Advice please: issue with owners of beauty salon

[pinky0403]

Hello, this is my first post on here and it going to be a long one so I apologize in advance and thank you for reading it!:o ....I'm just looking for some advice please as I am at a loss of where to go from here and what to do (and maybe just looking to rant a little bit too!)

So here goes...I am managing and running a beauty salon in Ireland for the past two years and have been working as a therapist in salons and spas for the past ten.

The owners of the salon I manage are a middle-aged couple who have nothing to do with the beauty industry and have zero interest in the running of the business.
I take my wages every week from the weeks takings, I purchase anything I need (wax, strips etc) from any of the weeks takings. I run the place on my own without any support from them and almost as if it is my own salon-the only thing I don't have to do is pay rent/insurance/electricity/phone as they employ me.
I am registered and paying taxes etc but I do not have any contract of employment with them, I have never signed anything from them, but I do get weekly pay slips from their accountant.
The wife has been sick for the past few years so I don't have much dealings with her, however the husband does come in for a few minutes every evening to make sure I'm still here and working before he shuts up the door of another business he runs close by.

They really don't care about the salon at all, and I quote "as long as you can pay your wage its grand"...they don't want to expand or actually make any profit or do business, I feel like I'm just playing shop some days!

For the first year it was great...I have really begun to build up a regular client base and keep the place ticking over, introduced some new treatments and product lines where I can and have made the salon extremely busy. At the moment it is a very quiet time here in the salon, as I'm sure it is a quiet time for a lot of salons, so I am not worried but I was unable to make my own wages for the past two weeks. When the owner came in, I told him I would be a little bit short this week and he shrugged his shoulders and told me I'll just have to make it up next week for myself then.
Now, I know that it is a quiet time and it will pick up...so I do know myself that I will be able to make up my wages over the coming weeks, I'm not worried about that as such...but that's not really the point, he is my employer and its his job to pay me! (this is the first time in two years that it has happened, and I know for a fact that the girls who were here before me were ringing him on a weekly basis looking for their wages).
But I'm not sure where I stand legally as I have no contract of employment with them. I just feel so deflated and completely dejected now.

I think it's also because I am here on my own all day every day, running their business for them, as its so quiet of late I have gotten very de-motivated and finding it very difficult to pick myself up, dust myself off and put on a brave face for my clients. I do treat this salon as if it is my own and a lot of my clients do just assume that I am self-employed.

It wouldn't really be a problem if the owners had any bit of interest in the running of the place, if they would invest some time and energy and maybe trying to see what could be done to make the place busier or re-vamping the place, but they won't listen to any of my suggestions. Its not an old salon, but it could do with little things like fresh paint on the oil-stained/scratched walls (which has been pointed out to me by clients who think its my salon-which I find a bit embarrassing as they think I am being lazy about the place), even a small ad in the local newsletter/paper.

They will not invest a penny in the place, I am not able to hire any extra staff that might help make the place busier, they won't let me do any extra late-night hours because they don't see how any business should stay open past 6pm so I do lose a lot of potential clients that way, and are just happy to let the place tick along-which obviously will only work for another little while, as the business cannot run like that (or maybe its already starting to fail, I don't know).

I have invested a lot of my own time, energy and some money over the past two years as I really do care about the salon and the clients I have and I love running the business.

I feel caught between a rock and a hard place at the moment. I would love to take the place over myself but I cannot afford to do that. Even though I am managing and running the salon, I am on the bare minimum wage and we are saving for a wedding and a house ourselves so I just can't afford a place of my own.
I cannot just leave, for a number of reasons- I do need to make back my wages from the past few weeks as there are bills at home to be paid and obviously I have no other job to go to. Every salon or spa I apply to will hire me, but only on a part-time/casual basis to start "with a view to full-time"...I have done that for too many years and I cannot go back to working part-time....it just cannot be done.

I love the beauty industry and I do want to run a salon of my own some day and I am taking a lot of positives from this experience as I have gained much knowledge in the running of the place, doing accounts, seeing what treatments are the best income etc, so I will always try and take the positive out of it...I just don't really know what to do now.

If you have read this far, I really do thank you for bearing with me, it helped even just typing it all out even if no-one reads it! :o
I would just like some advice if any salon owners or therapists can give me their opinion- what would you do in my situation? I am unable to work from home as we are renting and my landlord won't allow it. I cannot afford to buy or rent a salon at the moment. but if I stay here I may end up just continuing to work for free, the place may fail and my clients will think it is my business that has failed.

I am just very tired from all this and my mind is a bit fried so I was just maybe looking for a fresh opinion? Thank you! :suprised: xxxxx

 

[nickysnails200]

What a horrid situation to be in! I would phone Acas for advice or go to a citizens advice centre too see what they say. If you are employed then it is your employers job to pay you. Sorry I'm not any help.
If it doesn't work out is going mobile a possibility for you?
Or could you afford to go self employed? ( chair rental not a whole salon yet)

Hope someone can help soon

Good luck xx

 

[AcidPerm]

Firstly, you need to be paid your wages so could you contact the accountant and ask him to sort it out? Presumably, your pay slip shows he's deducted the full amount of tax etc. as if you'd been paid your correct salary?

In the longer term, the only person who can turn this around is you as the owners have made their position very clear over the last two years.

You want to run the business as your own without having anyone breathing down your neck, make a decent wage but not have the associated risks that running your own business carries. I can understand that but you've clearly reached an impasse with the owners.

