.

Here are some investments you may to make when starting your cosmetic business:

Limited liability company (LLC): $125
Branding and website: $2,000+
Product photography or camera equipment: Will vary
Product development: $5,000+
Warehouse: Varies by size and location
Marketing and ads: Will vary
Packaging: Will vary

There are cheaper alternatives to some of these investments, however pinching pennies may reduce the quality of your product and branding. Your initial goal may be to start small and then scale up once you have revenue coming in.

4. Take Care of the Legalities

When you start a makeup business, you will need to register your business. An LLC should suffice, but a “doing business as” (DBA) or corporation may work better. How you classify your business will depend on local legal requirements.

It’s important that your business is its own legal entity. In the event that an accident occurs due to one of your cosmetic products, you’ll want to make sure you’re protected as an individual.

You will also need to seek a tax identification number for your business entity so that you can pay taxes. This is called an employer identification number (EIN).

Some cosmetic and beauty products require approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). We encourage you to check out the cosmetics page of their website for specific guidelines on developing and labeling your product.

Additionally, you should seek legal assistance if you plan on patterning any element of your brand.

5. Build Your Brand

A brand is essentially the personality you build for your business. It should be designed to connect with your target audience.

You breathe life into your brand by creating an aesthetic that includes a color palette, logo and the like. Additionally, you’ll develop a voice for your brand that shines through in any copy on your website, social media and packaging.

6. Develop Your Product

You have your ideas and plan all laid out. You also have your business model established and the funding ready to go. It is time to develop your product. Everything about your product should be highly representative of your brand.

Hammer out the specifics, including sizes, colors to textures. At this point, you’ll also want to work out packaging. Be very intentional with your packaging because it makes a world of difference.

Pay close attention to the materials and ingredients you use when you manufacture cosmetics. For example, if sustainability is one of your brand’s values, plastic packaging is not on-brand.

Finally, make sure your product is worth what you plan to charge for it. Overcharging customers will not bring them back.

7. Test Your Products

Order samples of your products so that you can test them. Make sure they are the quality you expected in terms of size, color and texture. You should check other qualitative measures such as how waterproof the product is, or how long it lasts.

You may have to go through several rounds of testing before getting it just right.

8. Design a Digital Storefront

Many makeup businesses excel in the world of e-commerce. Even if you plan to sell your products in physical stores, you’ll likely opt for an online storefront as well (and factor it into your business model).

Your website should include a home page, an ‘about’ page, a contact page and shop pages. The shop pages should be easily searched, sorted and filtered so that your customers can find what they are looking for with ease.

Ensure that you use a secure paywall so your customers’ sensitive information is never compromised. Adding payment features like PayPal or plan options also enrich the user experience.

You have two options when it comes to building your online storefront. You can either create it yourself with a drag-and-drop site like Squarespace or you can hire a professional to build it for you.

We recommend hiring a professional so that your site meshes perfectly with your brand and offers a seamless user experience for your customers.

9. Create a Marketing Strategy

It is time to develop a marketing strategy. If you are sticking to e-commerce for your makeup business, both advertisements and content marketing are good options.

Here are a few approaches you can take when creating your marketing strategy:

Paid ads : Run targeted ads on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Social media marketing : Create engaging content to build a community of followers who could be potential customers
Search engine optimization : Use SEO to target keywords that your potential customers would be searching
Influencer marketing : Hire people with large social media followings to talk about using your products and encouraging their followers to purchase their own

Your marketing strategy should depend greatly on your target audience. Design your marketing strategy so that it speaks with your target audience.

This goes for both messaging and the delivery of the message. Speak to them in a language that resonates with them, and make sure you’re delivering the message on a platform that they spend time on.

10. Launch Your Products

Once you have everything ready to go, it is time to launch. Get your followers and supporters excited for the big day and start generating sales. If you’ve followed the steps in this guide, hopefully you’ll have a line of customers waiting at your physical or virtual storefront!

Every entrepreneurial journey is unique, especially in the cosmetics industry where there are so many ways to go when starting a cosmetics business. However, there are some business practices that are universal. Here are a few tips to get customers and grow your makeup business.

Master Social Media

If you are already known and trusted in the online world of makeup—let’s say you’re a respected makeup artist—you will find it much easier to sell your beauty products.

Think about the people who climbed to the top of the cosmetics industry on YouTube. They built personal brands that exemplified their makeup artistry and later went on to create makeup collections of their own.

This process will likely look different for you. But studying their journeys from makeup artists and influencers to creators of makeup collections will give you ideas for your own brand strategy.

Prioritize Customer Appreciation

Let your customers know you appreciate them in a few ways. Use referral systems and giveaways to send free or discounted products to loyal customers.

These small things show your customers how grateful you are for their loyalty to your cosmetics business.

Send Public Relations Boxes

Investing in influencer marketing and sending our public relations (PR) boxes whenever you launch a new collection is a strategy that many successful makeup businesses use.

Seeing all of your new products laid out in an on-brand PR box will really get people excited about your collection. And people will be more likely to buy your products when an influencer they know and trust talks about them.

Prioritize Inclusivity

Many beauty brands create products that are centered around white consumers. They fail to create shades of their products that work for people with darker shades of skin, and their branding often fails to embrace diversity.

Think about how you can include all makeup fans when you design and market your products.

Now that you’re familiar with the basics of the makeup industry, the manufacturing of cosmetics and the 10 steps for building a successful business, you are ready to bring your idea to life.

There are so many possibilities for people who dream of creating a makeup collection of their own. We are confident that you’ll have success in the industry once you set up a solid strategy and get to work.

So what do you say? Are you ready to start your cosmetics business?

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Building Your Own Makeup Business

by ACA Reviewers, M.D., Ph.D.
November 6, 2023 November 19, 2023

Starting your own makeup business is an exciting venture that allows you to turn your passion for beauty into a profitable enterprise. With a growing consumer demand for quality cosmetics, there has never been a better time to enter the beauty industry. This article will guide you through the essential steps and practical considerations needed to establish your own successful makeup business, from defining your target market to sourcing high-quality products and creating a strong brand identity.

Learn how to navigate the competitive landscape and build a thriving makeup business that meets the needs of today’s beauty enthusiasts.

Understanding the Makeup Industry

The makeup industry is a dynamic and ever-evolving sector that continues to thrive due to its high demand and constant innovation. The industry encompasses various product categories such as foundations, lipsticks, eyeshadows, and mascaras. Understanding the makeup industry is crucial for any aspiring makeup business to navigate its complexities successfully. For instance, the industry is highly influenced by seasonal trends, with the popularity of certain color palettes and finishes changing with each season.

Additionally, consumer preferences vary widely, with some individuals favoring natural and organic products, while others prefer bold and dramatic looks. By staying informed about these trends and preferences, makeup businesses can align their product offerings and marketing strategies to cater to their target audience effectively.

Benefits of Starting Your Own Makeup Business

Starting your own makeup business can be a rewarding and profitable venture. One of the key benefits is the flexibility it offers. You have the freedom to choose your own schedule and work from anywhere, giving you more control over your time and allowing you to balance your personal and professional life. Moreover, the makeup industry is constantly evolving, giving you the opportunity to stay up to date with the latest trends and techniques.

Steps to Start Your Own Makeup Business

Define your niche and target market.

Defining your niche and target market is crucial when launching a makeup business. Understanding who your ideal customers are and what specific needs they have will help you tailor your products and marketing strategies accordingly.

For example, if your target market consists of busy professionals, you might focus on creating long-lasting, low-maintenance makeup products that can withstand a hectic day. On the other hand, if your niche is eco-conscious consumers, you could emphasize using sustainable ingredients and packaging. By defining your niche and target market, you can effectively position your makeup business and cater to the unique preferences of your customers.

Conduct Market Research

Conducting market research is vital for any successful makeup business. It provides valuable insights into customer preferences, trends, and competition within the industry.

For example, by analyzing consumer behavior, a makeup business can identify popular shades, finishes, or packaging styles that resonate with their target audience.

Develop a Business Plan

Developing a solid business plan is a crucial step for any aspiring makeup entrepreneur. It serves as a roadmap, outlining the goals, strategies, and financial projections for your best makeup business. A well-crafted business plan can help you secure funding, attract potential partners, and guide your decision-making process.

For instance, a comprehensive marketing plan within your business plan can outline how you will reach your target audience through various channels such as social media, influencer partnerships, and email marketing campaigns.

Additionally, a financial plan can provide insights into projected revenue, expenses, and profitability. A business plan ensures you have a clear direction and actionable steps to achieve success in the competitive makeup industry.

Establish Your Brand Identity

Establishing your brand identity is an essential step for every successful makeup business. Your brand identity sets you apart from competitors and helps create a lasting impression on your target audience. By defining your unique selling proposition and creating a cohesive visual and verbal identity, you can establish a strong makeup brand presence in the market.

Set Up Your Makeup Studio or Online Presence

Setting up your makeup studio or establishing your online presence is an important step in building a successful makeup business. Whether you choose a physical studio or decide to focus on an online presence, ensuring that your setup is professional and aligned with your target audience is crucial.

For a physical makeup studio, consider factors such as location, interior design, and equipment. A conveniently located studio with a welcoming ambiance can attract clients and help create a positive, professional image. High-quality makeup products, tools, and comfortable seating are imperative for client satisfaction.

On the other hand, if you opt for an online presence, creating a visually appealing website and utilizing social media platforms are key aspects. Showcase professional photos of your work, provide helpful makeup tips or tutorials, and engage with your audience to build a loyal following.

By investing time and effort into setting up your makeup studio or online presence, you can establish credibility, reach a wider audience, and increase the chances of long-term success in the best makeup business.

Source Quality Makeup Products

To ensure the highest quality makeup products for your business, it is important to prioritize sourcing from reputable suppliers. Reliable suppliers undergo rigorous testing and quality control measures to guarantee their products meet industry standards.

For example, they may conduct extensive ingredient testing to ensure safety and effectiveness.

Additionally, they may invest in research and development to stay ahead of emerging trends and technologies. By partnering with such suppliers, you can confidently offer makeup products that customers can trust and rely on for their beauty needs.

Build a Team of Makeup Artists

Finding and assembling a talented team of makeup artists is a critical component of running a successful makeup business. By having a diverse group of experts with a range of skills, you can ensure that your clients’ needs are met regardless of the occasion or desired style. For instance, having artists who excel at natural, everyday makeup as well as those who specialize in dramatic, event-ready looks allows your business to cater to a wide range of clientele.

Additionally, a team with different backgrounds and experiences can bring fresh perspectives and innovative techniques to the table, keeping your business ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving makeup industry.

Create a Marketing and Advertising Strategy

To effectively promote your best makeup business, crafting a comprehensive marketing and advertising strategy is crucial. By identifying your target audience and understanding their preferences, you can tailor your messaging and advertising channels accordingly.

For example, social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube are popular among makeup enthusiasts, providing opportunities to showcase your products and engage with potential customers.

Additionally, collaborating with beauty influencers or hosting workshops and tutorials can create buzz and generate interest in your brand. Remember, an effective marketing and advertising strategy is rooted in understanding your audience and utilizing the appropriate channels to reach them.

Establish Strong Relationships with Suppliers and Partners

Building strong relationships with suppliers and partners is a vital aspect of running a successful makeup business. By fostering these connections, you can ensure a steady supply of high-quality products and establish a reliable network for collaborations and co-branding opportunities.

For example, maintaining a good rapport with your suppliers can lead to preferential pricing, timely deliveries, and access to the latest industry trends. Similarly, partnering with complementary businesses enables you to reach new audiences and offer comprehensive solutions to your customers. These relationships not only enhance your credibility in the market but also open doors for mutually beneficial growth opportunities.

Provide Outstanding Customer Service

Providing exceptional customer service is a fundamental aspect of running a successful makeup business. Building strong relationships with customers not only ensures their satisfaction but also promotes loyalty and repeat business.

For example, promptly addressing customer inquiries and concerns demonstrates a commitment to their needs.

Additionally, offering personalized recommendations and advice based on individual preferences can enhance the overall shopping experience. By prioritizing exceptional customer service, makeup businesses can establish a positive reputation and attract a loyal customer base.

Best Makeup Business Practices

Stay up-to-date with makeup trends.

Staying up-to-date with makeup trends is crucial for any successful makeup business. By staying current, you can offer your clients the latest looks and techniques that are in high demand.

For example, knowing about the latest trend in natural makeup can help you attract clients who prefer a more subtle and minimalist look. Similarly, being aware of the current trend of bold and vibrant eyeshadow colors can cater to clients who want to make a statement. Keeping a close eye on makeup trends allows you to stay ahead of the competition and meet the evolving needs of your clients.

Offer a Wide Range of Makeup Products

Offering a wide range of makeup products is important for any successful makeup business. This allows customers to find everything they need in one place, saving them time and effort.

For example, having a variety of foundations ensures that customers with different skin tones can find their perfect match. Offering a range of eyeshadows allows customers to create different looks for various occasions. Similarly, providing a selection of lipsticks caters to different preferences and skin tones. Having a diverse range of makeup products allows customers to experiment and find their signature style, building loyalty to the brand.

Provide Personalized Makeup Consultations

Personalized makeup consultations are an invaluable service offered by the best makeup businesses. By tailoring their advice to each individual’s unique features and preferences, professional makeup artists ensure that clients walk away with a look that enhances their natural beauty.

For example, a consultation may involve analyzing the client’s skin tone, facial structure, and eye color to suggest suitable foundation shades, contouring techniques, and eyeshadow palettes. This personalized approach guarantees that clients receive recommendations that are specifically tailored to their needs, resulting in enhanced customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Collaborate with Influencers and Beauty Bloggers

A valuable marketing strategy for the best makeup business is collaborating with influencers and beauty bloggers. This partnership can greatly boost brand awareness and reach a wider audience. By featuring influencers and beauty bloggers using your products in their content, you can showcase the effectiveness and quality of your makeup. Their followers, who trust their opinions, are more likely to be influenced to try your products.

This strategy has been proven successful, with many makeup businesses seeing an increase in sales and brand recognition through influencer collaborations.

Host Makeup Workshops and Events

One effective strategy for a successful makeup business is to host makeup workshops and events. These provide valuable opportunities for customers to learn new techniques, stay up-to-date with the latest trends, and interact with other makeup enthusiasts. By offering hands-on demonstrations and tutorials, customers can gain practical skills and knowledge that they can apply on their own.

Additionally, these events create a sense of community and foster brand loyalty.

For example, hosting a makeup workshop on achieving a natural everyday look can attract customers who are interested in a more subtle and effortless style. Similarly, hosting a makeup event focused on bold and dramatic looks can attract customers looking to experiment and push their boundaries.

