Ah, the joy of the open road. Wind in your (immaculate) hair, your box of beauty tricks safely stowed in the boot, and a full day of strategically spaced client appointments stretching ahead.
It’s great being a mobile beautician, right? You go where the business takes you rather than waiting for it to come to you. It’s flexible, it’s fun and you get to help people feel good about themselves.
But if you want to make sure the long-term prospects for your business look equally good, you need to think about mobile beauty insurance.
Without it, you run the risk of hitting the blocks. A legal claim against you for a treatment that went wrong or for causing damage to a client’s home, no matter how accidental, can spell financial disaster.
No doubt you’ve already insured the car you use to get from one appointment to the next. So, it makes equal sense to protect the livelihood that helps you pay to run that car in the first place.
Good reasons to get mobile beauty therapist insurance
Let’s start with reasons not to get mobile beautician insurance. For instance, you’re so expert at what you do that you’ll never make a mistake. And your clients will never have an allergic reaction to any product you use.
Well, that’s a bit like the car we were talking about. It’s like saying you won’t ever momentarily lose concentration and run into the back of someone. Or have someone run into the back of you.
The thing is, mistakes and accidents happen for all sorts of reasons, no matter how careful or confident you are. And the consequences can be costly.
As a beautician, you treat people’s actual bodies and faces. And that means any mistake you make has the potential to cause pain, mental suffering and even scarring. The same goes if a client has an adverse reaction to a chemical or an agent you use.
Both can lead to big-numbers claims for compensation. So maybe you do need insurance to protect you and your business after all.
What types of mobile beauty insurance do you need?
Treatment and professional liability insurance
When it comes to treatment-related injuries and accidents, treatment and professional liability insurance is a must. That’s because a client suffering physical harm is pretty much guaranteed to set the claim ball rolling.
Say you burn someone’s skin with too-hot wax. Or the stones you use for your hot stone treatment aren’t so much warm as sizzling. Maybe your client reacts badly to the glue you use for false lashes. Worse, they say your lack of skill in applying the lashes has damaged their eyes.
No matter how valid the claim is or isn’t, you’ll have to deal with it regardless. And that takes, time, money, and legal expertise. Mobile beauty therapist insurance provides all three by paying for a solicitor to defend you and covering any compensation you owe.
Public liability insurance
Visiting people at home always comes with a degree of risk. Treading mud all over a client’s cream carpet won’t make you popular but doing a greater degree of damage can hurt you financially.
Perhaps you spill dye or a chemical agent on an expensive rug and ruin it. Maybe your heated equipment bubbles the varnish on a designer wooden sideboard. Or you could simply knock an antique vase off a shelf in passing.
Whatever the damage, you’ll be expected to pay to put it right. Or you could be asked to cover the cost of replacing the item altogether. Public liability insurance takes care of the legal process and picks up the tab for any damages you have to pay.
Portable equipment insurance
Making your clients look a million dollars takes not only skill but the right tools. And whatever treatments or look you specialise in, you’ll have built up an array of equipment to help you do the best possible job.
The trouble starts if your equipment is out of action for any reason. Perhaps it gets damaged. You could lose something essential while travelling from place to place. Or maybe you return to your car after an appointment to find the rest of your kit’s been nabbed from the boot.
Without the tools of your trade, you can’t work. You’ll have to cancel appointments and clients could go elsewhere.
Portable equipment insurance covers all your kit as well as tech items like mobile phones and laptops. It pays to repair or replace items as new. It even covers the cost of hiring equipment in the meantime.
What other types of insurance do mobile beauticians need?
If you don’t work solo and you employ anyone else to help you, then you need employers’ liability insurance. That’s because it’s illegal not to have it. And if the Health and Safety Executive catch you without it, they can fine you big.
If you do work solo, then you might want to invest in some personal accident insurance. It can help tide you over if an accident means you can’t work for a period of time. And it doesn’t matter if the accident was at work or not.
Fingers crossed, you’ll never have to call on your insurance. All being well, you’ll move seamlessly from appointment to appointment, delivering a good look for your clients and spreading a little happiness.
But if you do run into trouble, your mobile beauty therapist insurance is your financial, legal and emotional back-up. It’s there for those times when life isn’t so beautiful after all, and things turn a little ugly.
Find out more about mobile beauty therapist insurance and get an online quote. Or call the team on 0345 222 5391.
Image used under license from Shutterstock.
beauty therapistsfreelancerspersonal accident insuranceportable equipment insurancepublic liability insurancetreatment & professional liability