I am, as they say, gobsmacked

This morning I checked my email, as I do every morning (as one does) and there was a message forwarded from my website contact page.  I assumed it would be an inquiry for a job as it usually is.

However… no, it started off:

Hi Shannon.
I was browsing the web and found your lovely blog.

Oh, how nice someone is complimenting me.  I do get message like this on occasion…  but then it continued

I am a face painter in the UK, I am currently building my online profile and was hoping you might be intersted in writing about me with a link to my site on your interesting blog! Here is a little onformation for you:

Um… er, what?  She goes on about herself and her upcoming tutorials and closed with

Thank you hope that’s OK and I’ll get in touch when I have started my tutorials.

Regards.

Ah… right.  I don’t know who you are, I’ve never heard of you, never seen anything posted by you on Facebook anywhere that I know of, and yet you want ME to write about YOU and promote your currently non-existent tutorials to the world?

Did I miss something?

I checked her Facebook page – she only created it on September 14th of this year.  She has 16 likes.  Website is nicely done but pretty newish,  Work is mid-level – competent but nothing amazing or original.

What made her think I use my blog to promote random unknown painters and their search for fame and fortune?  This is my blog and, yes, it is about ME!

You would think that if she had looked at my “interesting blog” she might have noticed the type of content I post…

I share stuff, sure.  I do occasionally review new books, etc. but it isn’t done on someone’s request.  I chat about what I’ve been doing, show how I do it, post photos to share face and body painting work, theatre design and productions, bore you with  my everyday life and challenges, etc.

I have never used my blog to promote any products except those I actually use and like in context of really using them – like certain colours or brands of make-up, sponges, etc.

I drafted an email .. then deleted it.  I am not going to acknowledge her presumptuous request with a response.  If she happens to read my “lovely blog” again I think she’ll get the message.

I’m also curious if she’s been blasting this all over the place to other bloggers/face painters?  Is it a new approach to using social media that I’m missing?

I am still shaking my head over this one…

 

Here’s a picture so you have something nice to look at after reading my tirade – It’s time to get ready for Halloween!

Business Tips for Face Painters, Body Artists and Make-Up Artists #12 – Incident Reports & Risk Assessments

December 1st means it is time for the twelfth, and final, excerpt from my e-book The Business of Face Painting.  Of course, if you would like to get all the information included in my book right now you can find out how here.

If you have found the twelve excerpts useful… Be sure to check out our special offer for the month of December – details at the bottom of this post.

The Business of Face Painting was published in September of 2009 and I am working on the final stages of the companion book The Art of Face Painting which we hope to have out soon.

If you are in business and dealing with the public you are at risk of a claim against you for a variety of reasons.  Documenting incidents and assessing the risks is very important – you may require the information if there is ever a claim made against you (see last month’s excerpt on Insurance) and some clients require risk assessments to be submitted for their insurance purposes.

The following is an excerpt from Chapter Six of  The Business of Face Painting.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Incident Reports

If something should happen while you are working and is reported to you, document it.  Having your own record of what happened, witness names and contact information, etc. could prove to be invaluable should any claim be made against you.  An Incident Report Form is provided in the document templates [the form is available in the e-book.]  Personalize and print off a form to carry with you in case something happens.  If someone trips over your kit box and hurts themselves, or your water spills and someone slips.  Use it to record things that happen even if the person involves says “oh it is okay, never mind”… they might change their minds later and make a claim against your for damages.  Things like… a child saying the paint stings, so you wash it off with a baby wipe.  Or, you accidentally drop black paint on the rug.  Those things should be noted so that you are able to provide details from your side to the insurance company if you have to call them about a claim.

Risk Assessments

A risk assessment is part of the business plan where you note the risks involved in your business, but also, you could be asked to provide one by clients or potential clients for a specific job. That sort of Risk Assessment would list all the potential risks that could arise on the job and list the measures taken to mitigate them and the actions to be taken should something happen.  The requirement for a formal Risk Assessment tends to be more common in the United Kingdom than in North America, but larger companies and organizations that may be considering hiring you may require them.

A sample Risk Assessment form is provided with the document templates and it lists common risks and actions to take [the form is available in the e-book.] You can use this form and personalize it or design your own.  The type of risk these cover are things like tripping hazards, reactions to products you are using, staff safety, fire and emergency equipment locations, etc.

