First time renting a room - HELP in advance please! x

[HayleySullivan]

I finished and passed my beauty specialist level 2 course on friday and finished my acrylic and gel nail technician course today!!! Passed both!! and i have also found a room to rent from january to do both beauty and nails.

I relaise my nails are not up to scratch at the min - coming straight from college so will be looking for models and reducing my prices until i am good enough to charge full price!

Was just looking for some help really with things i should be doing and planning for the start of my new business.

i have so many things going through my head and dealing with that i am going round in circles and seem to be getting not alot done!!

would just like a sort of checklist of things to do!!

also anyone else renting a room - do you have a written contract. i dont at the min. have agreed a weekly price and aslong as i pay that each week - the rest will be up to me.

thanks for any help or advice

hayley x

 

[Urban Geek]

Contract
Marketing
Price Lists
Products
Retail
Furtniture
Hours/Days of Work
Security of your products, etc.

Basically, you will be running your own business so it is up to you to ensure you have everything you need. You will probably need to do plenty of marketing to get your name out there. It is a big expense but one that is essential really. Perhaps try and get a free feature in your local paper. You could also do an introductory promotion, especially since January is generally a quiet month in any case.

It is up to you and the salon owner whether or not you both sign an agreement. I have not signed a contract where I am based so I can go at any time without notice (although I wouldn't do that). On the same token, I can lose the space I rent without notice also. If you want to be sure you don't get the heeve-ho without notice or cause, make sure you sign a contract.

Have a look under the Biz Section as I am sure there will be loads of similar threads already on this.

Good luck!

 

[HayleySullivan]

thanks for your reply. x

 

[EMMA AT ELITE]

I finished and passed my beauty specialist level 2 course on friday and finished my acrylic and gel nail technician course today!!! Passed both!! and i have also found a room to rent from january to do both beauty and nails.

I relaise my nails are not up to scratch at the min - coming straight from college so will be looking for models and reducing my prices until i am good enough to charge full price!

Was just looking for some help really with things i should be doing and planning for the start of my new business.

i have so many things going through my head and dealing with that i am going round in circles and seem to be getting not alot done!!

would just like a sort of checklist of things to do!!

also anyone else renting a room - do you have a written contract. i dont at the min. have agreed a weekly price and aslong as i pay that each week - the rest will be up to me.

thanks for any help or advice

hayley x

Firstly Hayley congratulations on passing your courses.

I too rent a beauty room and have been for 5/6 years now and the best advice I can give you is get a few years experiance working for someone else first in their salon.

I think this is so important as it teaches you how to run a business, gives you experiance, gives you time to have all your speeds in nails, waxing and treatments as they should be, gives you the chance to go on extra courses and learn more things that the salon will send you on.

I learnt from the salons I worked in prior to working or myself how I would and wouldn`t do things.

 

[beautysalonjo]

Hiya

I to rented a room within a hairdressers and I would advise that u have somthing basic written up. Just so you have notice and also proof of the rent you pay.

There will always be things you forget in the beginning or thing that will improve over time but it is defo a great learning curve!!!

If you want any other advise or anything just shout

jo x x

 

[HayleySullivan]

thank u all for your replies!

i am thinking about so much at the min - am worried i will forget the basic stufF!

but yes, will def be a learning curve! xx

 

[whackeykitten]

Have you contacted the inland revenue yet? They do a fab course about starting as self employed and a follow on course about filling in your self assessment. The downside of the business is sitting there filling in accounts but you really need to stay on top of that side! If you haven't already, give IRS a ring, they're very friendly and helpful

 

[Urban Geek]

thank u all for your replies!

i am thinking about so much at the min - am worried i will forget the basic stufF!

but yes, will def be a learning curve! xx

Where is the room you are renting Haley? Is it in Romford? Did you contact The Tanning Shop?

I bet you are excited about your new venture x

 

[smcconnell1989]

I would really sit down and think if you are ready to set up your own business so soon after qualifying. I know for a fact i wouldn't have been. You need to be spot on with your treatments and it's good to be familiar with how a salon runs first before going straight in there. My advice is get some salon experience first especially with this credit crunch.

 

[EMMA AT ELITE]

I would really sit down and think if you are ready to set up your own business so soon after qualifying. I know for a fact i wouldn't have been. You need to be spot on with your treatments and it's good to be familiar with how a salon runs first before going straight in there. My advice is get some salon experience first especially with this credit crunch.

FANTASTIC ADVICE
Hayley please dont take this the wrong way but from reading previous threads of yours, you dont sound ready to run your own business renting a room, I dont mean this horribly so please dont take offense.

