Is the market oversaturated with nail techs?

[Sassy Hassy]

Well as always my little brain gets ticking from the questions being asked on recent threads and then the tick goes to a big thumping noise and I have to ask the questions ...

Do you think the market is now oversaturated with nail technicians?

Do you see it all ending in tears and a lot of people giving up?

I have noticed prices falling and falling in my area (and I'm not just talking NSS here) and enquiries for new sets getting fewer. I won't reduce my prices as I have trained hard to get where I am, and although not perfect by any means I like to think I am better than the average tech! I have a steady core of loyal clients who are my bread and butter, but my phone doesn't ring like it used to.

Just wondered what other peeps opinions are.

 

[jac extreme]

Too right, they are everywhere, but a lot of them have had only a minimum amount of training, which leads to bad work which leads to bad reputation, which in turn affects us all. ps my phone is ver quiet at the moment to Sass.

 

[Sassy Hassy]

My thoughts exactly Jac. too many people thinking they can do a 2 day nail course and be fully qualified and charge what they like. Although it's not a new industry in this country there has been such a huge increase in the past few years and I think it has grown too quickly, too much misinformation etc. I just hope it all settles down and the whole industry is taken more seriously, with more emphasis on the good and not on the bad and downright ugly!

 

[jac extreme]

What concerns me is the amount of people setting up on their own with little or no experience (working in a salon with other more experienced techs is a good remedy for this) charging a lot less than a good tech should, then because of their limited knowledge they are producing work of a poor standard, which as I said before reflects on the technicians who have put time and money into getting the best training and education possible

 

[louisenewell]

my phone and diary are very blank at the moment.I used to be one of two mobile techs advertising in my free local newspaper,which i used to do quite well out of,now theres at least 6 nail techs advertising in there.As i have said before my local area is swamped with nss hence my price £28 but apperently according to the clients that is exspensive but i wouldn't reduce them.

Sometimes it does make me really sad that i'm up aganist this battle of nss and those that have done a 2 day nail course....why did i bother??

Oh dear....this thread has got me going...again!!!

 

[Peter Pan]

i totally agree.... where i am, we are overrun with nail techs alot of them just coming out of college and think they can make a quick buck.

i had a new client just last night, she had been to another tech who insists on telling her clients that "once you been to her you wont go anywhere else" the best of it is she is now using creative pots with other products in them, she used to do this with opi pots too, her work space is dirty, she doesnt prep at all, no client consultation form, no aftercare, nothing, i have been told all this from clients that used to go to her, i also get told that most of the other techs (from clients that used them) that not one of them do a thorough prep, consultation, or aftercare - THEIR LOSS, MY GAIN.

 

[Sassy Hassy]

That's the thing though! Once they have been to a reputable technician they rarely stray back, unless all they are worried about is the cost. It's just getting them to us good guys in the first place. The amount of horror stories I hear is unreal - no consultation, minimal prep, over buffing, greenies, the list goes on. I don't ever run anyone else's work down I just say that once we have gotten rid of all that cuticle on your nail plate you won't get lifting, you won't get greenies; once you have tried a properly balanced nail you won't want to go back to those thick ugly bricks; once you have experienced a service where you can relax and won't wince in pain they kind of like what they are hearing and remain loyal and help spread the word.

BUT what these techs with poor standards are doing is making people think that what they do is the ONLY way, that there is not an alternative.

So will these lesser techs give up before the clients decide that nail extensions are a bad thing full stop and won't ever have them done again? I bloody hope so!

 

[nemotail]

Def. over run - I recently bought some equipment from an Ex Geek who has given up doing nails in her city as loads of students have started offering nails at £10-£15 a set. Unsurprisingly a lot of folk were trying this option and her business was struggling to get off the ground because she was charging a decent price.

There is a woman in my town offering nails and I know for a fact that she even didnt complete her 2 day course ~ what about insurance? My friend had a Bride -whose wedding was 2 days away- come to her in tears, this ladies work had left her with red raw bleeding cuticles and a visible ring of fire on each finger.

I am also a Beauty Therapist and find the same in the Beauty Industry, there are so many short certified courses available make me wonder about my 3 years at college. How on earth can someone be fully trained in practical and theory, competent and ready to work on clients in a discipline like Indian Head Massage after a 1 day course?

KxXx

 

[holliejayne]

Sorry this was meant to be short but I got a bit carried away .....

I always worry about this. There arent a huge amount of salons around here, but of the ones we do have Id say 75% are NSS. Brighton is one place where I would imagine that ignorance of NSS treatment among clients is a big problem. Im sure trinity would agree (where is she by the way???)
I always hope that im not wasting my time doing all this training and practising to then start working and then theres no demand because everyone goes to a NSS.

