Babies before business....?

[Lola_Spa]

Morning all.

Just wondering. How have you all worked your business around family?

Is the more sensible option to have babies and then open a salon once they are a reasonable age (nursery)

Or to go for the dream salon and hope that someone won't run it into the ground whilst your on maternity :/

Xxxxx

 

[missreid]

Hi,
I have my own salon. My staff are brilliant but I don't think for a million years I will ever have a proper maternity leave! I put everything into my salon and love being there. 6/9 months off fills me with dread! At the moment I am too focused on my business to think about having kids!
Who knows, when I do get pregnant I might change my mind and want a year off, but we'll see!
I'm looking forward to other geeks opinions!x

 

[lollypop2912]

One of the problems with having 6/9 months maternity leave is also going to affect your clientele, chances are you would lose quite a lot of regulars and be starting again from scratch when you returned to work. Someone I know who used to have a salon went back to work the day after giving birth in order to avoid this! I don't know about you but personally I couldn't do that.
Good luck whatever you decide

 

[Josie*]

This is just my experience of having a salon and kids everybody feels different when they have kids.
I opened a salon with my business partner when we were 24 it ran amazing. She had kids first and because I was full time it was fine. I had one when I was 31 and everything changed. We both wanted to work part time. For a while we had an amazing manager who had been with us for years but when she left to set up on her own we found it hard to replace her for someone who understood our vision and accepted that we worked part time. Takings were always lower when we weren't there.
We had to make a decision to come back full time or near enough, or down size to just the two of us. We down sized and it is so much easier. I can be the mum I want to be and run the standard of salon I want too. You are lucky if you can find someone who will run you salon like you do.
Like I said I am sure some manage it well, it wasn't for me I felt like I wasn't doing enough for either part of my life business or child.

Good luck with your decision xxx

 

[Josie*]

Ps. I only took 3 months maternity too

 

[Katelisa]

I think alot of us are lucky that the industry can be quite flexible. Clients will always want apps out of their own working hours.

I'm not planning on children any time soon, but when I do I don't think I can be the stay at home mum. I love work too much. My bf is more likely to go part time than me lol.

 

[kennedia]

I have a 15 year old daughter and a 2 week old baby. Am starting back at work this Saturday. I'm very lucky though, I can pick and choose when I want to work so won't be back full time so to speak, and hubby quit his job to run the house, look after the kids and help run the businesses (training company and small salon). There are no hard and fast rules, but that's good - means you can make the rules up to suit your circumstances!

 

[annie:)]

I have a home salon and my mum works from home so when i had my son i had 2 months off in my opinion your baby needs your full attention at that time then i started having one client a day then got booked up in the evening when my son was in bed!hes now one n iv only been full time for the past 2 months n i dont regret spending so much time with him at all hes so more advanced than my friends children who worked full time and it flies trust me we should enjoy every minute xx

Sent from my X10i

 

[kezza*]

My daughter is 12 weeks. I worked the day before she came, the only reason I had the day off on the day she came was bacuse I thought it would be my last saturday to myself. I was in hospital til the Tuesday and on the Wednesday had someone back in. I work from home, been working from home for 2 years so didn't want to lose my client's. It's bloody hard work with the baby, the house working and the business itself. I'm managing. Try to work half a day, as my other half works shift's and so far touch wood it's working. I'm hoping to do more in April. Client's do understand that if I can't fit them in but we find space.

I have a great daughter she sleeps though the night. It's hard. You have to make sure you do what's right for you. Some people may think I'm mad, I set up my busniess trying for a baby we had IVF so there was a chance it wouldn't happen. It did and I'm sooooooo lucky.

Good luck

 

[Zo Zo]

One of the problems with having 6/9 months maternity leave is also going to affect your clientele, chances are you would lose quite a lot of regulars and be starting again from scratch when you returned to work. Someone I know who used to have a salon went back to work the day after giving birth in order to avoid this! I don't know about you but personally I couldn't do that.
Good luck whatever you decide

I think that might be illegal. It definitely used to be. You had to have a minimum of 12 days off or something. Even if you are self-employed. It's also completely mad!

 

[nietta]

I had built a very successful mobile company then fell pregnant. I worked until i popped pretty much, then took a year off, and started up again. I felt that although i loved my business, my babies first year was crucial and she needed me to be there for everything, see everything, and i didnt want to miss anything. I had an amazing time off and ill do the same with my next child. I went back to ork 3 days a week once she turned a year, and only now shes 16months am i going back 5 full days a week.