© Shannon Fennell, 2009

with material from “Designs and Templates Volume 1” © November 2007

and “Designs and Templates Volume 2” © March 2008

Business Tips for Face Painters, Body Artists and Make-Up Artists #11 – Insurance

November 1st means it is time for the eleventh excerpt from my e-book The Business of Face Painting.  Of course, if you would like to get all the information included in my book right now you can find out how here.

The Business of Face Painting was published in September of 2009 and I am working on the final stages of the companion book The Art of Face Painting which we hope to have out sometime this year.

Protecting yourself and your family assests is something a business person must consider.  If you are in business and dealing with the public you are at risk of a claim against you for a variety of reasons.

The following is an excerpt from Chapter Six of  The Business of Face Painting.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Insurance

If you are planning to face paint as a business you should have personal liability insurance for your business.  This protects you against any claims made by others against you or your business for things such as damage caused by you or your staff (like stains on carpet, etc.) or for claims of personal damages such as reactions to products.  Not all insurance policies are the same so do a little research.

Decide what you need for coverage, how much you want to pay and then shop around to see what is available.  Personal liability coverage protects your personal assets and those of your family against claims made against your business operations.  If you do not have insurance there is the worst case possibility that you could be bankrupted should someone make a claim against you for damages and they win a court case.

Some painters feel that having liability insurance is not necessary, but, I personally believe that if you are dealing with the public and accepting payment for your services that you are putting yourself at risk so you need to protect yourself.  Once you have made the decision to start your business you need to think like a business person and protecting your personal assets from business claims is a major issue.

You can also insure your kit and equipment against theft and loss.  In most cases kit insurance has a deductible of $500 to $1000 so it is really to cover the complete loss of your kit due to theft or accident as replacing individual items is considerably less than the deductible.  But having your kit insured is worthwhile if you are transporting a large amount of supplies and equipment as it does not take much to make up $1000 worth of face paint and brushes – if someone picked up your kit box and walked away with it the cost to replace could easily be more than the deductible.

The cost of getting liability insurance is not excessive – $150 a year and up depending on the amount of coverage you want or need.

Some homeowners’ policies will let you add home based businesses to your coverage, make sure to inquire as sometimes operating a business in your home may invalidate all or a portion of your coverage if you don’t let your insurer know.

What are the risks you need insurance for?  Here are some examples:

• Damage caused by you or your staff or equipment – such as spilling paint on a client’s white rugs or leaving water rings on wooden furniture or damage caused by your vehicle to lawns or structures…

• Reactions to products applied by you onto people – rashes, itching, scarring in extreme cases.   Not usual, but possible…

• Injury caused by you or your equipment – say you accidentally poke someone in the eye with a brush, a small child grabs the edge of your table and it topples over on them, your mirror breaks and cuts someone…

• Claims against you or your staff for inappropriate behaviour…

• Theft of your kit or loss in an accident or fire…

… these are possibilities that people could claim you are responsible for and your insurance should cover you for any legitimate claims and fight those that are not valid on your behalf.

Some large events and companies require you to produce a “certificate of insurance” for their event/organization.  This is a certificate that your insurance company issues naming the particular event as being covered under your liability insurance.  It provides proof that you have insurance and that the event has been specifically noted for any claims that might arise.

Insurance is a business cost and therefore a legitimate business expense for tax purposes so please cover your business and your personal assets against the risks.

© Shannon Fennell, 2009

with material from “Designs and Templates Volume 1” © November 2007

and “Designs and Templates Volume 2” © March 2008

Business Tips for Face Painters, Body Artists and Make-Up Artists #10 – Client Follow-Up

October 1st means it is time for the tenth excerpt from my e-book The Business of Face Painting.  Of course, if you would like to get all the information included in my book right now you can find out how here.

The Business of Face Painting was published in September of 2009 and I am working on the final stages of the companion book The Art of Face Painting which we hope to have out sometime this year.

One step to make your clients repeat clients is to make sure to follow-up with them after the event.

The following is an excerpt from Chapter Five of  The Business of Face Painting.

