You’re a makeup artist and your ideal clientele are bridal parties, and as we all know, the price of fuel has more than doubled in the last few months. In some cases, these weddings were booked pre-Covid, and it’s been so tough with dates being cancelled and rescheduled only to be cancelled again, but you’ve committed to a price 24 months earlier.

How do you broach the subject with your bride that you are going to have to increase your travel costs? It can be a really awkward conversation to have and right now I know that a lot of you will be deliberating over whether you are just going to wear that cost or if you are going to put the price up, and I think it is best to just be fully transparent with your client, your bride or bridal party or whoever has booked you. Saying “I’m really sorry, I know that we agreed on this price for travel. But due to the current situation with fuel prices, I’d actually be running at a loss if I charge you the price that we agreed upon”. And you might have some people that don’t like it, but I think it’s best just to stand your ground. I don’t think that they’re going to cancel on you because it is very difficult to secure another makeup artist, but I think this is a really good lesson for future proofing your business.

In a previous post I wrote about having a little disclaimer in your price menu or your service menu on your website/terms of trading. And it was *prices subject to change without notice* and I do believe if you are entering into a contract, because that’s what it is when we’re agreeing to travel to someone’s wedding to do makeup for an agreed price of X amount for each person, plus travel and any fees you charge on top of that. We’re all different, so there might be a few extra things you charge for. But you need to have a contract in place that covers you and covers them. And I would also have a little disclaimer in that contract saying that the price can change, just to make your client aware that you’ll communicate that with them if and when that situation arises.  It’s not just fluctuating fuel prices, it could mean that other prices fluctuate as well. We could see the price of products going up exponentially over the next six to 12 months because road transport is obviously going to increase because fuel is double the price. So this can have a flow on effect on many other things. It is always a smart move to have a contract with bridal parties. If you’re a mobile massage therapist or lash artist and you’re entering into a contract, make sure it will cover you.

Lauren x