A few weeks ago you posted a thread asking what oder to do eyelash perm, eyelash tint, eyebrow tint and eyebrow wax. Now any professional competant therapist will know this, its ok that someone who is newly qualified as yourself wasnt too sure, but when running a business you have to know standard things such as this, because if you had a walk in wanting this done you need to know what to do without even having to think about it.
There will be lots of situations that you wont know the answers to that you will only get with experiance and you need this before you can run a successful business

I could give lots more samples but dont want this to come across the wrong way.

Emma xx

 

[anca14]

I too think you need salon experience first (at least 6 months).
Basic mistakes would cost you alot when working for yourself.
xx

 

[loubylou]

Don't forget your insurance hunny
you need public liability insurance and insurance to cover the room and your products/stock in the room hth

good luck with your venture, i did similar to you,
i just went for it and it worked just fine,
when you are thinking on your feet the answers just come to you naturally and you get on with it,
most of all enjoy it :hug:

 

[HayleySullivan]

Thanks for everyones advice.

I was originally thinking of going mobile but i think i would get a lot more clients from renting a room as the shopfront will be a good advertisement for me. and clients coming into the shop will also now no i am here.

i agree i need alot of expirience, and we all have to start somewhere. so starting out on my own is the 1st step for me which will hopefully lead onto bigger and better things in the future.

i also agree that wen thinking on your feet the answers just come to you. i use this site alot to ask questions to see if evry1 does things the same way i do - or if they do it differently/in a different order would that work better for me - quicker/easier etc. i ask people who have more expirience than i do what they have learnt over the years.

i am a very competent therapist which is why i passed my course. and of course i will still have 'newly qualified' questions to ask which i get from this site, friends in the industry, and ongoing help from my college tutors.

 

[marioned]

One of my geeky friends on here set up her nail salon in a room in a hairdresser's right after qualifying. She put her heart and soul into it and it was a huge success, so much so that she has taken over another room in the hairdresser's, and he's just moved into one room! She now has expanded into waxing and tanning and these are going really well too.

I know what the others are saying about getting experience, but it can be done. Now that you have made your decision to go ahead, just have confidence like she did! xx

 

[Purple Rose]

I think its ok to rent a room straight away as long as you work at it! I must admit I worked in a spa for a few months to get my confidence in treatments, and now work on my own in a sun bed shop, although I don't rent the room yet, but will do. I just found that I knew what I was doing as I went along, although am probably not up to speed as I would have to be in a salon. I offer my Bio nails there which I get paid comission for, and didn't even advertise offers and they become popular. I am however just booking my skill builder for L&P as I'm not that good at that yet, but as soon as I can, I'm just going to advertise for models and hopefully will get more people to practice on in the shop than I would mobile. I didn't let anyone know I was new to the business and I don't think many people have noticed. I think the only thing they have noticed is I'm not as quick but I do give a personal service and really talk and take care of my clients. I have to say though that I didn't want to rent the room first as I had no clients so wanted to get paid, but now I know that I can get clients. all be it a small amount at the moment, thats enough for me to get going renting! So Best of luck to you!

 

[champagne]

Oh Blimey Marioned is talking about meeeee......

I rented a room in a salon a couple of weeks after my cnd foundation & brisa course.

Never worked in a salon before, no experience in beauty or even self employment, basically started from scratch.

My advice....stick to what you know, research anything you dont understand. Be confident in what you are doing and work your a** off, I sat there for days on end sometimes.

I had an 'opening offer' for nails when i first started but never a reduced rate cause id just quailfied...

I have only been doing nails for 8 months but I may have completed more sets than someone who has been qualified for 2 years or more. My nails are not always perfect yet...& boy do I beat myself up over it but i have seen alot worse for alot more money and I learn fast.

You could be operated on by a newly qualified surgeon...would you know?

I will get better and better the more I do & the longer I do it....

I have gone on to waxing & tanning with what many would say is just basic training, this is going really well, I have also had comments such as 'Its great to find someone who really knows what they are doing' this was after my first paying bikini wax client (she was an avid waxer & she couldnt tell).

This has been the best adventure I have ever been on.

I have had no loans or funding, just hard hard work, it can be done..I have earned the cost of my training, equipment and some stock in 8 months.

I would advise anyone to go for it if you feel that you have the confidence.

But running before you feel able to walk - you may have a great fall.....Never let yourself get out of your depth.

I had been advised by some geeks that I should wait and that i didnt have enough experience and that it takes years to be able to do this & that.....I went for it and havent looked back.

Hope this inspires you a little, wishing you good luck x

Ok, im ready for you all to go mad at me now for encouraging a newbie lol

 

[marioned]

Hee Hee!!

Your success has made it look so easy, as though everything has fallen into your lap, but I know you've worked your a** off to get everything going and keep up the momentum. Well done you! I hope you have even more success in 2009! xxx

 

[champagne]

Thank you Marion....Couldnt have done it without this site and my many geeky friends so thanks to all xx