A One Woman Salon

[emmad]

Does anyone actually have their own salon (not at home) where its just them running the show.

I'm thinking about the future and wondering if this is actually possible.

What happends if you are with a client and someone else walks in, wants to buy something etc etc. I cant imagine being able to afford, rent rates and an employee!

 

[pinkshell_nails]

Does anyone actually have their own salon (not at home) where its just them running the show.

I'm thinking about the future and wondering if this is actually possible.

What happends if you are with a client and someone else walks in, wants to buy something etc etc. I cant imagine being able to afford, rent rates and an employee!

Hi

I am actually selling my share of my salon, but when there was just the 2 of us, and if one was on a day off and a client came in, we just politely excused ourselves from the treatment (only if it were nails and not a facial or waxing etc!), and saw to the client. If the phone rang and i was with a client, i let it go to answer phone, but remember to ring the person back. At the end of the day, if your client can see a customer has just walked in the door, the last thing she would expect is for you to ignore them, or say can you just wait half an hour whilst i finish off these enhancements and then i'll help you! If we were doing a facial, or treatment where we couldnt be interupted, then we would lock the salon door, putting a sign on saying, sorry but we are in treatment right now, please either call back, or ring this number and leave a message and we will get back to you asap, sorry for any inconvenience.

 

[~shelley~]

i think louise newell has a salon on her own hun xx

 

[shelly]

I have my own salon, but don't work alone. I do have a receptionist, part time, and two beauticians, who work different hours.
My shop is a very informal, busy shop, I also have three sunbeds. When a client comes in or the phone goes, i appologise to my client and ansa the phone or deal with the client. In-fact some of my clients have been with me for so long, if the phone goes and i am applying acrylic, they ansa the phone!!!
One of my clients (who works in 1st class for ba) actually mans the desk when her nail appointment has finished, think she must be board:biggrin:

 

[izzidoll]

this is the way I started...a one man band!!!
......I only did nail treatments therefore it was no problem to deal with walk in clients or phone calls....if the phone was particularly busy and you felt a client was feeling a bit miffed at you answering the phone all the time....then I would leave it for the answering machine and call back ASAP.....eventually I got so busy I had to move to larger premises and take on an employee.....

Lot's of salons who do beauty treatments as well as nails have an intercomm/door entry system at the door for clients to buzz before they can gain entry to the salon.......I am sure you will find something that will suit your business when the time comes....HTH

 

[Winky]

I just opened my own nail shop 2 months ago. I work alone and presently do only gel nails. Whenever someone walks in and i'm with a client i just keeo working but look up to talk to the client or sometimes i interrupt the service. I always answer the phone when i'm working. I have a phone line just for the shop so I know that all calls are work related. Clients understand and no one complains. If you're really thinking of going it alone, don't worry about these things because clients understand that you have a business to run. Find yourself a small affordable shop, and once you think you can afford it and your agenda is nearly full then hire some help. That's my plan. Luckily it's been working out great so far. Good luck!

 

[bling nails]

this is also how i started, on my own, rented a small room above a health shop, you couldn't swing a cat in there, (excuse the expression cat lovers!!), got so busy, couldnt take on any more clients. decided to go for a shop which had come empty, move in within 2 days and run the show on my own for a couple of months....yes i was worried that i had not done the right thing, what with all the extra bills, but business soon started to pick up and within 2 months i had to employ a beautician/nail tech. now, after 19 months, i have 3 girls on my pay-roll and im looking into opening another salon.
my clients were so supportive, telling me to get the phone when it rang, they didn't mind one bit, me having to keep getting up. some would stay a while to make coffee and wash up, even answer the phone. some would bring me lunch and made sure i ate it. bless em!

