Doing something slightly different to a usual therapist

[Heidi-Sparkles]

Hi all I'm new here and this is my first post.

I guess I'm slightly different to alot of you and I'm coming at the industry from another angle. I'm actually an Antenatal Teacher which I've been doing really successfully on a self employed basis for about 8yrs. I'm also a massage therapist (11yrs) specialising in pregnancy, postnatal and baby massage. I have worked in a high end clinic in London for a couple of years and then moved back to Wales to work on a self employed basis.

I have a studio in the centre of town (8 rooms, 4 bathrooms) I use the main room to teach my classes and workshops and one of the other rooms as a treatment room (all the others are rented out by me to other relevant practitioners such as reflexologist, baby photographer, physio etc). I've been here for 2 years and I absolutely love doing treatments so I've branched out into facials, mani/pedi, lash lift, waxing etc and developed a whole range of treatments just for mums and mums to be. This has been my dream for a very very long time so I'm happy it's working out. But. (Why is there always a but?!) The stress of running this place and managing everyone's needs and demands is doing my head in. It's a beautiful but old crumbling building with always something breaking. I want to leave and have my own little treatment room at home, preferably a cabin or shepherds hut in the garden. Nothing new there I know - everyone's at it right! I have a panoramic sea view and a separate garden (weird set up I know but I have my house- garden - then a public footpath thing divinding the two - then another garden!) which may work out well as I could have a kids garden and a work garden.

However, my street is not a shiny nice posh one. It's not scummy or anything, everyone is lovely, but if you're working from home do you need the whole place to look fancy?? This is the thing that's really putting me off. I would like to offer all my lovely pregnancy and mummy treatments from the cabin plus one to one birth hypnotherapy and relaxation. Most of my treatment clients stem from my antenatal classes so I get to know them really well but I may have a few that just contact me from nowhere so I still need to make a good impression. I have a £6k budget so could make it really nice (the studio is £6k a year). I may take some photos to see what you all think, I'm so stuck

 

[squidgernetball]

No it doesn’t need to be perfect. What needs to be perfect is how you market it. I live in a small village in a terraced ex council house. When I started out, like you, I wondered if people would come. 10 years later I moved to my own premises. (I’d add it didn’t take 10 years to build my business but I was a carer for my mum so was ‘doing a bit of beauty’). I was easily taking in the region of £300 per day with minimal overheads. I had some beautiful leaflets made and I marketed myself as premium quality. I used premium brands and did everything as if I was a salon - card machine, website, dedicated room, luxurious couch and so on. I would do a leaflet drop and wait for the phone calls. I was super super busy. I would have clients turn up in big black mercs. They’d call me and say “I’m not sure I’m in the right place” and I’d look out of the window and smile to myself. Looking at my leaflet and marketing I was a premium set up, not my back bedroom in my ex council house (like you, in a nice road but not super duper).
I’m the other way around to you. I now have a four room salon, six staff and am bloody knackered. Go for it. People buy people. You’re clearly very successful at what you do and people won’t bat an eyelid if it’s in your garden room or whatever. But make it fabulous.

Good luck

Vic x

 

[Heidi-Sparkles]

Thanks so much Vic that's super helpful! I also live in a small village in a terraced ex council house! Luckily it's up high in the village so the sea and mountain views are incredible. Delivery men often ask if they can have a peek at the view from my garden haha. I was also caring for my mum and doing a bit of massage but then unfortunately she passed away and 3 weeks later I discovered I was pregnant with my now 7 month old angel baby Heidi. My mum left me a substantial amount of money (just over £60k) and I want to change my life, chase my dreams and make her proud. So there's alot at stake if I mess it up!!

I went on a training course for lash lifting a few months ago, the manager offered me a job and said I was clearly made for the industry because of my bubbly nature and attention to detail. That gave me such a confidence boost! Can I ask why did you stop from your house? Was it just progression? You're clearly very successful and know what you're doing so thank you for your help xx

 

[squidgernetball]

How funny!!! No worries.
Why did I move from home? I was putting by about £200 pm to pay the tax man. My youngest daughter had a teeny bedroom and both my girls were growing up. I thought that if I paid £200 in rent, it would be tax deductible, my youngest would have a decent bedroom (my treatment room) and my work would be separate from home. One of my clients owned a golf club and she offered me a fab room for £200 pm. I stayed there for over 2 years at which point my elder daughter decided she was going to train as a beauty therapist. We started looking for premises and found the barn that we’re now in. We have grown beyond our expectations.

Good luck it’s sounds like it’s a fabulous location x

 

[Heidi-Sparkles]

Wow so you work from a barn with your daughter? You're living my dream haha.
I would like to work from home to start with as my daughters are so young. Can I ask how many treatments per day per week you were doing and what your outgoings were? Many thanks

 

[squidgernetball]

Do you mean working from home @Heidi-Sparkles?

 

[Heidi-Sparkles]

Yes

 

[squidgernetball]

Varied. I averaged 5 clients per day and worked a four day week. I didn’t do many expensive treatments then. I do a lot more now. It was mainly nails, waxing and facials. If I did it again I’d do it very differently. I’d concentrate on high end facials and retail. That’s using what I do and know now.

On good days I could do around £250-300 and on a bad day a lot less. This is about 8 years ago as well!!! Overheads are minimal. I had a mortgage to pay regardless. I had insurances for treatments and premises, products, set up costs and so on. Heating was more as it was on as I needed it. You don’t need a music licence if you’re working from home (at least you didn’t).
Minimal overheads x

 

[DiamondDivasBea]

Varied. I averaged 5 clients per day and worked a four day week. I didn’t do many expensive treatments then. I do a lot more now. It was mainly nails, waxing and facials. If I did it again I’d do it very differently. I’d concentrate on high end facials and retail. That’s using what I do and know now.

On good days I could do around £250-300 and on a bad day a lot less. This is about 8 years ago as well!!! Overheads are minimal. I had a mortgage to pay regardless. I had insurances for treatments and premises, products, set up costs and so on. Heating was more as it was on as I needed it. You don’t need a music licence if you’re working from home (at least you didn’t).
Minimal overheads x

Hope you don't mind me jumping on but I was just wondering, when you said you should have offered more high end treatments and retail, what kind of treatments would you recommend and what would you retail?
I'm in a similar position, but am just level 2 qualified so looking to train in something else to add to my skill set but not sure what avenue to take. I also do bridal hair and makeup which I've been doi g for 5 years

 

[squidgernetball]

Hope you don't mind me jumping on but I was just wondering, when you said you should have offered more high end treatments and retail, what kind of treatments would you recommend and what would you retail?
I'm in a similar position, but am just level 2 qualified so looking to train in something else to add to my skill set but not sure what avenue to take. I also do bridal hair and makeup which I've been doi g for 5 years

I now do results driven facials. I retail environ and Dermogenera skincare. I would concentrate on that, alongside Jane Iredale make up that I have used for years. I do microneedling, peels, CACI and so on. It’s mainly all I do now, along with Brazilian waxing [emoji23]

 

[DiamondDivasBea]

I now do results driven facials. I retail environ and Dermogenera skincare. I would concentrate on that, alongside Jane Iredale make up that I have used for years. I do microneedling, peels, CACI and so on. It’s mainly all I do now, along with Brazilian waxing [emoji23]

Thank you. This might sound like a stupid question but how do you go about retailing the products? Do you need to set up a trade account with them?

 

[squidgernetball]

Thank you. This might sound like a stupid question but how do you go about retailing the products? Do you need to set up a trade account with them?

Yes. You open an account. Some cost thousands - it depends who you go with. You can then order and retail x