A bit of advice on sharing a beauty room, what are the downsides

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kizzycat

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Hi there
I am about to embark on renting a beauty room within a hairdressers which is currently under construction. Its quite a small room, will just about have enough room for a beauty couch and manicure table and if I push the bed to the side, it will fit my spray tan tent. I am going to be renting this room 3 days a week. I am looking at getting a fixed beauty bed that converts to a pedi chair, and I intend carrying out manicures/pedicures, acrylic, gel nails, waxing and spray tanning. I have been visualising this room for ages where I am going to put all my stuff, where i will put the trolleys with the wax pots, an extra storage drawer, with UV light on, displays for polishes etc. I also work part time in another job which I am hoping, should my clientelle grow enough, I can afford to give it up and conentrate only on teh beauty. anyway, I received a call today to say that the hairdresser has been discussing rentin out the room on the days i am not renting it to a sports massage therapist.
Dont get me wrong I can totally see where she is coming from as when she rents out the room to me, it will be sitting unsued on the days I am not using it, but I can see a number of problems.

I can just see this going horribly wrong from the start. I dont want to have to lock everything away at the end of each night, I want to be able to leave my stuff out like my wax pots, nail polish displays, uv light etc. I feel if i left it out and for some reason it broke down (for whatever reason, mechanical,, accident) then it is going to get ugly. I sound like a right pessimist but this is not how I envisioned it. I am going to have a discussion with her to try explain from my point of view how this will not work for me. Can anyone think of any other potential problems or hazards of sharing a room?

Many thanks for your help
 
Where's the sports massage therapist going to put her furniature? Or is salon expecting you to allow the sports person to use yours? I wouldn't allow that. Unless of course the salon furnishes the room. Your right to be concerned, I would be too xxxx
 
I asked her about couch and she said she would have a portable couch but i mentioned to that I was buying the fixed hydralic bed that converts to pedi and there is no way there would be room for 2 and there is no way i would want her using my couch. the hairdresser later said that she would buy the bed, but Im still not happy about this :irked:

Ive went from being really excited, to really deflated. Also I have no idea what equipment apart from the couch would the therapist need.
 
Where's the sports massage therapist going to put her furniature? Or is salon expecting you to allow the sports person to use yours? I wouldn't allow that. Unless of course the salon furnishes the room. Your right to be concerned, I would be too xxxx

Agree with this.

There could be trouble ahead!!
 
I've not heard of renting a room by the day. Could you strike a deal with her that means you have the room 7 days a week? Will cost more in rent but then you can lock the door on an evening knowing your things are safe.
I rent a room in a barbers & I only work part time but the room is solely mine & no-one else has access.
 
When we first started discussing this, this was the impression that I was under, that the room would be for my sole purpose. Im even helping with the costs of refurb and my hubby is plastering it for free. this has thrown a spanner in the works :irked: I am sure I can talk to her about it, she is very approachable and I can see exactly why she wants to do it, I just feel really flat now at the prospect of having to share. I had it all planned out. Im just disappointed
 
When you first discussed renting the room was the rental amount per day or just a fixed amount without you specifying number of days? If you pay her on a daily basis then I can sort of see her point, but otherwise it seems like she's just trying to profit from your hard work! Given that you and your husband are paying to fit out the room it seems highly unfair of her to then rent it out 'again'!
 
Hi

If I were in your position unless something can be worked out and hopefully it can be if shes reasonable, if nothing can be though and it doesnt feel right for you and your business dont do it - it will be gutting for you but it would be better to find a different room than go ahead with something your not 100% happy with xx
 
well it was funny the way it happened. I was working as a mobile spray tan therapist (as well as my 9-5 job) and I went for my hair cut and we got on talkin about spray tans. she asked mewhat else i could do and i said acrylic nails and had also been looking to do a waxing course. she said she had a gents loo standing empty and wanted to convert it into a beauty room. so it got my cogs in motion and away i went. next apppointmetn she mentioned the room again and i said i would go ahead, get my certifcate in acrylics by going on a foundation course (as I had only completed a leisure course at night school about 7 years ago) and book to do the basic waxing course with Kim Lawless. From this conversation it just went all guns blazing with her ripping out the gents loo. I went down to see it in the process and we discussed where things would go, ie couch, manicure table. My husband offered to plaster the room for her to save her a bit of money. We have had other conversations where she has suggested that I paid for other fixtures and fittings, ie, flooring, sink etc. I said we would pay for the plastering to help her out and obvisuoly my hubby is doing it for free. She is really nice and I can see us being friends and I am trying really hard not to let this put a dampner on things, but I cant help thinking, what if I had been stupid enoug to buy the sink and the flooring, its already cost me money because of my gesture of good will and now it looks like its going to be benifitting someone else. Really I am glad this has come up now so I can get this right from the start. Like I say i am still clingig on to the hope that she will see it is not the best idea and hopeing it will work itself out in the wash
 
So your husbands plastering you've agreed to take the room but have you actually put anything in writing/ is there a contract?
I think you are right to be worried but hope you can work this out.
 
no we got nothing in writing its all just words. Im hoping we can work it out. when i mentioned on the phone that it wouldnt really work the two of us sharing aroom and pointed out potential problems ie, stuff getting broke, knocked over, clientelle expanding, she was like, oh yeah never thought of that. she said we would talk about it later but im just worried that she is dead set on doing it as i have a feeling this is not a thought and she has actually spoke to a sports therapist about it and already discussed her days etc x
 
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I think you need to get a contract written asap with sole use for you- otherwise I'd cut my loses and go! I know you said you can see yourself being friends- there are no friends in business when it cones down to it!! Get it all written and above board! You need to establish where you stand!!
 
what potential problems can you see for me so I can give her a list of why its not a good idea?
 