 

[emsie]

I turned to the beauty industry after having my daughter (now 18 months), after becoming redundant and used my mat leave to become trained in beauty. I now work from home as and when required (mobile) and plan to rent a beauty room in the new year, and put her in nursery 3 days a week so I can work more hours. I wouldnt have wanted to work more than I do now as I love being at home with her and have loved being there for her completely for the full 18 months.

I would never want to return back to full time work while she is so young and will only do so when she goes to school

 

[del<3]

I had built a very successful mobile company then fell pregnant. I worked until i popped pretty much, then took a year off, and started up again. I felt that although i loved my business, my babies first year was crucial and she needed me to be there for everything, see everything, and i didnt want to miss anything. I had an amazing time off and ill do the same with my next child. I went back to ork 3 days a week once she turned a year, and only now shes 16months am i going back 5 full days a week.

Hi nietta - I think what you've done is brilliant - I'm in the middle of building my mobile business (I'm 23) and maybe in the next year or 2 have a baby but I'm worried that the clients I build I will lose as I'd probably (can't say for sure as not in those circumstances yet!) do the same as you and take a year off! Did you find it was easy enough to build back up again? X

 

[Jessjemima]

I am a Very busy mobile hairdresser, I had my little girl nearly 5 years ago,, I was very lucky that from 2 wks she slept through the night,, so I went back to work when she was 3 wks old,, but luckily my mum and dad were able to look after her,,, it was quite hard but I was lucky that I have been blessed with a easy child and also very understanding clients so I never lost any and now they fit in around her. I have to say now she is at school full time life is so much easier.

 

[blossom]

Working while my kiddies were tiny was never an option really for me. . . not that we have a lot of money, def not, we chose the skint option and I stayed home while mine were pre-school age and worked at weekends when hubby could care for them. We were skint and had old cars and an old house that was a state at the time (has been refurbished now lol) but I wouldn't change a thing. For me once they were here they were my full time occupation and I didn't train for nails till my youngest started infant school.

They are now both at secondary and my business is doing well. I've been able to fit it round school plays, sports days, special assemblies, all those precious things that you only get one go at . . . and I feel lucky that I've managed to work it like that. Being self employed does enable you to be flexible.

I'd advise having the babies and cherishing every moment you can with them whilst they are little. I'd leave the salon till you feel you can happily leave them and give it all your attention

 

[hayleysspraytan]

Great thread...

It's a very personal decision I think - for me, I had a 4 year old and a newborn baby (literally only a week or two old) when I was painting and scrimping every penny to put my salon together - my children were with me every second - eating fish n chips / breastfeeding in reception while we DIY'd, sometimes sleeping in makeshift beds in one of the beauty rooms while my friends and I worked through the night to get it up and running. Mine isn't the story of a martyr lol - more a story of determination. I didn't do it through choice - I did this because I had a very unsupportive and abusive partner at the time who refused to help me (we split very soon after) and who thought I was mad for devoting so much time to it. However, I persevered - even taking my son to work with me sometimes, sleeping in his little moses basket (really unprofessional and I could never pull it off now but I lived in a small town where I knew my clients so I got away with it!). I spent my child benefit on tins of paint and second hand flooring. Anyway, I really struggled because I knew it would be a great avenue for me and that I would work hard to provide for my kids if I had to do it alone. It was mega hard and I almost walked away many a time... a lot of people around me told me not to do it, including my mum and my then partner but I'm pretty stubborn...

Anyway, my point is that 6 years down the line I made it work - I did give that salon up but still work from home to service those loyal clients whilst my team of therapists/technicians mostly run my hugely successful salon in the city centre of Edinburgh! I built that from scratch with nothing, no savings nothing - no borrowing, just investing my income in great products and spending what I can to achieve what I want in there. I have been there a year now and it just gets better. I now spend most of my week at home with my children (working a lot too) but they have everything I wanted them to have now. I have a great partner, a beautiful home, and very happy children. I don't feel I ever lost out because I got my time with them and find it so rewarding that I can give them what I strived to give them back in darker times I am now planning my second salon in the city and things only get better...

The way it happened it not how I would plan to start a business - but my point here is that with the right drive, determination and confidence that you are born to do something - you can do whatever you want, faced with the most difficult of situations :Love::Love::Love: xx

I have put 3 pictures below of my first salon (Pamper Me Pretty) where I sweated out the building of a business and some of my new salon... just to show you what you can do with a vision and because I am very proud that I did this ALL BY MYSELF against all odds - with babies and everything! x

I read your story and smiled you are an absolute inspiration!! In struggle balancing business and my baby but you have showed me that anythings possible! Your kids will be so proud of you as they grow up your a true role model!!:Love:

 

[Lola_Spa]

Omg I can't believe how popular this thread has been!! It was just one of my many thoughts and wanted to get a few others geeks situations.

