getting paid

hi im a new face painter about to start braching out passing out bussiness cards and trying to figure out my rates. i did a party of a friend and he gave me $40 ( i was going to do it free as a friend and stillwanting the practice) so i was happy with $40!! lol. i looked up some face painters in my area and they charge about $100-150 an hour with two hr min! i know this is the avg but it seems like alot! and i dont want the avg family decieding they dont want to book me after they hear that price, so i thought i would say for 12 kids or less id charge $100 a party up tp 20 for $150 and so on up like that depending on the kids it works out being pretty much the same but sounds nicer lol but was also wondering why do we get paid that much an hour!!!!

why?

materials, training, insurance, equipment, gas... your expenses will add up in a hurry when you do this more.

Shannon Fennell on here has a chart or something for figuring out your expenses I think.

I do indeed... click the link in my signature for my free resources page.

As to "why do we get paid that much an hour"...

Training (THOUSANDS of dollars worth)
Supplies and equipment (TENS OF THOUSANDS of dollars worth)
Vehicle expenses (business registration, insurance, gas, maintenance)
Liability insurance, kit replacement insurance, medical insurance
SKILL AND TALENT
EXPERIENCE

I could go on but you should get the point...

As to whether "the average family" can afford you. Why worry about that? Face painting isn't medical care, it is a luxury item they add to their parties to make them special. Figure out what it costs YOU to paint, add in a reasonable wage for yourself, some profit on top for the business... and start there. Raise your rates to the level the market will bear.... that's business.

I am with Perry and Shannon, our expenses cost too!!, and most of the people prefer to hire an entertainment for their parties than to pay a place hundreds of dollars just for two hours, with facepaint everybody enjoy kids and adults and they always calls you back for sure!!!

my first response was that we get paid to get new arty cakes! my last order was about 200 bucks, LOL gotta find some way to feed my habit. =0)

lol yeah i just ordered my 1st set of tag paints spent $150 just got a few spilt ckaes and rainbow cakes plus white and black. right now i still have a ton of paints from tulip that my fiance bought at micheals they ok paints but cant wait to replace them with more tag!! cant do that til starting next month though. just got the ones i have now because i won $100 on a scratch off ticket!!!! as far as the insurance thing.. when do i need to start getting that atm im still only doing stuff for friends for practice but i have my bussiness cards in the mail gonna hand them out to the friends i have done stuff for becuase every party ive done so far there where lots of ppl asking for bussiness cards so the hosts said that when i get them they would hand them out to the ppl that wanted them for me. im a stay at home mom and dont wanna lose that i was just thinking of doing this once in a while on weekends or something just a few bday parties for now maybe in a year or so maybe branching out from there if i want more but for now just bday parties. did my prices sound reasonable?

heres some of my best work what do u guys think?
this was my very 1st ever!!!

It's difficult for us to say if your rates are reasonable. It really depends on what your area will respond to, and the amount of investment you have put in and intend to put in in the future.

There is a thread here somewhere about it, but a number of painters saw an increase in business after they raised their rates... so factor in perceived value as well.

In addition to what your regional area will support price wise, your rates should be in line and reflective of your current skillset. Someone just starting out is not gonna charge or shouldn't expect to be getting the same rate as another seasoned painter whose work is speedier and more superior in quality.

People in all things when making a purchase or buying a service want to feel confident that they are getting their monies worth. So if you know based on the quality and the speed of your work that you are not, just as an example a $100 /hr painter then you should be charging less.

Nothing makes a consumer more upset than feeling they have been short changed

on the subject of the insurance question, it is your own risk. I worked for a year at this before getting insurance. The risk lies in someone blaming you for staining their carpet or poking their kid in the eye or something. I think it also covers your equipment if it should be stolen or damaged, but I don't know that I would pay the deductible for that, only if someone was trying to sue me for a million dollars or something. Unless you register your business in such a way as to separate your business from your personal property and/or have insurance, you could find yourself homeless if someone tries to sue you.

im signing up asap for insurance. my insurance working actuary husband freaked when he found out i didnt have it yet. lol going through WCA, it seems like my best option.
i was going to wait until next spring when the rates start anew, plus ill be an official clown soon! I want that covered in my insurance to.

Constance, I'm practically in the same boat as you right now, just recently started painting and kind of tossing around the idea of advertising for parties--fliers, business cards, etc--wondering about insurance and how much to charge; so I'm loving this thread, lol. Can't really give you any pro-advice, but I wish you much luck in your venture.