Leverage Social Media for Marketing

Leveraging social media for marketing is an effective strategy for any makeup business. With the widespread use of platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, businesses can reach a large audience and showcase their products and services. Social media enables makeup businesses to connect directly with potential customers through targeted advertising campaigns and engaging content.

For example, by sharing tutorials on creating different makeup looks or featuring before-and-after transformations, businesses can demonstrate their expertise and attract customers.

Additionally, social media provides a platform for customers to share their experiences, fostering a sense of community and trust in the brand.

Challenges and Solutions in Running a Makeup Business

Competition in the makeup industry.

In the highly competitive makeup industry, companies constantly strive to stand out and appeal to consumers. This is evident through the wide array of product offerings, innovative marketing strategies, and continuous research and development. For instance, companies often introduce new shades and formulas to capture the attention of beauty enthusiasts.

Additionally, they invest in influencer collaborations and social media campaigns to increase brand visibility and reach a broader audience. The fierce competition ultimately leads to a diverse and dynamic market, where consumers have an abundance of choices when it comes to selecting the best makeup business for their needs.

Finding Your Unique Selling Proposition

Finding Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is crucial in the best makeup business. A USP distinguishes your brand from competitors and defines what sets you apart.

For example, offering cruelty-free and sustainable makeup products appeals to conscious consumers who prioritize ethical choices. Similarly, providing personalized makeup consultations helps customers find their perfect shades and styles, enhancing their overall experience. By identifying and promoting your unique features, you can attract and retain loyal customers, ultimately driving business growth. Remember, finding your USP is all about highlighting what makes your makeup business special and differentiates it within the market.

Managing Inventory and Supplies

Managing inventory and supplies is crucial for a successful makeup business. It ensures that you have the right products on hand to meet customer demand and minimize waste. By effectively managing inventory, you can avoid running out of popular items and reduce the chances of overstocking.

For example, tracking sales data can help you identify the makeup products that are selling well and those that are not, allowing you to adjust your inventory accordingly.

Additionally, implementing a system for monitoring expiration dates can help prevent expired products from being sold or used.

Implementing Inventory Management Systems

Implementing an inventory management system in the best makeup business can greatly streamline operations and ensure product availability. By accurately tracking stock levels, businesses can avoid stockouts and overstocking, leading to improved customer satisfaction and reduced costs.

For example, with an inventory management system in place, businesses can easily identify their top-selling products and make informed purchasing decisions.

Additionally, the system can generate real-time reports on inventory levels, order history, and sales trends, allowing businesses to identify potential opportunities and make data-driven decisions. Implementing an inventory management system is a practical step for any makeup business looking to optimize their operations and maintain a competitive edge.

Building and Retaining a Loyal Customer Base

Building and retaining a loyal customer base is vital for the success of any makeup business. By providing exceptional customer service and a personalized experience, businesses can cultivate lasting relationships with their customers.

Delivering Exceptional Customer Experience

Delivering an exceptional customer experience is integral to the success of any makeup business. By providing top-quality products and personalized service, customers are more likely to become loyal and repeat buyers. For instance, offering a wide range of shades and finishes caters to diverse skin tones and preferences.

Additionally, providing knowledgeable staff who can offer expert advice on application techniques and product recommendations enhances the overall experience. Attention to detail, such as prompt shipping and attentive customer service, further contribute to creating a remarkable customer experience. These practical examples demonstrate how focusing on the customer’s needs and satisfaction can set a makeup business apart from others in the industry.

Final Thoughts

Starting your own makeup business can be a lucrative and fulfilling venture. To succeed, it’s important to take certain steps to establish your brand and attract customers. Begin by developing a clear business plan that includes details on your target market, competition, and unique selling proposition. Take time to research and source high-quality, affordable makeup products to offer your customers.

Additionally, create an online presence through a website and social media platforms, where you can showcase your skills and products. Networking with other professionals in the industry can also help you build a strong client base. Consider offering makeup services for special events, such as weddings or photoshoots, as this can be a great way to generate income and gain exposure.

Finally, always prioritize customer satisfaction by providing excellent service and staying up-to-date with the latest makeup trends and techniques. With determination and hard work, building your own makeup business can lead to a fulfilling and successful career.

ACA Reviewers, M.D., Ph.D.

Physician / Surgeon at American Cosmetic Association™ Board-certified M.D. physicians, surgeons, advisors, editors, reviewers and writers for ACA. Advisory Board: Alina Bridges, D.O. , Frederick Sailes, MD FACS , Anna Chacon, MD , Dean Rhobaye MBBS, MD , Kunal Malik, M.D. Syed Khizar, MD MBBS , Adam Almuhiesn, MD MBBS , Joana Costa, M.D. Xi Huang, Ph.D. , Sadye Nichols, MSN, RN , Gunjan Richa, BDS, MDS

Makeup Business Marketing Plan Template

Great for beginners
Ready-to-use, fully customizable Subcategory
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If you're in the makeup business, you know that marketing is the key to success in the beauty industry. That's why ClickUp's Makeup Business Marketing Plan Template is an absolute game-changer!

With this template, you can create a comprehensive marketing plan that covers everything from identifying your target customers to allocating marketing budgets. Here's how it helps you dominate the beauty market:

Analyze market trends and stay ahead of the competition
Develop branding and advertising strategies that resonate with your audience
Allocate marketing budgets effectively to maximize ROI
Increase sales and customer engagement through strategic promotions

Ready to take your makeup business to new heights? Get started with ClickUp's Makeup Business Marketing Plan Template today!

Benefits of Makeup Business Marketing Plan Template

A Makeup Business Marketing Plan Template can provide numerous benefits to your makeup business, including:

Streamlining your marketing efforts and creating a clear roadmap for success
Identifying and understanding your target audience to ensure effective messaging
Analyzing market trends and staying ahead of the competition
Developing a strong brand identity and consistent branding strategies
Allocating your marketing budget effectively for maximum ROI
Increasing sales and customer engagement through targeted advertising strategies
Tracking and measuring your marketing efforts to make data-driven decisions
Ensuring long-term success and growth in the competitive beauty industry.

Main Elements of Makeup Business Marketing Plan Template

If you're looking to create a marketing plan for your makeup business, look no further than ClickUp's Makeup Business Marketing Plan Template! Here are the main elements you can expect:

Statuses: Track the progress of your marketing tasks with 6 different statuses including Cancelled, Complete, In Progress, Needs Input, Planned, and To Do.
Custom Fields: Utilize 6 custom fields such as Quarter, Task Type, Impact, Progress, Percent Completion, and Effort to add specific details and track important information about your marketing plan.
Views: Access 5 different views to visualize your marketing plan from different angles including Key Results, Timeline, Getting Started Guide, Objectives, and Progress Board.
Task Management: Benefit from ClickUp's robust task management features such as assigning tasks to team members, setting due dates, attaching files, and leaving comments for seamless collaboration.
Integrations: Integrate with other marketing tools such as social media management platforms, email marketing software, and CRM systems to streamline your marketing efforts.

How to Use Marketing Plan for Makeup Business

If you're looking to create a successful marketing plan for your makeup business, follow these 6 steps:

1. Define your target audience

Before diving into any marketing efforts, it's crucial to identify and understand your target audience. Who are your ideal customers? What are their demographics, interests, and pain points? This information will help you tailor your marketing messages and strategies to effectively reach and engage your audience.

Use custom fields in ClickUp to organize and categorize your target audience data.

2. Set marketing goals

Determine what you want to achieve with your marketing efforts. Are you looking to increase brand awareness, drive more website traffic, or boost sales? Setting clear and measurable goals will help you stay focused and track your progress.

Create Goals in ClickUp to set specific targets and track your marketing objectives.

3. Develop your brand identity

Establish a unique and consistent brand identity that resonates with your target audience. This includes your brand name, logo, colors, and overall visual style. Your brand identity should reflect your business values and differentiate you from competitors.

Use the Board view in ClickUp to visually organize and brainstorm ideas for your brand identity.

4. Choose marketing channels

Identify the most effective marketing channels to reach your target audience. This could include social media platforms, email marketing, influencer collaborations, or offline strategies like print advertising or events. Consider your audience's preferences and behaviors when selecting your marketing channels.

Use the Automations feature in ClickUp to streamline your marketing efforts across different channels.

5. Create compelling content

Develop engaging and valuable content that showcases your expertise and attracts your target audience. This could include tutorials, product reviews, behind-the-scenes videos, or beauty tips. Tailor your content to each marketing channel and focus on providing value to your audience.

Utilize the Docs feature in ClickUp to create and organize your content ideas and calendar.

6. Track and analyze results

Regularly monitor and analyze the performance of your marketing efforts. Use tools like Google Analytics or social media insights to track website traffic, engagement, and conversions. This data will help you identify what's working and what needs improvement, allowing you to optimize your marketing strategy.

Use Dashboards in ClickUp to visualize and analyze your marketing data in one place.

By following these steps and leveraging the features in ClickUp, you can create a comprehensive and effective marketing plan for your makeup business. Good luck!

Get Started with ClickUp’s Makeup Business Marketing Plan Template

Makeup business owners or marketing teams can use this Makeup Business Marketing Plan Template to strategically promote their products and services and increase sales and customer engagement in the competitive beauty industry.

First, hit “Add Template” to sign up for ClickUp and add the template to your Workspace. Make sure you designate which Space or location in your Workspace you’d like this template applied.

Next, invite relevant members or guests to your Workspace to start collaborating.

Now you can take advantage of the full potential of this template to create a successful marketing plan:

Use the Key Results View to track and measure the success of your marketing objectives
The Timeline View will help you plan and visualize your marketing activities over a specific period of time
Refer to the Getting Started Guide View to get a comprehensive overview of how to effectively use this template
Use the Objectives View to set clear marketing goals and objectives for your business
The Progress Board View will allow you to track the progress of each marketing task and ensure nothing falls through the cracks
Organize tasks into six different statuses: Cancelled, Complete, In Progress, Needs Input, Planned, To Do, to keep track of progress
Update statuses as you work on each task to keep everyone informed of progress
Monitor and analyze your marketing plan to ensure maximum effectiveness and ROI.

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BUSINESS STRATEGIES

A step-by-step guide on how to start a beauty business

Amanda Bellucco Chatham
Jun 16, 2023
12 min read

Ready to embark on your dream of starting a beauty business? Diving into the beauty space offers an exciting opportunity to be part of a thriving industry fueled by people's desire for self-care and personal expression (for other types, check out types of businesses ).

As of 2022, the global cosmetic market was valued at over $262 billion and it’s predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.2% through 2030. The market’s healthy trajectory is due in part to constantly evolving beauty trends, new formulations and packaging, and a push for products that put sustainability at the forefront. With proper planning, your new beauty business has plenty of potential to thrive in this lucrative market.

So, whether you're looking to set up a business website , open a brick-and-mortar store or offer mobile beauty services, you're in the right place. This comprehensive guide will help you navigate the complexities of launching your beauty-related venture and lay the foundation for long-term success.

How to start a beauty business

Research and define your niche

Decide on a business model and concept

Decide on manufacturing strategy (if applicable)

Create a business plan

Pick a legal structure, then register and license your business

Create your website

Build your brand

Source and manage inventory

Provide excellent customer service

Promote your business

01. Research and define your niche

Let's start with the basics. To establish a beauty brand, it's crucial to understand your target audience. Researching and defining your niche or specific beauty business idea will set you up for success by differentiating you from competitors and attracting your target audience.

It's also important to understand that defining the right niche for your beauty business is an ongoing process. As your beauty business matures, stay open to adapting and refining your niche based on changing trends, emerging customer needs and industry developments.

Here are some methods to help you define your niche:

Identify your passions and expertise: Consider what aspects of beauty excite you the most, whether it's skincare, cosmetics, hair care, organic products or specialized services. For example, you might be passionate about bridal makeup, organic skincare treatments or men's grooming. Use your passion and knowledge to influence and build your niche. Looking to start a specific niche? Check out our guide to starting a nail business , as just one example.

Study the market: Research current trends, gaps and opportunities within the beauty industry. For example, analyze competitors within your geographic area or online space, and identify areas where they might be lacking. Consider fulfilling those unmet needs if they align with your business.

Define your target audience: Determine your ideal customers by considering demographics like age, gender, location and lifestyle. Additionally, delve into consumer preferences, interests and values. Understanding your target audience will help you tailor your products, services and beauty marketing efforts to cater to their needs and desires.

Find a unique selling angle: Find a unique selling proposition (USP) that sets you apart from your competition and appeals to your target market. For example, you could offer personalized consultations, use all-natural or sustainable ingredients, provide specialized services or create a distinct brand identity.

Test and validate: Conduct surveys, interviews or focus groups with your target audience to gather feedback on your proposed offerings. This will help you fine-tune your niche to ensure it resonates with your potential customers.

02. Decide on a business model and concept

When you start a business , it's essential to focus on a specific business model or concept that best enables you to bring your chosen niche to life. At a basic level, there are two primary models to consider: a service business model or a product business model. But, they aren’t the only options you have to choose from.

Other popular beauty business concepts include:

Mobile services: Offer on-the-go beauty services, traveling to clients' locations for personalized treatments like hairstyling, makeup, manicures or facials. This model provides flexibility and convenience for customers who prefer on-location pampering.

Brand and product development: Create your own beauty brand and develop a unique line of products. This requires strategic product development, branding and marketing to stand out in the competitive market.

Dropship beauty supplies: Curate products from a dropshipper specializing in your niche. Dropshippers will handle storage, packaging and order fulfillment, allowing you to sell products without the need for upfront manufacturing or inventory.

Retail store: Open a physical retail store to showcase and sell a curated selection of skincare, cosmetics, hair care or other products tailored to your niche. Offer in-person consultations and demonstrations, and complement your store with an eCommerce website for global reach.

Check out this list of over 60 service business ideas for more inspiration.

Let's look at some real-life examples of companies within the beauty and cosmetics industry to better understand how your selected business model and concept might come together.

Bringing Beauty to You

Nichole Alexis, licensed esthetician and owner of Bringing Beauty to You , offers various skincare services to both men and women within the Chicago area.

Business model: Service

Business concept: Personal beauty consultant

What this business does: Provide exceptional service and education, and guide clients to achieving healthy, radiant and beautiful skin—whether they choose to wear makeup or not.

MDRNbeauty is an eCommerce store that carries a variety of cosmetics and hair care products curated from a select collection of brands.

Business model: Product

Business concept: Online retail store

What this business does: Provide high-quality hair care and cosmetic products from select brands.

Beautifully Blessed Salon

Located in Delhi, Louisiana, Beautifully Blessed Salon hosts a variety of beauty service providers, including hair stylists, makeup artists and massage therapists.

