Do you/would you charge your family?

[SGordon91]

Hi everyone - not sure if this belongs here but it seemed like the right place to put it.

So, ok here goes. I have just finished up my beauty room, litterally all the thats left to do now is paint. But I've allowed one of my family members over tonight to do her nails and spray tan for her going out at the weekend for a christmas party. Now, I was on the phone to my mum and I explained that she was coming over and she asked how much I'd charge. So I told my mum I said to her I'd only take £20. This is obviously significantly cheaper in what I'd charge non family members. This will be my second spray tan since my training however which im like should I charge less but I am very competent in my gel polish nails. So I now kinda feel bad because my mum says I shouldn't charge her and I should say its her christmas present from me (saves a gift I suppose lol) but on the other hand I think of all the kit I've bought, all the training I've undertook and how much money I've spent on that room. Tables, chairs, paint, furnishings. The whole shabang. And the other half of me is like no I shouldn't feel bad because if they were going anywhere else they'd be charged more and if I do it free once surely it'll be expected I do the rest of the family for free as well? And, on top of it all money isn't exactly something I am swimming in at the moment..so that little bit extra would be nice but I feel so damn bad because of my mum. Help??

 

[squidgernetball]

Is your mum your business partner?

My business has grown beyond anything I could have imagined over the past few years, and none of that happened from giving treatments away!
I charge everyone.

I would definitely do what you have done, and do a lower offer as you're just starting out. I would also make it clear that from now on it will cost x amount. If you do a discount for family, that's up to you, but I never have, and as for doing it for nothing - no way.

If it costs nothing, it has no value!!!

Good luck with your business,

Vic x

 

[SGordon91]

Is your mum your business partner?



My business has grown beyond anything I could have imagined over the past few years, and none of that happened from giving treatments away!

I charge everyone.



I would definitely do what you have done, and do a lower offer as you're just starting out. I would also make it clear that from now on it will cost x amount. If you do a discount for family, that's up to you, but I never have, and as for doing it for nothing - no way.



If it costs nothing, it has no value!!!



Good luck with your business,



Vic x

No she isn't lol. Don't think me and her could ever work together think we'd end up fighting all the time.

I defiantly feel I am in the right charging as I charge my mother in law too!

I am nervous about the spray tan but I think with practise comes perfection lol. I know how to fix things anyway if I do make a mistake in spraying. I will keep my amounts low for the time being till I feel able and then go up in price when I'm advertising towards the middle/end of January.

I defiantly agree and I believe I should charge what I'm worth and for the time being I feel that price is fair. Thank you x

 

[Martin Duffy]

I agree with Vic above, and would also suggest you set firm guidelines about who in your family is getting a discount and what times you are willing to treat them. There is nothing worse than having to turn away a proper full paying client because your diary is full up with half price family treatments.

 

[Redduck]

I agree with the others about setting your prices / discounts now as it is harder to put prices up in a few years when you are really busy and are half booked with cut price treatment.

Hands up - I did it and it took a long, long time to get everyone up to full price where they should be.

All the best with your business

 

[Martin Duffy]

That's the good thing about a site like SalonGeek - those new to the business can learn from the mistakes of those who have gone before them!!

 

[dudeymel]

I would say it's a Christmas pressie as it would more than likely work out cheaper than actually buying a pressie but make sure she knows it's a one off x

 

[Dani04]

Im in this position I do hair and beauty and for my family i do it free but the problem is i do it all so they get waxed nauls done hair done blah blah blah all for nothing and it costs me :-(.

Its not fair. And because they dont pay the want it more often because its not costing them. its hard to set boundries on who to charge and who not.

Sent from my SM-G900F using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[surf girl]

It's right it's so hard to put the price up when you start with free or cheap, I've still got certain people who are on the massively discounted friends and family rates the rest of my week is fully booked with those people too so ill b working my socks off for hardly any money my own fault I know but I can't do the whole you've got to pay x amount conversation 🙈 if I could start all over again I'd charge full whack right from the start they don't need to know the ins and outs of how much experience you've got they just need confidence your good at it

 

[Martin Duffy]

Surely no friend or family member worth worrying about would want to see their kith and kin struggling for money, so why not just be up front and say you can't afford to carry on charging so little anymore as it is costing you money. Simply give them a date from when you will need to start charging a more sensible amount of money, and stick to it!

