Disheartened with beauty

[Diana-Jane]

that's a lovely reply noreen, very encouraging. thank you. im glad things have turned around for you. some weeks after rent im only clearing £50 - £80. that's soul destroying after spending on fuel getting to work and buying in stock etc. its good to know that it can get better!
i know some people might say you're only new to the industry, why would clients beat a path but im not resting on my college education. i spent a lot of money training with top companies so i can offer the very best of treatments. and after a year in a 5 star spa i can do a mean massage and a perfect polish! i just need to get people in the door to show them that.
my husband has been amazingly patient and supportive but even he's beginning to question whether its worth my while going in every day to almost empty columns. i don't know how much longer i can get away with saying it'll pick up soon!



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[Diana-Jane]

I have decided to go the Holistic route, Reflexology etc, as I think beauty is great if you work in a great spa or such like or have been established for uears and use " exceptional spa products", but mobile or home salon- when you have people setting up and doing nails for £12 and tans for £8 , why bother, some people just want a fast cheap treatment and they don't care if the nails don't last, whether they are a funny shade of brown.

how is that working out for you? I've thought about learning reflexology too. would you say people are still spending on holistic treatments?

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[Kim Lawless]

Call me Monday afternoon for pep talk and hug xx

 

[ginarose]

As someone once said on here, they spend more in a coffee shop than they do on a set of nails with some of the prices that are going around, its so true, i won't budge, im working on other things too now until nails pick up, not far from me someone is doing shellac for £6, well, im not playing :irked: people are becoming so greedy they'll be taking the shirt of your back next, the thing is if they went to work somewhere they would expect to be paid by the hour for what they do but they seem to think that for us they only need to cover what they think the costs are, not the work you put in or the other costs which they forget exist
It seems to be happening in every line of work, clothes etc, no wonder evryone is miserable

not had chance to read the full thread yet but had to reply to this!! I just can't see how people can offer a professional shellac service for £6?! there's a salon near me that offers Nouvatan for £5? how are these people making a profit and they're also devaluing the brands at the same time 😫😫 some salons are crazy and offer acrylic nails tan and eyelashes for £20 and I physically can't get my head around it lol x

 

[shedunlop]

If clients are telling you that you are too expensive then your are my darling.

shedunlop i appreciate your reply but id never let clients opinions influence my prices!
I've had people message me on Facebook saying let me know when you're doing offers. as if im a big business that can afford to have a sale.
as i saw another geek on here say recently, i don't survive on fairy dust!


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No one is saying reduce your prices to the point of being silly but if you have clients telling you that you are charging too much for a particular treatment and the area does not support that price then you will not get people taking you up on that treatment, which was why you are disheartened. By taking £5 off the treatment price you may encourage those who want you but just can't stretch to that amount.

I don't agree at all with offers, I never, ever do offers as people just wait for them instead of booking in properly. How long can you carry on the way you are? It is fine saying that you know you are great at the treatments, and I have no doubt at all that you are, but if your clients aren't prepared to pay what you are charging you won't have a business.

Like I said no one is saying charge a tenner but compared to your other pricing, which is very similar to mine, the cost of Intimate waxing that you charge does seem about a fiver out of step.

Even if you attracted one new client a week at £25 it would be an extra £100 a month that you don't have for around 2 hours work. I work out my pricing on an hourly rate rather than what everyone says and these are the most profitable treatments I do. At £25 you are working on a £50 an hour rate. I do most of mine from the front so the bum is only in my face for a couple of minutes while I tidy up and to be honest for £50 an hour I don't care where their bum is ha ha ha :wink2:

 

[Kim Lawless]

Sorry for the quick reply earlier but I've only just finished work.

We'll have a chat on Monday but just to throw this out on the thread; have you thought about specialising? Facials? Brazilians? Nails? Lashes? Whatever you feel you enjoy the most and what would make you the most money. What do you excel at? You don't have to stop doing everything else, you just become amazing at one thing and become known for it. xox

 

[Kim Lawless]

thank you vicki,
i hate being so negative but every one of my clients so far this week have cancelled and its getting me down. and im looking back on my minimum wage days and thinking i wish i had that now!
need to have a pep talk with myself!


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If they've cancelled and re-booked then that's fine but you must set boundaries. I allow my clients to be late by 2 minutes and I'm on the phone asking where they are.

If they're cancelled and not re-booked, then you need to be honest and ask yourself if your treatments are up to scratch. Why not ask a friend to arrange three mystery shoppers for you for three different treatments (free of course) and the deal is that they give 100% honest feedback.

Don't change your prices! Put your prices up and be brilliant at what you do. I'm surrounded my salons and I don't take a bit of notice. I just know that I'm worth what I charge, so you must adopt a positive attitude. You know what I say………..if you're the best waxer in town then shout it from the rooftops………but you HAVE to BE the best waxer in town. x

 

[Kim Lawless]

My leaflets are a work of art!!!

Lol……..I love your confidence :Love: x

 

[laurakate]

I can empathise with the minimum wage dilemma in that having worked in spas so far, they pay you as little as they can per hour and it can be massively demoralising. However those hours do add up when it comes to payday.

Working for yourself is better for morale because after working in a spa I think a lot of people feel strongly about where they want to set the bar with how they're treated after all that. ..at least that's how I feel anyway! Trouble is though that when it comes to making money this way it can be very stressful and unpredictable.

