Salon Business, Professional Ethics, and Alabama Cosmetology Law
Business basics
Know the ownership models - sole proprietorship (one owner, personal liability), partnership, corporation, and LLC - and the compensation models: salary, commission, and booth rental, each with different tax and insurance consequences. Track inventory, price services to cover product, overhead, and time, keep client records confidential, and carry liability insurance. Retail and rebooking drive profitability more than a single service price.
Ethics
Professional ethics means informed consent, honest recommendations, confidentiality, staying within scope of practice, refusing contraindicated services, and disclosing fees. Advertising must be truthful, and client images need permission. A licensed professional does not diagnose disease, does not perform medical treatments, and does not allow unlicensed staff to perform licensed services.
Alabama law essentials
Cosmetology in Alabama is regulated by the Alabama Board of Cosmetology and Barbering, which licenses individuals and establishments, sets sanitation standards, inspects salons, and disciplines licensees. Exam-relevant principles: work only under a valid license appropriate to the service; display the license and keep the establishment license current and posted; follow the Board's sanitation and disinfection rules; allow inspections; and complete required continuing education and renewal on time. Statutes and rules are amended periodically, so confirm current hour requirements, fees, and rule numbers with the Board rather than relying on memory.
Traps
Reciting a rule number or hour count from memory; assuming an establishment license covers every employee individually; thinking booth renters are exempt from Board sanitation rules.
Rule of thumb
If a task requires a medical diagnosis, a prescription product, or a license you do not hold, it is outside your scope - decline, document, and refer.