Advice needed, going mobile

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Emma Ballance

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Joined
Feb 17, 2017
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Location
Sheffield
Hi geeks, apologies in advance for the long post!
So I'm thinking about going mobile after the new year. I currently have a salon, only been open 6 months circumstances that came to open the salon meant it was very rushed an not planned out well at all but the opportunity came and I didn't want to look back and think what if. The business is only making enough money to pay the bills, leaving me short to put money back into the business to make it better an advertising to attract new clients, and at the moment my current financial situation I need to take a wage, I've been really struggling at home. I don't live near where my shop is so if I go I'll not have many clients, I do have around 20 clients that live near me an travel to shop currently so I'm not completely starting from scratch. I'm thinking about doing a opening offer of any colour an cut for £40 to drum up business, I'll leave this going for first month or 2 then 15% off your second appointment if they pre-book? I just want your thoughts on these if you think they're good offers that will attract new clients. I'll also offer 25% off recommend a friend service obviously they can't use all these together. Also what's the hardest thing you've found about going from salon to mobile? I worry I'll not make as much money not booking clients back to back an traveling in between appointments etc. I'm thinking about doing mobile til I've got enough clients to rent a chair in a shop or make a home salon til I'm ready to get my own salon again. Also pricing for mobile hairdressers? People in my local area seem to think mobile hairdressers should be cheap, what would you say is a reasonable price? To start I'll be doing an advert in our local magazine that reaches around 10,000 homes and Facebook and Instagram advertising, do you have any other tips for getting started? Thanks for reading
 
Also to add my area is between Sheffield/Rotherham/Worksop I'm literally a 5-10 minute drive between all three if this helps at all.
 
Anyone any advice?
 
I don't know how much help I'm going to be here. 6 months is no time at all, I wouldn't recommend throwing the baby out with the bath water. Advertising doesn't always give you the returns you'd expect, my local paid advertising didn't even generate a 0.5% return, even editorial in a broadsheet only generated 2 telephone calls! You need to find the right marketing tools for you, Facebook is brilliant for some people, it doesn't work for me at all. You need to constantly work at your marketing, I've always found Liz Mckeon quite inspirational when you're stuck, watch the £200 salon turnaround you will find her website here Liz McKeon, I know you're a hair salon and this is beauty, but non the less there is cross over.

If you're going mobile, make sure you cost everything, so many people try to undercut the competition and end up working at a loss. My gut reaction would be to keep the salon, how may chairs do you have? can you rent them out to freelancers, do you have room for a manicure station?, do you have room to put in a beauty room?, take a look at Not Another Salon the owner Sophia Hilton is truly inspirational. The salon gives you the future to work beyond the finite amount of hours just you can work and remember it takes about 8 years to become an overnight success!.
 
I don't know how much help I'm going to be here. 6 months is no time at all, I wouldn't recommend throwing the baby out with the bath water. Advertising doesn't always give you the returns you'd expect, my local paid advertising didn't even generate a 0.5% return, even editorial in a broadsheet only generated 2 telephone calls! You need to find the right marketing tools for you, Facebook is brilliant for some people, it doesn't work for me at all. You need to constantly work at your marketing, I've always found Liz Mckeon quite inspirational when you're stuck, watch the £200 salon turnaround you will find her website here Liz McKeon, I know you're a hair salon and this is beauty, but non the less there is cross over.

If you're going mobile, make sure you cost everything, so many people try to undercut the competition and end up working at a loss. My gut reaction would be to keep the salon, how may chairs do you have? can you rent them out to freelancers, do you have room for a manicure station?, do you have room to put in a beauty room?, take a look at Not Another Salon the owner Sophia Hilton is truly inspirational. The salon gives you the future to work beyond the finite amount of hours just you can work and remember it takes about 8 years to become an overnight success!.

Thank you for your reply, my other reason for leaving the shop I probably should of mentioned but I didn't want to babble on was I am in a 'partnership' me and my business partner rent the whole shop I work upstairs she works downstairs, there is no lease just a mutual agreement with us an landlord. She has sunbeds downstairs and she also does makeup & beauty, she has a nail guy works downstairs but says he pays the rent to her because he's in her area downstairs, we're also arguing about the electricity bill every month. I advertised to rent chairs out before we opened as I have 4 stations but have only managed to get 1 stylist and she's part time, I even messaged mobile hairdressers to see if they were interested but they said the competition of other salons put them of as there is a lot in the area. I'll have a look at the links thank you.
 
That does sound like a difficult situation and unpleasant to be in, I don't blame you for wanting to leave, I would too!. If you go mobile have you thought about trying to keep the clients in the area of your current business, you could assign days of the week to certain areas to reduce excessive travel. Keep an open mind you never know what the universe might put your way, I know I'm an old hippy but keep your eyes open to opportunity, it can present itself at the most unexpected times. Good luck and let us know how you get on!.
 

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