Guest post from Emma Jones, Founder of Enterprise Nation, the home business website, and author of ‘Spare Room Start Up – how to start a business from home’ .

According to retail experts, the health and beauty sector is in rude health; thriving, they say. So if you’re wondering which sectors present good options for a new business start-up, this could be the sector for you. Here are a few facts and figures you may find interesting and some business ideas you might like to try.

 

A healthy prognosis

Researchers at retail consultancy, Verdict, have published a report saying the health and beauty sector is set to grow by 2.7% this year. It’s already worth £16.3bn to the UK economy so the figures are impressive. The report sets out a couple of reasons as to why the sector is in such good shape, including people’s increasing concern with health and wellbeing and a growing market in male-grooming.

 

But not only does this sector offer economic opportunity, it also offers happiness. That’s according to business owner Nathalie Page who runs a make-up school from her home and says: “Beauty therapists are rated as the happiest workers in the UK scoring a massive 9/10 according to a City & Guilds happiness index” Wow. Being in the beauty business brings health, wealth and happiness! Nathalie goes on “The beauty industry is a great business to be in - suitable for those wishing to retrain either after redundancy or children.”

 

So let’s look at the options and ideas you can start.

 

Your options

  • Go freelance – become a make-up artist, reflexology professional or fitness instructor and offer lessons/receive clients in your own home or travel to clients homes/offices. If you set up in London, check out http://www.returntoglory.co.uk as a site that helps with promotion and business development.
  • Create products – unhappy about the products they were finding on the high street Yaa Adjei-Bohyen and Sarah Brown set out addressing this by creating their own products and business. Yaa sells organic, herbal and natural alternative skincare, beauty and hair products and is branching out by launching an own-label product that’s been made in Ghana by local artisans and based on a formula used in West Africa for centuries, made without chemicals or preservatives. Sarah Brown has a similar story; launching her business, Pai Skincare, to fill a gap in the market for a chemical-free skincare product. As she says “I started making my own chemical-free creams. Friends started sampling (and loving) them and it all led from there.”
  • Start a School! - Follow Nathalie Page’s example and start a make-up school from your home. Nathalie’s business is buzzing as people sign up to learn from this professionally qualified lady who specialises in high definition for film, TV and photographic shoots.

Whichever way you decide to go, start taking steps now whilst this sector thrives!