How to earn money as a hairdresser in Pula

Where Pula customers come from

In a city the size of Pula, your customers will come from several sources at once. Some will find you through word of mouth - people who know you or heard from someone they know. Others will search online when they need a haircut, either through Google or through local service platforms. A few will come from workplaces: people who work in offices, shops, schools or the port may learn that a hairdresser is available and book during lunch or after work. Tourists and visitors to Pula also need haircuts.

The number of potential customers in Pula is smaller than in a large city, which means you need to be visible and easy to find. A profile on a platform like Websta, where customers in Pula search for hairdressers by location and can see your services and prices, puts you in front of people actively looking. Word of mouth remains powerful in a smaller city - one satisfied customer often brings others.

Setting your first price

Your price is yours to set. Before you choose, look at what other hairdressers in Pula charge for the same service - a men's haircut, a women's cut, a colour, or whatever you offer. Call a few salons or check their websites. This gives you a real sense of the local market. Pula is not a high-income city compared to Zagreb, so pricing significantly above what others charge will lose you customers, but pricing far below can suggest lower quality.

When you start, pricing at or slightly below the local middle range often makes sense: customers are more willing to try someone new, and you build a client base. Once you have regular customers and a reputation, you can adjust prices upward. Remember that any price you set must cover your costs - materials, transport, workspace if you rent - and leave you with actual income after tax and contributions.

Tax and legal requirements for independent work in Croatia

When you work independently as a hairdresser in Croatia, you must register as a self-employed person or sole trader. The exact requirements and thresholds depend on your income level and whether you work from home or a rented space. Contact the Tax Administration (Porezna uprava) or the Croatian Chamber of Commerce to confirm what you must register and what tax obligations apply to your situation.

Income from hairdressing is taxable. You will need to keep records of money you earn and expenses you incur. Depending on your setup, you may also owe social security contributions. Some people work through a service platform that handles some administrative steps, while others manage their own registration. Do not assume - ask the Tax Administration or an accountant in Pula before you start taking money.

Payments to your personal bank account from customers should be documented. If you use a platform like Websta, payments from customers go directly to your own bank account through Stripe, and you keep all records.

Your first ten customers

When you start, your first customers will likely be people who already know you or who find you by chance. They may not be the easiest or most patient - some will expect a price that barely covers your time. Others will be genuinely grateful to find a hairdresser they can afford or reach easily. A few may ask for work that is harder than average or request changes after the fact.

Your first months will show you what actually happens when money is involved. You will learn which services are quick and profitable, which take longer than you expected, and which attract difficult requests. You will also learn whether your workspace is right, whether your schedule works, and whether you enjoy the reality of the work - not just the skill, but the customer interaction and the pace. This learning costs time and may cost you some earnings as you adjust.

Common problems in the first months

Many people starting independent work underestimate time and overestimate income. A haircut that takes an hour from start to finish leaves little margin if your price is low. Travel time to reach customers, time spent answering messages, and time dealing with a dissatisfied customer all reduce your hourly rate. Pula is not so large that distances are long, but they add up.

Another common issue is pricing too low to start. It feels safe, but it attracts customers focused mainly on price, and it makes it hard to raise prices later without losing them. Once someone pays a certain amount for your work, they resist paying more, even if your skill or reputation improves.

Some people also struggle with the administrative side - forgetting to track income, missing tax deadlines, or not understanding what they owe. This catches up with you and costs money. Handling money correctly from the start saves stress later.

How a Websta profile helps

A profile on Websta gives you a page that looks like a small website. It shows your services, the prices you set, photos of your work, and a contact form. Customers in Pula searching for hairdressers by location and service can find you. You can enable online booking so people can reserve a time slot without texting or calling back and forth.

This profile is a single link you can send to anyone who asks about your work - a potential customer, someone who knows you, or a workplace. It answers the basic questions people have: what do you do, how much does it cost, and how do I book. Payments from customers come directly to your own bank account through Stripe. You keep all the money you earn - Websta makes its own charges for the platform, separate from customer payments.

The reality of earning money as a hairdresser

Earning money as a hairdresser in Pula is possible. People need haircuts and are willing to pay for them. But income is not automatic and is not fast at the start. You build it customer by customer, reputation by reputation. The first few months may bring in little money - sometimes only enough to cover costs. Whether this becomes side income that supplements another job or becomes your full income depends on how many customers you attract, how much you charge, and how efficiently you work.

There is no promise of a specific number of customers, a timeline for profitability, or an income target. What you earn depends on factors you control - quality, reliability, pricing, visibility - and factors you do not - how many people in Pula need a haircut, whether they find you, whether they like your work. Plan for the first months to be slow. If they are not, that is a bonus.