We just moved to a new town and to help out with the cost of our new house I have decided to offer gel nails from my home. I took the gel nail course 2 years ago and have mostly done my own nails.

I'm feeling lost as to where to start... I don't have a seperate room available yet. I have my nail desk set up in the corner of my living room. Once I start making money I will then be able to develop my basement and have a nail salon set up. But till then what do I charge, can I work under the table or do I need a business license. I was thinking about going through word of mouth for a little while before I start to advertise, is this wise? What added service can I offer to keep people wanting to come back? Do I even need to worry about that when I'm first getting started? What should I know before starting?


Please help!

I love stumbling across old threads that nobody ever replied to when im bored out of my mind lol! first of all, as far as licensing and whatnot goes you'll need to look into your local laws regarding that im afraid I can't be much help! as far as pricing goes, I would compile a list of what other techs in your area are charging and what additional services they offer, keep your prices competitive while you're tryin to build up a clientele, I had to resist the urge to charge a max price when I was starting out even working in a busy highend salon, but it was worth it! if you've been out of the loop for 2 years you might want to consider a refresher course to ensure you can compete with other techs. and its NEVER a bad idea to advertise, just make sure you stay within your means, there's lots of great advertising strategies that are cheap or free, namely the internet! start networking on sites like this one, get your name and your business out there and known. find out if your community has some kind of tourism or merchant website you can post on. print up some flyers, coupons (with an expiration date!) and business cards and hand them out or post them up wherever you can around town (post office, colleges, malls etc). and lastly, wanting to keep them coming back is ALWAYS extremely important, but especially when you're just starting out. if you're going to be working out of your home make sure your clients don't feel cheated by not going to a salon, they should be offered the same amenities and quality of service. make a comfortable work area for them and yourself, offer drinks, product samples, reading material... I usually give my new clients a free file, a small bottle of cuticle oil and a laminated after-care card. I also do a first-time-free offer for any extra services like nail art or UV topcoat. before you get started, first make sure you're skills are up to par, then decide exactly what services you are going to offer and what you'll charge. seems like you already have a good idea of what you need to do so good luck and post again!
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