DAILY BUSINESS OPERATIONS

Client Follow-Up

I use a Customer Satisfaction Survey that I will give to the client with the invoice, or will mail to them after the job if I did not give one to them at the event.   I always provide a self-addressed stamped envelope with the survey for them to use and this usually guarantees that they will send it back to me.  I have included my survey with the document templates for your use.  The survey is helpful to provide feedback on what people like or dislike about my services and gives me a source of references or testimonials that I can use in my marketing and on my website.

If there is a negative comment on the survey I will telephone the client to discuss the reason for their comment as I need to know what happened and if it is something I can fix or was it beyond my control.  Depending on what it was I will provide further information to them or apologize, perhaps sending them a discount coupon for a future event.

Customer satisfaction is very important as so much of you work will be word of mouth so you need to address any negativity immediately and offer a solution.  If the problem was a reaction to a product for example, offer product information, fill out your incident report form, ask if they had sought medical attention or took photos… be sympathetic and document everything.

I try to send a thank you card to the clients within a week of the event.  I use my postcards and simply say “Thank you for having me at your event!  Please keep me in mind for your upcoming functions.”

With regular clients I send reminder emails or postcards to confirm the next booking – annual events such as company picnics and Christmas parties.  If I haven’t heard from them I will say “Just double checking with you about this year’s dates.  Let me know the details and I will send the confirmation to you right away.  I am looking forward to seeing you again.”  Email is very good for this type of reminder.  I have regular corporate clients that do not call me but when I send this reminder they respond with the date and time and the booking is confirmed.

There is nothing wrong with sending a past client an inquiry about upcoming work.  You are being proactive about securing work and often the client just hasn’t got around to the details of their event.  Once you have made contact they respond and they can cross you off their To Do list.

I keep a Client List on my computer of all client’s names, contacts, addresses, telephone and email addresses and dates booked and rates I gave them.  This is a quick reference for when I get a call from a new contact for the client so I can verify all my information on the client and update as necessary.  And I can check if I provided any discounts or special deals in the past and why I did so.  Keeping this list saves me having to dig though my dairy and contract files to see what I did and who I spoke to.

I also use the client list to prepare regular direct mail reminders and notices.  It keeps all the information on your clients easy to access.  This is for MY USE ONLY.  Never ever share, trade or sell your client information.

The Arm Shark

© Shannon Fennell, 2009

with material from “Designs and Templates Volume 1” © November 2007

and “Designs and Templates Volume 2” © March 2008

Business Tips for Face Painters, Body Artists and Make-Up Artists #9 – Soliciting Work

September 1st means it is time for the ninth excerpt from my e-book The Business of Face Painting.  Of course, if you would like to get all the information included in my book right now you can find out how here.

The Business of Face Painting was published in September of 2009 and I am working on the final stages of the companion book The Art of Face Painting which we hope to have out sometime this year.

So, now how do you get those face painting jobs?

The following is an excerpt from Chapter Four of  The Business of Face Painting.

MARKETING YOUR FACE PAINTING SERVICES

Soliciting Work

Use the information you have compiled on your target markets to determine those potential clients that you want to get your information in front of.  You want to make them aware of your services and why they should hire you over anyone else.  I tend to choose one specific group to target each year based on my current interests or potential for business in that area.  By concentrating my efforts on one narrow area I can keep my costs reasonable and am able to easily track the success of the campaign for any given period of time.  One year I targeted daycares and schools, the next restaurants, then nightclubs, then festivals, etc.

Some events may require you to submit an application and pay a fee to set-up at their event.  At these types of activities you would most likely be charging pay-per-face.  Decide if these are the type of events you want to go after and then inquire about the vendor application process.  Be aware that some events may let anyone who pays their fee set-up so you might end up in competition with a dozen other painters.  Try to negotiate exclusivity so that you are the only face painter.  Location is also very important to your earnings.

Choose how you want to approach your potential clients – by letter, with a postcard, with an email, in person.  Then prepare your materials.

I’ve included some sample letters and emails [these are included in the ebook] that you can use to solicit business.  These are the actual letters that I have sent to potential customers.  The one called “Introductory Letter for Face Painting” is a generic letter that I sent to organizers and associations that hold events in the region.  “Restaurant letter” is self-explanatory.  And “New Year Letter” went out to all my customers and selected potential customers – I got a lot of bookings confirmed for the next season by sending out the New Years letter in January every year.  The “festival email” is an actual email I used to solicit a gig at large local event.  Feel free to use these as examples to make up your own versions.