Business model: Service and product

Business concept: Beauty salon and spa

What this business does: Offer a place where customers can find passionate, high-quality professionals and a world-class salon experience for all their self-care needs.

03. Decide on a manufacturing strategy (if applicable)

If you plan to manufacture your own beauty supplies, your strategy must be affordable and allow for a reasonable net profit margin—without sacrificing product quality or customer satisfaction.

Here are some key points to keep in mind:

Regulations and compliance: Familiarize yourself with the regulations and compliance requirements for manufacturing beauty products in your region. This may include adhering to safety standards, ingredient labeling, product testing and obtaining necessary licenses or certifications.

Research and development: Invest time and resources into creating high-quality and effective beauty products. Consider factors like formulation, ingredient sourcing, product stability, packaging and compliance with industry standards.

Manufacturing facilities and equipment: Determine the volume of products needed and assess the required facilities and equipment. Consider whether you will manufacture in-house or outsource production to a contracted manufacturer. Evaluate your chosen manufacturing approach's cost, quality control measures and scalability.

Supply chain management: Establish a reliable supply chain for sourcing raw materials, packaging components and other necessary ingredients. Build relationships with suppliers and ensure consistent quality and timely delivery to maintain a smooth production process.

Quality control and testing: Implement stringent measures to ensure your product's safety, effectiveness and consistency. Conduct regular testing and quality checks to meet industry standards and customer expectations.

Branding and packaging: Develop a strong brand identity and appealing packaging that reflects your brand values. Consider the functionality, design and sustainability of your packaging choices.

04. Create a business plan

A business plan helps set a solid foundation and roadmap for your beauty business. It's a dynamic document that serves as a guide to keep you focused on your goals and communicates your vision to potential stakeholders, such as investors or lenders.

As your business evolves, plan to review your business plan regularly to keep you and your business on target. Remember to focus on clarity and brevity while ensuring that the key elements of your business plan are covered.

The key elements of a solid business plan often include the following:

Executive summary: Provide a concept statement which includes a brief overview of your business operations , goals and products/services.

Company description: Describe your beauty business, its structure, location and unique selling proposition.

Market analysis: Research your target audience, industry trends and competition.

Products and services: Explain your beauty offerings, their features and any proprietary technologies.

Marketing and sales strategy: Outline your marketing, pricing and distribution plans.

Organization and management: Provide an overview of your team and their roles.

Operations: Describe your production processes, supply chain and facilities/equipment.

Financial projections: Include income statements, startup capital , cash flow projections and funding needs.

Risk analysis: Identify potential risks and outline contingency plans.

Appendices: Attach supporting documents like market research data and key resumes

05. Pick a legal structure, then register and license your business

Establishing your startup beauty business as a legal entity makes sure you’re protected, regarding both your business assets and your personal assets.

There are five legal structures (business entity types) to choose from. A limited liability company (LLC) structure is one of the most popular choices for startups. However, you may decide that another structure fits your business better.

Sole proprietorship : A business owned and operated by one person who is liable for business debts. Business income taxes are reported on the owner's personal tax return.

Partnership : A business owned by multiple individuals who share profits, losses and responsibilities. General partnerships have equal liability, while limited partnerships have limited liability. Partnerships are taxed on partners' personal tax returns.

Limited liability company (LLC) : Combines the liability protection of a corporation with the flexibility of a partnership. Owners (members) have limited personal liability, and management and taxation options are flexible.

C Corporation : A separate legal entity owned by shareholders, providing limited liability protection. Corporations have a complex structure, subject to regulations and formalities. Taxation can be at both corporate and individual levels unless certain tax elections are made.

S Corporation: A regular corporation with special tax status. Provides liability protection and allows pass-through taxation, with income, losses, etc. Taxes are reported on shareholders' individual tax returns.

illustration of business legal structures

Consider each entity type's unique characteristics and requirements when choosing the most suitable structure for your beauty business. If you need help deciding what structure to choose, seek the advice of a business attorney or other professional.

The registration process may vary depending on your location and business structure, so it's best to consult with a business attorney or seek guidance from your local Small Business Administration (SBA) office or Chamber of Commerce to ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

State registration

Business name: Choose a unique name for your beauty business and ensure it complies with your state's naming guidelines. If you need some inspiration, try Wix’s free business name generator to spark some creativity. You can also consider these beauty business name ideas or these nail business names .

Register with the Secretary of State: Visit your state's Secretary of State website and follow the instructions for registering your business. Fill out the necessary forms and pay the required fees. Be prepared to provide information about your business, such as its name, structure and address.

Secure business licenses and permits: Research and obtain any required business licenses and permits specific to your state. Ensure you clearly understand any specific regulations that apply, such as health and safety standards, cosmetology licensing or product labeling guidelines. Bear in mind you will likely need to show your business license in order to obtain business liability insurance.

Looking to start a beauty business in a specific state?

How to start a business in Connecticut

How to start a business in Indiana

How to start a business in Wisconsin

How to start a business in Washington

How to start a business in Michigan

How to start a business in Utah

How to start a business in Virginia

How to start a business in Arizona

How to start a business in Texas

How to start a business in Ohio

How to start a business in Georgia

How to start a business in Colorado

Federal registration

Employer identification number (EIN): Apply for an EIN online through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website . This unique identifier is used for tax purposes, hiring employees, opening a bank account and filing federal tax returns.

Understand federal tax obligations: Understand your federal tax obligations, including income tax, employment tax and any industry-specific taxes or regulations that may apply to your beauty business.

Trademarks: If you plan to use a unique brand name, logo or slogan, consider registering for trademark protection with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to safeguard your intellectual property.

06. Create your website

Choose a solution that includes all the tools and support you need to build a beautiful website for your new business needs. For example, Wix offers a complete suite of tools for managing and growing your business, including hundreds of professionally designed website templates, a drag-and-drop website builder, inventory management, marketing tools and more.

Choose your design: Pick a design template for your website that reflects your brand. Wix has various product and service website templates to choose from. Customize your chosen template with your graphics and colors.

Organize your pages: Create essential pages like About, Contact, Shipping and Return Policy. Add your products or services to your online store and always use high-quality photos. If you see clients in person, like at a spa or salon, you can integrate the Wix Bookings app for clients to schedule appointments directly through your website.

Describe your offerings: Provide detailed descriptions for each product or service, including size, fragrance, color, warnings and usage tips, if applicable. Consider creating an FAQ page to address common questions.

Set competitive prices: Factor in production costs, labeling and packaging, and aim for a profit margin between 25% and 50%. Adjust prices based on market response.

Set up online payment processing: Integrate services like Wix Payments and PayPal to easily accept payments online. Offer multiple payment options to streamline the checkout process and help customers feel confident about their purchases.

07. Build your brand

When launching a new business, it’s also important for you to consider what essential assets round out the heart of your brand. You’ll want to draft up a compelling mission statement, define your core values, your business ethics and establish your brand’s voice. These elements shape your business identity and further resonate with your target audience.

Brand recognition takes repetition and consistency, and when you combine branding with a positive shopping experience, customers are more likely to shop with you again.

Looking to design a beauty logo from scratch? Try Wix's free logo maker .

08. Source and manage inventory

Whether you choose to dropship your products or purchase them wholesale, always take the time to research your sourcing options. Determine what aspects are most important to your business and your target market. Consider the following when selecting a supplier:

Minimum order quantity

Shipping speed and cost

Customer service

Fulfillment services

Product variety

Also, don't be afraid to contact potential suppliers directly to negotiate terms. You may be able to work out a deal.

Choose a product mix that aligns with your target market and business niche, and start by curating a small selection of products. As your business grows, expand your inventory based on customer feedback and sales data.

You’ll also want to implement an inventory management system to track product inventory, sales and reorder points. For example, Wix eCommerce makes it easy to successfully manage and track your inventory right from your website dashboard.

Effective inventory management is crucial for maintaining optimal stock levels, meeting customer expectations and maximizing profitability. Regularly review and refine your inventory strategies to adapt to your market's needs and drive the success of your beauty business.

09. Provide excellent customer service

This point cannot be stressed enough. By providing excellent customer service, you entice your shoppers to visit your store again. Stay responsive to customer feedback and continually improve your products based on their needs and preferences.

Consider creating a Customer Service Credo to list your service expectations for your team. For example:

Respond to customer inquiries or complaints promptly, take ownership of issues, proactively work toward a solution and follow up to ensure a satisfactory resolution.

Listen attentively to customers, understand their needs and concerns while showing empathy and making them feel valued and heard.

Provide personalized interactions with customers, address them by name and consider their preferences or past interactions with your business.

Treat customers with respect, courtesy and professionalism at all times and use a positive and friendly tone, even in challenging situations.

Provide clear and concise information, avoiding jargon or technical terms that may confuse customers.

Go above and beyond to meet customer needs by offering additional assistance, recommendations or special considerations when appropriate.

Encourage and actively seek customer feedback to understand areas for improvement and then implement changes to enhance your products, services or overall customer experience.

Delivering consistent customer service across all channels and touchpoints while maintaining a high standard of service quality.

10. Promote your business

There are several ways to promote your business. Start by identifying your unique selling points, then determine which methods (such as social media campaigns, email marketing or influencer partnerships) align best with your business. From there, develop a comprehensive marketing strategy that not only attracts potential customers but also engages, nurtures and converts them into loyal advocates of your brand.

Below are some easy ideas to get you started.

Promote your brand on social media: Select the platform where your target market is most active, create a business account and share high-quality photos and short videos showcasing your products in action.

Build an email list: Add a sign-up link on your website, urging social media followers to visit and sign up (you can also incentivize them with a sign-up bonus or coupon). Utilize newsletters for feedback, product announcements, tips and driving traffic to your website.

Utilize paid advertising platforms: Create paid ads on Google or your preferred social media platform, setting clear goals and defining your audience. Engage potential customers with captivating visuals and persuasive copy, and leverage data insights to optimize marketing strategies for maximum ROI.

Expand your reach through local marketing: Participate in local shows, events or offer to host in-home parties with special host bonuses. Check with the local Chamber of Commerce for additional resources for new businesses in your area.

How to start a service business and what you need to succeed

How to create a service website in 10 steps

How to start a business in 14 steps: a guide for 2024

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How to Start a Makeup Business

A makeup business sells beauty products, catering to customers' individual beauty needs. Products are sold to distributors, in a standalone store, or through independent consultants.

Learn how to start your own Makeup Business and whether it is the right fit for you.

Ready to form your LLC? Check out the Top LLC Formation Services .

Start a makeup business by following these 10 steps:

Plan your Makeup Business
Form your Makeup Business into a Legal Entity
Register your Makeup Business for Taxes
Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
Set up Accounting for your Makeup Business
Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Makeup Business
Get Makeup Business Insurance
Define your Makeup Business Brand
Create your Makeup Business Website
Set up your Business Phone System

We have put together this simple guide to starting your makeup business. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.

Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas .

STEP 1: Plan your business

A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:

What will you name your business?

What are the startup and ongoing costs?
Who is your target market?

How much can you charge customers?

Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.

Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Makeup Business Name Generator

If you operate a sole proprietorship , you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.

When registering a business name , we recommend researching your business name by checking:

Your state's business records
Federal and state trademark records
Social media platforms
Web domain availability .

It's very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.

Want some help naming your makeup business?

Business name generator, what are the costs involved in opening a makeup business.

If your business plan includes starting a makeup line from scratch, you will need to invest a great deal of time and money, before ever opening your doors to customers. Industry leaders suggest planning for nine to eighteen months, just to develop your makeup line.

In addition, you’ll need to budget for the following:

Storefront and/or factory locations - malls, kiosks, and high-end plazas are an affordable option
Lighting for your establishment
Makeup accessories - mirrors, sponges, and brushes
Display cases
POS and business management system/software
Logo and trademark design
Advertising and marketing material

If you have a vision for a makeup product, Sephora offers entrepreneurs a unique opportunity to turn their vision into reality. Grants and funding through this program could help offset some of these initial costs.

Experienced makeup professionals report an initial budget of anywhere from $75,000 to $200,000, depending upon the specifics of your business plan.

What are the ongoing expenses for a makeup business?

The average makeup business’ largest operating expenses are payroll and costs associated with leased space.

Additional expenses include:

Stocking inventory
Manufacturing of inventory (if applicable)
Marketing strategy and related advertising investments
Education, travel, and market research

Annual expenses vary, depending upon location and size of product line.

Who is the target market?

Marketing efforts should target specific demographics. Learn who would benefit most from your products, their specific needs, and work to define what sets you apart from the competition.

A few demographics to consider:

Actors and actresses
Local broadcasters
Cheerleaders and gymnasts
Men and women of various ages - men represent a growing market that is largely untapped at the moment
Makeup artists and consultants

How does a makeup business make money?

A makeup business generates revenue from either the individual sale or wholesale distribution of their products.

Beauty products are typically sold by the unit and vary in price. Low-end cosmetic lines have products starting at $5, while high-end items sell for upwards of $150.

How much profit can a makeup business make?

Profit margins for this industry average 40%, with some running as high as 80%. An average small beauty line can realize a profit of $35,000 to $70,000 annually, while larger companies are reporting profits in the multi-millions.

How can you make your business more profitable?

Makeup entrepreneurs have reported success implementing the following strategies:

Host a makeup or skincare clinic, specifically geared towards your target audience(s).
Offer makeup artist services.
Get involved in photo shoots with local and national magazines.

Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC's free Small Business Startup Guide - a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!

STEP 2: Form a legal entity

The most common business structure types are the sole proprietorship , partnership , limited liability company (LLC) , and corporation .

Establishing a legal business entity such as an LLC or corporation protects you from being held personally liable if your makeup business is sued.

Form Your LLC

Read our Guide to Form Your Own LLC

Have a Professional Service Form your LLC for You

Two such reliable services:

You can form an LLC yourself and pay only the minimal state LLC costs or hire one of the Best LLC Services for a small, additional fee.

Recommended: You will need to elect a registered agent for your LLC. LLC formation packages usually include a free year of registered agent services . You can choose to hire a registered agent or act as your own.

STEP 3: Register for taxes

You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.

In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It's really easy and free!

You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website . If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?

There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.

STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card

Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.

When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil .

Open a business bank account

Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:

Separates your personal assets from your company's assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
Makes accounting and tax filing easier.

Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.

Get a business credit card

Getting a business credit card helps you:

Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business' expenses all in one place.
Build your company's credit history , which can be useful to raise money later on.

Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.

STEP 5: Set up business accounting

Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.

Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.

STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses

Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.

Federal Business Licensing Requirements

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has set regulated standards for the production and sale of cosmetics. This FDA website outlines the federal cosmetics regulations . Review and understand these regulations to ensure that your makeup business is in line with all federal regulations.

