Your own business place!

[New Nailz]

At what age did you open your own Salon, Garden Cabin or have a room at home to use as your salon?

I am 39 Sept...and I really want my own place. I can't afford to rent, I haven't a spare room in our house, and my garden isn't quite big enough. Can't find a cabin the size I need it. I am a little worried and upset I will get too old to start with my own place. Being mobile or working in my kitchen forever! :(

[lynn amber]

30 room in the house ,how can you be too old :-D

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[New Nailz]

30 room in the house ,how can you be too old :-D

Sent from my LT18i using SalonGeek

Because I have no extra room, and we can't move.

The garden is small, and can't fit a cabin...I measured today, so that dream has gone.

And renting a room is costly.
My clock is ticking lol

[Dream Nails]

42 and just converted a room.
If you have the desire and drive age shouldn't even come into it.

Vicki x

[New Nailz]

I did see a log cabin that may fit. But hubby says it is no good, because they don't come with insulation, and you need an expensive one, otherwise they are rubbish for using as a Salon!

[natalie3344]

How small is your garden? Is it possible for a small cabin/ summerhouse? My cabin I have order is 8x8 (inside floor space around 8.7x8.6 outside! Would one this size not fit? I looked at rooms to rent in hairdressers etc and the biggest room I saw wa 7x7 and the small one I saw I think was4.4 x 6 and they still wanted 100pw rent :lol: my garden is quite small hence the smaller cabin! And as I'm only 23 with a toddler I am doing it on a budget and so far have spent £600 with £400 left for my desk etc. I don't think your ever too old to do anything! One of my sis friends mum is 53 and doing her last year of uni to become a nurse so she will be going into nursing at age 54! She said she always wanted to do it it and is now going for it!

[natalie3344]

I did see a log cabin that may fit. But hubby says it is no good, because they don't come with insulation, and you need an expensive one, otherwise they are rubbish for using as a Salon!

Cabins don't usually come with insulation fitted its if you get them erected by the professionals it's an add on! What you need is at least 16mm thick tongue and groove cabin. And one that has a guarantee of 10 years. I'm insulating mine myself but only the roof and floor as that's where heat escapes and my walls are19 mm thick. Check out duster house, solid cabins and super value for money! Is your husband handy enough to erect the cabin for you coz that will save a ton of money! I'm lucky that I live next door to a builder who's a good friend who will erect mine for me!

[New Nailz]

The hubby keeps telling me the summer houses, and log cabins are no good. It will cost around 3 grand for a decent one with double windows and insulation or double thick walls. I am not sure if he is trying to get out of having one in the garden or not!

[New Nailz]

This is the one he says for me, and it fits well in the corner :) but alot of saving....probs get it when i'm 60 hahahhaa

Log Cabins | Coronet ® 300 (http://dunsterhouse.co.uk/log-cabins/3m-x-3m-coronet-300)

[natalie3344]

The hubby keeps telling me the summer houses, and log cabins are no good. It will cost around 3 grand for a decent one with double windows and insulation or double thick walls. I am not sure if he is trying to get out of having one in the garden or not!

Hmmmm! A roll of insulation is about £40 from b&q which you can easily do yourself! My cabin is double glazed windows and thick tongue and groove walls with a ten year guarantee and when I asked the company if in 5years time it began to rot they said they would asses and replace if damage wasn't caused by my negligence of treating it etc so I got a really good deal! I plan to one day get a larger and more expensive cabin but for the mean time starting off small so I can earn the money to pay for a larger one! I don't know what to suggest to get your husband on board with your plan?:(

[New Nailz]

Hmmmm! A roll of insulation is about £40 from b&q which you can easily do yourself! My cabin is double glazed windows and thick tongue and groove walls with a ten year guarantee and when I asked the company if in 5years time it began to rot they said they would asses and replace if damage wasn't caused by my negligence of treating it etc so I got a really good deal! I plan to one day get a larger and more expensive cabin but for the mean time starting off small so I can earn the money to pay for a larger one! I don't know what to suggest to get your husband on board with your plan?:(

I think secretly, he isn't keen. He hasn't given me any other reason to think otherwise. But well, not much I can do, but just see what happens :) Thanks for your help though. Your Cabin sounds great. Don't forget to show piccys

[Brownie]

I opened my salon at the age of 18. You can never be too young or old x

[LilMissEmmylou]

Oooh he has good taste though - that one is very pretty.