Using Kryolan Interferenz Bach Blue with other colours

© Shannon Fennell, 2009

with material from “Designs and Templates Volume 1” © November 2007

and “Designs and Templates Volume 2” © March 2008

Business Tips for Face Painters, Body Artists and Make-Up Artists #8 – Hourly vs. Pay Per Face

August 1st means it is time for the eighth excerpt from my e-book The Business of Face Painting.  Of course, if you would like to get all the information included in my book right now you can find out how here.

The Business of Face Painting was published in September of 2009 and I am working on the final stages of the companion book The Art of Face Painting which we hope to have out sometime this year.

When you decide to work as a professional face painter you generally have two options for getting paid for your services – charging a set hourly rate or charging each person you paint which is referred to as “pay per face”.

The following is an excerpt from Chapter Two of  The Business of Face Painting.

MONEY MATTERS

Hourly versus Pay-Per-Face

The previous section used an hourly rate for illustration purposes as it is easier to show, but as a face painter you can choose to work on a pay-per-face basis instead.

For face painters who are working at large fairs or high volume events as vendors charging for each face painted is the norm.  Typically they will set-up a booth offering face painting to anyone who wants to pay for the design they choose.  In situations like this, where you set-up a booth at a fair, you would most likely have to pay the organizers of the event for the right to do this.

Events typically sell the right to set-up as a vendor.  Vendors’ fees vary widely from a small percentage of your takings to large lump sums.  For large established events such as state fairs, trade shows, etc. you can ask for attendance numbers from previous years to calculate the potential for income.   You need to be able to cover the costs you’ve incurred to set-up your booth as well as all expenses you usually have.  You also need to be able to physically be able to paint enough faces to make as much money as you possibly can at the event.  Additional painters may be required to maximize that earning potential.

What to charge per face is something you need to decide.  You need to cover your actual costs per face of course, but will you charge a flat fee no matter what the design is or will you have a scale based on the size or complexity of the design?  You will have to assess what others in your area are charging and whether the public in your market area is willing to pay those rates.  I’ve seen full face designs range from $5 to $25 depending on the location of the event.

You don’t need to panic if you decide on a rate and then discover it is too high or too low at a particular event as you can simply change your sign.  Take along some signs with higher or lower rates and use a system where you can simply change what you have on display.

There are opportunities to set-up without paying vendors’ fees as well at smaller events or community based activities.

The big concern with working pay-per-face is that there is the problem of having no faces to paint.  This could be for a variety of reasons such as bad weather, badly organized or advertised event, poor location, lack of children in attendance, etc.  These are things beyond your control and it can be a gamble.

On the flip side it can also be extremely profitable if the event is hugely busy, you paint super fast, people are willing to pay for the higher priced designs, etc.  I know of painters who can net $1,500 per day at festivals.  But expect to work hard for extremely long hours without proper breaks and be ready for stress and exhaustion.

Pay-per-face is not for everyone.  It isn’t for me. I work by the hour only so when I work at a festival it is because I have been hired by the organizers themselves or by a vendor or sponsor.

© Shannon Fennell, 2009

with material from “Designs and Templates Volume 1” © November 2007

and “Designs and Templates Volume 2” © March 2008

Business Tips for Face Painters, Body Artists and Make-Up Artists #7 – Setting Your Rates

July 1st means it is time for the seventh excerpt from my e-book The Business of Face Painting.  Of course, if you would like to get all the information included in my book right now you can find out how here.

The Business of Face Painting was published in September of 2009 and I am working on the final stages of the companion book The Art of Face Painting which we hope to have out sometime this year.

Beginners all wonder how to set their rates for face painting.  There are many things to take into consideration and the need to cover expenses and actually come out ahead is the desired goal.

The following is an excerpt from Chapter Two of  The Business of Face Painting.

MONEY MATTERS

Setting Your Rates

A big issue when you are just starting out as a professional face painter is “what do I charge?”

I think we’ve all had to struggle with setting our prices when we first start out in this industry.  Some beginners feel that they should work for less than a more experienced artist – some feel they should volunteer or “work for free” just to gain experience and practice.

