A graduate’s guide to choosing the right first chapter in your cosmetology career.

Congratulations, you did it. You put in the hours at school, passed your boards, and now hold a Maine cosmetology license in your hand. It’s an exciting moment, and a slightly overwhelming one. Because now comes the real question everyone asks: where do I actually work?

The salon industry offers graduates more than one path forward, and the right choice depends on where you are in your career, your financial situation, and what kind of professional growth you’re looking for. Let’s break down the three most common options you’ll encounter.

OPTION 1
Booth Rental

In a booth rental arrangement, you essentially run your own small business inside a salon. You pay a flat weekly or monthly fee to the salon owner for your station, then keep 100% of whatever you earn. On paper, that sounds incredible, and for the right person at the right time, it is. But there’s a catch: you are entirely responsible for building and maintaining your own clientele, managing your own taxes, purchasing your own supplies, and marketing yourself from day one.

STRENGTHS

• Full income potential — keep every dollar

• Set your own hours and prices

• Total creative and business autonomy

CHALLENGES

• No guaranteed income — slow weeks hurt

• No mentorship or built-in training

• You cover all business costs

• Building a client base takes years

Booth rental can be a powerful option, but most industry veterans will tell you it’s best suited for stylists who already have an established book of clients and solid business instincts. For someone just out of cosmetology school, jumping straight into booth rental is a bit like opening a restaurant the week after culinary school: technically possible, but the odds are stacked against you without the foundation in place first.

OPTION 2
Commission-Only Salons

Commission salons pay you a percentage of the revenue you generate, typically somewhere between 40% and 60%, depending on the salon and your experience level. You don’t pay a booth fee, but you also don’t keep everything you earn. In many commission environments, you’re expected to bring or grow your own clientele, and your paycheck reflects the clients you personally retain week over week.

STRENGTHS

• No upfront booth rental cost

• Income tied to your performance

• Often a more collegial team environment

CHALLENGES

• Inconsistent income, especially early on

• Client-building pressure from the start

• Training depth varies widely by salon

• High-volume expectations, limited support

Commission salons vary enormously. Some offer genuine mentorship and a supportive culture; others drop new stylists into the deep end without much guidance. As a new graduate, it’s worth asking pointed questions before accepting any offer: Who trains new stylists? What does the onboarding process look like? What happens during slow weeks?

“The best early-career decision you can make isn’t about maximizing income; it’s about maximizing growth.”

OPTION 3 — WORTH A CLOSE LOOK ★
Great Clips: Get Paid to Get Better

Here’s where the conversation gets interesting for new graduates. At Great Clips salons like ours here in Maine, you’re not waiting around for clients to find you, walk-ins are built into the model. From your very first week, you’re working with real clients, building real speed and confidence, and getting paid the whole time. That’s not how most early-career salon experiences work.

$30–$40/hr
including tips

~$72,500
potential first-year earnings (40 hrs/wk)

Day 1
consistent client volume

Introducing The Fast Track. Our in-house development program is designed to accelerate your growth as a stylist, combining hands-on coaching, skill benchmarks, and real incentives to reward your progress. It’s not just a job; it’s a structured path to becoming a confident, high-earning professional.

STRENGTHS

• Guaranteed hourly pay, no slow-week panic

• The Fast Track development program

• Consistent walk-in volume from day one

• Clear path from stylist to senior roles

• Team environment with built-in mentors

TRADEOFFS

• Structured service menu vs. full creative range

• Schedule is flexible but aligned with salon needs

• Less autonomy than booth rental

What sets Great Clips apart for a new graduate isn’t just the paycheck, it’s the structure behind it. Our Maine locations offer a real education program led by dedicated coaches, a tiered path that rewards improvement, and the kind of high-volume repetition that turns a newly licensed stylist into a genuinely skilled one in a fraction of the time it would take otherwise.

Think about it this way: technical skills in cosmetology are built through repetition. The faster you get your 10,000 cuts in, the faster you grow. A walk-in model means you’re always behind the chair, and always improving. And while you’re building those skills, you’re earning $30–$40 an hour including tips, with the real potential to reach around $72,500 in your first year on a full-time 40-hour schedule.

We believe you shouldn’t have to choose between developing your craft and making rent. At our salons, you don’t have to.

So which path is right for you?

If you’re fresh out of cosmetology school, honest answer: start somewhere that invests in you. Build your skills, build your speed, build your confidence. The booth rental opportunity will still be there in a few years, and you’ll be in a far stronger position to seize it. The stylists who thrive long-term are almost always the ones who took their craft seriously in those first years, not the ones who chased the highest percentage right out of the gate.

We’d love to talk with you about what a career at Great Clips in Maine could look like. Whether you’re graduating soon, recently licensed, or just exploring your options, reach out. We’re always looking for talented people who want to grow.