Did you wait until you were qualified in everything you wanted to be?

[Louise1985]

I am due to start NVQ 2 in Nails in September and am waiting to hear if I can do NVQ 2 Beauty alongside, hopefully if I can the only extra I will have to do is spray tanning to be qualified in most things ( apart from the extras like advanced waxing etc)

However if I can't do the beauty course it either means I have to pay to do each course seperately like waxing, lashes etc or wait until next year and do an extra year at college. But I really wanted to be able to offer all treatments when I start up, is this realistic?

Or could I start up doing just nails and spray tans and then add on the extras as and when I qualify?

xx

 

[natsjl]

I wouldn't worry too much if you can't offer everything to start with, if you start building up clients with what you can do after qualifying they will be able to spread the word once you start adding treatments and it will give you plenty of time to practise your new skills. I have some clients that are just nail clients, some that are just waxing clients and some that are just spray tan clients. I only have the odd few that have a bit of everything and thats usually at Christmas or holiday time.

I did a Btec in beauty years ago and found that I added more as I went along later on (spray tanning/Intimate waxing etc) also clients tell you what they want and like so I listened to their opinions on what lacked in our area etc. Good luck anyway whatever you decide on. xxxx

 

[laurakate]

There's always something new to learn so don't feel that you have to do it all before you start working (otherwise that could be ages away!)

Aim for level 3 in nails and/or beauty and then add other things around that (so lashes, intimiate waxing, shellac etc etc etc)

Edit: I hope you're able to do th 2 level 2s at the same time. It will be hard work but it is possible. I did level 3 nails and beauty at the same time.

 

[skymark]

No I didnt wait to do them all before starting. Once I was qualified in one thing an had insurance I had the means to start making money, which is the whole aim of the game. Then I added new services as I qualified in them.

People have been successful doing it all at once as an NVQ or separately in private courses so if you cant do it one way, the other way can work just fine too.

 

['chelle]

Hi, I started working as soon as I qualified in acrylics and that was the only service I offered. I used the revenue from that to pay for further courses and gradually added to my menu and it worked just fine. Every now and again I got an enquiry for a service I didnt offer and would tell the customer that I will be introducing that service soon, took their name and number and told them I would ring them when the service was available and offered them a welcome discount on the new treatment. If I had waited till I was qualified in everything then a) I wouldnt have been able to afford it as my training has cost me thousands and b) By the time I'd got to the end of my training I would be completely out of practice with whatever the first thing was I learnt, so the ongoing practice and experience kept improving my skills.

I'm still not qualified in everything I want to do. I do mani/pedi/l&p/gel/shellac/minx/crystal pedi/rockstars/waxing/female intimate waxing, but I would like to add male waxing including male intimate waxing to my menu. The money I generate at the salon at the moment will help me to afford that when I'm ready to do the training, it also pays for my ongoing refresher training/CPD which I think everyone should do.

My advice to anyone is to qualify in one thing/a few things, get good at them, and start working, whether it be mobile, salon based, employed/self employed, whatever. The thing with skills is you either use 'em or lose 'em, and you might aswell be profiting from using them!

 

[Louise1985]

Thank you for your replies, I know where your coming from with the use em or lose em motto!

If I can do the 2 courses alongside each other it would be perfect as I would be continuously practising and get qualified at the same time and then is just have the extras to add. But if not hey no, it'll just be nails for the time being and use that profit to fund my courses further

Xx

 

[Emily Case]

I only started out with acrylics, then went on to train in manicure, pedicure, shellac, gels and aquarelle nail art. I couldn't afford to do everything at once so used the money I earned from the acrylics to fund my courses

Xx