I'm not pregnant lol, and the thought of it really does scare the hell out of me!! But I know I want children, and I don't want to start a successful business for it to go down the pan if I needed time off. Plus it must be hard work the two combined.

I just don't want to lose my clients when I do have children. I know they say "oh it's okay we will come back when your back at work" but really... How many of them actually do this?

In confident in my work and my home salon is so lovely. But I do wonder how loyal people really ate when put to the test...and unfortunately you don't find out until it might be too late.!

Lovely stories by the way ladies! Gosh we have some hard little workers in here don't we xxx

 

[del<3]

awe thank you Hayley - thats so lovely (brought a little tear to my eye!!) - its not easy, but I don't suppose anyone really has it easy. I'd love to have had the happy family always with lots of spare dosh to put what I have now in place without childcare and having to have my kids at work with me but thats not as easy for some people. We do what we have to do... its amazing what you can achieve when faced with the biggest walls and under immense pressure I do very much hope my kids will be proud :Love:x

Lime I know your salon at Dalry/haymarket!! I past it everyday on the bus into work in a salon in town! Always intrigued by it it stands out on the row of shops it's beside!

Your story has inspired me to never give up no matter how hard things get! <3 x

 

[kezza*]

Great thread...

It's a very personal decision I think - for me, I had a 4 year old and a newborn baby (literally only a week or two old) when I was painting and scrimping every penny to put my salon together - my children were with me every second - eating fish n chips / breastfeeding in reception while we DIY'd, sometimes sleeping in makeshift beds in one of the beauty rooms while my friends and I worked through the night to get it up and running. Mine isn't the story of a martyr lol - more a story of determination. I didn't do it through choice - I did this because I had a very unsupportive and abusive partner at the time who refused to help me (we split very soon after) and who thought I was mad for devoting so much time to it. However, I persevered - even taking my son to work with me sometimes, sleeping in his little moses basket (really unprofessional and I could never pull it off now but I lived in a small town where I knew my clients so I got away with it!). I spent my child benefit on tins of paint and second hand flooring. Anyway, I really struggled because I knew it would be a great avenue for me and that I would work hard to provide for my kids if I had to do it alone. It was mega hard and I almost walked away many a time... a lot of people around me told me not to do it, including my mum and my then partner but I'm pretty stubborn...

Anyway, my point is that 6 years down the line I made it work - I did give that salon up but still work from home to service those loyal clients whilst my team of therapists/technicians mostly run my hugely successful salon in the city centre of Edinburgh! I built that from scratch with nothing, no savings nothing - no borrowing, just investing my income in great products and spending what I can to achieve what I want in there. I have been there a year now and it just gets better. I now spend most of my week at home with my children (working a lot too) but they have everything I wanted them to have now. I have a great partner, a beautiful home, and very happy children. I don't feel I ever lost out because I got my time with them and find it so rewarding that I can give them what I strived to give them back in darker times I am now planning my second salon in the city and things only get better...

The way it happened it not how I would plan to start a business - but my point here is that with the right drive, determination and confidence that you are born to do something - you can do whatever you want, faced with the most difficult of situations :Love::Love::Love: xx

I have put 3 pictures below of my first salon (Pamper Me Pretty) where I sweated out the building of a business and some of my new salon... just to show you what you can do with a vision and because I am very proud that I did this ALL BY MYSELF against all odds - with babies and everything! x

Thank you for sharing this. It's amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it. Good luck with everything and good to see you never gave up.

xx

 

[30sharon]

Ive got 4 kids ages 12 , 11 , 8 & 6 i worked full time in a salon it 4 weeks before my 1st one was born she was born in the November so the salon was getting busy for Christmas so i went back 4 weeks after she was born but only 2 days a week . I put my days up to 3 days when she was 6months i carried on working till a week before my 2nd one was born and went back when she was 6weeks with my 3rd i still done 3days and finished again a week before i had him but i took 4months off with my 4th i was still working finished work on the Saturday night and had him the Sunday morning he is also born november ( i know never planned it very well ) so went back when he was 3 week since then ive carried on working 3 days a week and they went to nursery 2 days and my husband looks after them on the saturday Then January this year i took a solon over and are now working full time but i cant afford to put them into childcare full time so i take them into the salon after school tue , wed and after school the other 2 day the summer they came inn the full day they have a wee room of there own with tv and a wii so they are happy enough so far its been hard going back full time but starting to get use to it i couldnt have done what im doing now if they were younger but they grow up so fast i think as long as you can make time for both why not