Monumental Naivety in Brow Business

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1. Background

Many artists show a somewhat naive approach when it comes to expanding services and finding success in the PMU business. This doesn't mean they lack intelligence; rather, it suggests they often see the market, competition, and marketing aspects through rose-colored glasses. This article draws insights from top-performing artists who have shown excellent growth in their regions. Our recommendations are based on information from 27 PMU artists, most of whom (over 75%) specialize in Powder Brows and practice them daily. These interviews were conducted between 2020 and 2022.

Each of these artists has at least 4.5 years of experience in the field, with 32% of them having even more. Most of these artists are based in EU countries (16 artists), with 7 in the US and 4 in the UK. A common trait among these artists is that they all transitioned into the PMU field from other professions. This means they didn't have a large client base to start with. As a result, these artists initially employed bolder and somewhat more aggressive marketing strategies, which we will explore next.

3. Sharing is Often Not Caring

An attractive woman with a confident smile on the left and three women looking confused and mouths open on the right.

The Egalitarian Dream

In many regions, often influenced by a country's cultural background, some artists believe that "we can build a tight-knit community where everyone can thrive." This mindset is more prominent in Northern European countries, where egalitarian principles are deeply ingrained in society. Rooted in a sort of Neo-Marxist idea, the sentiment is that all artists should attract enough clients to make a living, ensuring a happy and unified community. A dangerous offshoot of this idealistic approach is the notion: "Let's not worry - there are clients for everyone; let's all support each other and just be happy.”

The Problem with "Clients for Everyone”

The flaw in this approach is that it disregards the fundamentals of market economy and capitalism. The reality contradicts this Pollyanna view: each client has only one pair of brows, and usually, only one artist will work on turning those brows into Powder Brows within a span of 12-18 months. If that artist does even a minimally competent job (does not ruin the brows), she can secure the client for future retouching appointments in practically all cases.

When the "Happy Family" Concept Works

The "big happy family" mindset can work, but only within a very limited scope - ideally within a family-run business. In such settings, artists can agree on minimum prices and terms of service and even share clients between each other. Empirical evidence shows that this often works within salons operated by one family. However, the ideal shatters when one member maximizes their profits, undermining the collective agreement.

A Real-Life Example

Let's look at a real-world example. In a social media groups, local artists or artists stemming from the same academy may share knowledge about the best techniques for Powder Brows styles, fostering a sense of community. The group leaders might establish a "recommended price range" for a specific Powder Brows "signature style" one of them has "created." That sort of "signature style" is often just a nuanced variation of ombré shading or shape to Powder Brows. While many group members agree and comply with such herd mentality, one artist might offer the same service at a 30% lower price.

This artist recognizes that the group-dictated price is unrealistic, and she doesn't buy into the narcissistic dream of tagging the "creator of the style" in her work. Despite facing criticism from the group, this artist makes significantly more money and eventually becomes the one most associated with that "signature style." The moral of the story is simple and two-fold: do not let some artificial constraints hold you back and not pick up the money that you can, and secondly, don't wait when you see opportunities: move fast, put yourself first, and be the one who gets the client.

How do Winners operate - It’s Artis vs. Artis

Winning artists often start by looking out for themselves, and in the world of brow entrepreneurship, there's nothing wrong with that. Let's say an artist owns a salon. It's a mistake to think she will become wealthy simply by signing multiple artists to work in her space. Real-life evidence shows that many profitable salon owners avoid cannibalizing their services.

Typically, the constraint is a lack of clients, and their schedule for Powder Brows services isn't fully booked. Therefore, the salon-owning artist should first ensure her schedule is filled. If, however, there's a rare situation where their schedule is indeed full, it's wiser to raise prices and make much more money this way rather than letting other artists take the bulk of the earnings. Why settle for a middle-man fee when you can have it all? The same approach applies to the artists in any setting - be it a salon or a local community.

The key is to understand that only one artist can get the customer, and the sooner you lock her in, the higher the certainty you will have repeat business from her. Do not wait, do not hesitate, run multiple campaigns simultaneously to see what works, and forget the made-up "laws" of such groups or academy alumni communities.

4. Investing Before Income: A Mortal Sin

A doll in pink clothing on a pink background with money and clopboard on the left, and an attractive woman looking confident on the right.

Understanding the Danger One of the biggest financial blunders you can make in the Powder Brows business, or in expanding into new skills or markets, is putting money in before money comes out. Let's look at this more closely.

The "Gray Area" Artists: A Risk Group

Specifically, struggling artists who aren't in high demand but still managing are the most susceptible to this sort of mortal sin. They're in a tricky position - neither having zero customers for months, which would force them to abandon Powder Brows altogether, nor bustling with clients. These artists, stuck in this "gray area," often make ends meet by offering other services, like eyelashes, or by working in another field entirely, getting Powder Brows or semi-permanent pigmentation clients only sporadically maybe once a week, if not less.

The Mirage of Instant Success

Artists with this limited experience might think that learning a new style or service will "raise their brow game" and pull them out of this rut. But the reality often proves otherwise. The significant error they make is investing big bucks compared to their modest earnings from pigmentation gigs, aiming to master a "miracle solution" or a hot new style like some Ombré, Hairstroke, Bolder, Magic, or Fluffy, Bluffy, Cashmere, CashMe, Ombrero-Sombrero brows - you name it. Their distorted and naive logic is, "Ok, I'll invest thousands that I do not really have, but soon I'll be raking in 'mad money,' living large just like the top artists who fly in helicopters and wear designer clothes."

A Sad Tale from Real Life

What usually happens is a repeat of what happened to one such artist. She offered various services and made some money with pigmentation. She saw a trending style on Instagram and thought, "This will explode my business and make me 'mad money'" - her exact words. In a move she thought was clever but turned out to be "monumental naivety," she asked her current clients if they'd be interested. They all said yes, but none of them actually came - classic.

