desperately need help and advice!!!

[crazysaz]

hi guys, in such a dilemma at the min and i need advice so ere goes!! a couple of months ago the manager of my local gym offered me a room, theres 2 beauty rooms and theyve been sitting empty for about 1 1/2yrs. the full rent was £250 a month but cause id only be using it 3 days a week he agreed to only charge me 10 a day which was fantastic. i was also gonna do spray tanning as well. was all ready to open last thu when he rang me on wed, just after id came home from the printers. another girl was interested in the other room for beauty and basically wanted to do the tan, i was told bot to do it as she was full time, i said what if i take mt room on f/t and he said 'she offers everything, youre just nails!' i started to give off so he checked with head office and they said no one was allowed to do spray tan due to the ventilation (he told me id be alrite if i bought a tan tent which i had done so) i told him that i did all aspects of nails incld natural and to make sure she didnt do it. well, in work last nite and she has posters all over saying she does man and ped!!! ive spent a fortune on all my nice creative stuff! on wed he came to me and told me that i had to take the room full time as doing it part time the room wasnt insured ( i think this is a loada balls tbh). i said i mite and he told me then it would be for a yr, he seemed to be trying to steer me away from a contract. anyway, her rooms getting painted so i looked in last nite. its tiny as shes a massive bed in it by the time she gets storage and that plus she'll need a table for manicures.... then it hit me! i think she must be wanting the 2 rooms! i think the sleazy manager mite have been tring to act a big shot and has told her im only gonna be there temporarily or something. so i decided today id take the room, out of sheer bloody mindedness more than anything. so i said to him bout the contract and he said it'll be tue b4 anythings sorted. whats your opinion? should i take the room? theres lazer hair removal people have my room 1 day a month at £50 so itll only be £200, bargain but ive got her next door plus i cant do tanning or waxing. but hes treating me like such a moron!! its made me more determined!!! does anyone know my rights? ive no contract, can he just ship me out?
sorry for such a long post but i dunno what to do!!! should i look else where and pay more rent or stick it out?
by the way, the new girls my mans ex!!! im not really bothered but i do know thats shes not meant to have a very good manner!!

 

[crazysaz]

oh and he wont even give me a key!!! 1stly it was lost then tonite it was finally found so i asked for it and was told i couldnt have it cos the laser people woud need it - thats a month away!!!

 

[Bev Rose]

Sounds like the mans and a*s*h*l*.

If you can afford it I'd tell him to stick where the sun don't shine!

Sounds like he's on her side for some reason, quite happy with you doing you tanning & stuff before she came along. Is he going out with her/fancy her?

I'm sorry hun i'm not much help, but it just feels wrong to me & I'd get out asap. How many othe rgyms are there in your area? All i've heard about the tech in my local Fitness First type gym is that they are clsoing down. Are you sure there's gonna be enought for you both? Sorry to sound so unmotivating, but that's how it seems to come over.

Hope you sort thing sout hun. Good luck to you XXX

 

[jee-nails]

£200 a month sounds like a real bargin, you would only have to do a few sets of nails a week to cover it. Just be careful you dont commit to a years contract just to get one up on the manager, although I would probably do that too. He seems to have gone back on everything he said, bet he didnt expect to have two girls at the same time interested in the rooms after they were empty for so long. Also I wonder if he's playing one of you off against the other? Can you talk to this girl at all and see what he's saying to her? Anyway I think you should go for it. Best of luck.

 

[tamimac]

My advice would be to not cut your nose off to spite your face hun. Yes hes been a bastard and you have spent money on advertising but you could be making an expensive point... If hes not going to back you up and be supportive then it will do your business no good. If youre just starting out then this kind of aggro will really be a lot of strain when youll need to be focusing on more important things.
But, on the other hand do speak to him about the advertising and let him know that you will be out of pocket because of his breach of promise and point out the damage that could occur to your reputation and business... He may cough up the cost of the advertising if you mention the nice people at legal aid....:evil:

 

[crazysaz]

yeah its a fitness 1st, hes such a horrible sleazy little man!!! i think its cos her dads done all the running around and hes an accountant so he thinks shes betterthan me and that im just a sad little girl!!! theres already been 2 beauty therapists there so i dunno if she ll do that well. ive actually done ok considering its my 1st 2 wks. theres no nail bar in my town and no1 who can do nails. the only thing is if i take the room f/t i can go in more and stuff. down side is the tan but i could do mobile or do it from home. its the fly way he does stuff and the stories he comes up with. i hate him! if i leave its giving him what he wants!!! i dont know where else to go, any of the bigger salons already have a beauty salon and to rent a shop is about £220 a week min in town centre. im gonna do a charity nite on the 18 nov, its between me and one of the trainers, mite not make a lot but it'l get my name out there!! anyone ive done has booked again apart from 1 cow who worx at the gym. i said to him tonite if i take the room can i do what i want and he said as long as its nails, she does beauty so she can do anything to do with that. ie mans and ped

 

[crazysaz]

i really dunno what to do!!! the rent is so cheap. im not really bothered about the contract, whats he gonna do, take me to court if i leave? i think part of the prob is he told me to get me started id only have to pay 10 a week for the 1st month then 20 a week for the 2nd then rising to 30. i think head office have got involved and hes bricking it now. he also said the other day that full rent is 500 and that gillian has agreed to a rent review at the end of 6 months if shes busy. i asked stevn what shes like, and she said that when he went with her she wasnt a btichy girl but that was 7 yrs ago and people change. i mite try and get hold of her this weekend. this is doing my head in. and your rite bout my rep, my flyer has a £15 spray tan on it as a opening offer but i cant bloody do it any more!!! only had 1 enquiry tho. theres no other gyms by the way. if i could get somewhere else in the industrial estate has its so good 4 parking. id just like to see what hes gonna do, call his bluff. hes not asked me for any money so far by the way.

