LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT DEVELOPING AN IMAGE BUSINESS You’ve dreamed about it for months or even years. Every night you fall asleep to the same recurring question... How amazing would it be to fashion a living out of what you love? Here’s your free wake-up call. It’s time to stop dreaming about what could be and start living your best life. KNOW YOUR VALUE SO YOU CAN TURN YOUR DREAM INTO REALITY. It’s not merely possible to create a life out of your love for the fashion and beauty industries; you can join the thousands of entrepreneurs turning their passion into highly successful and fulfilling businesses. How? By becoming an AICI certified image consultant (AICI CIC), certified image professional (AICI CIP), or certified image master (AICI CIM), you can say goodbye to the tedious grind of working in a role that doesn’t impassion you, doing tasks that don’t suit you, reporting to a boss who doesn’t value you, and living paycheck to paycheck. Liberate yourself from such a soul-leaching prison by becoming your own boss. I took just such a leap of faith. I can tell you how rewarding and fulfilling it has been in my life, but such a lifealtering decision doesn’t really have words to do it justice. One of the biggest facets likely holding you back may be underestimating and devaluing yourself. KNOW WHAT’S HOLDING YOU BACK FROM BEING THE BEST YOU. I certainly understand that leaving the established security of a 9-to-5 job can be frightening. But I also know
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that greatness doesn’t just happen to a person sitting behind someone else’s desk. It takes courage to follow your own path to greatness, especially when it’s lined with naysayers telling you that you aren’t good enough to reach your potential and obtain success. It causes many to devalue and underestimate themselves. When I started my image consulting business many years ago, I was clueless. I thought I could do little good for both myself and my clients, and it caused me not to fully invest in myself and my business. Fear held me back, and I let naysayers create doubt in both my own worth and the value of what I brought to my clients. Slowly but surely, experience taught me otherwise. Today is the day you decide your course and value. Will you stop struggling in quicksand and grab what you love? As an image consultant, your skills, knowledge, and ethics offer a tremendous value to your clients. But you have to be brave enough to offer it for it to be received, and you need to realize that you’re so much more than just a style service. What you offer is a vast portal of endless opportunities. From selfconfidence and positive mindsets to strategy and organization, you help your clients look and feel their best in all of their endeavors in life. Think of yourself as the key in a map. INVEST IN YOURSELF. Now that you know your value as an image consultant, it’s time to fortify your investment in yourself. Here are three areas to focus on: 1) KNOWLEDGE Never stop your training. I’ve yet to meet an image consultant who didn’t
learn something new or improved from the right training classes. Make sure your courses, seminars, and classes are accredited and approved by AICI to ensure they uphold the highest standards in the industry. 2) TOOLS Always have the right tools for the job. These can be very niche-specific. For example, if you market yourself as a color consultant, as I do, then be sure to have a trustworthy system in place for clients, including the use of demonstration swatches and factual manuals. 3) PRODUCTS In the image consultant world, the difference between doing okay and being highly successful is in building layers for your business. One of the most important layers is a product to cross-sell and up-sell. With the right products in your studio, a simple $450 consultation naturally transitions into one worth well over $1,000. You earn more as your client gets even more value from his or her consultation. Developing a successful business is easy when you have AICI beside your name and brand. After all, we are the leaders in the fashion and image industry.
Yours Truly,
FERIAL YOUAKIM, AICI CIM President