State & Local Business Licensing Requirements

Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate a makeup business. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits .

Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses .

STEP 7: Get business insurance

Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.

There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance . This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.

Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance . If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers' Compensation Coverage.

FInd out what types of insurance your Makeup Business needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Makeup Business.

STEP 8: Define your brand

Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.

If you aren't feeling confident about designing your small business logo, then check out our Design Guides for Beginners , we'll give you helpful tips and advice for creating the best unique logo for your business.

Recommended : Get a logo using Truic's free logo Generator no email or sign up required, or use a Premium Logo Maker .

If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator . Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.

How to promote & market a makeup business

Creating brand awareness takes time, creativity, and dedication. Carefully consider your logo and ensure it properly represents your product line. Many makeup lines have found success attending beauty-related events, such as industry organized seminars and expos. This is a wonderful way to network, conduct research, and educate consumers on your makeup line. Partner with local wedding planners, hair stylists, makeup artists, theatre groups, and photographers. They are often in the market for new products that meet their evolving demands.

Set aside a portion of your monthly budget to advertise in relevant magazines and websites. Additionally, online tools, such as business directories, social media platforms, and Google AdWords, will assist in identifying the needs of your target audience.

How to keep customers coming back

Recent studies indicate that the biggest reasons customers shop for a new makeup line is directly related to a drop in product quality and poor customer service. To ensure customer retention, follow up with clients and ask for their input. Provide special offers or free products on birthdays or significant life events. This affords you the opportunity to test out new products on customers and helps build a loyal customer base.

STEP 9: Create your business website

After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business .

While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.

Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:

All legitimate businesses have websites - full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.

Recommended : Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders .

Other popular website builders are: WordPress , WIX , Weebly , Squarespace , and Shopify .

STEP 10: Set up your business phone system

Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.

There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2023 to find the best phone service for your small business.

Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com

Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it's fair pricing.

Is this Business Right For You?

The business savvy entrepreneur who is passionate about experimenting with cosmetics will find success in this industry. As the owner of a makeup business, your role is to help others turn their visions into a reality and feel more positive about their appearance.

Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?

Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!

Entrepreneurship Quiz

What happens during a typical day at a makeup business?

This is largely dependent upon how you decide to structure your business. Whether you open a brick and mortar or ship products to others for distribution/sale, some day-to-day activities will remain the same:

Test new products and collect feedback from current and prospective customers
Fill makeup orders and ship to destination
Advise customers on personal makeup and skincare needs, helping them achieve their desired look
Network within community/industry and market your business
Contact suppliers
Conduct market research and keep up with the latest trends
Regular sales team meetings to discuss current business trends and ongoing needs
Administrative duties

If a makeup store is part of your vision, there are a few additional activities to consider:

You and your staff will take a more hands-on approach with customers.
Shelves must be fully stocked and reorders should be placed regularly.
Facility must be maintained and kept clean.

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful makeup business?

Real world experience is critical to the success of your business. Before establishing your company, consider working at a beauty store. Study each department, the customers' needs, the distribution chain, marketing, and staffing. There is a lot of work that goes into running a company like this. Learn from the successes and failures of your future competitors. Your education, however, shouldn’t stop there. Get to know the various products and lines on the market. Experiment with the merchandise and get creative.

To lead a makeup business to success, one should possess many of the qualities that make a great leader. Strong communication and organizational skills are critical. Attention to detail and the ability to delegate will also prove beneficial. The Professional Beauty Association offers membership resources to assist start-ups in realizing long-term success.

What is the growth potential for a makeup business?

Growing 6% in 2016, the beauty industry consistently realizes significant growth, year after year. The makeup class was the largest contributor, contributing 82% of the industry’s overall growth. While brick and mortar establishments offer the highest earning potential, online beauty sales have grown at a rate of 20% annually. This industry shows no signs of slowing down and offers ample opportunities for the dedicated and innovative entrepreneur.

TRUiC's YouTube Channel

For fun informative videos about starting a business visit the TRUiC YouTube Channel or subscribe to view later.

Take the Next Step

Find a business mentor.

One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.

Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.

Learn from other business owners

Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.

Resources to Help Women in Business

There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:

If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.

What are some insider tips for jump starting a makeup business?

Industry leaders offer the following advice to those considering starting a makeup business:

Success in this industry requires careful planning, hard work, and personal time. Do not expect to be an overnight success.
Target your marketing efforts.
Pay attention to the details.
Research continuously to remain on top of the latest trends.
Network, network, network.

How and when to build a team

Education and training are of the utmost importance in this field. With payroll representing one of your largest expenses, overstaffing stands to eat into your profit margins, slowing down the success of your company. When constructing your business plan, consider short and long-term goals. This will help you determine the size of your workforce and the timeline of when new members should be added to your team.

Useful Links

Industry opportunities.

Professional Beauty Association
FACES Cosmetics Franchise Opportunity
Natural Products Association

Real World Examples

Melt Cosmetics
Violet Voss
Urban Decay

Have a Question? Leave a Comment!

June 13, 2023
How to Make a Good Cosmetics Business Plan

The cosmetics business plan plans are the blueprint of any successful cosmetic business model. To create a proper business plan, you need to understand your business and its objectives.

In this article, we’ll explain why it’s important to conduct market research and define your business concept and objectives. We’ll also explain why it’s essential to consider marketing, competitor analysis, advertising, partnerships, and even packaging when starting operations in a business.

Step 1: Conduct Market Research

The first step to starting a cosmetics business is conducting market research. To get the best from market research, you have to consider the overall market size and trends, consumer preferences, and look out for businesses that can be close competitors. Let’s explore these in more detail.

Understand Market Size and Trends

If you want to grow in the cosmetic business and retain your customers, you have to be fully aware of some history behind cosmetic industry trends. According to Grand View Research, the cosmetic industry had a market size that is valued at 262.21 billion dollars in 2020 and is expected to extend further by 4.2% between 2023 – 2030.

Knowing the history behind the cosmetics industry will help you understand what your brand’s place is in the market, and how to develop from there. Understanding market trends can help to make informed decisions on what pattern to adopt for marketing cosmetic products.

Analyze Consumer Preferences

Let’s face it, not everyone likes the same thing. What you may like, another may find unsuitable for their needs. As a cosmetic industry, you have to accurately analyze what your target customers may want, and take their preferences into account when trying to make your product and construct a business plan for cosmetic products.

For example, some people may find several ingredients in a skincare product more helpful for their oily skin, while others may find it too harsh or irritating to their dry skin. Younger people may prefer airtight bottles with better precision, while older people may have no problems with any bottle packaging.

Investigate Competitive Landscape

No matter what industry you find yourself in, competition is stiff. However, competitive landscapes vary across industries, which is why it is important to do your research on the competition.

As a young business, you need to gather information about bigger cosmetic product companies like Nivea, Dove, Gillette, Pantene, and L’Oreal. Also, you can also keep tabs on fast-developing companies like Fenty Beauty. Including this in your cosmetics business plan will help you understand how to beat the competition and come out on top as one of your industry’s leaders.

Step 2: Define Business Concepts and Objectives

A strong and sturdy business concept and cosmetics company business plan will make your objectives more achievable and will hasten your progress. Let’s see this in more detail.

Business Concept

As mentioned earlier, a cosmetics company’s business plan and business concept helps to analyze how valuable your business idea is, how well it will solve a problem, your target audience, and their interest in the problem itself. Doing this helps you understand whether that business idea is worth investing in in the first place.

Here are different business concepts needed for natural, organic, and healthy beauty.

● Natural/Organic Beauty

Natural/organic beauty products are popular among a niched target audience, and they tend to look out for some details when picking their products. Organic beauty business concepts include the production of cosmetic products using only natural or organic ingredients.

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of natural or organic beauty product users. This is why it is important to include organic products in a cosmetic product lineup.

● Luxury/High-end Beauty

Undoubtedly, there are many luxury cosmetic products out there, and they currently dominate the cosmetic industry. Luxury or high-end beauty products need well-detailed business concepts and objectives in order to beat the competition.

Luxury/high-end brands often focus on getting quality, highly-customizable packaging. When you come across this kind of packaging, you’re most likely going to feel a sense of exclusivity and sophistication. In your business plan for cosmetic products, you have to include the cost and pricing for this packaging.

● Healthy Beauty

Cosmetics are made with ingredients that foster healthy skin. Different skin types react to cosmetics differently, but promoting a healthy beauty product will ensure that only the finest healthy ingredient is used on skin care products

Some of the healthy ingredients used in cosmetics are Aloe vera, green tea extract, shea butter, and chamomile. Aloe vera can hydrate the skin and reduce inflammation, shea butter improves the skin’s elasticity with its rich supply of vitamins A and E, and chamomile on the other hand is helpful on sensitive skin to promote better skin health.

Increasing market share and establishing a strong brand identity are key objectives for a cosmetic business’ growth.

● Increase Certain Market Share

One of the most essential objectives is obtaining a substantial portion of the market share. Not surprisingly, larger cosmetic businesses control a good amount of market share. That said, smaller, emerging cosmetic businesses’ primary objectives should be to take away some of this market share from their larger counterparts.

They can do this by improving the quality of their product and being innovative. Instead of focusing on the products of the existing larger cosmetic businesses, adequate research should be carried out to produce a more innovative formula that will yield a better result. This way, smaller businesses can garner the attention of cosmetic lovers and achieve their marketing objectives.

● Establish a Strong Brand Identity

Brand identity lets your customers know who you are, what you bring to the table, and your company’s values and personality. In order to attract your target audience, you need to include plans on how to gradually develop your brand identity into your brand’s business plan.

Brand identity can be established in the form of a unique brand name and logo, design consistency in the brands’ visual or audiovisual materials, and catchy phrases.

● Expand the Product Line

A good cosmetics business plan often includes plans for expansion. If you sell a certain cosmetic product, you will most likely want to branch out and sell other types of cosmetic products. If the brand has mainly been selling skincare products, the brand’s product line can be expanded to include makeup products, hair products, and even fragrances.

For a better marketing result, you can create multiple business plans for different types of products such as a makeup business plan for makeup products, and a skincare business plan for skin care products.

Step 3: Identify Target Customers

Without identifying the kind of customers you want, it’ll be challenging to get sales and attract customers to your brand. Here are these types of target customers in greater detail.

● Beauty Enthusiasts

Beauty enthusiasts are often highly interested in all the best and latest cosmetic and skincare products. Additionally, they are highly interested in the latest beauty trends. These types of people use exclusive and innovative cosmetic application products like rollers. To attract these types of customers, your brand also needs to keep up with these trends.

Luckily, you can find many of these beauty enthusiasts closely following thought leaders in this industry on various social media channels and forums. For these target customers, you may need to include digital and offline marketing campaigns and create a detailed makeup business plan and skincare business plan.

● Budget-Conscious Consumers

Budget-friendly consumers take their money into account when choosing their products. Because these consumers closely track how much they spend on products, they will only consider a particular product if it’s affordable, and fits into their budget.

To get these kinds of people, you have to make sure many of them can comfortably afford your product by leveraging on price strategies. Not surprisingly, these customers shy away from luxurious brands, choosing to purchase multi-purposed products instead.

● Minimalists

Minimalists prefer a simplified skincare and makeup routine. Unlike beauty enthusiasts, they don’t focus on getting the newest cosmetic products. Rather, they choose products with high functionality, allowing them to minimize their expenditure and the number of skincare products they buy.

Minimalists like to live their lives with less clutter, and generally choose to live simpler lifestyles. In the case of cosmetic products, they like to use as few products as possible. So, if you want to attract these types of people, make sure you develop a minimalist makeup business plan and skincare business plan that have these people’s best interests at heart.

Step 4: Conduct a Competitor Analysis

In order to conduct an effective competitor analysis, you have to analyze their product offerings, brand position, pricing strategies, and distribution channels. Let’s see these in more detail.

Analyze Competitors’ Product Offerings

Product offerings help to present a unique value proposition to a consumer. For a business to become successful, it has to include detailed plans on how to present its product’s unique value proposition to its customers. Nivea’s unique value proposition is to protect the skin of the entire family.

Many cosmetic companies offer an array of products that make it hard for new businesses to break into the market and compete. For example, Nivea offers cosmetic products like hair care products, skincare products, and even deodorant for males and females. Analyzing these competitors and their products will make you weigh your options and determine how best to enter the market.

Analyze Competitors’ Brand Position

Brands like Nivea have taken steps to maintain a strong brand positioning. Before getting your business off the ground, make sure you understand your competitors’ position and how much influence they have on the market.

Contrary to popular belief, brand positioning isn’t just slapping catchy tag lines and fancy logos on your web and social media pages. Effective brand positioning will make your brand favorable and valuable to your consumers.

Analyze Competitors’ Pricing Strategies

Strategic pricing is another way to infiltrate the market. If you want to figure out the best pricing, take a quick survey of all your competitors and their pricing.

For example, if Nivea and other big brands’ hair care products are being sold for an average of $50, try to figure out a way to sell your products significantly or slightly lower. This way, you can attract budget-conscious customers who want more for less.

Analyze Competitors’ Distribution Channels

Analyzing distribution channels helps you figure out the best distribution channel for your business.

In addition to traditional distribution channels like wholesaling and retailing, E-commerce has emerged as one of the biggest distribution channels in the beauty industry. If you’re a smaller cosmetic company trying to find its footing, E-commerce is a good way to get orders coming in.

Step 5: Develop Product Line and Brand Strategy

Brand strategy and product lines can make or break your brand. Big brands like Pantene and Dove have solid brand strategies and diverse product lines for inclusivity.

Product lines and breaks strategies involve developing core product lines and seasonal collections, brand storytelling, and collaborations with influencers. Let’s look into these points.

Product Line Strategies

The best product line strategies are creating a core product line and a product line specific to a particular season or holiday period.

● Core Product Line

Your brand is more likely to stand out if it has a core product line. Having this improves your brand’s ability to stand out, and makes your products accessible to more diverse audiences. Collections like the Gold series collection owned by Pantene have become so popular that it has won multiple awards in the cosmetic industry.

● Seasonal Collections

Seasonal collections are exactly what they sound like seasonal. We have different cosmetic care needs during various seasons, so it’s essential for your brand to take that into account. Also, during periods like Christmas and Easter, it’s important to have collections in order to divert attention toward your brand and increase sales.

Brand Strategies

Telling your brand story and collaborating with thought leaders and influencers in your industry are amazing ways to drive your business’ growth and infuse some personality.

● Tell the Brand Story

Every brand has a story. Brands have missions, goals, and visions peculiar to them that drive them forward, and communicating this mission to your audience will boost your customer acquisition and retention. For example, Nivea is now a household name, as it has sold itself as a family-oriented cosmetic care company.