I think my current plan is to be self employed for the sake of job satisfaction and then to do some temping at spas at a later date because when money talks, rightly or wrongly I think that's where it's at.

I hope I don't offend anyone by saying this but if I needed to earn as much as I possibly could to get by then I would probably be in a different industry. I do this because I'm motivated by enjoying myself and if that were to come to an end then I certainly wouldn't be doing beauty for the money!

I hope this doesn't sound negative but it's the mindset I have about the industry im in in that I know why I'm doing it but I'm humble about the realities of how far I think this can take me financially within my beliefs of what the industry is.

Edit...what I'm saying is that I get by on the above mindset.

 

[Diana-Jane]

Kim thanks for replying, i agree about not lowering my prices. i put on offers every so often but lowering prices would look so unprofessional after having my leaflets printed.
the cancellations were all long term regular clients. i wonder if they feel like oh Diana won't mind, she knows I've got a lot on, or something like that. it depends who takes the call as to getting them to rebook. if its one of the stylists and they're busy they probably wouldn't ask.
my Brazilians take approx half an hour, never more than that. so i might not be the fastest but im really thorough. and the few new Brazilian clients I've had have seemed really pleased as there are very few salons locally using hot wax.
i want to specialise in waxing and my leaflet design reflects that. but my most popular treatments are shellac and facial waxing. and as much as id be happy to wax brows and chins all day, its not very lucrative!
I've lost count of the amount of people who say they just couldn't have everything waxed off. when they say that i think oh i bet they're interested really and i explain how its not as bad as they think and how good it feels after.
this week i took in a grand total of £52. im trying to stay upbeat because i enjoy my job but that's rubbish, worst week yet!
think i will have to look for a part time paid job and see my clients Fridays and Saturdays.
perhaps where i live just isn't the right target audience for Brazilians?

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[Diana-Jane]

Laurakate, i enjoyed working at the spa despite the pay and conditions. i had a great laugh and there was fantastic team spirit amongst the therapists. but im 43, and 7 hours of massage a day was exhausting and probably the reason why i have to take anti-inflammatories now!
shifts were cut at a moments notice but we had to beg months in advance for a day off. so definitely not a long term career option for me.
but that minimum wage would be lovely!

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[Kim Lawless]

What's your website? X

 

[Kim Lawless]

Just had a look and I can't find a website for you and you're doing nothing on your FB page. Do you have a website? I'll Tweet it. X

 

[Diana-Jane]

oops! thanks for pointing that out Kim. I've changed salon and haven't updated my details on here.
its Artemis Beauty and Waxing
www.Artemisbeautyandwaxing.weebly.com


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[Kim Lawless]

Is that a free website? If it is then change it to a paid one. I built my own website and it's just £5.99 a month. You must give the right impression.

Another tip if you don't mind me saying is to change the name, unless you own a salon called that. DO you rent a room in a salon or are you mobile? Home? Just had a quick look so forgive me.

Ok, so my tips until we speak are:-

1. Use your own name or a catchy name for waxing (I'll help you think of one)

2. If you want to specialise in waxing, don't mention beauty in the name and they'll soon realise that you do other treatment

3. Put a photo up of yourself

4. Get rid of the 'by Weebly' as it looks cheap.

Meant with love so I hope you take it that way. I'll help you all I can but you have to meet me halfway (see above). xx

 

[Diana-Jane]

Kim i completely understand what you mean. i know the free website isn't great but im really on a budget. also i got a good deal with my leaflets and have thousands printed with that name and website on them so although i will definitely upgrade in time, i cant do it just now.
i rent a room in a hair salon so i can call myself whatever i like but it would seem wasteful to change my business name when I've had my leaflets and gift vouchers printed.

the website baffles me, besides the basics i don't know how to put anything nice and flashy on it.

ahh! wish id thought about all of this before! x

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[Kim Lawless]

Kim i completely understand what you mean. i know the free website isn't great but im really on a budget. also i got a good deal with my leaflets and have thousands printed with that name and website on them so although i will definitely upgrade in time, i cant do it just now.
i rent a room in a hair salon so i can call myself whatever i like but it would seem wasteful to change my business name when I've had my leaflets and gift vouchers printed.

the website baffles me, besides the basics i don't know how to put anything nice and flashy on it.

ahh! wish id thought about all of this before! x

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Don't stress about the name change but for a few quid a month, you really must upgrade to a paid site as it reflects on you. Sorry to be blunt, just trying to help. Your website it your shop window. It doesn't need to be flashy. X

 

[Diana-Jane]

no need to apologise, you're advice is much appreciated! i will look into upgrading my website as soon as possible.
you really believe it can have a big impact on the amount of clients through the door?

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[Kim Lawless]

Right missus..... It's about £3 a month so if you can't afford that. I promise you that if you make changes on your site you'll get busier. Also, whilst you're so quiet, you can work on your FB page and Twitter. Be known by your name x at x salon (see I've forgotten the name already). Get your own name out there.

So you can get that done by Monday can't you. Sorry you asked? Lol. You won't be sorry when you're packed out doing Brazilians every half an hour xx

 

[noreenoconnor]

You know you can put a forwarding address on websites so if you do change your website it is possible to set it up that if someone types in your old address it will automatically forward them to the new website , might be helpful for you x