Abit lost in my career.. Not sure what to do anymore

[Leanne P]

I'm sure everyones sick of this type of thread but i really feel bit lost.. I started doing gel nails in Feb 2008, since then i've kinda been doing friends on and off, i keep getting real into it and buying loads of equipment but i never actually advertise or do anybody i dont know! and i never really charge! I've also done spray tanning and have all the equipment and tans and i started off good doing the odd few tans but didn't bother advertising either!

Now i duno what to do! i've just bought a house and ive a room set aside for me to set up in but i just can't see myself actually doing it! i have absolutely no confidence in my work to go out and actually charge people. I do my own nails all the time and people are always commenting on them and i've recently done my friends (who works in a shop) a few times with glitter tips and art and shes said almost everyone who passes through askes who done them but i just dont think im good enough!
I cant get my head around it but ive spent a fortune on training and equipment and most importantly i really love doing it!
I just dont know where to go from here... :cry::grr:

 

[zemma]

Hi Hun
Sorry your feeling abit low we all have these days i think the question you need to ask your self is do you actually want to do it? if the answers yes then get out there do the advertising your business wont grow on its own im sure the more people you do the more your confidence will grow and the better you will get, if your friends getting good comments already then what are you waiting for give it a go hun otherwise you will never know if you dont try!!

i hope i have helped a little
wishing all the luck in the world:hug:
zem xx

p.s happy new year x

 

[cro-mari]

The key sentence is - I don't see myself in it.

Now we can all go and say, go with it, bite the bullet, you have everything you need to start, etc. and say it till we go blue in the face.
But it won't be of any use if YOU don't feel it that way. Because our blue faces can lift you up and you go and do it and after awhile you end up feeling it right, or feeling it wrong.

Now the question is - why don't you see yourself doing it? If you lack confidence, then you shoud know that many of us, ok, I'll speak for myself, started with much less space, material, and experience. Truth to be said, I would die if I had to show my first nails now... and I was only doing gel, not LP, and wasn't able to sculpt, but I saw myself doing it, and I did it, I charged it, not like upscale salons, but still, as the saying goes, every goods has it's buyer.

Are you affraid of failing? Yes, that can happen, or not, or be something in the middle, but you won't know if you don't try and see.

Further more, procrastinating solves nothing. Now how many of us waited till we were perfect? And how many will say that they are perfect? You can wait for that till you go blue in the face! The biggest ones here will often say (even though we look at their work and think, now this is perfect) that there's always room for learning and every set of nails is new experience, and always giving the most of it.

I don't know you, and even if I did, I cannot say what is right or wrong for you, you have to, as one author said, silent yourself down and hear the humming of the morning stars. Listen to yourself. Maybe you're just in need of a little push and then have the greatest salon in your area, or maybe you just think you should be doing it, after all the training and buying and stuff, but deep down you don't feel it as yours, and affraid to admit that you should let it all go and make a milion worth career in something completely oposite.

But either way, I'm prone to say - why not try and see? Now what can you lose? Don't be affraid of new people, open your mind to the best and you'll get great clients. Don't be affraid to charge, you're giving something to the world and everything needs balance. Don't be affraid of making mistakes, mistakes are our treasure if we learn from them. World will not colaps!

And you know what, you can do anything you want. Just listen to yourself, do what you love, and it will come. It will come in just the right amount and shape and in such time that you can deal with it. Believe me. Just keep yourself busy. As someone said, if you don't know what to do, just do something.

