How to Start a Makeup Business with No Money 2022

A question such as “How to Start a Makeup Business Online with No Money?” may seem like clickbait. But fortunately, It’s not!  While cosmetics wasn’t used for the same purposes it’s used for today, it was still related to beauty and health in one way or another, and who knows? maybe at some point, you’ll want to know how to start a cosmetic business online at home!

The first known usage of cosmetics was about 12 thousand years ago when ancient Egyptians used makeup as a protection from the sun, to differentiate between different classes, and naturally, for beauty as well. After that, developments in cosmetics can be noticed easily throughout history until these modern days when people started to become more educated on the different aspects that go into the making process.

Online Cosmetics Business Plan Template

We won’t keep you waiting!

How to Start a Makeup Business with No Money?

Whether you want to know how to start an online cosmetic business in the Philippines, or even how to start a cosmetic business at home Uk, or even if you’re a bit more realistic and you aim to know how to start a successful makeup business online in general, our expert will give you a hand through this and show you how perfectly you can start selling makeup online!

They like to think of this question as if it’s a general “How to start an online business” kind of question.

Why?

Because eCommerce enabling platforms have made the answer wide and clear for any person wishing to know how to start a cosmetic business online but is faced with obstacles along the way.

• The 1st obstacle is the money to start. ExpandCart eliminated this by offering a free plan.
• The 2nd obstacle is the products, ExpandCart partnered with dropshipping providers to sell right away.
• The 3rd obstacle is marketing and getting your first sale. Yours truly also have marketing integrations to help you set your feet on the ground.

Let’s get you started on joining the platform and how to start a makeup line with no money!

 

 

1. Set the Base

Visit the “create your store for free” page to create your free store and choose your store’s front from various interactive store templates.

You’ll then be taken on a tour to set up the base of your business.

The first step is to decide where are you planning to start your business.

What platforms are you going to use for selling and branding?

📚 Several online cosmetics stores have found that the perfect start could be from social media platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram.

2. Choose Your Products Source

Since your business identity depends on the products you choose to sell, you’ll have to decide on your product lines very carefully.

To decide whether you’ll need stocking and warehousing or a third party to source your products.

You’ll need to answer these questions:

• Do I have the makeup products or make them myself?
• Will I source my makeup products from a wholesaler?
• Will I partner with a multi-seller store like Souq or Amazon? Then be it.

⭐ If you don’t have an answer to the above because you don’t have products. Then you can start with dropshipping.

• Option 1#: Dropshipping.

Your best bet would be going for diversity and taking advantage of the best of what every line offers by using third-party manufacturers.

You’d love to read: 2021 Guide to Start a Dropshipping Business from the Ground Up

86 integrated dropshipping providers to choose from, you can find them in the apps marketplace, and start importing and selling makeup products right away.

• Option 2#: Stocking and warehousing

If you’re capable of stocking products, then you should try to increase your profit by partnering with a few selected lines from brands that would complement yours.

Expert Advice: 💡

Expanding and scaling your product range may take some time. Your journey will include a lot of firsthand testing so you can perfectly understand your audience on the platform you chose to use.

3. Select Your Products Category

From the options below, select Health & Beauty.

Congratulations!

You have started your online makeup business in 3 steps. 

Now, finalize your settings to start selling products.

• Choose your store’s display language and domain name
• Set up your about and contacts information
• Add marketing integrations like chatbots, MailChimp for email marketing, ConvertedIn for creating dynamic ad campaigns, etc.

After starting your online makeup business, it’s about time to think about other details for functionality and branding!

Next: Building Your Makeup Business Assets

#1: Become The Next Huda Beauty

Starting your own product line is a bit implausible at the beginning, especially if you don’t have a huge amount of capital. However, the concept can be complementing an established solid foundation.

So aim to be the next Huda Beauty.

Brand recognition is one of the main keys to starting an online business in any industry. Consumers almost always prefer a brand with a strong image that can deliver quality and maintain a good reputation.