● Collaborations with Influencers

Influencers will always be able to drive customers to patronize your brand, and it’s important to include them in your cosmetics business plan. Not only do they bring customers, but they put your brand in the cosmetic industry’s limelight and make them favorable to your desired customers.

Step 6: Define Marketing and Sales Strategies

Marketing and sales is another essential part of a successful skincare business plan. Now, digital marketing, retail partnerships, and advertising have proven to be the most effective ways to promote your brand. Here are the facts:

Digital Marketing

Due to the integration of technology and, specifically, the internet, into the cosmetic industry, business has booked like never before. Search engines and social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can create massive awareness for your brand and also enable you to create and maintain a positive relationship with your customers.

Retail Partnerships

Wholesale and retail partnerships will always remain powerful ways to get new customers fast. For increased reach, you can reach out to select retail stores within and outside your area. More often than not, these businesses are open to opportunities that will make them more money.

Also, retail partnerships help with your brand positioning and improve customers’ trust in your brand. For instance, there is a higher chance of selling a cosmetics product if a retailer talks to the customer about the product.

Online and Offline Advertising

Advertising has become a highly extreme marketing tool, and it is now used by large and small cosmetic brands alike.

Offline advertising involves guerilla marketing campaigns, using billboards, flyers, posters, and so on. On the other hand, online advertising involves running ads on search engines and social media. Make sure to include a good blend of both into your skincare business plan and marketing efforts.

Step 7: Outline Operational and Plans

Without plans for operations, a business plan is as good as useless. Supply chain management and quality control are important factors to consider when making plans for operation. Here are these factors in more detail.

Supply Chain Management

Supply chain management is the management of the flow of goods, data, services, and finances related to a particular business, from the state of manufacture to the state of consumer consumption.

If you want good customer loyalty and avocation on a cosmetic product, you have to make this process as smooth and quality as possible. Additionally, efficient supply chain management saves costs and hastens the delivery process to the final consumer.

Quality Control

Quality control is a set of procedures that your product will be subjected to in order to ensure that it meets the criteria for quality. In order to avoid your brand putting out inconsistent quality, you will most likely face a lot of customer satisfaction issues that you have to meet.

Quality standards have been put in place in the cosmetic industry, starting from ingredient selection which should strictly follow the INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) list of approved ingredients.

Also, microbiological testing is carried out on cosmetic products to ensure that they are not contaminated, and are not harmful to cosmetics users.

Step 8: Outline Financial Plans

Financial planning is the backbone of any business plan. Creating a cash flow forecast and a profitability analysis is key to your business’s growth and profitability. Let’s take a look at these factors.

Create a Cash Flow Forecast

Cash flow forecasts typically predict a company’s future financial position; a company’s cash flow involves receivables and expected payments from various sources. Cash flow also involves money from future sales of assets, grants, bills, and miscellaneous expenses.

That said, a cosmetics company can create a cash flow forecast to track how much the business is estimated to spend in the future. Doing this will help to plan for times when the company’s low on cash.

Profitability Analysis

Profitability analysis is the calculation and analysis of the profits of a business. The cosmetic industry has a different net profit margin that is affected by the company size, location of the business, availability of competitors, and the business strategy used. All these are determining factors in deciding on the cost of a product, and the profit that can be gotten from the product.

Customize Your Ideal Cosmetic Bottle Packaging

One of the trends in cosmetics involves developing an ideal bottle packaging that speaks for your brand. These trends revolve around making eco-friendly packaging and maintaining thoughtful pre-sale and post-sale services.

Eco-Friendly Cosmetic Packaging Materials

Eco-friendly cosmetic packaging is becoming increasingly common, and many customers now look out for this. Luckily, Cosmopacks have created highly customizable packaging for brands worldwide using bamboo, Post-consumer recycled plastics, glass, and bioplastics.

Our list of cosmetic packaging includes:

Cosmetic bottle
Cosmetic jars
Cosmetic tubes
Makeup packaging
Recycled cosmetic bottle

Thoughtful Pre-Sale and Post-Sale Service

We offer thoughtful pre-sale and post-sale services that include efficient consultation and communication, printing and sampling, production and warehousing, and inspection and shipment of all our packaging products to our customer’s desired locations.

Creating a skincare business plan can seem like a herculean task, but taking the time to add these details above can make all the difference. Effective marketing and customer service, competitor analysis, cosmetic packaging plans, operational plans, and market research are all integral to your brand’s success in the short and long term.

Cosmopacks offers amazing, highly customizable bottle packaging for brands worldwide. Their objective is to find the best way to reflect your brand’s identity by creating tailored packaging options and eco-friendly packaging.

Get in touch with us by visiting our website or reaching out to us through our various helpline channels.

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Private Label Lipstick & Lip Gloss
Private Label Nail Polish
Private Label Lotion
Private Label Skin Care
Private Label Serum
Private Label Fragrance
Private Label Color Cosmetics

Contract Manufacturing & Filling

Fragrance Manufacturer
Cosmetic Pencil Manufacturer
Bar Soap Manufacturer
Nail Polish Manufacturer
Shampoo Manufacturer
Cream Manufacturer
Lotion Manufacturer
Color Cosmetics & Lipsticks

Cosmetic Equipment & Machines

Cosmetic Manufacturing Machines
Salon & Spa Equipment
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Discover all the benefits we have for you!

Promote your company in the cosmetic industry
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Free trial is waiting for you!

Find many different types of business resources to start your cosmetic business.

There are many different types of business resources available when starting your cosmetic business . You may decide in the help of a cosmetic consultant. They can help develop a cosmetic business plan from start to finish involving different tools, techniques and stages and especially if you are a small start up cosmetic business looking for financing. Investors and lenders are always interested in learning about your vision and how you will reach your business goals. If you are not using a cosmetic consultant you can check with trade associations for ideas and information on how to develop relationships with wholesale suppliers.

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Get Free Consultation with Cosmetic Marketing Expert. Whether you are starting up or have an established brand, we'll help take your business to the next level and achieve the goals that may now feel out of reach. We take the time to get to know our clients and understand their brand so that we can carefully guide their journey. We have years' experience in cosmetics. Let's get started!

Entering the Cosmetic Business is possible if you understand how it works and you establish clear goals.

The Cosmetic Business is divided up into several general areas:

Color Cosmetics or Make up
Treatment or Skin Care
Health and Beauty Aids or HBA (broad area that includes everything from shampoo to foot products)

Please read along about the first steps in $keyword , or you can directly browse the information categories in the top menu.

These products can be produced for you by companies that specialize in one or several of these areas. If you want a line of products with your label on the package you have two potential directions: Private Label and Contract Filler.

If your quantities are really small, you might even want to consider making your own blends and filling your own bottles. It all depends on what quantity of each product you want and how "custom" the products need to be. Generally, if the quantity is small and you are willing to accept the product types and packaging that already exists - your choice would be a Private Label house. The Private Label company maintains a ready supply of components and finished goods. By using different variations and combinations, and applying your custom labeling or decoration, you can usually find a satisfactory "custom" look.

Once your quantity requirements get larger (several thousand per item) a Contract Filler might be a better choice. You become responsible for providing the packaging components, labels, etc., and the Filler makes the formula and fills your components. What you get is a truly custom product from formula to packaging, but a lot more depends on you.

In both cases, selling products under your name makes you legally responsible for the product in all areas including labeling (regulated by the FDA) and product claims. And the FDA has determined that your claims include not only what you say on the label but what you say in any brochures or other advertising material. You will also be the first one contacted if a consumer experiences any adverse reactions to your product. This means you should educate yourself about such things as stability, shelf life, and Product Liability Insurance.

CosmeticIndex.com has several resources that can provide orientation about makeup brand business plan. Check out Industry Resources and Trade Associations. ICMAD (Independent Cosmetic Manufacturers and Distributors) is the appropriate trade association for companies entering the industry. ICMAD can provide general guidance on regulations and government support and even has a Group Products Liability Policy for members.

Private Label: Getting finished products made with your label in small quantities.

Beauty Salons
Single Stores

Quantities : a few pieces up to several hundred of each product What you need : almost nothing but money and an idea of the types of products you want. Advantages : gets you into the business fast without large startup or inventory costs Disadvantages : you are limited to the shades, products, and packaging carried by the supplier.

Contract Filling: Getting products made with your label in larger quantities.

Chain Stores
Companies that want to develop a single product or a single line of products for wide distribution

Quantities : usually 5000 pieces with the exception of shaded items which are usually 2000 pieces per shade. What you need : packaging, artwork, displays and possibly consultants in marketing and product design. Advantages : Custom made products from the ground up, and lower per piece cost. Disadvantages : requires a large investment and support staff. Alternative suggestions : If you don't have expertise in the Cosmetic Industry consider using consultants. Some can act as your marketing and product development staff. Some specialize in technical, formulation and regulatory issues. Some, called Full Service Development Companies can put together an entire line of products using their knowledge and experience, and will arrange for everything from formulation development to the final package. Special note on Fragrances : To produce a custom fragrance in small quantities is a difficult task. You must first work with one of the essential oil houses who will blend the ingredients according to your guidelines. Then you must locate a filler who will do the rest of the steps necessary to bring the essential oils into a finished product like a perfume, cologne, etc. Accessories and Displays : Accessories such as brushes, applicators, etc. as well as counter displays, tester displays, can be bought in both small and large quantities.

If you are thinking about starting your own cosmetics line, and would like to receive quotations for your ingredients, packaging, labels, etc, please browse the categories in the left menu and contact the companies in the appropriate category. This would be a starting point to learn about makeup brand business plan.

If you want to advertise your cosmetics company, you can sign up below, for free, and get a listing in one of our supplier categories. This way you will be able to find you when they search for "makeup brand business plan" .

How to Create a Financial Plan for Your Business

Home » Blog » How to Create a Financial Plan for Your Business

A wise old Certified Public Accountant gave me some priceless advice when I began my entrepreneurial journey.

“If the math doesn’t work, neither will your business.”

Upon seeing my blank expression, he explained it a little further.

“A successful business earns more than it spends, and you ensure that happens (within reason) by creating a financial plan that controls every dollar you make.”

How so? I asked.

“Because your financial plan empowers you to control your cash flow, prepare for uncertainties, and take advantage of future opportunities.”

That’s when I knew I needed one.

If so, my step-by-step guide explains how to create a business financial plan that reflects your goals and controls every dollar you make.

What is a financial plan?

At its most basic level, a business financial plan is a document that shows you what money flows in and out of your business, how you earn it, and where you spend it.

Similar to businesses, no 2 financial plans are the same.

However, a solid financial plan contains several components, including an income statement, cash flow statement, personnel plan, balance sheet, financial projections, and break-even analysis.

Together, these enable you to control your budget, highlight potential future risks, set goals, calculate your funding requirements, and implement strategies to achieve them.

While there’s no such thing as a sure thing in life, your financial plan brings your future into your present so that you can control it now.

Why is a financial plan important for a small business?

As you know (or will when you start your business ), entrepreneurs work long hours and make many decisions to ensure their business is on track. A business financial plan helps remove uncertainty from those decisions, replacing it with figures you can rely on and preparing you to take full advantage of investment opportunities when they arise.

Here’s what Warren Buffet says about opportunities:

“Opportunities come infrequently. When it rains gold, put out the bucket, not the thimble.”

Your financial plan ensures you’ve got a bucket!

We also use a financial plan to control our cash flow, forecast our future financial business performance (including our income, expenses, and profitability), and stay within budget.

Together, these help us maximize our assets, confidently navigate any problems during our entrepreneurial journey, and convince investors to believe in our vision.

What is the difference between a business financial plan and a personal financial plan?

While most financial plans include the same information, some essential differences exist between business and personal plans because your goals likely differ from those of your SMB.

For example, an individual’s financial plan might include retirement, investment strategies, a minimum annual income to reduce tax liabilities, and securing an estate for their children.

In contrast, a business’s financial plan might focus on hiring additional staff, increasing inventory, bringing new products online, expanding into other markets, and even a new brick-and-mortar location.

As you can see, the goals differ from one to the other, as might yours. That’s why a financial plan is as unique as the business it serves; however, some elements are vital for every financial business plan!

The key components of a business financial plan

We now know that a thorough financial plan is imperative to the success and stability of your small business.

Here are the components that can help make that happen:

Income Statement: Contains information on your revenue, profits, and losses.
Cash flow statement: Documents how money flows in and out of your business.
Balance sheet: Shows your business assets and expenses at a specific time.
Financial projections: This helps predict your future income and expenses.
Personnel plan: Identifies if and when you should hire employees.
Break-Even Analysis: Confirms when you’ll make a profit.

Okay, now let’s look at how you use them to create yours:

How to Create a Business Financial Plan

To create your business financial plan, you must first collect financial information relevant to the 6 critical components you’ll use for its structure.

Budding entrepreneurs who have yet to start their businesses might be wondering, `How do I collect information I haven’t got?`

Good point!

Here’s where your business plan comes into play because it contains a financial section that includes your startup and running costs , financial projections, and break-even analysis.

And those are 3 of the critical components in your business financial plan!

1. Income statement

An income statement (also known as a pro forma income or profit-and-loss statement) contains information on revenue, profits, losses, and fixed and variable operating expenses over a specific period, such as monthly, quarterly, or yearly.

It includes 2 columns containing your income and expenses and, at the bottom, your net profit or loss total.

Here’s an example of how it should look:

Cost of goods sold (COGS) and operating expenses: These are the direct costs of producing your goods or services and the costs for running your business, such as rent, utilities, wages, insurance, licenses, etc.
Revenue streams: Usually direct sales or ongoing subscriptions/
Total net profit or loss: Subtract your costs (and taxes) from your total gross profit.
Net income: Your total income after you subtract your expenses and taxes.

Next comes your cash flow statement, which might initially look like your income statement, but there are distinct differences.

Your income statement calculates your business’s revenues, expenses, and profits and reflects its financial performance. Your cash flow statement shows where you earn and spend your money, which is essential for staying within budget and paying your bills.

2. Cash flow statement

Most small businesses need regular cash injections to survive.

But did you know that a lack of cash is the number one reason 82% of small US businesses fail? Source: USChamber.com .

So, it’s crucial to control it using a cash flow statement.

A cash flow statement for established businesses could include bank statements showing credits (profits) and debits (expenditures). Startups with little cash flow information could include their startup and running costs and any funding sources.

You can create a cash flow statement using two columns, one for your income and the other for your expenditures.

And add the name, date, and invoice/receipt number to each transaction to make it easy to follow and correlate with your invoices and receipts. Trust me, your bookkeeper will love you for it!

