Feeling Fed Up!!!!

[Lesley-Anne]

Sorry about that folks...I lost the text somewhere.....

Anyway,

Can anyone advise as to how long they took to find clientele?, I have been up and running now for about 10 weeks.....I have a really lovely studio at home for enhancements and manicures and pedicures.....but no customers....my friends don't want to have enhancements and they only want to be models for manicures or pedicures if it is free!!, whilst i did not mind in the beginning, i feel now that they should at least pay for the cost of the product.

Whilst i really love doing this, i have an ad in the local paper, yellow pages and yell.com i have not even one client on my books...i cant think where i am going wrong????

Any comments would be much appreciated, as i really need a lift, and money is getting tighter (I use creative) and while i love the product....hubby is getting a bit twitchy about the credit card bills

TTFN

 

[naturalnails]

Hi Lesley-Anne,

Please dont be so fed up. It does take time to build a clientelle. Be strong with your friends and dont keep doing them for nothing - as has been said many times - people will not value your work if you dont.

Keep plugging away with the brochures and cards, contact hair salons (without existing beauty/nails), bridal shops, florists, jewellers etc - do you have kids? I got a few initial clients through the other mums at school.

I never had much success through newspaper ads but the Yellow Pages is really good for me. Some have suggested getting a deal going with the Avon lady - you do her nails if she will put your brochures in her books.

Try putting brochures through letter boxes - pick the road with the biggest, flashiest houses LOL.

Good luck, hope the phone starts ringing soon.

 

[kerrie]

Hi Lesley-anne

I started from home also and got most of my clients through word of mouth, but what i did was i picked one girl from the local high school and did a free set on her and loaded her up with my business cards offering her a discount on her infills for each client she sent, she turned out to be a real little sales lady lol and sent me quite a few.

I also picked a few bussinesses i knew well and done a few sets for the ladys that worked in there and gave them the same deal, one particular shop that i picked the lady's nails are on show all day and now that i have moved into a salon i am still getting clients from her, everyone comments on her nails and then of course she tells them where she gets them and they take my card which i leave on her counter.

Pick a few "models" very wisely, think about who would get their hands noticed most, and of those people who are the most out going and likely to promote your business for you, you will find that they would be more than willing to if there was a little incentive or gift for them and of course they would love wearing enchancments and showing them off and getting compliments too

It might cost you a little bit with the models but your work needs to be out there and being seen around town, and nothing is better advertisment than others seeing your wonderful work, try some arty things as well to get them noticed more, an add in the paper didnt really work for me either , but i built my clientelle up to about 30 in 3 months using my models and getting them to advertise for me and of course the more clientelle you get from that the more your work gets seen and the more your clients refer you to family and friends , it takes a while and gets so frustrating some days and you feel like giving up, but dont it just takes time and patience and alot of time lol.

I hope this has given you a few ideas and some motivation to keep going, this is what worked well for me, i was so determined and still am so dertimined to make my little business a success

Good luck

Kerrie

 

[Dawnie]

Hiya
You poor love I feel for you as I was in your situation about a year and a half ago (the half makes all the difference lol)
Anyhoooooooooo I printed loads of flyers and put in all the local shops and went around the hair salons that did not have nail techs in and gave them flyers to hand out if they had any body come in and ask about enhancements.
I also have flyers on the counters of our local chemists ect.
I also done a free set on my daughters friend who is a very popular girl and very persuasive lol and I told her I would look after them for free as long as she kept the clients coming in............and she did about 12 of my regulars where sent to me by her bless her.
Anybody new I meet they get a business card lol whether they want it or not.
So please don’t give up as they say it comes to those that wait and it will
Once you have a few customers word soon gets around beleive me and then you will be pulling your hair out coz you don't have enough time :shock:
Chin up and take care
Dawnie xxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[Lesley-Anne]

thankyou girls for all of your support....I will definatley take on board all of your suggestions.

I think I need to be a little more patient and start pounding the pavement and visiting hairdressers etc.

I love this forum....I am addicted
Lesley

 

[VanessaB]

Just a quick word to offer a bit of support.

Im sure you are a great technician and that given a bit more time you will be very successful!

Have you thought about going to drop off some leaflets at your local Gyms/Health CLubs? Im sure the women there like to take care of themselves and would be very interested. You could offer to do the receptionists nails as an advertisement for your work. Just an idea.

Good luck!

 

[beautifulnails03]

I was going to post pretty much the same thing the other night!

I work in a tanning studio and even though I have had 26 customers in 6 weeks, it is really hard going!

Business was picking up and as I went on I was getting more appointments, I was so excited, I really thought I had cracked it! But then over the last 2 weeks in has been dead again.

Last week I made £60, but the lads took £20 of that, so I only came away with £40 for a full week of sat behind my Nail Bar waiting for customers!

I was so down about it, and came home and burst into tears! One of the main problems has been that my Uncle is doing my printing for me FOC even though I offered to pay. Which means I can't nag at him to speed things up because he is doing me a favour.
Now I have been waiting 7 weeks for my Client Record Cards, Business Cards, and most importantly my Price Lists. :evil:

I have been tearing my hair out, but my Mum said that I should be proud of myself because businesses don't become successful overnight, it takes time, and I am getting through it. Plus it takes guts to set up your own business. So even though things have been bad, I know that they can only get better.

The Lad's at work are getting stressed out because the space I'm renting isn't bringing in the money they want, and one of them keeps teasing me saying that they will find a new technician if I don't get it sorted! :x I know he is only trying to wind me up, but it is really not what I need to hear! :twisted:

Anyway, my stuff should be ready on Thursday and then I am going to attack the town, and all towns surrounding it! It is really tough but I know I will be successful, I just have to work hard and eventually I will have my own Salon and not have to listen to them complaining I am not bringing them enough money in!

 

[geeg]

Don't forget BN03 that this is usually a slow period between july and September when the children are off school and away for the holidays ... even for fully booked salons. T

Those wanting to start with a new technician may prefer to do so after the summer.

Any salon owner wanting to get money for the space has to be prepared to wait until you build up the business. Remember I mentioned that you ask for a 'sliding scale' for the first 3 months to help you along?? Say 10% the first month, more the second and so on for a three month period? It would have helped you considerably.

When you do get cracking ... you will be the highest earner in the salon. Think on that one.
Any fully booked nail technician makes more per client than any fully booked hair technician!! This is a fact.

 

[beautifulnails03]

I tryed but they wouldn't agree to it. As for the slow period, I didn't even think that it would be slow between those months, but obviously that makes sense.

Thank you for your kind advice, I just have to work at it, and one day I'll be looking back saying, "Well that was tough but look at me now".

 

[nicolajanejohnson]

Hi Leslie-Ann,

Just thought i'd mention this as no-one else seems to have... i have beautiful natural nails, and although i always had nail art on them, it wasnt encouraging people to have their nails done by me...so i took the plunge and cut them all off and did myself a set of pink & whites... it's been the best advertisement ive ever done!!! And i love them soooo much...thank you God for giving me Creative!

Like you ive placed ad's in local papers and did the trawling around local businessess, but i didnt have a great deal of success. Now i'm advertising my profession everywhere i go and everytime i meet people, it seems to be giving my business a boost.

Good luck, and keep your chin up

luv Nicolajane x