TBH rather than paying out hundreds to thousands on a summer house/cabin wouldnt it make more sense to rent a room for a short while? Depending on your area it may not cost as much a you think and one would hope with some good advertising you would make more than enough to cover the rent and some wages after a month or so if you already have the equiptment you need :)

[Jodie-danielle]

I was 21 with my own shop :D it will be 2 years old 24th of this month. any age is perfect! Go for it you will love it :) xxx

[New Nailz]

But did you guys get help with your business by your parents?

[claireyfairy]

Im sure your hubby means well but I would take the advice of the others on here who are already working in there cabins etc as to what you may need size/insulation wise as they are speaking from experience of working in them. If you are confident it would increase your business could you get it on an interest free credit card which would give you a year or so to pay back? If its your dream keep pushing and don't give up. Good luck. :hug:

[Mattsmaiden]

I opened my small hair salon this year, aged 41! Best thing I ever did - keep looking - I found my room on gumtree, it's small but perfect for me, I pay rent and no bills so easy to earn that! Follow your dream just be patient and the right thing will find you! Good luck! :)

[lynn amber]

But did you guys get help with your business by your parents?

No help im a really good saver ,but if you need help then take it ,i think your hubby is not keen but he will have to remember it will benefit him to because you will be happy and probably make more money long term ,go for it get a cheapish cabin and a good joiner/builder to fix it up and you are sorted no more rent :-D

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[UK Print Broker]

I started at 19 in the print business. Had my own printers since 20.
No age too young or old. No financial support anywhere - started with a £200 budget now have in excess of £20k worth of machinery as well as a shop on the main road from London to Southend, Essex :)

Anything can be achieved when you put your mind to it. Your husband will come round promise.

But did you guys get help with your business by your parents?

[Brownie]

But did you guys get help with your business by your parents?

I've worked from the age of 14 and always been wise with my money. Therefore I had saved up in excess of £6000 to open up my salon x

[New Nailz]

That's determination Oo wow.

[souz]

i started my 2nd home salon 9 months ago, had a little help from mum along the way (mainly cos she wanted her nails done lol!!) but mostly have done it myself....started off doing it in middle of front room and now i have taken over the conservatory (used to be our dining room) now we have a folding table that we use for big family dinners otherwise its dinner on your lap kind of thing!! its not ideal but its all i have at the moment. I am full time carer for my son so renting a room etc isnt an optiion just yet. clients are happy and once they in conservatory family have the house back!! just means i have to keep house VERY clean and tidy which isnt easy with 4 teenage boys!!

basically if you want it enough you will make what you have got work for you! xx

[Beau-ty]

Hi i would definately look into renting a room a bit more. its ideal if you find the right place thats what i do, personally i wouldn't want to work at home unless it was really ideal. you only have to worry about your rent apart from the usual insurance stock etc so havent got got loads of other bills and overheads if you are quiet. Hope you sort something soon - i would love my own shop but on the practical side don't think i earn enough to cover all the overheads x

[Annemarie]

I opened my own salon 6 weeks ago at the grand old age of 47. I love it. I've been in the business for 15 years and started out mobile at first. Then I rented a room in a small heairdressers, was there for about 8 months then rented another room (curtained off area actually) upstairs in another hairdressers with a nail station in the corner downstairs. I was there for nearly 12 years.
My goal was to open my own salon eventually so my dream has come true. I had been looking and viewed a few premises over the past 2 years until I found this one. It's perfect. But don't be fooled it's hard work and you do have to put the hours in. I practically live in the place at the moment. Hehe but the pros outway the cons and it's so rewarding.
I was fortunate enough to bring my existing clientelle I'd built up over the years from the hairdressers to my new salon so I didn't start off from scratch. That's important specially in this current climate.
Follow your dream and good luck in whatever you do. I'm sure you'll do just fine.:biggrin:

[GracefulH&B]

I would say have a look around and see if you can rent a room local to home. Your OH sounds like he would rather keep his home/garden private and who can blame him. I have a summerhouse in my garden. I live down a quite secluded lane and have a big garden so working from home is ideal for me. BUT, I have people turning up at all hours and days looking for appointments. My DH has to take the kids out when I have clients or lock the front door to stop them going outside (most of my treatments are relaxation treatments). We paid less than £2000 for an insulated 8 x 10 summerhouse and my husband rigged up the electrics and a water supply. The pluses are that I don't have to pay rent, rates, etc so I make a profit a lot quicker than I would if I had a salon/rented a room. The downsides are, you never feel like your off duty. Oh, and age doesn't matter. If you want something, go and get it.

[New Nailz]

I don't want to rent. It costs too much. And if it is a problem with hubby, then that is just being selfish, as he knows it is my dream. But I don't think this is the case. He is just thinking of how much it will cost. But he knows I will do it eventually. When I am gunning to do something, it will happen, cause like I said...it's my dream! :)

[VerdePurdy]

19 and almost finished kitting out my home salon! Xx

[sugarfarie]

I made my little home salon under the stairs :-) that was the only space left in the house ! I have 4 children ( 17, 20, 21 & 23) that occupy the upstairs bedrooms, my bedroom is downstairs in the front room, so space is very limited, but it works and people are amazed that it looks "so professional"
One day I might get my hands on the little box room ! Everyone had dreams :-)

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[izzidoll]

I don't understand how renting would be too expensive.
You don't need to take on a whole shop but can rent space or a room within premises, a hair salon, or a beauty salon, I even know a fabulous beauty therapist, running a great business, in rooms upstairs within a dental practise ;)

Doing it that way means you would buy all of your equipment, furniture and stock but you would do that for your cabin anyway.
Then you would be paying anything from £100 a week for your space (obviously location and area affect the rate) which is only 4 gel polish treatments a week then the rest is for your business.

That way you are out there getting known, building a clientele and if you want saving for getting a salon of your own.

Surely this is a cheaper option than paying out £3,000 for a cabin that will fill your garden.

[cirrusbeauty]

I was 18 when i set up my salon (9 years ago) My parents lent me £500 for the very basics and i ploughed everything i made into it for quite sometime until i had all the equiptment and priducts i wanted, i now have 3 staff and love what i do.
I also think renting a room would be the best option for you, i think you would build up a clientelle quicker as you can market yourself to the place where you rent a rooms existing clients ie renting a room in a hairdressers and marketing yourself to there clients x

[New Nailz]

I don't understand how renting would be too expensive.
You don't need to take on a whole shop but can rent space or a room within premises, a hair salon, or a beauty salon, I even know a fabulous beauty therapist, running a great business, in rooms upstairs within a dental practise ;)

Doing it that way means you would buy all of your equipment, furniture and stock but you would do that for your cabin anyway.
Then you would be paying anything from £100 a week for your space (obviously location and area affect the rate) which is only 4 gel polish treatments a week then the rest is for your business.

That way you are out there getting known, building a clientele and if you want saving for getting a salon of your own.

Surely this is a cheaper option than paying out £3,000 for a cabin that will fill your garden.

Renting a room at 100 a week is alot. You could go days with no client!!
My husband doesn't earn alot from his work, and having 3 children I have to think about expense. Buying a cabin, is expensive to start with, yes! But in the long run, I will have no rent to pay for the rest of my career, and have the bonus of working from home!!

[New Nailz]

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m115/sk0rpy/92.jpg

This is my garden, and in the place of the shed already there, we can fit a 9'10" wide x 9'10" deep corner cabin without it taking too much more room, and it would look better then the shed for starters. So I think it will go well.

Log Cabins | Coronet ® 300 (http://dunsterhouse.co.uk/log-cabins/3m-x-3m-coronet-300)

[natalie3344]

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m115/sk0rpy/92.jpg

This is my garden, and in the place of the shed already there, we can fit a 9'10" wide x 9'10" deep corner cabin without it taking too much more room, and it would look better then the shed for starters. So I think it will go well.