Expert Advice:

Your competitors already have all the data you need. Analyze competitors’ behaviors and their target audience attraction points and learn from the best in your industry to get your business on its feet till the day comes when you compete with Huda Beauty. 💖💄

But. To create a successful brand identity, you must first understand your targeted audience.

#2: Target Audience

Makeup products vary in quality and price which means that people who reach out to these products will be different as well.

Research the different beauty products and brands that have different types of audiences to learn how to target each line you have.

Three simple questions to ask yourself here:

• Will my brand target busy moms who want drugstore brands with good quality and a bargain?
• Will I go for makeup artists who only use high-end products that impress their regular customers?
• Or will I target fashionistas on budgets?

Answer these questions before you can proceed with creating your own brand identity. Like we said before, your answers are already with your competitors. 😉

#3: Your Own Brand Identity

A brand identity is a distinct voice behind your products, the visual appearance of your marketing practices, and also product packages, it’s the way you chose to communicate with the world.

Investing in a brand identity requires effort and time more than it is money.

These are 4 starting points to use while building your brand identity.

1. Shape your brand’s personality: write its background story, define core values, be your audience’s voice.
2. Design your brand’s assets: tone of voice, logo, typography, colors.
3. Create a brand style guide: could be the colors schemes for marketing materials
4. Build your brand’s presence: your packaging, website, cards, email design

#4: Online Cosmetics Selling [Inventory] 🗳️

If you’re into wholesaling, you should start looking for a suitable cosmetic line supplier, as your business will be heavily dependant on your inventory. To start turning a profit, we advise you to start with indie brands like AliExpress even if you’re a small makeup business.

↗️ While these brands often offer their products at wholesale prices which leave enough room for your profit from consumers, other brands specifically target retailers and offer wholesale-only prices while taking the quantity into considerations.

💡 These brands will be the gears to get your makeup business plan up and running among different consumers and makeup lovers.

#5: Never Neglect Discounts

While marketing comes hand in hand with the previous essential elements of your online business, discounts and marketing are inseparable twin brothers.

Read this while thinking about discounts: The Use of Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) to Increase Sales for eCommerce Stores

Marketing is the cornerstone of any successful business especially if it’s an online one.

These platforms depend on hashtags for users to find what they are interested in. Loading up your posts with irrelevant hashtags to get views and followers might achieve this target, yet these are considered to be empty numbers.

#6: Leverage The Power of Hashtags

When you are marketing your brand on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, try to use an average of 9 hashtags that are only relevant to what you are offering.

Other business owners have found that creating content to promote their products is the best type of marketing their brand can get.

Hot Tip

Creating videos and makeup tutorials on YouTube is also a great step in gaining the numbers and the attention you would want for your brand.

You can always go for influencers with a wide base of fans who take an interest in the cosmetic world to promote your products or create content for you.

Influencers can raise brand awareness with a small commission, gifts, or another way you both see fit to end with a win-win situation for both parties.

Working in the beauty industry is a foolproof business.

Example! 💡

When you take a look at someone like Jeffree Star or other successful beauty gurus who have managed to create their brand from scratch and managed to have this massive success and these huge numbers of adoring fans, you truly know how both makeup and online marketing can turn anyone’s life upside down.

It’s even estimated that every 30 seconds, a bottle of Chanel’s famous No. 5 is bought.

The beauty world offers endless opportunities for many people from young makeup artists, video creators, cosmetics brand owners, online retails, and many more.

The beauty industry is even adapting to different changes around the world.

You will find that different environmental issues have touched many owners to change their policy and ingredient lists.

Vegans and people who refuse animal abuse in all its ways can find brands that consider this an important issue.

The beauty industry has even welcomed people of all different colors, genders, and sexual orientations; it’s getting more inclusive every day. Click To Tweet

Final Thoughts

For all the previously mentioned reasons, deciding on starting an online makeup store is always worth it if you take calculated steps with caution.

Even though the opportunities offered by the freedom of online stores are endless, makeup is still a very competitive field, yet there is always room for people to learn and evolve.