Disheartened with beauty

[Diana-Jane]

i would love that! if anyone ever sees me on here one day moaning about being too busy, feel free to tell me to shut up!
think I've been needing a kick to get me motivated again so I'll upgrade my website, get my mug on it and report back.
thanks to everyone so far who has given me feedback and advice. i love salon geek!
x

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[em79]

I'm seriously considering giving up working in the beauty industry and just wonder how so many other geeks manage to make a living from it.
I qualified last summer and got a job straight away in a busy hotel spa. Zero hours contract, minimum wage, 7+ hours of massage a day. So i lasted one year and when there was no sign of permanent contract or pay increase i decided to try self employed.
I've been renting a room in a busy hair salon in the centre of town since June and im getting quieter, i had hoped this time of year would pick up.
Im the only salon around that offers Kim Lawless trained Brazilian waxing using hot wax and I've promoted that fact a lot, on my website, Facebook and talking to clients. Hasn't made any difference, done around 6 Brazilians. some people have been shocked that i charge £30 for it and a few clients have said they know somewhere doing it cheaper.
Shellac and facial waxing are my most popular treatments but not popular enough to keep me busy!
Most of my clients have come to me through the hair stylists singing my praises so i don't know that being on the CND salon locator would make a massive difference.
My website is ok, basic but informative. When i ask clients how they heard of me its always either through the stylists, walk-ins or they saw one of my leaflets. Nobody has said Facebook or my website.
i know it can take years to build a clientele and i cant expect to make a profit in the first year but my situation is honestly grim! Day after day of no clients or cancellations. its so distressing after spending a lot of money on stock and flyers.
Lynne Bakers thread gave me some inspiration and I've contacted loads of local businesses, donated vouchers to fundraising events but so far I've not seen any extra clients out of it.
have i just chosen an awful time to go it alone?
I've been trying so hard not to get down about all this but months of no income is taking its toll.
Off for a cry now


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Hi
I completely understand where you are coming from and how you feel.

I opened my first salon last year and I to spend most of my days just sat waiting for someone to come in or ring which really upsets me and gets me down. I spent so much money on the salon, got a good website.

Keep your chin up it should all work out in the end xx

 

[squidgernetball]

I think you've had some great advice on here, and I hope it helps.
Removing 'weebly' from your website is a must, and has been said, is cheap as chips. Also, put your website on your FB page, so everything is linked, so when you put a post about a treatment "Now offering Brazilian waxing - visit my website at xxxxxx for more information".
I googled 'brazilians falkirk' and found you (Yay) so that is good, but no website anywhere came up - confess I didn't look too long.

I also have a weebly site (without the weebly), and this allows me to look at site stats, so I can see how many visits I get per month, whether they go up when I put it on a FB post (yes, massively) and also the search terms people have used to find me, which is useful.

When I say my leaflets are a work of art, I learnt long ago that people will look and judge - the nature of the beast. Many years ago, when I started out doing beauty, I had a little room at home. A good friend designed some lovely leaflets for me for free. I had a load printed and got them delivered using a local free magazine who can target specific villages and areas - it cost me about £40 per 1000 for delivery. (Cheaper than the Sunday roast I had to buy the family when we tried to do it ourselves). I got new clients who would then drive into my road, stop and phone me. "Am I in the right place?" My little house wasn't what they expected from the lovely leaflets I sent out. Those leaflets got me clients - again it is then up to me to retain those clients.
People will judge us all the time - I agree about not dropping your prices - too low, and it just ends up being ridiculous. As has been said, use the quiet time to sort your website and phone around to find out how much it will cost to get leaflets delivered in the areas you want - local clients make the best!
Finally.....have a look at the search terms you put into your weebly site. There are words etc that you can use to bring you up when people google 'beauty falkirk', and get yourself on Google maps - I'm fairly sure its free.
Good luck,
Vicki x

 

[Kim Lawless]

I was expecting your call today but no voicemail from you. Never mind, once you've removed the free website thingy, send me the link and I'll promote it on my Twitter and Facebook. It'll all be good so be positive……..things WILL turn around but you have to meet good luck half way. xox

 

[Diana-Jane]

Kim i did call, i think i spoke to your assistant first and she gave me a number to get you on. i left a voicemail.
was around 2.30 today.

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[Diana-Jane]

I was expecting your call today but no voicemail from you. Never mind, once you've removed the free website thingy, send me the link and I'll promote it on my Twitter and Facebook. It'll all be good so be positive……..things WILL turn around but you have to meet good luck half way. xox

and thank you, i will get in touch again once i sort the website out x

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[Kim Lawless]

Kim i did call, i think i spoke to your assistant first and she gave me a number to get you on. i left a voicemail.
was around 2.30 today.

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Oh you called the training number. I'm so sorry but there's no VM but I've had trouble with my iPhone since I updated the software. I'll go through recent calls and try to call if I get a moment (training the next two days). xx

 

[Victoriabar]

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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I too am light on clients tho other factors ive had going on could be reason why BUT this last 4mo ive picked myself up, done more learning and qualification of skills, bought a website and name (new name new venture) and am ready to set it out live Dec 1st - although i do already have my regulars still from my old name/skills

I bought my site from one.com with my chosen name for £10.00 for the year. I really enjoyed building the site and im about to have my bro in law go through it with a web designer friend to see if I need to change anything.
Only thing with my one.com site is ive not worked out yet how to make mobile viewing the same as PC, and that on iPad/tablets it needs to be viewing in landscape.

If you want to check my site out let me know and if you decide to go with One.com too let me know as we both get extra page size due to recommend a friend

And for the record too, this time last year I was working in a salon, clients cancelling all the time. I'd be lucky if I got one a week but I plugged on turning up for work hoping for passing trade (we were surrounded by nail shops charging a tenner so were never going to get many apart from the odd hair client reffered to me who wasn't already a cheap nail client elsewhere..
The salon closed a few months ago, trade had slipped so much it wasn't viable for the owner to keep going, shes now mobile with her few faithfuls.

I think the economic crisis is still hugely affecting many folk, despite what we hear about it getting better.

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[eternalscot]

When I set up in business in 1998 it was FAR easier! Now the beauty industry is saturated with Del Boy and Rodney and their short courses. No way would I go into the beauty trade in this day. There is definitely a recession on life is much harder wait til all the Roma and Bulgarians hair and beauty specialists come, dire!