3. Balance sheet

Your balance sheet is a financial snapshot of your business at a specific moment that lets you view your liabilities, assets, equity, and any up-and-coming extra expenses.

You use a balance sheet to subtract your debts (liabilities) from what you own (assets) to show you your net worth, also known as equity.

Let’s break those down so you know what they involve:

Liabilities:

Your liabilities are business debts, such as outstanding inventory fees, utility bills, employee wages or compensation, and unpaid taxes.

These fall into 2 categories: current and fixed.

Your current assets can include your business bank balance, available cash, and outstanding invoices, known as accounts receivable.
Your fixed assets include tangible things like your business property, equipment, vehicles, or land.

Note: Some businesses also have intangible assets, such as patents and copyrights.

Your business equity is the value of your assets minus your liabilities, which could also include any stock and share options.

4. Financial projections

A financial projection (also called an income projection) forecasts how much money you think might flow in and out of your business over a set period based on past performances or for startups on their business plan’s market research .

Financial projections can help you in several ways, including:

Many small businesses need financial projections to identify and prepare for slow sales because of low seasonal demand or a shift in consumer buying trends.
Your financial projections help you understand the cash you need to reach your business goals by estimating their costs.
Most new businesses need solid (believable) financial projections to get funding, as they help show you can repay your debts.
And to help entrepreneurs running a side hustle know when they can take it full-time .

To create your income projection, estimate your future sales income minus your fixed and variable expenses.

5. Personnel plan

Most businesses need the right people to meet their goals and maintain a healthy cash flow.

You use a personnel plan to determine whether to hire employees and if they should be full-time, part-time, freelancers, or contractors on a need-only basis.

Your personnel plan also calculates employee costs like wages, benefits, worker’s compensation insurance, and payroll taxes to ensure you only hire when you can afford to.

6. Break-even analysis

Your break-even analysis projects when you’ll recoup your investment and earn more than your spending to run your business.

You calculate your break-even date by dividing your variable and fixed costs by your gross profit margin to get a financial figure your business must make to break even.

Need help to determine what your fixed and variable costs are?

No worries:

Your fixed costs include expenses that remain the same regardless of how many products or services you sell. These include your rent, insurance policies, license and permit expenses , accounting fees, and wages.
Your variable costs fluctuate relative to your sales or production volume.

The takeaway:

Your break-even analysis tells you the number of products or services you must sell to cover your business and production costs.

Tips on creating an effective financial plan for your business

Preparation is the key to creating a business financial plan, and you prepare by setting goals, assessing present and future credit needs, estimating every business expense, planning for contingencies, and seeking professional financial advice if required.

And once your plan is in place, regular monitoring helps ensure your business is on its financial target.

Let’s look at how you do it:

Set your financial goals

Your goals are relative to your business. Some examples include forming an LLC , hiring employees, expanding your product range or services, entering a new marketplace, opening a new branch, or trading abroad.

You must define them (regardless of what they are) because your financial plan aims to help you achieve them.

Consider this proverb when choosing your financial business goals:

“The art is not in making money, but making your money work for you.”

And that’s pretty much the secret to how people get rich!

That’s why now is the time to define your goals and create a strategically driven financial business plan that guides every business decision and ensures you maximize your investments.

Speaking of which!

Know your credit needs

Your business credit needs are any loans you require when starting, running, or expanding your business.

As most small business owners know, the golden rule in running a small business is to minimize your expenditures because the less money you borrow, the higher your profits and the more accurate your business financial plan will be.

But sometimes, we must borrow to exploit market opportunities , buy equipment, or expand, and knowing your credit needs (and score) can help you get the best deals.

Include those little expenses

No income or expense is too small to consider when running a business that relies on a consistent cash flow.

Benjamin Franklin put it this way:

“Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship.”

The problem many new business owners experience is that it’s easy to account for significant expenses (especially fixed costs), but it’s the small, variable everyday ones that can catch us out and scupper our budget.

To avoid a sinking feeling, evaluate your monthly fixed and variable expenditures and avoid unnecessary, unbudgeted expenses at all costs.

Monitor your goals

Creating your financial plan is your first step, implementing it the second, and monitoring it the third because that’s how you ensure your strategies are achieving your financial goals.

To monitor your goals, use those key elements of your business financial plan, including your income and cash flow statement, balance sheet, and financial projections, as they provide an up-to-date assessment.

Regular monitoring also helps you identify potential problems and implement any changes before they harm your business’s financial health.

Plan for contingencies

Planning for problems relative to your niche, like seasonal fluctuations and new competitors, is standard best business practice. But as recent history has taught us, we must also prepare for the unforeseeable!

You can spot worst-case scenarios (like a falling income) by evaluating your business financial plan’s balance sheet and cash flow statement.

Some ways to plan for contingencies are to have a credit line available and cash reserves that can help keep you afloat should the going get rough.

Consider hiring help

Many of the most successful business leaders have a shared secret to their success!

They surround themselves with people who know more than they do about every aspect of their business.

Steve Jobs explains it perfectly:

“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”

Fortunately, financial experts are available to help you create your business financial plan.

Consider hiring a financial advisor to inform you of prudent financial decisions and investments, and your bank manager can help assess your creditworthiness while considering any past problems that could affect present loan applications.

Financial planning FAQs

What is a business financial plan.

An effective business financial plan contains your business goals and outlines your strategies.

It’s a GPS that guides your SMB’s financial activities by ensuring you make informed decisions on how and where to invest your resources.

How do you write a business financial plan?

Your financial plan begins with a strategic plan that contains your business goals and what you’ll need to achieve them.

Next, you must create your financial projections, plan for contingencies, and monitor to assess your actual results against your projections to adjust if required.

What are the 6 components of a financial plan?

Financial plans are as unique as the business they serve. However, 6 components you must include are:

Cash flow statement: Documents how money flows in and out of your business.
Personnel plan: Identifies whether you should hire employees.
Break-Even Analysis: Confirms when you'll make a profit.

What is the best financial statement for a small business?

Your income statement best assesses your business’s financial performance, containing your profits, losses, and equity.

Your balance sheet and cash flow statement are also crucial for running a profitable business.

Entrepreneurs need many skills, and one of the most important is financial intelligence because it ensures we keep our fingers on our businesses’ financial pulse.

Learning how to create a business financial plan is a great way to gain that skill.

And when you control your income and expenditures, you take control of your business’s financial destiny. Sweet.

One last thing to remember when creating a business financial plan.

The numbers never lie!

This portion of our website is for informational purposes only. Tailor Brands is not a law firm, and none of the information on this website constitutes or is intended to convey legal advice. All statements, opinions, recommendations, and conclusions are solely the expression of the author and provided on an as-is basis. Accordingly, Tailor Brands is not responsible for the information and/or its accuracy or completeness.

Terry OToole

Terry is a serial entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience building businesses across multiple industries – construction, real estate, e-commerce, hotelier, and now digital media. When not working, Terry likes to kick back and relax with family, explore Taoism’s mysteries, or savor the taste of fine Italian red wine.

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Parent item expand the sub menu, 2023 top 100: why procter & gamble’s beauty business grew across the board.

While the mass hair business posted steady growth, the Specialty Beauty division’s sales swelled more than 70 percent.

Senior Editor, Beauty

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Mielle Organics' Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil is among the offering consumers are harnessing to cater to their root-to-tip hair needs.

Despite severe economic and geo-political headwinds, notably in China, Procter & Gamble’s beauty division accelerated across most brands and geographies.

Skin for the win, passion becomes profession for agatha relota luczo, olive oil sommelier .

In North America specifically, all brands in P&G’s hair care portfolio grew sales in the year, including Pantene and Head & Shoulders. Native Hair Care and Mielle Organics were the two fastest-growing brands in the U.S. mass hair care market for calendar 2023.

The latter, a hair care and beauty brand for consumers with textured hair, was acquired by P&G Beauty in January last year. The brand makes hair care and skin care products that are sold at major mass retailers, including Walmart, Target and CVS. Its bestsellers include Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil and Pomegranate & Honey Moisturizing and Detangling Shampoo.

Inclusive of previous acquisitions First Aid Beauty, Native, Tula, Farmacy and Ouai, P&G Beauty’s acquired brands, now collected in the Specialty Beauty division, continued to grow disproportionately, with a collective sales increase in 2023 of more than 70% year-on-year.

P&G’s personal care division, meanwhile, saw double-digit organic sales growth in 2023, fueled by Native’s continued strong growth, the introduction of premium body care ranges for brands like Olay, and sustainable innovations like nitrogen-propellant deodorant sprays.

Within P&G’s Skin Care division, Olay’s moderate sales growth resulted from a focus on ingredient-led innovations across markets, including the success of Regenerist Niacinamide and Peptide 24 Face Moisturizer. Olay Super Serum, launched in the U.S. during 2023, has already become the top-selling serum, according to Nielsen data.

High-end brand SK-II, traditionally stronger in China, was a weak point in the portfolio. Its sales declined across the back-half of 2023 due to ongoing geo-political headwinds, including impacts from the Fukushima wastewater release in Japan. Indeed, in its second quarter ended Dec. 31, SK-II’s sales slid by more than a third in Greater China, including in the domestic travel retail channel. Nevertheless, the company appeared confident that the trend would begin to improve in the back half of its 2024 fiscal year ending June.

In executive moves, Freddy Bharucha was elected president, North America Personal Care and Beauty Ecosystem, while Colin Walsh was named chief executive officer, P&G Specialty Beauty and Ouai.

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Makeup Business Plan Template & Guidebook

Are you looking for the ultimate guide to creating a successful makeup business? Stop searching; you have found it. The #1 Makeup Business Plan Template & Guidebook will provide you with all the insights, tools, and resources needed to craft and execute an effective business plan for your makeup business. With this template, you can easily develop a plan that reflects your unique business goals and aligns with your individual vision. Learn more in this comprehensive guide book!

Get worry-free services and support to launch your business starting at $0 plus state fees.

How to Start a Profitable Makeup Business [11 Steps]
10+ Best & Profitable Makeup Business Ideas [2023]
25 Catchy Makeup Business Names:
List of the Best Marketing Ideas For Your Makeup Business:

How to Write a Makeup Business Plan in 7 Steps:

1. describe the purpose of your makeup business..

The first step to writing your business plan is to describe the purpose of your makeup business. This includes describing why you are starting this type of business, and what problems it will solve for customers. This is a quick way to get your mind thinking about the customers’ problems. It also helps you identify what makes your business different from others in its industry.

It also helps to include a vision statement so that readers can understand what type of company you want to build.

Here is an example of a purpose mission statement for a makeup business:

Our mission at [Name of Makeup Business] is to provide high-quality, affordable makeup products to professional makeup artists, everyday cosmetics users, and beauty novices alike. We strive to enhance the lives of our customers by helping them look and feel their absolute best. Our goal is to provide exceptional customer service and product expertise, enabling our customers to confidently make informed decisions about their beauty needs.

2. Products & Services Offered by Your Makeup Business.

The next step is to outline your products and services for your makeup business.

When you think about the products and services that you offer, it's helpful to ask yourself the following questions:

What is my business?
What are the products and/or services that I offer?
Why am I offering these particular products and/or services?
How do I differentiate myself from competitors with similar offerings?
How will I market my products and services?

You may want to do a comparison of your business plan against those of other competitors in the area, or even with online reviews. This way, you can find out what people like about them and what they don’t like, so that you can either improve upon their offerings or avoid doing so altogether.

3. Build a Creative Marketing Stratgey.

If you don't have a marketing plan for your makeup business, it's time to write one. Your marketing plan should be part of your business plan and be a roadmap to your goals.

A good marketing plan for your makeup business includes the following elements:

Target market

Who is your target market?
What do these customers have in common?
How many of them are there?
How can you best reach them with your message or product?

Customer base

Who are your current customers?
Where did they come from (i.e., referrals)?
How can their experience with your makeup business help make them repeat customers, consumers, visitors, subscribers, or advocates for other people in their network or industry who might also benefit from using this service, product, or brand?

Product or service description

How does it work, what features does it have, and what are its benefits?
Can anyone use this product or service regardless of age or gender?
Can anyone visually see themselves using this product or service?
How will they feel when they do so? If so, how long will the feeling last after purchasing (or trying) the product/service for the first time?

Competitive analysis

Which companies are competing with yours today (and why)?
Which ones may enter into competition with yours tomorrow if they find out about it now through word-of-mouth advertising; social media networks; friends' recommendations; etc.)
What specific advantages does each competitor offer over yours currently?

Marketing channels

Which marketing channel do you intend to leverage to attract new customers?
What is your estimated marketing budget needed?
What is the projected cost to acquire a new customer?
How many of your customers do you instead will return?

Form an LLC in your state!

4. Write Your Operational Plan.

Next, you'll need to build your operational plan. This section describes the type of business you'll be running, and includes the steps involved in your operations.

In it, you should list:

The equipment and facilities needed
Who will be involved in the business (employees, contractors)
Financial requirements for each step
Milestones & KPIs
Location of your business
Zoning & permits required for the business

What equipment, supplies, or permits are needed to run a makeup business?

To run a makeup business, you'll need the following equipment, supplies, and permits:

Makeup items (brushes, palettes, makeup remover, foundations, eye shadows, mascara etc.)
Lighting equipment
Business license
Certification or permit to practice makeup artistry (varies by state)
Professional liability insurance

5. Management & Organization of Your Makeup Business.

The second part of your makeup business plan is to develop a management and organization section.

This section will cover all of the following:

How many employees you need in order to run your makeup business. This should include the roles they will play (for example, one person may be responsible for managing administrative duties while another might be in charge of customer service).
The structure of your management team. The higher-ups like yourself should be able to delegate tasks through lower-level managers who are directly responsible for their given department (inventory and sales, etc.).
How you’re going to make sure that everyone on board is doing their job well. You’ll want check-ins with employees regularly so they have time to ask questions or voice concerns if needed; this also gives you time to offer support where necessary while staying informed on how things are going within individual departments too!

6. Makeup Business Startup Expenses & Captial Needed.

This section should be broken down by month and year. If you are still in the planning stage of your business, it may be helpful to estimate how much money will be needed each month until you reach profitability.

Typically, expenses for your business can be broken into a few basic categories:

Startup Costs

Startup costs are typically the first expenses you will incur when beginning an enterprise. These include legal fees, accounting expenses, and other costs associated with getting your business off the ground. The amount of money needed to start a makeup business varies based on many different variables, but below are a few different types of startup costs for a makeup business.

Running & Operating Costs

Running costs refer to ongoing expenses related directly with operating your business over time like electricity bills or salaries paid out each month. These types of expenses will vary greatly depending on multiple variables such as location, team size, utility costs, etc.

