Tips for Boosting Your Income in 2021
This reality doesn’t mean you were doing anything wrong as a barber, it doesn’t mean that you’re not successful, and it doesn’t mean you weren’t doing enough—but what it does mean is that, inherently, the barbering profession typically is only making you money when you’re behind the chair.
But you’re not a typical barber.
The beautiful thing about being a barber is that you get to be up-close and personal and hands-on with your clients. The bad thing? When you’re not allowed to be up-close and personal or hands-on with your clients (like in the case of this last year during the global pandemic), your income is likely going to be substantially affected.
That’s where setting up several, diversifying streams of income can be an absolute game-changer.
In this blog, we’re going to break down a few ideas that can act as your income backup plan—AKA, we’re going to offer up a few of our fave suggestions for you about how to cover your income streams should your primary avenue meet some sort of obstacle.
Keep reading to learn more barbering tips for diversifying your income!
Become a Brand Partner or Representative
We’re not saying you have to become a barbering Instagram influencer (though, there are definite ways to make some serious almost-passive income doing that, so don’t hate until you look into it), but there are definitely opportunities in becoming partners with a brand that offers an affiliate program.
This is one of the best ways to generate income while you’re not actually working. Here’s how it works. You team up with a brand and represent as their partner, they hook you up with a special affiliate link for purchases. If you get people to purchase through your link, you receive a commission or a portion of that sale.
So, sure, this might take a little work here and there (posting on your social, showing support for the brand, meeting their affiliate obligations, etc.), but ultimately, you could hypothetically make money any time someone stumbles upon your link and makes a purchase. Some brands might even give you money for referring your fellow barbers to their brand, so look into that, too.
This is a simple, direct way to make cash even when you’re not behind the chair—AKA, a must for those of you looking to diversify your income.
Offer Masterclasses for Other Barbers
Masterclasses aren’t necessarily less work—there’s going to be quite a big upfront cost when it comes to time and effort—but ultimately, they’re digital products you can put a ton of work into once and then reap the benefits from for literally forever.
If you record masterclasses and put them up for sale for other barbers, hair enthusiasts, or clients who want how-to-style tutorials, you can turn that effort into a passive income stream that requires almost no effort from you once the classes are recorded, edited, and published.
Create Retail Opportunities
Whether this means setting up a badass online barbershop that allows you to sell products to your clients or creating your very own line of retail products that you know your barbering customers would love, retail presents an amazing opportunity to bring in more dough when you’re not actively working.
Imagine, you could be on the beach during your vacation and you get an email—someone’s purchased $200 worth of products from your online shop. You’re making money without lifting a finger—that’s kind of the dream, right? Sure, you’ll go back behind the chair to make more money, but to make cash while you’re resting, sleeping, off work, sitting on the couch, or any other activity that doesn’t involve actively working, well, that’s definitely the life we know you deserve.
The important distinction among all of these tips is to realize that these aren’t the only ways to diversify your income stream. Sure, we’re proud to offer you some of our favorite ideas, but the cool thing about the barbering industry is that creativity isn’t just encouraged, it’s expected.
If you’ve got a totally rad idea to create alternative or passive income streams, we absolutely recommend you chase after that idea.
Want to share any of your revenue stream ideas with your fellow barbering community?
Do it! Check out our reply section below and leave your comments—we can bet the barbering community is bound to appreciate anything and everything you’re willing to share.