You will have to make the difficult decision of whether to go self employed but with an established clientele or try to find another job. I think you need to discuss this with your partner as something is going to have to give and you need his support.

I think you need to accept that you're at a crossroads now where YOU have to make a decision regarding YOUR future. Don't keep putting if off, you'll only get further de-motivated.

Whereabouts in Cork are you? City, North, West?

 

[pinky0403]

Thank you for the replies!

I 100% agree with you AcidPerm, thank you, I have to make a decision now about my own future. And this is exactly the advice I am looking for as most of my friends I confide in are in totally different industries and maybe a bit biased I was just looking for the unbiased opinion of people in hair and beauty, as I'm sitting in the salon on my own I find myself hmmming and hawing and second guessing myself a lot and driving myself mad!

I must say my partner is 100% supportive of me and will support any decision I decide to make, we have discussed my going out on my own a lot and he is behind me all the way and we have discussed the financial implications and worst-case scenario's. I'm based in the western suburbs of the city but the salon is east cork.

I will have to sort out my wages alright, either way, I have to be paid. Yes, the accountant is sending me my payslip like I'm being paid my proper salary with full deductions etc. I'm going to have to get it sorted today.

I have definitely reached an impasse with the owners, and to be honest, if I left I'm not even sure if they would bother looking for someone to replace me, they might just try and sell it on or get a different business in the unit instead, so that should tell me all I really need to know and stop putting it off. x

 

[BannerPenguin]

don't shoot my thought process here but did you say the salon isn't making much profit? But they have to pay all rent, the big outgoings etc and you pay the day to day bits?

I'm wondering if the business is being used a front for something. It's a cash business and if he has other businesses the money could go through the accountants end of the business so you'd never see it. Could be for tax purposes although would be a bit extreme reason to do it.

Just a thought....

 

[pinky0403]

Ha, I won't at all shoot your thought process banner penguin, but it's unlikely. It was a beauty salon for years and when the girl from that one left they just kept it open as a salon themselves, not knowing a thing about how to run a salon, probably thinking they could make a killing by just keeping it open, not knowing what goes into it or that the previous therapist took most of her own clients with her. They own the whole building so they don't have to pay rent and have enough money to look after rates and electricity-for the moment anyway!

 

[BannerPenguin]

Ha, I won't at all shoot your thought process banner penguin, but it's unlikely. It was a beauty salon for years and when the girl from that one left they just kept it open as a salon themselves, not knowing a thing about how to run a salon, probably thinking they could make a killing by just keeping it open, not knowing what goes into it or that the previous therapist took most of her own clients with her. They own the whole building so they don't have to pay rent and have enough money to look after rates and electricity-for the moment anyway!

Got ya! Makes sense. I thought I had a good idea at the time lol

 

[pinky0403]

Lol, thank you for making me smile about it- almost made me feel sorry for them for a minute like I was after making them out to be some kind of drug cartel or something! �� but no, they just had it, didn't know what to do with so just kept it on themselves and hired a therapist to run it for them x

 

[RED STAR]

I suspect they think you're 'happy' with they way things are 'bobbin' along.
Could it be you've mis interpreted what was meant by, 'you'll make it up next week.'- meaning for you not to worry, in this business it's peaks and troughs, rough with smooth etc.....
Unless you let them know your unhappy, how will they know that thing's need to change.
If the wife is unwell, the husband is probably pre-occupied with personal issues.
I'm not making excuses for them, just trying to see another perspective.

 

[beckylashes]

Read your thread not replys yet but you should say you need your wages and he needs to respect that!!

Also well done wish I could find staff like you!

Maybe you should tell him you can't stay if he doesn't pay you? Maybe ask to do a profit share on what you earn instead of being an employee? If he's not bothered about it

 

[pinky0403]

I let them know that it's not working just bobbing along all the time, try and hold meetings with them both, or just him, as to what needs to be done to the business in order to increase revenue, introducing new treatments that clients are asking for, late night opening hours, advertising etc. They know I am unhappy just to bob along as I've said to them, the more clients come in the door the more money we both earn as I'd be relying on tips and re-bookings etc. They've just lost interest, if they ever had any and now I'm beginning to also, so its just a case of figuring out where to go from here I guess!

 

[Maxine77]

Hi what a difficult situation for you. Have you thought about approaching them and asking if you can take the business over. So you pay them rent (enough to cover all their bills) and you run the business yourself. It sounds like you already know how to run a salon but are being restricted by them. Please make sure you get something written up by a solicitor if you do go down this route though. Good luck xxx

 

[facelashbrow]

I was going to say sinilar to maxine, if ur thinking of leaving anyway why dont you fess up? You have nothing to lose. Tell them that you'd like to manage the salon (you basically are anyway) and could you rent it off of them? Also if you have access to everything, calculate what the business is worth in terms of stock etc and if you rented the space off him (assuming now you have full control you can now make it more profitable and you already know that the business is covering its outgoings) you may find that actually you dont need a lot of money to buy him out. Its worthgetting the actual figures.

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[1434cundell]

Could you ask if you could buy it!? It's practically yours anyway! I hope you get it sorted. For what it's worth... It sounds like you've done an amazing job. I'm sure you could do it. If not SE? Sounds like you have the client base. Xxxx

 

[Dee5]

Hi what part of Ireland are you in? I'd love my own hair salon but haven't found anywhere. It could be possible to share rent etc with you if we got it at a good price? Pm me if you don't want to be public


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