I do think a lot of people are going into nails, all the courses in and around brighton are really booked up, but then if you think about it, some people learn so that they can do their own or friends nails, some learn cos they think its an easy career where they can make loads of money, then when they know the truth, they give up. and some people just arent cut out for this industry and fail.

As for what your saying about the cheaper salons around you sass, hopefully soon there will be a lot more in the media about NSS and MMA and the public will be better educated about the danger and will realise that teech's who charge a higher price do so for a reason, because they offer quality work! You are absolutly right to stick to your prices sass. remember, YOU are at a much higher standard than those other salons, simply because you care enough about your clients nails and health to not use cheap nasty products, thats what makes you worth more. and soon hopefully more people will realise that.

 

[scattyfox]

Sassy i have to say i realised yeterday exactly how many nail technciians there are just in my immediate area it was ridiculous nearly every hairdressers, every beauty therpaists and every nail parlour every tanning shop. how is a girl meant to earn a living in this day and age, it means just keepin doign what we are doign and eventually they will find us and realise (I hope) although i do have to say that there are only 1 NSS in Rayleigh which is not too bad considering but if you go into southend you ahve about 10 and about 40 other palces, we ahve a big LCN training school in southend and sadly it means that people are continually being churned out into the area, the trick is too be better than all of them.

 

[Sassy Hassy]

As for what your saying about the cheaper salons around you sass, hopefully soon there will be a lot more in the media about NSS and MMA and the public will be better educated about the danger and will realise that teech's who charge a higher price do so for a reason, because they offer quality work! You are absolutly right to stick to your prices sass. remember, YOU are at a much higher standard than those other salons, simply because you care enough about your clients nails and health to not use cheap nasty products, thats what makes you worth more. and soon hopefully more people will realise that.

I wish the press would get their act together, sometimes they just treat us like the pantomime horse within the hair and beauty industry and don't take us seriously at all. And some of the wretched baloney they print about nail services is either out of the dark ages or just downright damning. I given up saying that we need a sound voice to speak up about what we as nail techs are REALLY about. I just continue in my own small way teaching that nails don't breathe, that having your nails done should be a pleasurable experience, that they don't damage your nails ... you know the same old same old!!

I won't lower my prices, although I do special offers from time to time. I'm not even pinning my hopes on Christmas as most of these people tend to be one offs and all they worry about is the price. Think I will have to better at selling myself on the phone "if you're looking for the cheapest then I'm not what you're looking for, but if you want a professionally applied set without causing damage to your natural nail then you've come to the right place!" Why is it I can type it, but don't have the confidence to actually say it about myself. Like I said to Scats yesterday I wish I could listen to some of my own advice sometimes!!!

 

[Rose143]

Hi my little friend,

My phone is quiet as well at the moment, the only new clients I'm getting is word of mouth clients which again is slower than normal.

These inexperienced nail techs popping up all over the show are the ones that will be closing down not us! Yes I agree that the market it swamped and it gives all of us a bad reputation but to be honest Sass, if we just continue to educate our clients about what types of salons to avoid (not mentioning names of course) we reap the benefits in the end. I think this type of word of mouth info will take ages to spread but word of mouth on how much more professional we are than them will spread quicker!!! I say bring it on, let those over confident, arrogant untrained techs try it, they'll drop like flies when they realise they can't make their bills, or something good will come of it and they'll study further and strive to be better. People unfortuantley need to learn the hard way, yes it makes our jobs that little bit harder but eventually they will know what to ask for when it comes to having their nails done, I truly believe that!

I always make sure my service is better than Jo Shmo's salon down the road, my presentation is better, my aftercare advice is better etc etc. If we keep this up we make successes of ourselves and in my opinion have nothing to worry about at all!!! My regular clients know as much about nails as what I do because I explain every step of my treatment and why I'm doing it so that if they do go elsewhere they know what to look out for.

I don't think we have anything to worry about, and you are right about not dropping your prices, why should you? If other salons are, so what, obviously they aren't confident enough in their own services or that their clients are gonna come back! Stay positive my little friend it'll all work out for us all!!! :hug:

Sorry it's so long and if I sounded like I was lecturing :o

xxxx

 

[holliejayne]

I dont know how much use it will be but we could all write to local newspapers and tv people. print off all the info from websites about MMA and NSS.

Im exactly the same as you sass, I think of all these things to say (for when I start working) but I dont think Id say them, Im too scared of sounding like a complete plank.

 

[scattyfox]

I wasthinking about all this Nss stuff recently and wondered if we all hit our local papers at the same time and contacted tv station wether we could do some good or more harm.