 

[Jacky]

I have a similar story to Cheryl's......I rented a VERY small room in a Hair Salon. I can only begin to assume it was the box room or something because it really was sooo small!
I utilised the space well for 3 and a half years but I wanted more. I opened "The Beauty Corner" on May 4th this year and currently Im technically a "one woman salon"
I have a kind lady who keeps me company on Wednesdays and Fridays which fortunately happen to be my busy days....
She answers the telephone if Im in my "relaxation/waxing room" with a client and advises on possible appointments....she says she isnt confident to book them yet...:biggrin:
She meets and greets customers for me and this is a fabulous help. Offers them refreshment if Im not around immediately. She indulges in a few manis and pedis and facials by way of recognition for her service! :Love:

On Tues Thurs and Saturday...if I have nail clients in my "Main" room, then I simply carry on working if a customer enters the salon. As and when I can excuse myself from my client, I do...if not...I ask them to leave their details in a contact book that I have on the reception desk. This allows me to call or contact them as soon as I am free.
If I with a client in my "relaxation/waxing room" and the treatment is lengthy or say if its a facial or the like, then I lock the door and have a sign informing the client that a treatment is in progress and the door will be attended to as soon as possible....it hasnt deterred anyone from waiting a short while for the door to be opened...well at least NOT yet!
I have a telephone answer message set up for the working day which advises that when the Therapist is busy its not always possible to answer the phone...the message then invites the caller to leave a message. I opt for the bleepy alert thingy to remind me to call em back!

Its working at the moment....but I can see a time when I would just prefer to have a receptionist and possibly a nail technician to ease the load.
Hths Hunny? xx

 

[Glorsclaws]

I have a friend who is similar to Jacky. Her treatments are mainly holistic so she cant always be 'out front' and often has to resort to locking the salon door and putting up a sign that says 'treatment In Progress' with the telephone number beneath.
She is a new business & not in town, so not particularly busy right now but, I too can see her needing a receptionist/partner in the very near future.

 

[michelle16]

another idea if you needed someone else, would be to rent another tech some space, their own products etc and they give u an agreed sum at the end of the month or week...

that way you are not out of pocket, and they are self employed

around me, thats the way most of the nail techs based in hairdressers or sunbed shops work.

 

[Angelaznailz]

I do the above, but as I live in a small village and know almost everyone, I leave a sign on my desk stating that I'm with a client in the treatment room, so ask them to please take a seat for a short time or leave a message with a phone number on the desk.
Usually by the time they've finished writing the message, I've excused myself from the client and deal with their enquiry. Nobody minds too much either way.
Only time I don't leave a client mid-treatment, is when it's Indian head Massage or Hopi.

 

[My Le]

Hi there!

I ran my own salon for 6months, up until recently.
For me, finding hard working staff has been impossible!
Im quite particular that way!

It is possible, however it is also VERY hard work.
Because you are on your own, you'll find that you will generally be busy most of the time. Therefore the people that walk-in and want a service done there & then, its impossible to fit them in, and unless you can get them to come back later or book, majority of the time they end up going elsewhere!

The good side is that, as you are on your own, being fully booked gives a clear image that you are good! So they will indeed return to see why u are always booked up!!!

My clients & myself have very good relationships, thus when some1 walks in to enquire about a particular service, they are more than :biggrin: for me to excuse myself & have a chat with them.

The only thing that use to drive me crazy, when working alone was the constant phone ringing!! :Scared: :Scared: It use to drive me crazy! I would answer the phone, hang up.. Phone would ring again & so forth

Now I have a new employee, the phone is no longer a bother for me :biggrin: Tee hee hee!...

 

[salonone]

This is a good post, I have been thinking about going out on my own also, and really don't wish to have people in my house all the time. My only problem is finding a small place somewhere that I could afford. Most cost a fortune here approx $1000/mth plus utilities and phone. That is a lot of manis and pedis and eyebrow waxes. Plus one has to make a living on top of it all. It is a dream many of us share I am sure.

 

[emmad]

Guys all this is really really interesting.

Didnt you feel at the start that it was your baby and handing over control of some aspects to someone else hard? I cant imagine having another tech working with me, I guess its just a matter of trust.

What about those of you with children. I'd have to put my youngest into full time childcare and my eldest into aftr school care - I'm going to feel guilty doing this.

Did you all have a big client base before you opened up? I only work 2 days a week at the mo and am busy on those days but I'd worry about covering my costs with a salon and no more extra clients.

I know its a risky thing to do, maybe its best not to think about it too deeply?