Marketing & Sales Expenses

You should include any costs associated with marketing and sales, such as advertising and promotions, website design or maintenance. Also, consider any additional expenses that may be incurred if you decide to launch a new product or service line. For example, if your makeup business has an existing website that needs an upgrade in order to sell more products or services, then this should be listed here.

7. Financial Plan & Projections

A financial plan is an important part of any business plan, as it outlines how the business will generate revenue and profit, and how it will use that profit to grow and sustain itself. To devise a financial plan for your makeup business, you will need to consider a number of factors, including your start-up costs, operating costs, projected revenue, and expenses.

Here are some steps you can follow to devise a financial plan for your makeup business plan:

Determine your start-up costs: This will include the cost of purchasing or leasing the space where you will operate your business, as well as the cost of buying or leasing any equipment or supplies that you need to start the business.
Estimate your operating costs: Operating costs will include utilities, such as electricity, gas, and water, as well as labor costs for employees, if any, and the cost of purchasing any materials or supplies that you will need to run your business.
Project your revenue: To project your revenue, you will need to consider the number of customers you expect to have and the average amount they will spend on each visit. You can use this information to estimate how much money you will make from selling your products or services.
Estimate your expenses: In addition to your operating costs, you will need to consider other expenses, such as insurance, marketing, and maintenance. You will also need to set aside money for taxes and other fees.
Create a budget: Once you have estimated your start-up costs, operating costs, revenue, and expenses, you can use this information to create a budget for your business. This will help you to see how much money you will need to start the business, and how much profit you can expect to make.
Develop a plan for using your profit: Finally, you will need to decide how you will use your profit to grow and sustain your business. This might include investing in new equipment, expanding the business, or saving for a rainy day.

Frequently Asked Questions About Makeup Business Plans:

Why do you need a business plan for a makeup business.

A business plan is an important document that outlines the key aspects of a business, including its products and services, operations, marketing and financial strategies. Having a comprehensive business plan is essential for any makeup business, as it serves as a roadmap for the future of the company. A business plan helps entrepreneurs to identify their objectives and understand the resources they will need to achieve them. It also outlines the risks involved in developing a makeup business and how to mitigate them. Finally, it can help to secure financing from investors or lenders by demonstrating that the business has a viable plan for success.

Who should you ask for help with your makeup business plan?

A business consultant or accountant with experience in setting up small businesses is the best person to ask for help with a makeup business plan. They can provide advice on the best structure and resources to use, as well as offering guidance on financial forecasting and other aspects of creating a business plan. Additionally, local business resources such as SCORE or SBDC can also offer assistance.

Can you write a makeup business plan yourself?

Yes, it is possible to write a makeup business plan yourself. However, it is recommended to seek help from a professional business consultant or accountant to ensure that you create a clear and effective business plan for your makeup business. A professional business consultant or accountant can provide expert advice and guidance on various aspects of setting up and running a successful makeup business such as market research, financial projections, branding, marketing strategy, and more.

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I'm Nick, co-founder of newfoundr.com, dedicated to helping aspiring entrepreneurs succeed. As a small business owner with over five years of experience, I have garnered valuable knowledge and insights across a diverse range of industries. My passion for entrepreneurship drives me to share my expertise with aspiring entrepreneurs, empowering them to turn their business dreams into reality.

Through meticulous research and firsthand experience, I uncover the essential steps, software, tools, and costs associated with launching and maintaining a successful business. By demystifying the complexities of entrepreneurship, I provide the guidance and support needed for others to embark on their journey with confidence.

From assessing market viability and formulating business plans to selecting the right technology and navigating the financial landscape, I am dedicated to helping fellow entrepreneurs overcome challenges and unlock their full potential. As a steadfast advocate for small business success, my mission is to pave the way for a new generation of innovative and driven entrepreneurs who are ready to make their mark on the world.

How To Write a Makeup Business Plan + Template

Creating a business plan is essential for any business, but it can be especially helpful for makeup businesses that want to improve their strategy and/or raise funding.

A well-crafted business plan not only outlines the vision for your company, but also documents a step-by-step roadmap of how you are going to accomplish it. In order to create an effective business plan, you must first understand the components that are essential to its success.

This article provides an overview of the key elements that every makeup business owner should include in their business plan.

Download the Ultimate Business Plan Template

What is a Makeup Business Plan?

A makeup business plan is a formal written document that describes your company’s business strategy and its feasibility. It documents the reasons you will be successful, your areas of competitive advantage, and it includes information about your team members. Your business plan is a key document that will convince investors and lenders (if needed) that you are positioned to become a successful venture.

Why Write a Makeup Business Plan?

A makeup business plan is required for banks and investors. The document is a clear and concise guide of your business idea and the steps you will take to make it profitable.

Entrepreneurs can also use this as a roadmap when starting their new company or venture, especially if they are inexperienced in starting a business.

Writing an Effective Makeup Business Plan

The following are the key components of a successful makeup business plan:

Executive Summary

The executive summary of a makeup business plan is a one to two page overview of your entire business plan. It should summarize the main points, which will be presented in full in the rest of your business plan.

Start with a one-line description of your makeup company
Provide a short summary of the key points in each section of your business plan, which includes information about your company’s management team, industry analysis, competitive analysis, and financial forecast among others.

Company Description

This section should include a brief history of your company. Include a short description of how your company started, and provide a timeline of milestones your company has achieved.

If you are just starting your makeup business, you may not have a long company history. Instead, you can include information about your professional experience in this industry and how and why you conceived your new venture. If you have worked for a similar company before or have been involved in an entrepreneurial venture before starting your makeup firm, mention this.

You will also include information about your chosen makeup business model and how, if applicable, it is different from other companies in your industry.

Industry Analysis

The industry or market analysis is an important component of a makeup business plan. Conduct thorough market research to determine industry trends and document the size of your market.

Questions to answer include:

What part of the makeup industry are you targeting?
How big is the market?
What trends are happening in the industry right now (and if applicable, how do these trends support the success of your company)?

You should also include sources for the information you provide, such as published research reports and expert opinions.

Customer Analysis

This section should include a list of your target audience(s) with demographic and psychographic profiles (e.g., age, gender, income level, profession, job titles, interests). You will need to provide a profile of each customer segment separately, including their needs and wants.

For example, the customers of a makeup business may include:

Special occasion customers: those who need makeup for weddings, proms, etc.
Fashion models: people who need a professional look on a daily basis
Professionals: makeup artists and other professionals in the industry

You can include information about how your customers make the decision to buy from you as well as what keeps them buying from you.

Develop a strategy for targeting those customers who are most likely to buy from you, as well as those that might be influenced to buy your products or makeup services with the right marketing.

Competitive Analysis

The competitive analysis helps you determine how your product or service will be different from competitors, and what your unique selling proposition (USP) might be that will set you apart in this industry.

For each competitor, list their strengths and weaknesses. Next, determine your areas of competitive differentiation and/or advantage; that is, in what ways are you different from and ideally better than your competitors.

Below are sample competitive advantages your makeup business may have:

Quality of products
Range of products
Customization services
Competitive prices
Expertise of staff

Marketing Plan

This part of the business plan is where you determine and document your marketing plan. . Your plan should be clearly laid out, including the following 4 Ps.

Product/Service : Detail your product/service offerings here. Document their features and benefits.
Price : Document your pricing strategy here. In addition to stating the prices for your products/services, mention how your pricing compares to your competition.
Place : Where will your customers find you? What channels of distribution (e.g., partnerships) will you use to reach them if applicable?
Promotion : How will you reach your target customers? For example, you may use social media, write blog posts, create an email marketing campaign, use pay-per-click advertising, launch a direct mail campaign. Or, you may promote your makeup business via word-of-mouth.

Operations Plan

This part of your makeup business plan should include the following information:

How will you deliver your product/service to customers? For example, will you do it in person or over the phone only?
What infrastructure, equipment, and resources are needed to operate successfully? How can you meet those requirements within budget constraints?

The operations plan is where you also need to include your company’s business policies. You will want to establish policies related to everything from customer service to pricing, to the overall brand image you are trying to present.

Finally, and most importantly, in your Operations Plan, you will lay out the milestones your company hopes to achieve within the next five years. Create a chart that shows the key milestone(s) you hope to achieve each quarter for the next four quarters, and then each year for the following four years. Examples of milestones for a makeup business include reaching $X in sales. Other examples include adding new products or services, expanding to new markets, or launching a new marketing campaign.

Management Team

List your team members here including their names and titles, as well as their expertise and experience relevant to your specific makeup industry. Include brief biography sketches for each team member.

Particularly if you are seeking funding, the goal of this section is to convince investors and lenders that your team has the expertise and experience to execute on your plan. If you are missing key team members, document the roles and responsibilities you plan to hire for in the future.

Financial Plan

Here you will include a summary of your complete and detailed financial plan (your full financial projections go in the Appendix).

This includes the following three financial statements:

Income Statement

Your income statement should include:

Revenue : how much revenue you generate.
Cost of Goods Sold : These are your direct costs associated with generating revenue. This includes labor costs, as well as the cost of any equipment and supplies used to deliver the product/service offering.
Net Income (or loss) : Once expenses and revenue are totaled and deducted from each other, this is the net income or loss.

Sample Income Statement for a Startup Makeup Business

Balance sheet.

Include a balance sheet that shows your assets, liabilities, and equity. Your balance sheet should include:

Assets : All of the things you own (including cash).
Liabilities : This is what you owe against your company’s assets, such as accounts payable or loans.
Equity : The worth of your business after all liabilities and assets are totaled and deducted from each other.

Sample Balance Sheet for a Startup Makeup Business

Cash flow statement.

Include a cash flow statement showing how much cash comes in, how much cash goes out and a net cash flow for each year. The cash flow statement should include:

Cash Flow From Operations
Cash Flow From Investments
Cash Flow From Financing

Below is a sample of a projected cash flow statement for a startup makeup business.

Sample Cash Flow Statement for a Startup Makeup Business

You will also want to include an appendix section which will include:

Your complete financial projections
A complete list of your company’s business policies and procedures related to the rest of the business plan (marketing, operations, etc.)
Any other documentation which supports what you included in the body of your business plan.

Writing a good business plan gives you the advantage of being fully prepared to launch and/or grow your makeup company. It not only outlines your business vision but also provides a step-by-step process of how you are going to accomplish it.

The goal in creating your business plan is to articulate a clear and concise message that will serve as your roadmap to success. A well-written business plan will also help you secure funding from investors, lenders, or other sources.

Finish Your Makeup Business Plan in 1 Day!

The rise and fall of Allbirds: The sneaker company whose stock went from IPO darling to trading below $1

Allbirds was founded in 2015 and soared to prominence with its iconic wool sneaker.
The company went public in November 2021. Shares rose 90% on the opening day of trading.
Sales have since slowed significantly. The company reported a 14.7% decline in revenue for 2023.

Allbirds' struggles continue to mount.

The shoemaker reported another quarter of disappointing earnings in March, wrapping up a dismal fiscal year that saw a net loss of $152.5 million.

Then, in April, the company received notice that its stock is at risk of delisting from the Nasdaq exchange for trading below $1 for 30 consecutive days.

Here's a history of Allbirds and how it went from a buzzy sustainable footwear brand worn by tech bros and VCs to a company on the brink.

Tim Brown and Joey Zwillinger cofounded Allbirds in 2015 as a sustainable-footwear company

According to its initial filing with the SEC , Allbirds' mission was to "make better things in a better way, through nature."

Zwillinger previously worked as a vice president of industrial products at a biotechnology company

Brown's background included serving as the vice-captain of New Zealand's soccer team.

Allbirds roared to life in 2016 with a Kickstarter campaign that hit its $30,000 goal in five days.

The company ended up raising nearly $120,000 to make a wool running shoe designed to make a lighter environmental impact than traditional athletic shoes.

In 2016, Allbirds received B Corp certification, a designation given to companies that work to advance environmental and social causes, and shareholder concerns.

For Allbirds, the designation codified, "how we take into account the impact our actions have on all of our stakeholders, including the environment, our flock of employees, communities, consumers, and investors."

In only its second year in business, Allbirds gained the title of world's most comfortable shoe.

Time magazine said Allbirds' hero product, the Wool Runner, was the "World's Most Comfortable Shoes."

By 2017, Allbirds, Warby Parker, and Casper were considered among the "DTC pioneers" shaking up their respective industries — sneakers, eyeglasses, and mattresses.

By 2018, direct-to-consumer business plans proliferated. In 2018, Inc. reported that more than 400 startups were trying to "become the next Warby Parker."

Allbirds sneakers became synonymous with Silicon Valley dressing

In August 2017, Allbirds got another shot of national publicity when The New York Times described Wool Runners as part of the Silicon Valley uniform.

A month later, Allbirds opened its first store,

The 1,450-square-foot store is located in New York City's Soho neighborhood. In 2022, the company operated 58 stores.

By 2020, Allbirds' popularity had spread well beyond Silicon Valley. President Barack Obama was spotted wearing Wool Runners repeatedly.

But the shoe started to fall out of favor with the trendsetters and the press, with GQ even lamenting the sight of Obama wearing them . "Can't someone send him a pair of Jordans?" the magazine wrote.

Allbirds launched the Dasher in 2020.

With the success of Wool Runners waning, Allbirds launched its first performance-running shoe, called the Dasher, in May 2020. Gear Patrol called it "shockingly good."

Also in 2020, Allbirds partnered with Adidas to make a low-carbon shoe, another sign of the company's willingness to disrupt industry norms.

Large footwear brands are typically reluctant to partner with one another. The shoe, called the Adizero x Allbirds 2.94 kg CO2e, had the lowest carbon footprint of any Adidas or Allbirds sneaker.

In August 2021, ahead of a public offering, Allbirds disclosed growing annual sales, but also mounting losses.

Sales increased from $193.7 million in 2019 to $219.3 million in 2020, but losses also increased , growing from $14.5 million in 2019 to $25.9 million in 2020.

Allbirds went public in 2021.

A little more than 2,100 days after it launched its Kickstarter campaign, Allbirds went public on November 3, 2021. Shares soared 90% on the opening day of trading, CNBC reported, a sign of Wall Street's bullish outlook for the company.

Allbirds dropped claims about being the first "sustainable" IPO.

After the Securities and Exchange Commission objected, Allbirds dropped claims about being the first "sustainable" IPO, the Financia l Times reported in November 2021.

Allbirds launched wholesale in 2022.

Although it was launched as a direct-to-consumer company, in May 2022, Allbirds announced its first wholesale partners , Zalando and Public Lands, then Nordstrom — a signal that DTC sales would not be enough to get the company to profitability.

As Allbirds started to add wholesale partners, the backlash started to build against DTC companies.