While offering your services for free can be good for building your portfolio and gaining work experience, you can be doing yourself and the industry a disservice.  Firstly, it creates the impression with potential customers that if you just shop around and you can find a “beginner” who will work for nothing.  Secondly, you are giving away product and using up supplies that you have spent your own money on.  Neither of which I’m sure any of us really want to do.

When I first started working as a professional make-up artist we were told at trade school that we should charge to cover our costs and expenses incurred to do the job.  Often students and recent graduates were approached to “work for free” but, supplies and expenses were always reimbursed.  My question is why shouldn’t this be applied to face painters as well?

When I started face painting I charged the same hourly rate I did for make-up services.  I quickly realized that I was doing many more faces in the same amount of time so it was working out to be a real deal for the customer but not so great on my bottom line.  After the first year of face painting I increased my hourly rate by 50%, the following year again by 50%, and so on.

So what is your time actually worth?  Have you ever given it much thought?   I did and this is what I have developed to help you figure your own rates out based on your own expenses.

Let’s get some figures down so we have a starting point:

• What is the legal minimum wage in your jurisdiction?  For illustration purposes I will use      $8.00/hour which is the lowest possible here in Canada.
• What are your annual operating costs?  Car expenses, insurance, business forms (invoices, flyers, business cards, etc.), furniture and fixtures (table, chairs, gazebo, permanent signage, etc.), utilities (telephone, mobile/cellular, website, etc.), advertising, office and storage space if you have it. (Figure A)
• What are your annual consumable supply costs?  This is everything that gets used up and replaced – make-up, face paint, tissue, wipes, glitter, tattoos, hand sanitizer, sponges, brushes, etc.  (B)
• Calculate the actual number of hours you worked last year (C) and multiply by the basic hourly minimum wage. (C x $8=D)
• Add the total of your combined annual costs.  (A+B=E)
• Take the number of hours worked (C) and multiply by average number of faces you can paint per hour.  This is the total number of faces you paint in a year. (F)
• Divide your total costs by the number of faces you painted. (E/F=G) This is your cost per face.
• Combine your total costs with the wages (E+D=H), then divide by the total number of faces (H/F=I).  This should be your minimum charge per face.
• To calculate an hourly rate you can do it two ways: Multiply by the number of faces you can paint in an hour by the minimum charge per face, or, divide your total costs and wages by the number of hours worked (the answer will be the same.)

Here is an example based on the above (reasonable estimates of costs):

Operating Costs (A)                            $3,000

Supply Costs (B)                                    2,000

Total Costs (E)                                                            $5,000.00

Hours Worked (C)                                     177

X Minimum Hourly Wage                  $       8

Wages (D)                                                                   $1,416.00

Hours Worked (C)                                      177

X Number of Faces Per Hour                     12

Total Faces Painted (F)                                                 2,124

Total Costs (E)                                    $5,000

Divided by Total Faces (F)                   2,124

Your Cost Per Face                                                             $2.35

Total Costs (E)                                    $5,000

Wages (D)                                                1,416

Total Cost and Wages (H)                                           $6,416.00

Cost and Wages (H)                           $ 6,416

Divided by Total Faces (F)                   2,124

Minimum Charge Per Face (I)                                            $3.02

Minimum Charge Per Face (I)            $    3.02

X Number Painted Per Hour                     12

Minimum Hourly Rate                                                      $36.24

Total Costs and Wages (H)                 $6,416

Divided by Hours Worked (C)                  177

Minimum Hourly Rate                                                      $36.24

Is your result more or less than you currently charge?  If it is substantially less, then you are on the right track.  If it is more than you currently charge you may want to consider increasing your fees so that you are at least making minimum wage!

This exercise was just to look at this from a purely financial standpoint.  I’m sure you will all agree that we are worth more than minimum wage, but how much more?

I have created an Excel spreadsheet that will do all these calculations for you and you can download it from this link: Cost Per Face Excel Spreadsheet

The other side to the question of pricing is the market price for this type of service and what value you place on your time.  What are your priorities?  Do you want to work more to make more or would you like to make more and work less?  Other variables include your market area pricing, competition, and the spending ability of your target markets.