 

[Redduck]

Every year I put up my prices but if I added £1 to a normal paying client I added £2 to my discounties😄. It took a while but I got there in the end!

 

[surf girl]

Every year I put up my prices but if I added £1 to a normal paying client I added £2 to my discounties😄. It took a while but I got there in the end!

How did they take it? Were they miffed? I just worry my lot would be lol

 

[Redduck]

I said that product prices had gone up so I had to pass that on. I didn't have any complaints at all and now a couple of them ask if it's going up this year and how much. I think it's more about us than them to be honest.

My top tip to any newbies...if you're going to give a discount it should be 10% maximum unless you're getting something back like living at your mum's for free😄

 

[surf girl]

Yea I think I'm more worried than they are lol, I'm changing colour houses in the new year so maybe a good opportunity to put my prices up

Funny thing is my mum & mum in law are the ones I'd do for free without hesitation but they're the ones who always insist to at least cover product costs 💕 friends don't do that tho they want the full monty for pennies gonna have to be firm I think lol

 

[Martin Duffy]

If they really are friends, and not just hangers on that are only interested in you for freebies, then they'll surely not mind paying at least enough to cover your costs and allow you to make a living!

 

[pure]

No, I don't charge family members. However, I work from home so do not have salon overheads to cover. I also only give them treatments in my own time, not normal working hours.

I guess it also depends who the family member is. The only ones who live near me are my children, my mum and my partners daughters. I couldn't charge any of them. If it's a one off visit from a more distant family member I still wouldn't charge tbh because it wouldn't become habit.

 

[surf girl]

That's how I started not charging tbh I used to do mobile and at home so diddnt mind so much then but I do have overheads now, I still do all the kids I know for free 🙈

I used to do everyone in my own time too but after working all day I can't stand doing hair outside of work hours anymore so I book them in on quieter times in work just so happens this week it's ended up all the clients are cheapy ones

 

[pure]

I do charge friends full price, that started when I did own a salon and had all the overheads but still never family, although some nice ones would insist on paying

 

[SGordon91]

Thanks everyone for your replies! Really made my day to come on here after the treatment to hear what everyone does.
Well I done the treatment and I did charge her. I feel like it's a fair price for both treatments and I feel happy to concur on giving her this sort of discount as I do work from home with no overheads plus It's probably cheaper than anywhere else she's went previously. I worked hard on perfecting her tan and her nails. I'm just hoping it comes out as nice as it seems on her skin. I know there is so much I need to perfect BUT I know I did right. She's coming back for a mani pedi and happy to pay and is even bringing my aunt over for the service. I feel good! Haha.

 

[Jen889]

Hi everyone - not sure if this belongs here but it seemed like the right place to put it.

So, ok here goes. I have just finished up my beauty room, litterally all the thats left to do now is paint. But I've allowed one of my family members over tonight to do her nails and spray tan for her going out at the weekend for a christmas party. Now, I was on the phone to my mum and I explained that she was coming over and she asked how much I'd charge. So I told my mum I said to her I'd only take £20. This is obviously significantly cheaper in what I'd charge non family members. This will be my second spray tan since my training however which im like should I charge less but I am very competent in my gel polish nails. So I now kinda feel bad because my mum says I shouldn't charge her and I should say its her christmas present from me (saves a gift I suppose lol) but on the other hand I think of all the kit I've bought, all the training I've undertook and how much money I've spent on that room. Tables, chairs, paint, furnishings. The whole shabang. And the other half of me is like no I shouldn't feel bad because if they were going anywhere else they'd be charged more and if I do it free once surely it'll be expected I do the rest of the family for free as well? And, on top of it all money isn't exactly something I am swimming in at the moment..so that little bit extra would be nice but I feel so damn bad because of my mum. Help??

I think it depends, if you have a large family giving free treatments might get out of hand and you will lose a ton of money. If you have a small family it might be OK.

My personal experience is I don't charge my family and my boyfriends family. Its seriously 3-4 people, they come every few months, and the treatments they come for don't cost much of anything. If I had a large family I would do a discount and that's about it. Your not in business to lose money!