Log Cabins | Coronet ® 300 (http://dunsterhouse.co.uk/log-cabins/3m-x-3m-coronet-300)

I love your garden! And the cabin is beautiful! Before you jump in you also need to consider getting planning permission, electricity being run there (unless you have it there already), make sure the cabin is within 7ft of your house or it will be considered an extension of you home which will mean a lot more money with permission etc. do the clients have to walk through your home to get to the garden or is there a side entrance? If they have to go through your home you need to check with your mortgage and home insurence if your still covered! There's lots to consider first and with the cabin you want you are probably wanting to save 4 maybe 5k to get everything done!

[New Nailz]

Yes, we already had all this in mind.

It will be 15ft between back door and Cabin. We have a back gate too.

As long as it is removable (able to take it down), wood and under 2 and half meters in height, no planning permission needed.

My Nephew is an electrician, so he will install electric sockets etc cheaper for me.

It won't be yet, I need to save up...will be in a year or two. But I got the go ahead :)

[natalie3344]

Yes, we already had all this in mind.

It will be 15ft between back door and Cabin. We have a back gate too.

As long as it is removable (able to take it down), wood and under 2 and half meters in height, no planning permission needed.

My Nephew is an electrician, so he will install electric sockets etc cheaper for me.

It won't be yet, I need to save up...will be in a year or two. But I got the go ahead :)

Brilliant! Your on it already! It's great having tradesmen in th family! My uncle doing the electrics for me! Really handy coz it would probably cost a fortune to pay for! Glad everything's a go now for you, something to look forward to! The cabin is really amazing! Hopefully I will be able to upgrade to something along the lines of your one in a few years! Need to start earning the money for it first tho! ;) good luck with it all, and before you know it you'll be back on here showing off your new home salon! X

[New Nailz]

Brilliant! Your on it already! It's great having tradesmen in th family! My uncle doing the electrics for me! Really handy coz it would probably cost a fortune to pay for! Glad everything's a go now for you, something to look forward to! The cabin is really amazing! Hopefully I will be able to upgrade to something along the lines of your one in a few years! Need to start earning the money for it first tho! ;) good luck with it all, and before you know it you'll be back on here showing off your new home salon! X

Yes, I have something to look forward too. This was my husbands main problem to why he wouldn't allow it. He said if I ma going to do this, he wants it all done properly, so nothing falls back on us. We are not planning to move, so it will be permanant thing. I am really looking forward to it. I know it is a few years away, but things like this, cost time and money. And it will be worth it, in the long run. No rent to pay, and working from home. Having 3 children, and two of them being 5 and 8, I can work my own hours, and pick them up from school, which is a 10 minute walk. Be close by at home, when working and children just being in the house with ym eldest.....All looking good for the future for me :) Thanks for all your help girls x

[lynn amber]

That's good news hope its sooner rather than later :-D

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[Jodie-danielle]

But did you guys get help with your business by your parents?

Mine helped where they could but I saved up myself whilst I was working in salon and been mobile.
I did however go to the princes trust for help with business courses and such and it turned out i could apply for the business grant which I did and was successfully accepted and I will have paid it all off next year.
X

[eternalscot]

Set up a salon at age 22 in 1997 budget £10k, worked hard and got fed up with staff and having no life sold business at age 27 for £110k. Took a break set up Home based business 28 and it keeps me going. I personally think you are better doing when your young cos you have no commitments and tons of energy. I'm now 36 and feel too old for all the carry on with a shop maybe it is because I have tiring 5 year old to look after, home suits me and I make a good living. Good luck and having and renting a room would be a better choice for you and saves money in the long term. Ask a room rental on a commission basis instead if cash flow is a worry say 40/60 is typical in this field.

[Jemima26]

I set up my business at 26. 18 months ago. My dad lent me some money initially but that's all paid back now, then I used the profits to buy more and add more things. I'm hoping by the end of this year to add an extra 2 beauty rooms and an office.

