Here is the maths nobody does before they resign.
The freelance number that excites people is the per-job rate. A bridal booking at fifteen thousand rupees sounds enormous next to a salary. Then the month has three bookings in it.
A fixed amount every month, whatever the season does. Products and kit paid for by someone else. Clients who arrive without you finding them. Training, in the better places. In exchange: a share of what you earn, and fixed hours.
Your own kit, replaced regularly. This is the cost people underestimate most. Travel to every job, sometimes far. The quiet months. In most cities, June to September is thin. Time spent finding work, which is unpaid. No paid leave, and no income when you are ill.
Do not compare your best freelance month to your salary. Compare your worst one.
Many experts do both — a salon role on fixed days, freelance bridal work on the rest. It is less romantic and often pays better than either alone. Test all three in the calculator below.
Count your kit cost honestly. Compare against your worst month, not your best. Consider doing both before choosing one.
Per job, almost always. Per month, it depends on how many bookings you get in the quiet season and how much your kit and travel cost. Use the calculator on this page with your own numbers.
Many experts do, and it is often the steadiest option. Agree the arrangement with your salon in writing first.