After over 23 years in the fashion industry, I decided that it was finally time for me to build my own business, choose a career and go with it. I wanted to blend my love for fashion and people and so I qualified as an Image Consultant and The Imagepreneur was born.

Getting started as a Personal Stylist in South Africa can be challenging but it is definitely getting better as the years go on and more people become aware of this profession, with that said I am approached on a regular basis by young men and woman wanting to know which platform I would advise them to study through to become a Personal Stylist or Image Consultant and after giving it some thought here are my guidelines to choosing the right Image Consulting Training for you.

Make sure it is Internationally Accredited which means that you can set up your business anywhere in the world.
The products they use have been well thought out. What do I mean by this? The size of the items, colours chosen, materials used, the way the study materials are laid out for ease of use, programs or online platforms work, they have been tried and tested by qualified professionals in the industry and they are always bringing out new updates and products.
Make sure that there is some kind of after sales service and support that you can depend on, find a consultant that is not part of the company that has been in business for themselves for about a year or more and ask them about their experience, this should be very informative.
Make a pro's and con's list for each training facility, and compare notes.
Do they share interesting things on social media and build up their consultants or help them grow.
Is there a group of some sort that all the consultants can join where you receive regular updates, webinars, and resources to help you stay ahead as a consultant.
Who is their star pupil, is there a personal stylist that has studied through the training facility that is doing well in the industry.
Ask them who set up the resources you are required to study with and what qualification that person has that has put together the resources, and who they got their qualification through, ask to see it, if their qualification is not international this should raise a red flag.
Reach out to consultants in the industry and don't be afraid to ask them who they studied through, they will probably have some good or bad information that will help you determine the right training facility for you.
Are they professional, or do they seem unorganized or all over the place when you first contact them. Do they treat you as a potential business owner or a school student?
Put a list of questions together and email it to them, then compare the answers, the best training facility will have professional answers and will give you as much information as they can. Remember you are paying them a serious amount of money and they should treat you professionally and not like a buddy.
Be aware of new products, apps or specialized programs if it have not been going for at least two or three years, chances are there are still a few tweaks or updates that need to get done before it works correctly and you don't want to embarrass yourself in front of your client with things that do not work properly, and you have no back up product to continue your consultation with.

In conclusion, you should be 100% happy with the training facility you choose, you should be treated professionally from the beginning and you should be sure that your investment is ongoing and there is continuous help and growth offered by the company going forward.

For those of you who are wondering who I studied through you are welcome to send an email to academy@theimagepreneur.com and I will send you a how to get started pack to help you on your journey.

Also keep in mind that they do not teach you how to set up your business from scratch, this is why I have put together the Personal stylist Business Blueprint which will prepare you to Launch your Personal Styling Business, Grow it and then Go Pro.

If you would like to know more about 'my Personal Stylist Business Blueprint you can read more about it HERE.

I love hearing from you, if you have any feedback, suggestions or questions please comment below and If you enjoyed this information and know someone who is struggling with where to train to be a personal stylist please share it with them by clicking on the share button below.

Thank you for visiting The Imagepreneur, my name is Darlene Bayley I am a qualified personal stylist, business and brand strategist and Confidence builder, for more information about the services or courses I provide click HERE or follow me on INSTAGRAM or FACEBOOK for daily style inspiration.