She took the plunge, borrowed money for a course in a foreign country, and busted her budget. Travel costs doubled her initial investment, and the trainer even upsold her some supplies she may or may not have needed. She came back with high hopes but deep in debt. The result? A big fat zero. No "mad money," just a couple of "model clients," like friends of her mom, relatives, and high-school buddies. No real business, no demand, zilch! Six months later, she still pays off her training debt and focuses on pedicures and lashes. The lesson? Don't let naivety lead you into making premature investments.

Good Example from Real Life: How to Be Smart About It?

Let us see the suggestions based on the seasoned artists' words, sharing their life lessons. As we can see, they operated with much less naivety.

Check the Financials First

Start by examining the financial statements of local artists providing the service you're interested in. Instagram boasts about "mad money" and success but doesn't tell the whole story. Had the artist in our earlier example done this, she would have realized that the "mad money" being made was actually ten times less than she'd imagined - a rather substantial and categorical difference. Looking at pictures alone, you can never know if the artist makes her money herself, is funded by a boyfriend, rich dad, or a sugar-daddy, or is just broke and faking it entirely.

Test the Local Demand and Prices

The next logical step is to test the market demand and real pricing in your vicinity. One way to do this is to act like a customer and contact other artists to see their availability. For instance, say you need an appointment ASAP because you're going abroad. You might find that those "fully booked" schedules are not so full after all. Also, by stating that the quoted price is "out of your budget," you might witness the price drop, revealing the true cost of the service.

The Ultimate Bulletproof Test: Booking Fees

While the above tactics are helpful, the gold standard is to collect booking fees. Many successful artists have adopted this approach. Before even going for training, they use social media to run campaigns offering "portfolio models for the new style." If they get 100k reach with target demographics but receive only a few or no booking fees, it's clear- this service won't fly in their region. But if the demand is high, they can use those booking fees to pay for the training course and hit the ground running. If the response is "so-so" - lukewarm, the worst-case scenario is they'll have to inform the few clients that something even better is available and offer them a service they can already provide.

5. Guessing What Clients Want

An attractive woman with a confident smile on the left and an older woman in dark clothing with a hood holding a crystal ball on the right.

Many artists believe that to succeed in the Powder Brows business, they must stand out by doing something different. While true, this belief has led some to make unusual and pointless changes to their services. Here's the thing: being different for the sake of being different is a naive approach. If your "unique" feature doesn't matter to the client, then it's not helping your business.

Real-Life Cautionary Tales

Let's look at a few examples to get the point across. One artist thought she could stand out by giving her Powder Brows service a complicated name, mixing terms like "nano," "magic," "American," and even "drama." She spent a lot of effort promoting this "signature style" with a bizarre hashtag. The issue? Her "unique" style was just a regular Ombré Powder Brows; she only confused clients and got less engagement while wasting money on countless boosts.

Another artist increased her fees because she bought special binaural beats music to play during the procedure. The reality? Almost no one cared. Some clients even asked her to turn it off. This is a classic case of being naive - you spend money to make your service unique, but your clients don't value it or even dislike it.

A third artist revamped her salon with an oriental theme, dreaming that it would create a unique and extraordinary experience. But as you'd expect, clients were mostly interested in the quality of their Powder Brows, not the salon's interior design. Some even said they preferred the old, "less messy" look.

The takeaway here is clear: differentiation is important, but if it doesn't resonate with your clients and instead reduces your profitability or forces you to raise prices, then it's a losing strategy.

A Better Approach: Ask!

A simple way to understand what your clients value is to ask them directly: "Why did you choose me?" After all, if they're paying for your Powder Brows service, they clearly prefer what you offer. They've navigated your sales funnel, made several small decisions, and finally arrived at your salon to complete the procedure.

Artists are often surprised by the answers they get. For instance, some assume that clients come for their "perfect pixels," only to find out the client chose them because they live nearby. Even more surprising, the client might ask for a look without the visible "pixel-like dots." Many artists assume that their magical skills are evident through the photos they post on social media. However, sometimes the reason a client chooses them is much simpler. For example, it could be a recommendation from a nail salon where one of their satisfied customers with freshly-done brows interacts with potential new clients every day.

By asking "why," you can make more informed business choices. Instead of spending time promoting "pixel" photos, you could, for example, create a referral program with the nail salon. Offer them $50 for each client they send your way, and you could significantly boost your income in the coming months.

6. Conclusions

In the Powder Brows business, the focus should be more on "Business" than on just Powder Brows. This article addresses three common pitfalls and provides solutions.

Firstly, many artists are part of local groups or training academies that push the idea of a "big happy family," claiming there are enough clients for everyone. They may even try to set pricing or service restrictions. This is a mistake. Instead, think competitively. Remember, each client has only one set of brows - it is “artist vs. artist” because only one can turn those into Powder Brows. Prioritize yourself and adopt an aggressive pricing, posting, and advertising strategy that breaks away from such made-up group norms.

Secondly, many artists make the naive mistake of thinking a new "hot" service will make them rich. Often, they do only shallow kindergarten-level market research and then invest in training, only to realize they have no paying customers. To avoid this, look at the financials of those who claim to be making "mad money." Test market demand by first playing to be the customer, then offering the service and collecting booking fees. You invest in training only if there's true demand and money in your account.

Lastly, differentiation is crucial but should be meaningful to the customer, not just the artist. Forget about irrelevant things like expensive candles, specialized music, or complex naming schemes for standard Powder Brows techniques. Instead, ask your clients, "Why did you choose me?" The answers are often eye-opening and can guide you toward profitable decisions, far removed from the naive assumptions you may have had polishing your crystal ball.