 

[Bev Rose]

Now you did not say you were the only one in town doing nails!

Well that makes all the difference. Keep the room, sod the old git & the rent's not a big problem at 200 a month. & Give it all you've got girl!

Push your self at all the gym people for example, get a leaflet in the changing rooms & on the back of the loo door! Let them read your ad whilost they sit biting their nails!! LOL!

Go into the car park & put your leaflet on the cars. i hate that but i read it!

Ask for your info/leaflet to go out with all ths mailings/new enquiries.
Have a big stack of leaflets on the reception desk.
Offer speacial offers during November free nail art/gems etc with all new sets.- under cut her if poss on what you can do that she does! Well business is business 'n all.

 

[crazysaz]

awww, thanx babes, thats what i wanted to do!!! and now i think your rite!! if she had of been allowed to do the tan then i was just gonna offer it at half price from home!!! the thing thats pissed me of was when it was the tan fiasco we werent allowed to overlap she was to get doing it but when it comes to the mans and peds we have to work alongside each other! even if i stay there a while to get business built up. my hands are tied too cos ive my wee boy to think of, if i hadnt him id be in there every day!!! i know interest has been quite good, my friend is manager of the nicest clothes shop ni town and she says theres been loadsa flyers lifted, but ive got no booking from this!!! so far its been people i know or 2 customers from the gym. does it just take time for the word to filter thru?? im also acared my prices are too cheap; 15 for a solar man and 16 for a raw earth ped, with 10% of for members. the only thing is better being a bit cheaper and busy than being greedy and empty!! my prices were only printed on wee cheap a5 leaflets so i mite put up prices by a £ and charge a quid for polish and 2 for french

 

[crazysaz]

just looked up your nail art btw bev and its so cool!!! do you paint with diff polishes sometimes and an art brush? im crap at arty things, flicks are about it!!!!

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Hi Sarah, sounds like you've been well and truly shafted and I'm really sorry to hear it. All you have to do is give a better service and word will get round that you are the one to come to, and price won't be an issue. these people go to the gym because they want to get fit and look good, so that is what you must tune in to. Give a fantastic massage with your manis and pedis, pass on tips and advice to them about how to look after their hands and feet, etc etc That other girl will soon be history!

 

[crazysaz]

ha! even though ive only typed my query an you can read me! im in such a tizzy at the min and my mind is going overtime!!!! :Scared: its got to the stage i judt dont know what to think any more, am i making it worse than what it is. if it wasnt such early days then it wouldnt be so bad, id know whether things were working out and id have a bit of a client base built up. im not the only one whose toes she'll be treading on, theres 2 new girls started (i dont know them) and they do hollistic therapies and massage and shes massage up as well.
think im gonna get a pile more leaflets printed. 500 a5, colour both sides is only £70. At the min im doing a set of ext for £25, its only a fiver of so i think il put a solar man for 15 and raw earth ped for 16 and i saw an offer in scratch pads they did a 10 man on a wed say so i think il do that as weell. thats all i was charging for a mini man to begin with!! ive got some good ideas on ere, putting them on cars and stuff. you learn as you go along and ive loads more things to put on them that i didnt before such as free parking and open to non members.
as sassy says i dunno what brands she'll be using, i use ez flow, creative and youngs so esp in the likes of the manicure and ped treatments im bound to gain custom!!! i just looked up her no in the phone book and im so tempted top ring her for a chat but it mite go 2 ways it could all go well or she could ring the manager and i mite never get my contract!!! id say hes scared now to cos i shouldnt be there without a contract or anything. i meant to be starting a start a business program, 1st nites on tue so i think il contact the manager girl tomo and let her know whats happening and also our solicitor to find out if ive any squatters rites!! lol
thanx everyone for all your advice:hug:

 

[Bev Rose]

Yes, I use varnish mainly to do the main base colour, but I also use artists acrylic paints that i buy from my local art shop I also get some of my brushes there too. Acrylic paint is great to use as it dries really quickly and you can get your designs done faster, remeber to seal the finished design with a good couple of coats of topcoat/clear varnish or the design will wash away!!

You ought to think about what Mrs. O has said too you know, maybe this other girl is feeling a little like you too? Perhaps you ought to both go and have a meeting with the manager & define a few rules/boundaries. If he's not up for it or not listening, could you two girls not come to some arrangement? If that's out of the question too, go back to my advice and do your best.

Let us know how it goes hun & keep you chin up! X