Spray Tan Business Tools

I frequently get asked, “What do you use for_____?” And since there is a whole lot more to running a professional spray tan business than just “doing” the spray tans, I pulled together all the great spray tan business tools and resources that I use to help me keep my spray tan studio running in one handy spot for y’all.

I have been running my spray tan company for over 20 years and helping other women start and grow their spray tan businesses. A ton has changed in that time and we are now so lucky to have amazing online resources to get jobs done quickly.

This post contains affiliate links. If you click and purchase, I may make a commission. Read my full disclosure here.

Business tools to start and grow your spray tan business faster.

Do you ever think about what tools you need to better manage your spray tan business? It doesn’t matter if you are spraying from home, getting your mobile spray tan business started, or are ready to level up your business game and open a professional spray tan studio. There are tools that can help you become a better business owner, help your company look more professional, and make your business more profitable.

The most common business questions that y’all are asking me are:

How do I organize my spray tan client customer files
Do I need a website
What is the best way to accept credit cards
Where do I find spray tan consent forms/client cards and logos
Who makes the best business cards and signs
What app should I use to make a picture for my social media or webpage
Can someone help me with my social media graphics
Where do I find cute shirts with my logo on them
Where do I keep track of my business receipts for taxes
I am mobile how do I track my business mileage
How do I keep all of this organized

That is a LOT of stuff to figure out.

Many of you reach out to me when you are looking for solutions, so I pulled together this list of ALL the things I use to manage my business!

Because #girlbosses need to get things done!

If you are looking to get certified to do spray tans, info on how to get your business started, or what equipment to buy check out the links below

Related Articles:

Below are the business tools I use to personally run and manage my spray studio as efficiently as possible, so I can get back to the part that I enjoy the most.

Spraying my clients!

Spray Tan Business Name

When you are first starting your spray tan business choosing your business name can seem overwhelming and exciting! And sometimes you can get stuck on all the possibilities that there are out there.

Just a few bits of advice.

Don’t limit yourself–if you are starting your business from home you could be expanding in the future. You might start with a mobile spray tan business and later decide a studio is what you really want. You will want a name that can grow with your business.

Some names are already taken–you may decide on the perfect name only to find out that it is already in use. This happens frequently. Don’t use other business owners’ names or a close variation. This can cause problems down the road if they catch wind of it and have their attorney send you a nasty gram to quit using the name. And potentially you will have purchased signs or cards that will have to be redone costing extra money and time. Do your homework. Make sure the name is available for use in your State and that you are not infringing on any national company trademarks.

YOU are your business--when it comes to the beauty industry and professionals who work independently or freelance providing services, often the name of their company is their name or initials partnered with what they do.

Such as: {Your Name} + Makeup Artist, {Your Name} + Aestician, {Your Name} + Beauty, {Your Name} + Sunless, {Your Name} + Spray Tan Artist

In essence, you become your own brand.

Make sure social media and .com web domain is available--The final step to choosing your business name is to make sure the web domain is available and that any social media business accounts are open for your use.

Spray Tan Business Branding and Logo

Now that you have your spray tan business name you need to decide on your business branding.

So basically think of branding as decorating your home. You want your business to have a style, and for that style to spill into all the “rooms” of your business house (social media, webpage, studio decor, business cards, flyers, shirts/uniforms, etc) So when your potential customer comes to your business house and they walk from your webpage into your business studio they know they are still in the right place.

This takes a little thought and planning and it’s gonna save you a ton of time later! Whether you are gonna DIY this part or have a professional do it for you, you need to take a minute and think through a few things.

Spray Tan Business Brand Mood Board

Wait……what’s a brand mood board you ask?!!!!

If this term isn’t familiar to you don’t panic! It’s really very simple and fun!

Quick, run on over to my Pinterest and take a peek. I’ll wait.

You back?!

Building a brand mood board means that you choose the items that represent you and your business (colors, fonts, etc) so that your marketing flows and seems organized and professional. Then when a client is introduced to you on social media and clicks over to your webpage it still has the same personality or feel.

Remember, there is NO one right way to decorate and there is NO one right way to brand your company.

Before you start DIYing or reaching out to a designer make sure you know what you want and have examples:

what colors
font styles you like (pick one block and one decorative)
what is the feel of your business (edgy, boho, spa, industrial, etc)
how will the logo be used (business cards, webpage, social media, shirts, sign)

Consider how things will look from afar (goes to signs), how they will look on a shirt (embroidery or screen printing), and is it easy to read (online applications, print).

Your logo can be as simple as your business name in a decorative font or layered over an image.

You can create your logo yourself using Canva or PicMonkey or if DIY is not your thing have a graphic design artist on fiverr create something for you.

If you are working with a professional they may have suggestions for what font or color works best for the applications that you want to use your logo for. Listen to their advice. They may also have a recommendation on fonts or colors that are easily used with other programs such as Canva if you ever think you will make a graphic or image for social media, or overlay a watermark on a portfolio image before you put it on social media.

Now that you have your fonts picked out and your colors and logo all in one spot. You have them saved all in one spot on your brand board, right?

Brand Board
Block Font Name
Script Font Name
Color Codes (#RRGGBB)
Brand Photos

Go make a file and a digital note and put it all together so it’s easy to find when you need to create something for your business.

Spray Tan Business Cards

Now that you have your colors and fonts and logo all ready to go it’s gonna be super simple to get those business cards ready to hand out.

The hard part is knowing where to go for good-quality business cards that are affordable.