The easiest way to get information on what the current market rates are is to go to the yellow pages and contact other artists in your area and inquire about their fees.  This will give you an idea of what the going rate is.  You then can use this knowledge to price yourself.  Pricing yourself low is not necessarily what you want to do!  Remember, you actually want to be making a profit from this business so please don’t price yourself lower to undercut the competition.  That is not the point.  What you are trying to find out is what the market will bear; what people are accustomed to paying for face painting.  Once you know that, find out what they are getting for that fee.  Is it exactly the same service you are providing?  Or is there more or less being offered?

Look at what you are offering compared to the competition.  What are your selling features?  Have you won awards, taken classes, attended conventions, have art degrees?  What is it that makes you special and unique?  And, what is the premium you can add to your fee for this special talent and training?  If you are able to offer more, you should be charging more!

Rates for face painting vary widely from area to area.  Also the skill and experience of the artist can be reflected in what they charge, or it should be!  You will have to investigate to see what the going rate is in your area – don’t be sneaky, just call up and ask!

Consider also, how many hours you work.  If you could make the same amount of money but work fewer hours would you do it?  Or would you like to make more money without increasing your hours of work?

Say you are charging $60/hour now, and you are fully booked.  You turn away work as you cannot fit it in.  What would happen if you increased your rate to $80/hour?  Would you lose bookings?  If you are booking, for example, 20 hours a week at $60/hour you are making $1,200/week  If you wanted to maintain $1,200/week you would only need to work 15 hours instead of 20 at the new rate.  And if you stayed at 20 hours you would be taking in $1,600, that’s $400 more a week.

What actually tends to happen is that you may get more inquiries that don’t book at the higher rate, but you would still be fully booked as you have made room for the people you were unable to book before.

To help generate more inquiries you need to get your name out there by advertising and passing out business cards, making sure that there is good word of mouth about you, and being sure to impress your customers so they will tell their friends!  Don’t be shy; you have to be able to sell yourself to people when they call.

To continue following the example above, if you have raised your rates and you are still fully booked… raise them again!  Put them up to $90/hour.  Keep track of the number of inquiries you get compared to the number of bookings.  If you are booking three or four out of every ten, that is a great confirmation rate.  You will work fewer hours but you’ll be making more money!

You can continue this pattern until you find your “sweet spot” which is the rate where you are making maximum return for minimum effort.  It is all about your life and lifestyle and if you want to earn to your maximum potential and increase your time with your children or give yourself time for other things, don’t be afraid to give this a try.

And remember to review this all regularly as your markets will change with the economy, your target markets might change with your interests, and your perceived value to your clientele may increase with your experience, talent and training.

© Shannon Fennell, 2009

with material from “Designs and Templates Volume 1” © November 2007

and “Designs and Templates Volume 2” © March 2008

Business Tips for Face Painters, Body Artists and Make-Up Artists #6 – Arrival and Departure Etiquette

June 1st means it is time for the sixth excerpt from my e-book The Business of Face Painting.  Of course, if you would like to get all the information included in my book right now you can find out how here.

The Business of Face Painting was published in September of 2009 and I am working on the final stages of the companion book The Art of Face Painting which we hope to have out sometime this year.

Being professional in how you conduct yourself on location is very important.  It is this that can make or break you in the eyes of event organizers.

The following is an excerpt from Chapter Five of  The Business of Face Painting.

DAILY BUSINESS OPERATIONS

Arrival and Departure Etiquette

In your discussions with the client and in your contract you will have agreed on what time you will arrive, what is required for furniture or if you are bringing your own and details of parking and access.

I like to arrive early to set-up so I say in my contract that I will arrive up to 30 minutes prior to the starting time to set-up and when I telephone the client the week of the event I confirm everything with them again reminding them I will be there early.  I like to allow plenty of time to find the location and parking as sometimes it might be necessary to unload and then move my vehicle.  Even if the client tells you there will be parking close to the entry you should not expect it to be so as they may not have any control over the space or venue.

On arrival at the location go in and find your contact person, this may be the person who booked you or another person as indicated on the contract.  Let them know you have arrived and would like to check out the location and the place they want you to set-up.  If there is any information that you still need to verify with them such as age limits or tickets to be taken or cut-off times do this now.  Have your contract with you to refer to just in case something has not been provided that should have been so you have proof of who was responsible for that.