 

[TIPTOP]

Hi Hun
Sorry your feeling abit low we all have these days i think the question you need to ask your self is do you actually want to do it? if the answers yes then get out there do the advertising your business wont grow on its own im sure the more people you do the more your confidence will grow and the better you will get, if your friends getting good comments already then what are you waiting for give it a go hun otherwise you will never know if you dont try!!

i hope i have helped a little
wishing all the luck in the world:hug:
zem xx

p.s happy new year x

I agree with Zemma, sometimes you have just got to grab the bull by its horns and go for it!!
Its only you who can make your business a success, get advertising and recoup the outlay that you have paid out, that includes your friends:green:

hth
Sue xx

 

[shedunlop]

I really don't mean to sound harsh but I think you are putting too much pressure on yourself. Maybe you feel you have spent too much money on this now? If your whole heart and soul is not in this then you will never make a business of it. You need to be able to charge a fair price without feeling guilty and have confidence in you abilities, that is if you want to make a business of it!

Take some time off from thinking about it and carry on enjoying it as a creative hobby. There may come a time when you will be fired up enough to make a go of it. Business is different from the creative side of this and why push yourself into something you are just not ready for?

If you do nails or tanning from anyone who has been recommended by your friends then make sure you charge them though as sometimes things just build up like this.

Relax and enjoy yourself and have a wonderful 2010!

 

[Rebecca J]

Hi Abbie

I have just been looking a photo's of the nails you have posted and think that they are lovely and that you will go far.

Why don't you set up your room and just start off by doing nails on friends and family and let them recommend you? You can then gradually take on a client that you don't know and go from there. (I did my 1st client the other day who I didn't know and she said she really liked them, just hope there still on! I was so nervous)

Rebecca
x
:hug:

 

[Leanne P]

Awh thanks for that wonderful advice...
Mari, i see why you could think my hearts not in it but i love it, i really really do. I know its stupid but im terrified of going out and doing someones nails and them all falling off or they'll be horrible or something, i know its trial and error but id hate to do nails and people not like them and they pass on the word! Its so stupid but its hard turn it into a career when your afraid to fail.
I dont feel like i SHOULD do it because of the money ive put into it, i feel more like i owe it to myself to do it, not only because i love doing it but because ive already invested so much into it...
Ive tried talking to family and stuff about it and i just dont think they get the problem, it doesnt seem like a big issue to them but to me its massive. all i can think is imagine i could make a career out of something i love doing so much but its hard to step into the unknown..
I know everyone here has done this and i admire you all so much for it. Thats why i figured the only place i could actually find my answers is here!
thanks again for your kind words x

 

[cro-mari]

Awh thanks for that wonderful advice...
Mari, i see why you could think my hearts not in it but i love it, i really really do. I know its stupid but im terrified of going out and doing someones nails and them all falling off or they'll be horrible or something, i know its trial and error but id hate to do nails and people not like them and they pass on the word! Its so stupid but its hard turn it into a career when your afraid to fail.
I dont feel like i SHOULD do it because of the money ive put into it, i feel more like i owe it to myself to do it, not only because i love doing it but because ive already invested so much into it...
Ive tried talking to family and stuff about it and i just dont think they get the problem, it doesnt seem like a big issue to them but to me its massive. all i can think is imagine i could make a career out of something i love doing so much but its hard to step into the unknown..
I know everyone here has done this and i admire you all so much for it. Thats why i figured the only place i could actually find my answers is here!
thanks again for your kind words x

I'm not thinking anything, hun :hug: I was just trying to get you to start thinking. Because no one but you can know what is right for you. And I'm glad we got you thinking and realising that you really love all of this. And in that light - then go for it. But don't look at it as a problem, rather as an opportunity.

 

[yourmoment]

Hi there!
Its so easy to get stuck in a rut with waiting for peple to come to you.
I started my own business as a wedding planner also hiring out chair covers, chocolate fountain etc At first i doubted my ability but as i started to build up a portfolio people started to trust me more.

Advertising is quite important to get the word out there.
You could have some advertising printed (on vista print maybe)
It could say on there that your giving special introductory offers if they bring the leflet, certain % off?

Dont doubt your ability!!!
Kristy x

 

[Leanne P]

Thanks for that Kirsty, your right i need to get some flyers sorted and go from there.
Thanks everyone i really do appreciate your comments. it is something i really want to do so im really going to try. Im going to do my own nails tonight and get a bit of practise in on my trainer hand... Ill start doing this every night for a few weeks and try get my confidence up, might try get a few victims to do too I think your right Rebecca, i might start working on my room too, might seem a bit more real then!