 

[EllaX]

i am the only mobile tech in my village and i have had no new interest over the past month - i thought it was cos i am fairly new to this but i only seem to be doing family friends and the few clients i already have. most of mine dont seem to be wanting rebalances either.

gonna really step up the advertising this weekend - to say i work full time in advertising when it comes to advertising myself im too shy/not confident enough to do it!!!

 

[Rose143]

I wasthinking about all this Nss stuff recently and wondered if we all hit our local papers at the same time and contacted tv station wether we could do some good or more harm.

I was just thinking that exact same thing you know!!!! How freaky is that! I think it's a brilliant idea!

xxxx

 

[holliejayne]

We could all protest on downing street!! only joking. Thats what I was thinking lucia, if we all sent loads of info to them, (factual stuff) then they'd have to do something! theres thoasands of us geeks, surely we could make some kind of impact!!

We have to make people realise that if 'techs' are charging under a certain amount then its for a reason and they should not be used!!

 

[*JOANNE*]

i was driving around southport the other day and i too have noticed the signs in windows "ACRYLIC NAILS WITH NAIL ART £15".
how can they afford this as it seems to be in hairdressers windows or sunbed salons so obviously they must have to pay table rent or a % of what they are earning which cant be all that much.....my competition is not from nss as there are non around my emmiediate area but ....sorry if this offends, the products they all seem to be using are the products you buy from sally's.
there are a handfull of nail technicians using good superior products who like myself cannot afford to charge such minimal prices.
luckily the clients i have already got are all educated and so very loyal and yes can afford to pay that extra but are they in the minority and are the majority putting up with inferior products and services.
i wont drop my prices but how do you get the "sorry to stereotype here" 18 year old girls who want the nail art and think they are getting a bargain at £15 for the job lot because these could be future clients...or will they eventually learn that you pay for quality.
how are these £15 " for a job lot" nail technicians making money there are only so many nail enahncements you can do in one day...or is it because they are not getting the customers that their prices are so rock bottom.......also is this a new phenominem(sp?)

 

[izzidoll]

Hi Sass...good thread

I will try and keep this brief and not repeat too many of the comments already posted.....Yes possibly the market is becoming a tad saturated, and this could be due to the 2 day courses that tell you are now a nail tech and can earn at least £100 per day......

But the well trained conscientious nail tech will be the one that is still in business 5 or 10 years from now and these 2 day students with no further training options will be the ones who have bitten the dust.....

Competition is good for business after all, it keeps us on our toes and the good tech will keep her skills updated to keep up with consumer demands.....

Yes there are more salons opening up...but look along your High Streets....how many Hairdressers are there? and they cater for all types and classes of client...from the back street hairdressers providing a good cheap cut and the pensioners perms!...to your upmarket salubrious salons that can charge £200 for a cut & blow dry.......Maybe we as nail technicians are just needing to find our niche in the market place......

Although I will say that if you get a bad haircut, you will not return to that salon but you do always need your haircut and will go elsewhere.....BUT if you get a bad set of nails you may NEVER get another set again.....

Having said that I can see how a newly trained technician could find it more difficult these days to get her business off the ground....but starting ANY business these days is hard work, and that is where a good training foundation and back up from your training provider is vital....I can't imagine what it would be like to do a 2 day course get my certificate and be left floundering with no-one to turn to and no further training options available....
and that is why I say that these are the techs who will give up.

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Thanks guys for all your replies, I am now more confused in my views than when I started. I think the prices some people charge are not based on a sound business acumen, it's more a case of let's pluck a figure out of the air and make myself cheaper than the rest. This type of person doesn't really bother me cos like you say they won't be in business for long. I think Jac hit it on the head at the beginning though, that these nail murderers are damning the industry. Like you say Izzi, if the have a bad experience with hair then they go elsewhere, but with nails they don't realise that there is another way and give up altogether.

I think also that hair is seen as a necessity, nails are still viewed by most as a luxury, and manicures only for those with fab nails. Perhaps we should change the word to one that implies it is a treatment in itself and not just a file and polish affair!

We did try a while ago to get a campaign going (Fab Freak's post about more and more poor standards) but it kinda fizzled out, so if you young uns with more energy than an old fart like me want to take up the reins then I'm happy to hop on board ... where is Mum when you need her?!!

I'm not trying to wallow in self pity that business ain't what it used to be, I just think that too many see this industry as a quick way to make money with no real passion in what they do and no real insight into what is truly an art to perform. Like you say, they'll not last. I just hope that many of us with the passion, drive and the ability can keep going too to keep the art alive.