I'm have a receptionist starting in September so I will have 2 therapists and a receptionist working for me.

I don't take a wage yet, and this is tough, my hubby doesn't earn a lot but we manage. I have 3 young children 8, 6 and 3 and they love it that mummy owns a beauty salon. My 2 girls come and have their nails done and think they are so grown up. I am making a future for us as a family and it will all be worth it in the end. I pick the kids up from school at least twice a week, never missed a sports day, assembly, first day, school Fayre, school fundraiser etc I work 5 minute walk from school and the school is a 10 minute walk form my home so it's all very close in case of an emergency.

I think it's never to early or late to start a business, it also doesn't matter if you had help or not. It is easier when you don't have children or a house as you have no worries and no huge outgoings but that doesn't mean it can't work for people who do have commitments.

Good luck for the future :-)

[geekling]

I'm really thinking of doing this, with the cabin, I'm only 18 and work full time but my dream is something like this, the rents have said 'maybe' I could do this if it didn't effect them too much, I wanted a home salon at 1st but I couldnt because of the mortgage etc and then a family trouble meant my younger brothers + sisters have taken up the spare room... could anyone give me any info on this? Will i need permission etc, I read the post above and it would be more than 7ft from the house, but next to the garage? Would this still count do you think? Any help so appreciated, I love love love the idea of a cabin! The clients would come in via the back gate.... like I said any info really appreciated!!

[natalie3344]

I'm really thinking of doing this, with the cabin, I'm only 18 and work full time but my dream is something like this, the rents have said 'maybe' I could do this if it didn't effect them too much, I wanted a home salon at 1st but I couldnt because of the mortgage etc and then a family trouble meant my younger brothers + sisters have taken up the spare room... could anyone give me any info on this? Will i need permission etc, I read the post above and it would be more than 7ft from the house, but next to the garage? Would this still count do you think? Any help so appreciated, I love love love the idea of a cabin! The clients would come in via the back gate.... like I said any info really appreciated!!

Best to contact your local council and ask! I shouldn't think it would be a problem because it is away from the actual 'living quarters' of the property so it shouldn't be classed as an extension! All local councils are different tho, some really couldn't care less what you do and wonder why you are contacting them and others want you to jump through hoops and want to come out and inspect etc. so for a definite answer I would give them a quick call! As the clients will enter through the back gate your mortgage and home insurence wouldn't be affected as they aren't physically entering the property! Hth's

[geekling]

Thanx for your reply! I don't have a big garden, and the garage is on one side, and a wall on the other, its more of a yard really, so clients would literally come through the back gate, into the cabin! It will look ugly to us from the kitchen but not bad to the client, also with it being the back I figured it wouldn't intrude on family life, is there any specific requirements with regards to health and safety within the salon? Is insulation etc needed? I could ask a million questions as it is just a new idea to me, but even since seeing one on here my little mind has been ticking thinking about if it could possibly work!

[natalie3344]

Thanx for your reply! I don't have a big garden, and the garage is on one side, and a wall on the other, its more of a yard really, so clients would literally come through the back gate, into the cabin! It will look ugly to us from the kitchen but not bad to the client, also with it being the back I figured it wouldn't intrude on family life, is there any specific requirements with regards to health and safety within the salon? Is insulation etc needed? I could ask a million questions as it is just a new idea to me, but even since seeing one on here my little mind has been ticking thinking about if it could possibly work!

I k ow I think the most appealing part to a cabin is the fact it can be completely separate from home life! With regards to health and safety should be the same as in a normal salon first aid kit and safety poster! It's not a requirement from my council but worth doing to be safe and look professional! I don't think it is required to have insulation but i think it is a must with the cold country we live in! I'd contact your council sooner rather than later so you know exactly what you will need! I remember a thread a while back where a girl was told she would have to have a sink in her home salon by her council which was a lot of money to do! And some people are required to have planning permission whilst others weren't so it really does depend on the area you live! It's best to go straight to the top to get your answers as I spent ages on the Internet researching everything but when I called the council they really couldn't care less! As long as there was no increase in traffic And I wasn't working too late and they were no smells or loud music then I was good to go!