Verify if there are overtime terms in the contract and how they want to deal with that.  Usually I will ask them if they want me to continue if the lines are long or cut off at the end time.  Overtime is only done on the request and approval of the on-site representative of the client, so do not undertake it unless they specifically give their approval on the day of the event.

Check out where they are planning to have you set-up as you may need to re-arrange the table or ask them to let you set-up in another location – I often ask to move against a wall or near a window if indoors or have to arrange an outdoor set-up to have windbreaks or barricades.  If in a private home I like to check where they plan to put me as I have had moms show me into white carpeted room or out on the deck in full sun in high summer, this gives me a chance to ask if they could allow me to set-up somewhere off of carpet (and explain why they won’t want me painting on white carpet) or in the shade as sunstroke is not pretty.

Find out where the toilets are and where you can get water if you need to (I bring my own but it is good to where it is for emergencies.)  It is also a very good idea to check out the fire escapes and emergency equipment too if it is a large facility.

You can take your kit with you if you know where you are heading or leave it in the car until you know where you have to take it.  If you and the client decide to make changes to where to set-up, it can be simpler and less tiring for you to just leave your kit in the car until you know where you need to take it.

I always bring my own garbage pail and liners, and I will take my garbage away with me unless there are large garbage cans convenient to drop it into as I leave.  If working in a private home I always take away my garbage and dirty water to dispose of myself.  If at a public venue or outside there are often disposal locations where you can drop off your garbage rather than carrying it home, but never just leave it there for others to deal with.

I use vinyl and plastic tablecloths to cover the surfaces I am working on, and if on carpet I will use a large plastic tablecloth as a drop cloth as I do not want to drip water, spill paint or scatter glitter in the client’s or venue’s carpets.

Once I know where to set-up I put out my kit.  I arrange my signs if I am using them and put out my design book or display first as this allows people to start looking and deciding on what they want as I finish setting up.  At birthday parties I will hand the design book to the birthday child right away to look through as I start to set-up – the kids have a lot of fun just looking through it and it keeps them from pestering me while I set things out.

I start painting when I have everything arranged and it is the contracted start time.  I sometimes start a few minutes early if there is already a line waiting as long as I am completely ready.

How clients will treat you will vary.  Keep in mind you have been hired to face paint and therefore should not expect to be treated as a guest.  Many clients will be very considerate and generous offering drinks, food, invite you to stay after you are finished painting, but others will treat you like the hired help which you actually are.  No matter what happens you need to be professional, do what you have been hired to do with a smile and a thank-you to the client.

When it is time to leave pack up your kit, wipe down any surfaces you used, pick up any of your garbage from the floor and under the table, fold up or stack up tables and chairs if that is required in the location (some rented halls would require this) to be helpful to the client, bundle up your garbage to take away or deposit in appropriate bins only if large enough (do not stuff into a toilet trash bin or overly full garbage can) and check to make sure you have left the area as it was when you arrived.

Get out your invoice and if there was overtime add this to the form and total it.  The client should be available in most cases, often they come over with the cheque towards the end of the job but occasionally you end up going looking for them.  If it was a job with no overtime you can give them your invoice on arrival instead – this often is best for small private events and birthday parties as the host is often busy or enjoying themselves by the end of the event.  I generally present my invoice at the end of a job however I make that decision on arrival as sometimes you just know it will be easier to get that done up-front.  With a bit of experience you will begin to know what will work best for you in any given situation.

If you are being paid in cash count it there in front of the client.  Do not stick a wad of bills in your pocket without checking the amount as you could be shorted and then would not be able to claim that you were.  Check the details on the cheques for amount, your name/company name is correct and the date as it is handed to you.

Thank the client sincerely for the job and make suitable comments about the event.  You want to leave them with a nice feeling about you.

Carry out your kit – many clients or even just people who are at the event often offer to help me carry my gear.  This happens on arrival and departure.  I have taken advantage of offers on rare occasions (the Mayor carried my kit box in from my car to one event, but I did know him before he was the Mayor) but you have to consider that if they happen to get hurt lifting something heavy or trip on the stairs while carrying your stuff that you could be leaving yourself open to a liability claim.  Most of the time I gratefully decline the offer saying I have a system.