"It's the de-DTC era," said Simeon Siegel, the managing director for equity research at BMO Capital Markets. Analysts, such as Siegel, said the benefits of direct sales were often overstated.

As DTC companies started to fall out of favor, and investors started to pay more attention to profitability, Allbirds stock started to drop.

Allbirds shares, which hit $28.64 on the company's first day of trading, had fallen to under $5 fewer than eight months later . Stock pickers said the company needed to expand beyond Wool Runners.

In 2022, Allbirds officially lost its novelty in Silicon Valley wardrobes.

Roughly five years after The New York Times christened Wool Runners part of the Silicon Valley uniform, The Wall Street Journal in December 2022 said that "tech bros" had moved on.

In March 2023, Allbirds shares plummeted 47% after a disastrous earnings report that included a $101 million annual loss.

On a call with stock analysts, executives announced a sweeping four-part reorganization , including slowing the pace of store openings, adding more wholesale partners , and working to "reignite product and brand." Co-CEO Joey Zwillinger also said some of the company's marketing veered too far away from what Allbirds consumers want, including marketing for the Tree Flyers, above, which focused on its technical-performance attributes.

Allbirds began to rethink its big bet on DTC.

As part of the reorganization plan, Zwillinger said the company was considering adding more wholesale partners . By then, the company's wholesale partners included Nordstrom, REI, Scheels, and Dick's.

In 2022, while still based in San Francisco, Allbirds quietly opened an office in Portland, Oregon, to take advantage of the city's talented-footwear workforce. Nike is based in a Portland suburb, and Adidas has its North American headquarters in the city.

Allbirds hired several Nike and Adidas veterans to run the office, including Ashley Comeaux, who spent more than 10 years at Nike before becoming Allbirds' vice president of product design.

In early 2023, Allbirds released a string of products designed and developed by Comeaux and her team, including Risers, Pacers, and SuperLights, which lack a Strobel board, a manufacturing innovation designed to reduce carbon emissions and improve comfort.

Risers and Pacers have already gotten strong reviews from Insider. Although the new products have been well-received, shares of the company remain well below the $15 IPO price, trading for $1.23.

In March, Allbirds announced disappointing earnings and Zwillinger told analysts that the company had lost focus on its core.

Since then, the company has focused on its best-sellers, the Wool Runner and Tree Dasher, while it discontinued underperforming products like much of its apparel, the Wall Street Journal reported.

In June, the company released what it said was the world's first carbon-negative shoe , which it calls the M0.0NSHOT.

In May, Allbirds announced a leadership shakeup, as co-founder Tim Brown said in an analyst call he would no longer be co-CEO of the company.

Brown said he would be stepping into the role of chief innovation officer of the company, leaving fellow co-founder Joey Zwillinger as the sole CEO of the company.

The company also laid off 21 employees globally in May, it said in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

The shoe company generally had a disappointing start to 2023. The company reported a 13% decline in year-over-year revenue in the first quarter.

'As we've tried to expand and grow the brand, we created products that haven't quite met the mark,' Brown told The Wall Street Journal.

In a July article, Brown and Zwillinger told the Wall Street Journal that their attempts to appeal to customers younger than its 30- to 40-year-old base didn't go over well. The Tree Flyer was one of those attempts that missed the mark.

The company reported second-quarter earnings were above expectations. Sales fell 10% compared to a projected 18%.

"We laid out a road map for our strategic transformation back in March, and now two quarters into our work, we have gained traction and are solidly on track to drive toward profitability expectations," Zwillinger said in an August earnings call.

In November, Allbirds released an updated version of its first Wool Runner.

The Wool Runner 2 has been updated with a new version of its SweetFoam midsole and improved durability, Retail Dive reported.

Full-year earnings for 2023 were dismal indeed, with sales down 14.7% and a net loss of $152.5 million for the year.

The company also promoted COO Joe Vernachio to CEO, with Zwillinger stepping down to serve as a special advisor and remaining on the board of directors.

In April 2024, the company received notice that its stock faces possible delisting on the Nasdaq exchange. It has 180 days to improve the share price.

In a statement , Allbirds said its stock must trade above $1 for at least 10 consecutive days in the next six months in order to stay in Nasdaq's good graces.

Matthew Kish, Ben Tobin, and Jennifer Ortakales-Dawkins contributed to earlier versions of this article.

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Cosmetics Business Plan
Cosmetics Business Plan
Makeup Artist Business Plan. Get all your planning and ideas together
Business Plan For Makeup Brand
Cosmetics Company Business Plan by BusinessPlans on Etsy
How to Start Your Own Cosmetics Business

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It's 2024, business plans are out, B.M.C is in

COMMENTS

Cosmetic Business Plan Template & How-To Guide [Updated 2024]
Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P's: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a cosmetic business plan, your marketing strategy should include the following: Product: In the product section, you should reiterate the type of cosmetic company that you documented in your company overview.
How to Write a Beauty Products Business Plan
Step 1: Why your beauty business needs a plan. The first step is to set yourself a challenge: ask yourself why you are writing a business plan in the first place. There is no point in going through the motions of writing a beauty product business plan. You need to buy into the very concept of business planning.
How to Start a Profitable Makeup Business in 2024
How much can you earn from a makeup business? The cosmetic industry is comfortable with markups as high as 400% on retail sales, one of the highest in any industry. Products that cost $1.50 to make will sell to customers for $6, giving you a profit margin of 75%. A small, home-based makeup business can expect to sell 10,000 units per year.
Cosmetic Business Plan Template (2024)
The breakout of the funding is below: Retail space build-out: $50,000. Equipment, supplies, and materials: $25,000. Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, rent, utilities): $125,000. Marketing costs: $50,000. Working capital: $50,000. Easily complete your Cosmetics business plan! Download the Cosmetics business plan template (including a ...
How to write a business plan for a cosmetic brand?
The projected P&L statement for a cosmetic brand shows how much revenue and profit your business is expected to make in the future. A healthy cosmetic brand's P&L statement should show: Sales growing at (minimum) or above (better) inflation. Stable (minimum) or expanding (better) profit margins.
How to Start a Makeup Business in the US: A Step-By-Step Guide
Here are some reasons why specialization is important in the makeup industry: 1. Differentiate Your Brand. By specializing in a particular area of the makeup industry, you can create a unique brand identity and stand out in a crowded market. ... Developing a Makeup Business Plan . As you embark on your makeup business journey, taking the time ...
How To Write A Makeup Artist Business Plan + Template
Writing an Effective Makeup Artist Business Plan. The following are the key components of a successful makeup artist business plan:. Executive Summary. The executive summary of a makeup artist business plan is a one to two page overview of your entire business plan. It should summarize the main points, which will be presented in full in the rest of your business plan.
How to Start a Makeup Business in 14 Steps (In-Depth Guide)
1. Conduct Makeup Market Research. Market research is essential to developing a successful makeup line. As you start your own makeup line you'll need to know about your target market, top beauty brands in the industry, and other elements of the cosmetics industry. Source.
How to Start a Makeup Business in 10 Steps
2. Create a Business Plan. Before you start developing your product, you should make a business plan. This outlines what you want to sell, who you want to sell it to and how you plan to sell it. This business plan will be used primarily for your own reference, but it will also help if you are pitching for partnerships, loans, grants or investors.
How to Start a Profitable Makeup Business [11 Steps]
6. Open a business bank account and secure funding as needed. Getting your makeup business's finances in order is crucial for managing cash flow, taxes, and potential funding. A dedicated business bank account helps separate personal and business finances, while securing funding ensures you have the resources to grow.
Building Your Own Makeup Business
A business plan ensures you have a clear direction and actionable steps to achieve success in the competitive makeup industry. Establish Your Brand Identity Establishing your brand identity is an essential step for every successful makeup business.
The Ultimate Guide on How to Start a Beauty Business
All businesses need a taxpayer identification number to open a business bank account. Make sure everything went through successfully. That means that your business name is written correctly, and your deposits go through properly. "I'd recommend writing down everything you have to do before you start spending anything.
How to Write Cosmetics Business Plan? Guide & Template
A cosmetics business plan is a strategic document that outlines the objectives, strategies, and tactics for launching and managing a cosmetics brand or business. It serves as a roadmap, guiding ...
Makeup Business Marketing Plan Template
A Makeup Business Marketing Plan Template can provide numerous benefits to your makeup business, including: Streamlining your marketing efforts and creating a clear roadmap for success. Identifying and understanding your target audience to ensure effective messaging. Analyzing market trends and staying ahead of the competition.
How to Start a Makeup Line in 10 Steps
Think of a marketing plan. 01. Conduct market research. There are three components to market research that you should focus on when developing a new cosmetics line, including: Your target audience - The foundation of any successful makeup business starts with having a deep understanding of your customers.
The #1 Cosmetic Business Plan Template & Guidebook
1. Describe the Purpose of Your Cosmetic Business. The first step to writing your business plan is to describe the purpose of your cosmetic business. This includes describing why you are starting this type of business, and what problems it will solve for customers. This is a quick way to get your mind thinking about the customers' problems.
A step-by-step guide on how to start a beauty business
01. Research and define your niche. Let's start with the basics. To establish a beauty brand, it's crucial to understand your target audience. Researching and defining your niche or specific beauty business idea will set you up for success by differentiating you from competitors and attracting your target audience.
Makeup Artist Business Plan [Sample Template]
Cost of leasing a facility for at least 1 year and carrying out renovations - $30,000. Cost of start-up inventory (professional makeup kits) - $15,000. Cost of store equipment (cash register, racks, security and signage) - $5,000. Other start-up expenses including stationery and furniture - $2,500.
How to Start a Makeup Business
Start a makeup business by following these 10 steps: Plan your Makeup Business. Form your Makeup Business into a Legal Entity. Register your Makeup Business for Taxes. Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card. Set up Accounting for your Makeup Business. Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Makeup Business.
How to Make a Good Cosmetics Business Plan
Step 1: Conduct Market Research. The first step to starting a cosmetics business is conducting market research. To get the best from market research, you have to consider the overall market size and trends, consumer preferences, and look out for businesses that can be close competitors. Let's explore these in more detail.
CosmeticIndex.com · Online Cosmetic Industry Resource
CosmeticIndex.com has several resources that can provide orientation about makeup brand business plan. Check out Industry Resources and Trade Associations. ICMAD (Independent Cosmetic Manufacturers and Distributors) is the appropriate trade association for companies entering the industry.
How to Create a Financial Plan for Your Business
6. Break-even analysis. Your break-even analysis projects when you'll recoup your investment and earn more than your spending to run your business. You calculate your break-even date by dividing your variable and fixed costs by your gross profit margin to get a financial figure your business must make to break even.
Procter & Gamble Is One of Top 100 Cosmetic Companies 2023
2023 Top 100: Why Procter & Gamble's Beauty Business Grew Across the Board. While the mass hair business posted steady growth, the Specialty Beauty division's sales swelled more than 70 ...
HBO Max 2024: Price, Plans, Movies, Shows, and More
HBO Max previously offered a limited selection of 4K titles through its ad-free plan ($16/month), but new Max subscribers now need the Ultimate plan to get 4K support ($20/month). If you signed up ...
The #1 Makeup Business Plan Template & Guidebook
How to Write a Makeup Business Plan in 7 Steps: 1. Describe the Purpose of Your Makeup Business. The first step to writing your business plan is to describe the purpose of your makeup business. This includes describing why you are starting this type of business, and what problems it will solve for customers. This is a quick way to get your mind ...
Millennials and Gen Z's trendy new splurge: groceries
The success of the canned water brand Liquid Death is an example of young people's willingness to spend on flashy food and beverages. The brand shot up to a valuation of $1.4 billion thanks to a ...
How To Write A Makeup Business Plan + Template
The executive summary of a makeup business plan is a one to two page overview of your entire business plan. It should summarize the main points, which will be presented in full in the rest of your business plan. Start with a one-line description of your makeup company. Provide a short summary of the key points in each section of your business ...
Magenta Status
Let's talk. 833-219-0441. Learn more about Magenta Status for T-Mobile for Business, featuring streaming benefits, in-flight Wi-Fi, Concerts/Club Magenta and more.
What Happened to Allbirds?
Allbirds was founded in 2015 and soared to prominence with its iconic wool sneaker. The company went public in November 2021. Shares rose 90% on the opening day of trading. Sales have since slowed ...
Four Paramount Directors to Step Down as Company Discusses Skydance
Four Paramount Global directors are expected to leave the board soon, as the Shari Redstone -controlled entertainment company discusses a merger with Skydance Media. Dawn Ostroff, a former Spotify ...

Cosmetic Business Plan Template

Cosmetic Business Plan

What Is a Business Plan?

Why You Need a Business Plan

Sources of Funding for Cosmetic Businesses

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Executive Summary

Company Overview

Industry Analysis

Customer Analysis

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Competitive Analysis

Marketing Plan

Operations Plan

Management Team

Financial Plan

Income Statement

Balance Sheets

Cash Flow Statement

Cosmetic Business Plan FAQs

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Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

How to Write a Beauty Products Business Plan

Updated: 22 March, 2022

10-Step Guide to Your Beauty Products Business Plan

Step 2: Your beauty brand mission and vision

Step 3: Your niche and customers

Step 4: Your beauty products

Step 5: Your competitors

Step 6: Your manufacturing strategy

Step 7: Your retail strategy

Step 8: Your funding

Step 9: Your financial forecast

10: What to do with your plan now

Pre-enrol in a Formula Botanica course and learn how to start a cosmetic business

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Start Your Organic & Natural Skincare Business – Step 13: Pricing Your Products

Do you need a licence to sell skincare products?

Start Your Organic & Natural Skincare Business – Step 12: Retail Strategy

Start Your Own Natural & Organic Skincare Business – Step 15: Generate Web Traffic

Start Your Natural & Organic Skincare Business – Step 2: Make It Awesome!

Make your own natural skincare on an online course

Why The Lab’s CPD is a Game-Changer for Natural Formulators

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How to Start a Makeup Business

Step 1: Decide if the Business Is Right for You

Pros and cons

Makeup industry trends

Industry size and growth

Trends and challenges

How much does it cost to start a makeup business?

How much can you earn from a makeup business?

What barriers to entry are there?

Related Business Ideas

How to Start an Eyelash Extension Business

How to Start a Skincare Business

How to Start a Nail Salon Business

Why? Identify an opportunity

What? Determine your products or services

How much should you charge for makeup products?

Who? Identify your target market

Where? Choose your business premises

Step 3: Brainstorm a Makeup and Beauty Business Name

Step 4: Create a Cosmetic Business Plan

Step 5: Register Your Business

Choose where to register your company

Choose your business structure

Form Your LLC

Step 6: Register for Taxes

Step 7: Fund your Business