Thanks again everyone xx

 

[Bagpuss]

Think to yourself....Worst-case scenario ...whats the worst thing that can happen.....??? a client might complain....thats it. Thats the worst thing that could happen....and IF that happens its normal...we have all had a client complain at some point and we are all still here to tell the story.

Nothing terrible is going to happen....your nails are fine and you have to 100% charge....as soon as you start to charge you will get a sense of worth....it will all begin to feel like a real business.

I was a wreck when i first started out ....but i knew i had to earn back what i spent out. The fear passes i promise...like when you first pass your driving test and have to drive alone for the first time....after a week you don't give it a second thought.

You CAN do it. xx

 

[MsJohnson]

Ahhh...I feel like this thread was for me!! Excellent advice. Good luck Abbi!

 

[persianista]

I agree, whats the worst that can happen, someone doesn't like their nails!!! We are not performing brain surgery, nobody dies if we make a mistake, and we all have made mistakes.
If you really enjoy the actual work, but are simply shy around people that you don't know, then 2 books to read are;
Feel the fear and do it anyway, and
How to win friends and influence people.
These will help you conquer that particular worry.x

 

[Missy G]

You need to get out there and advertise and go for it, untill you face different types of nails and different problems your never learn .I went through many a clients when I first started out,and have never seen them again ,but have now gained much more convidence after many a obsticle and pulling my hair out over problems ,and slowly getting regulars.

You have Salon Geek to turn to for help,and your tutor should give you great advise , If your not sure about anything go for a one to one , and just keep researching and practice , practice, it takes time , but once youve got there , you ll be on cloud nine and want to learn more.

Oh , and keep strong !!!

 

[An*Gel]

We ALL felt like this when we started out, so don't think you're alone:hug:

I threw myself in the deep end when I started out, by renting a room in a beauty salon and had a high rent to pay, so it was sink or swim and even though I was terrified every time a new client came through the door, the other part of me was thinking "great I'll pay the rent this week".

The best way to get confidence is to work in a salon in my opinion.

I work from home now, but that's because I have a clientèle already built up.

I think it must be much harder to work from home or go mobile at the beginning of your career.

Why not feel the fear and do it anyway and just go for it!!!!

You can do it Abbi... you know you can:hug:

 

[An*Gel]

Hi Abbie

I have just been looking a photo's of the nails you have posted and think that they are lovely and that you will go far.

Why don't you set up your room and just start off by doing nails on friends and family and let them recommend you? You can then gradually take on a client that you don't know and go from there. (I did my 1st client the other day who I didn't know and she said she really liked them, just hope there still on! I was so nervous)

Rebecca
x
:hug:

Good advice here... I meant to say that you NEED to charge you friends and family!!!

Just come up with a price you'd be happy with and tell them what it is.

You are losing confidence in yourself and feel that they're only getting their nails done because they are free.... they aren't.. they're getting them done because they like your work, so remember that.

Know your worth and never underestimate yourself:hug:

Honestly

 

[squidgie]

Here's a :hug: from me- I have been feeling exactly the same! I did an awful set of nails on my first paying client just before xmas. I blogged on here, and was pretty much all set to give up. And guess what? The world didnt end, the client was ok about it, everyone on here was supportive, and after some thinking I decided I have come too far to give up now, especially as I, like you, love doing it. I am finding it hard making that transition to real paying clients but i am certain most on here will have felt the same. I wish you all the luck in the world and if deep down you know it's for you then go for it! xx

 

[Leanne P]

Sorry just seeing all your replies now. Thanks soooo much everyone for all your lovely comments and support. Ive been thinking about it over the last few days and i'm just gonna go for it. New year, new start!
Wish me luck and thanks again everyone xx