© Shannon Fennell, 2009

with material from “Designs and Templates Volume 1” © November 2007

and “Designs and Templates Volume 2” © March 2008

The power of social media to deal with photo thieves

This article is really great.  It is very applicable to our photos as well… the whole issue of stolen photos being used by other people to promote their business.

http://www.examiner.com/article/the-picture-of-dishonesty-social-media-slaps-down-a-wedding-photo-faker

If you post it out there in social media… better be ready for the consequences!

 

Business Tips for Face Painters, Body Artists and Make-Up Artists #5 – Advertising

May 1st means it is time for the fifth excerpt from my e-book The Business of Face Painting.  Of course, if you would like to get all the information included in my book right now you can find out how here.

The Business of Face Painting was published in September of 2009 and I am working on the final stages of the companion book The Art of Face Painting which we hope to have out sometime this year.

Advertising can be expensive.  Deciding if you need to spend money to do some advertising is going to be a personal choice and should be considered carefully.

The following is an excerpt from Chapter Four of  The Business of Face Painting.

MARKETING YOUR FACE PAINTING SERVICES

Advertising

Advertising does cost money so you will need to allow some funds in your budget if you wish to do some.  The most common form of advertising would be a listing in your local yellow pages or telephone directory.  Costs vary for this depending on your ad format and the size of your directory.  Usefulness of the yellow pages print version versus the online version is debatable.  I do not have a business listing in any telephone directory but others swear by them for getting work.

Running newspaper ads is an option too, but realistically these do not appear to be of any benefit to face painters as your target market generally will not be looking in the newspaper for your services.

Advertising in local magazines and publications can generate work – local parenting magazines, tourism or travel publications, local business guides and event listings, all provide access to your target markets.  Choose carefully which publications will actually be reaching your target markets so you can get your money’s worth out of the advertisement.

Radio ads are often offered by radio stations wanting you to provide your services in exchange for the ads.  In my opinion radio spots are not likely to get the attention of your target markets – it is difficult for them to make a note of your contact information while they are driving down the highway and hear a 15 second spot rattling off your email or telephone number!

Television advertising on your local cable channel is an option.  These ads are still and are on-screen for various lengths of time for different costs and usually have voiceovers.  You can produce yourself or pay the station to produce it for you.  I know of one painter that is doing this but she has not had it running long enough to assess the success of her investment in this.

Car wraps or signs are very useful.  There are a variety of options available for any budget.  From magnetic panels to attach to your door, to self-adhesive decals you can order and apply by yourself to professional lettering and decal application to actual car wraps in laminated vinyl coating that cover the car entirely.  You can simply put your name and telephone number on your rear side window in adhesive lettering yourself, or, go to the other end of the spectrum and have a customized full-colour wrap applied to your vehicle by a professional graphics company.

I have my vehicle wrapped – I opted to have the rear of my RAV4 from the edges of the rear side doors and the spare tire cover done.  Cost was a factor.  I got a quote for various options and selected the one that fit my budget best.  The recognition factor alone has been well worth it – when I meet people they say, “Oh! You’re the one with the cool car!”  I have had a lot of calls from people who saw my car and most of those have turned into paid work.  Somehow, the fact that my vehicle is covered in photos of giant painted faces makes me more of a professional in the eyes of the public.

I also spent the extra money to order personalized license plates – the cost was not that high and these are my plates now forever.  FACEART works perfectly with my car wrap!  The only drawback is that you need to drive very carefully as everyone, and I mean EVERYONE remembers your car and plate!  That includes every cop in town too!

I think car advertising is one of the best ways to attract attention to your business, particularly if you are parked where you are working and people see the painted faces and can get your details off your car in the parking area.  Or, when working festivals I park beside my set-up and use the car as a large billboard!  I have also had people chase me in parking lots, or come over to me at the gas station to ask for a card.  My car is often parked in the lot at a local mall directly across from a large club – which contacted me as they saw my car and wanted to book me to their staff painted for Mardi Gras.  They have had me back a number of times now to paint the staff.

Depending on how wide an area your target market covers you could also advertising in industry publications like make-up magazines, newsletters of clown alleys and face painting guilds, and using the online e-zines too.  These ads won’t necessarily increase your day-to-day bookings but will increase your profile and perhaps gain referrals for work in your area.

© Shannon Fennell, 2009

with material from “Designs and Templates Volume 1” © November 2007

and “Designs and Templates Volume 2” © March 2008