Personally I would be worried about sharing space more than anything, esp if your investing your money. What happens if a client of yours has requested a different day, or your p/t job days change ? Your going to be restricted to days etc. (Does that make sense? Lol)

I also think you need to be very clear with boundaries from the start. (This is to protect you both) you need to establish in writing exactly what rent you pay, utility bills etc. I've worked in places where the owner has pushed rent up or charged for silly things like tea and milk when she has been feeling the pinch and the renters have been stuck as no contract! X
 
Get things in writing, I was stung a bit similar at the beginning of the year. Please, you must make sure you have a contract.
 
I used to share a room with someone for a few months and it was a disaster for both of us ! The difference was that she had been there a while whilst she studied at college and then I came along and started to build up more hours. The owner decided to get rid of her as she was a bit of a liability but mainly due to the fact I agreed to rent the room full time.

With regards to the actual sharing this was a pain as the other girl used to help herself to my stuff and managed to break my brand new trolley within a few weeks of me being there. She also never kept the room clean !

As I mentioned above what if someone else comes along and wants the room full time. That's more money and more business for the owner, friend or not she would be stupid to turn down a better offer and this is where you might encounter problems. She might say she wouldn't shaft you but what if her clients are asking for beauty on different days or the massage therapist offers to pay more ?

I really would not get involved with your husband plastering for free etc. Its her salon, not yours and if she can't afford to get stuff like this done then she shouldn't be opening a salon. At the end of the day you may see yourself as being friends but do you even know anything about her ?
What are you going to do if it doesn't work out for you ? I'm sure you are aware most businesses take 2/3 years before they make a profit and if for any reason you decided to leave you have wasted all the money on fitting out her salon.
 
Im gonna try and have a sit down and talk with her, like I say she is not unreasonable, I think she is just looking to maximise the profit this new room can bring and not really think about the potential downsides or problems it may bring for the sharers. Im just hoping she hasnt committed to this sports massage therapist and it was just an idea on a whim and hopefully when i raise my concerns she will see that it could be a recipe for disaster. I think you are right though, I think Im gonna have to get a contract drawn up. Does anyone know is there a proforma contract anywhere on the site? or can someone give me some bullet points of what I need to include in it? thanks for the advice. I also like the point jujo made about what if my part time hours are changed. I just need some pointers to say to her, I dont think its gonna work and these are the reasons why
 
Def a good idea to get a contract signed asap - could you got CAB or some solicitors I believe give a free hour once a week (might be wrong on this I cant remember where I heard this) or maybe something like a chambers of commerce if your a member I would strongly suggest it being written up correctly or it prob wont be worth the paper its written on!

xx
 
Just read the last bit of your post:

You could say that you have afew points to consider:

What happens if something is broken/used/stolen whilst your not there.
What happens when your customer base builds up also a good place to point out within 6-12 months however long that you want to build upto it being your only job etc
What happens if the sports therapist or you want different days
Due to size how is everything going to be stored correctly a good place to point out the different equipment you'd be using etc etc
Who decides on things like decoration (I know it might sound a small point but if I ever get to the point of having a room I want it to be in my business colours with my marketing posters and qualifications on the wall etc)
What about your retail products you'd obv have to store them away everynight which would be tiresome and annoying!
Is there even a need for a sports therapist in that area? If not she may be damaging her "brand" image by looking like shes trying to fit too much into one salon/area

These are just afew ideas some might see them as petty or small problems (and some of them are!) lol but if she can see youve thought seriously about it all and want to be there full time asap she may think twice??!!

Good luck hope this has helped abit!!

xx
 
Hey Hun,
When you described your room it was scary it sounds the exact same as mine lol just one room have to push bed to side for tanning lol.
Have you thought about going all in and just working there full time and really try building your clients up? That way it's always yours, people can see your open.
I mean if this girl wants to be in your side what happens if the phone rings will she answer and say she isn't in work today because before long people might think this girl is never here and the word gets round? Same if you get a walk in she I'll be the one talking to your potential clients.
I don't know your circumstances at home family,house etc just a though if you could afford to why not go full time and maybe part time sunday and monday i know its alot but it is your name on that door at the end of the day!
I rent next door to hairdresser and you mentioned you could be friends no one is your friend in business, I starters going for my hair doing when I was i year 7 with the hairdresser I rent from so thought it would be a good opportunity to rent next door, he is a pain in the you know what, coming round when I'm not in, leaving my kitchen door open, telling how to do things if I have a slow day! Gets tedious hun, I'm not saying it will be the same but just be aware of it now.
Sorry if I sound really negative I don't mean to but I am in that position at the minute and I am only just starting to stand up for myself , not nice to be forced into something your not comfy with so stand your ground x x x
 

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