I LOVE Vista Print for DIY and have ordered my spray tan business cards from them several times. They have great templates, options for the quality of cardstock to choose and different finishes for the paper. They also have coordinated business-related products that you might find helpful such as signs, window clings, and flyers. Really anything you would want to have printed they have available.

If you are going to use a theme on Vista Print you can upload your logo image and then choose your font style and any color options you picked out when you created your brand mood board.

For a more custom option with a designer, you can just forward over that file you made that has all your branding info in it so your designer can easily get to work.

I found so many different business cards that I just fell in love with. Some really talented artists are selling their spray tan related products on fiverr.

Spray Tan Website Hosting

My website is the most important part of my spray tan business because it is how NEW CLIENTS find me. It is my main way of advertising. And it’s how you found me!

If you need detailed info on why you need a spray tan website. Hop over to my post on Why Your Spray Tan Business Needs a Webpage, to read how this helped me grow my spray tan business.

Having a super reliable website host is very important to me. I need my spray tan website up and running and loading fast!

Because internet website stuff can be confusing, if I do run into trouble, I need a company that is quick to respond and HELPFUL.

I recently moved my web services over to SiteGround for these exact reasons. Their website is clean and easy to navigate, their tech support is amazing and they are VERY reliable and super affordable. With all the extra support services that they offer, it’s a deal I couldn’t pass up.

Website Hosting and Domain Names: Siteground

For your website URL, it is still best practice to choose a .com for a trustworthy business site.

I prefer Name Cheap for domain names.

And for security reasons, I have my domain and hosting with different companies.

PRO TIP: Purchase the DOMAIN PRIVACY when you are registering your domain name. That blocks the whole internet from being able to look up what address your credit card is registered to–most likely your home. Safety First!

WordPress Themes For Spray Tan Businesses

After a reliable and helpful hosting company my website needs to look beautiful, work easily and allow me to make changes and add information whenever I need to without hiring a web designer to change a million little things.

For this reason, I use WordPress with a gorgeous theme from BluChic. I picked the Isabelle theme for my website but there are SO many to choose from. I just know you will find one that you love too.

These WordPress themes are created with the female business owner in mind. They have great options built-in but also offer easy customizing when you are making it your own.

They also offer a service where they will install your theme and have it ready for you to just add your pictures and customize it.

Website Theme: BluChic

Free Graphic Design Software Online

This is probably my most used spray tan business tool.

I make a lot of graphics for my blog and social media. Since I am NOT a graphic design artist and I have no idea how all those fancy programs work. I need a simple online graphic design program.

When I need to make a graphic I use Canva or PicMonkey. Both have free options (which work just fine for me) but if you are really into creating graphics you might want to look into the paid versions. I haven’t needed to upgrade yet and I make a ton of images for my blog posts. All the pictures with the overlays on my blog I created with these free online programs.

Sometimes I need to create something on the fly so I have the Canva and Over apps on my phone. Both work great for quick graphics when I need something for Social Media.

Graphic Design Programs: Canva, PicMonkey, Over

Free Stock Images for Commercial Use

I also use a ton of photos on my website.

Being able to show my potential new client my actual work is super important because many people have a bad idea of what a spray tan looks like. I am lucky enough to have amazing clients and they love sharing their photos with me.

But sometimes I need a photo for a blog post, social media, or my website that isn’t a client shot.

For those times I use Free stock photos.

Since you CAN NOT just grab whatever picture that you like off the internet due to copyright laws.

And businesses are held to a higher standard of compliance. You need to always be aware of the photo license permissions.

Photos with a CC0 license can be used commercially on your website or social media accounts for your business.

Two websites that I like to use that I know allow commercial use of their photos are Pixabay and Unsplash. They have high-quality photos that you can use for FREE on your website or social media.

Free stock photos: Unsplash and Pixabay

Free Cloud Storage

DropBox is life-changing!

Ok, that may be a little dramatic. But if you haven’t signed up for this amazing service then you really should.

I use dropbox to stay connected and organized with my receipts, documents, and photos where ever I am. All I have to do is save my files to my DropBox account from my phone or laptop. Then I can access them from anywhere on whatever device I happen to have near me.

If I am at the spray tan studio and I need to share a photo on my FB I can just grab it from my DropBox App. If I am on my laptop putting together a flyer on Canva and I need the text for the file that I created while I was at work on the desktop, no problem cuz it’s in my DropBox and I can access it from my laptop where I am.

AND you can add users to a file if more than one person is working on a project! Super helpful when my photographer needs to upload model photos for me. I can get to them where ever I am.

Oh, and if you happen to drop your phone in the potty you won’t lose all your pictures. Cuz that has never happened before has it?

Organization: DropBox

I hope these spray tan business tools help you start and grow your business faster.

As a small business owner, I can’t stock all the amazing products available in the world of sunless tanning but I can give you my professional opinion.

Spray Tan Business Pros:

Do you have a mobile spray tanning business, home-based spray tan business, or are you looking for information on HOW to start a spray tan business? Then check out my tools of the trade area of this website for help in setting up your own airbrush spray tanning business.

Professional advice on choosing the best spray tan equipment
Spray tan equipment and product reviews
Spray tanning business resources to help you learn and grow
Wholesale self-tanning mousse

Love the article you just read? Think your spray tan clients would like to read it too?? Share my HOW TO’S and sunless tanning information with your clients on YOUR webpage or social media accounts by DIRECTLY LINKING to my webpage. Please don’t change or otherwise alter any content or claim as your own. No one likes a copycat.

Business tools to start and grow your spray tan business faster.