The Freelance Hair and Beauty Federation is the only national trade association that represents the interests of freelance hairdressers and beauty therapists.

If you are self-employed, running a mobile hair or beauty business, this is for you.

Membership costs just £55 per year - that's just about £1 per week - to access years of experience, friendly support, exclusive up-to-the-minute training and invaluable industry knowledge that will make your business work for you.

As an FHBF member you will join the professional, highly trained and motivated business people represented as leading operators within the freelance hair and beauty industry. We provide help and support throughout the various stages of your personal and business develpoment, giving you the leading edge within your field. Belonging to the FHBF can benefit your business in many ways including:

• Providing you with a professional identity, giving you a competitive edge over other businesses
• Providing you with many exclusive services specifically tailored to the Freelance Operator.
• Providing you with backup, inspiration and support from a federation that consists of other mobile professionals who are just like you.

The FHBF runs training courses that show you how to plan for, set up and manage your business, as well as ongoing training and Continuous Personal Development.

CPD is one of those TLA's (three letter acronyms) or jargon "buzz words" that are often dropped carelessly into conversations, but your commitment to keeping up-to-date in all aspects of your profession is a mark of your position at the forefront of the industry and, once again, puts you in a different league to your competition.

Join the FHBF at the planning stage of your business to ensure you set up your business correctly. We offer a tailored business course "Profile on Potential", and whether you are just starting out in business, only working a few hours a week or have been in business for years, this course is for you. In fact, everything you need to give you a professional image and the best opportunity to succeed.

The FHBF produces Highlights, a quarterly Magazine. It allows the Federation to keep members updated on all aspects of running a business and of changes in the law as and when they occur. It reports on new products, offers sound technical advice, advises on new treatments you may like to offer to your clients, and creates a forum for members to exchange information.

Working as a freelance professional no longer means working alone. As a member of the FHBF. you and your business will benefit from the services, support and friendship this organisation offers.

We have a network of Regional Groups, each organised by a local Regional Representative who is a freelance professional, just like yourself. Regional Groups provide another tier of support and friendship, often hosting their own informal social get-togethers as well as more structured events and activities, all in your local area.

Our Regional Groups offer you the opportunity to make friendships with other professionals in your field and to swap ideas and techniques, maybe even allowing you to provide complementary services thus creating more business opportunities, and ensuring that there's always someone you can go to for help and support.

All Regional Groups have the opportunity to set up a forum in our Member's Only website area, to make it easier for the Reps and members to stay in touch.

We've given our website a total makeover!

In addition to the Highlights magazine, your Regional Groups and the always helpful and friendly telephone advice from head office, we can now offer "hot off the press" news articles and access to a vast array of information and resources that we simply could not provide by any other means.

For members only, we've got an exciting new website, and we're building a technical library packed with useful articles you can read online, customisable marketing tools, forum, members directory, online chat and much, much more.

Wella takes the lead in recognising the FHBF and now provides you with an Internet ordering facility where you can purchase products directly from Wella.

It's exclusively for FHBF members and is designed specifically to meet your needs as a freelance professional.