Hair extension business not booming!

[LavishLocks]

hey first thread

i qualified in 3 methods in may 2014 bonds , micro's & shrinks .... in total ive had 5 clients

my prices are reasonable , to begin with i offered the service with the cost of hair only , had 1 person for that .. now i have no one , no interest , i advertise on facebook , hand business cards out , put offers & deals up on facebook but NADA
i have 3 children to supply for and make no money bar their benefits , im getting really frustrated .
i dont know what it is , am i doing something wrong ? do i use the wrong hair , i feel because i dont have many pictures or a big review base & clienetele no one is coming to me .. as i say everyone starts somewere !


i use sjk hair from glamorous lengths as they didnt really have a wide enough range

any tips , advice ?
feedback appreciated thanks

 

[rizz]

Hi

I am not a hair geek but didn't want to read and run. I know everyone is in different situations but for me personally - I would love hair extensions, after going for a jaw length bob a few years back I am still growing it out. But I am in the process of saving for a wedding and a deposit for a house so I just cannot justify it. Even just the cost of the hair would probably be all my disposable income for the month. Maybe look at adding another service to your books (if you can) and try and bump up business that way?

Sorry I know that's not really advice but I know a lot of people are in the same situation I'm in, so maybe people just can't afford it right now, either way I hope it picks up soon xx

 

[C.R]

I qualified abit after you and have only just started to get busy.
Competition is fierce in my area with a lot of super cheap extensions on offer, which, unfortunately, seem to be popular, surface to say, I've had to work really hard on my marketing strategy for a long time.
My advice is to set up a professional looking website, it doesn't cost much if you go on the sites where you build your own. Research your area, know your competition and decide how you can stand out from them.
When building your portfolio, pay attention to detail when photographing the finished look, try to make sure it looks as seemless as possible.
Go on Twitter, Instagram, order some flyers and hand them out in your local high street. I found the marketing my biggest challenge, and at one point, wondered if it was possible to proceed when there were so many other extensionists around,but I carried on and had the bit between my teeth. 6 months on from qualifying, I now have my own home salon and am glad I didn't give up. Keep on pushing and don't give up, you will get there in the end. X

 

[nietta]

I've been doing this just over 5 years am just about to leave my 'main job and do this full time as I now make a comfortable living.
It takes a long time, practice and so on to gain a reputation and a clientele to be proud of.
A lot of people see a quick course in hair extensions as a quick second income but it's just really not the case. It takes a long time to build up.
If you truly love doing it, keep doing what you're doing and stop worrying about building your business so quickly.
Lots of extensionists on here have a 'main' job first which always helps. Having an income to put back into the business is a necessity. I have 2 children, and have always made sure I've put money back into building my business. Thousands and thousands of pounds by now! All in little bits and bobs here and there to help me on my way.
Also make sure youre all registered up as self employed. If you're earning next to nothing it won't change your circumstances.

Good luck! It's very rewarding once you get going x

Sent from my GT-I9505 using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[surf girl]

You need to identify your target market so I.e 20 something year olds who work, or stay at home mums, or whatever it may be and focus your advertising on them, I'm a hair salon and even tho I do extensions I don't get that much business for them because I charge a minimum of £250 and I don't directly market them, other people in my area market it better because they target certain groups of people, I market to a wide audience I.e babies right up to oaps!
the profit in my area on extensions is rubbish and not worth my time tbh so many cheapeys in my area 🙈 so I just don't bother lol, I understand it's frustrating trying to manage a slow business while raising children I have 3 myself, maybe you could branch out into offering other services as well as extensions? Perhaps do a nail course or tanning or something else along the lines if hair& beauty? I couldn't make just extensions work as a business where I live because the market is saturated but I see geeks on here that do really well out of it

 

[LavishLocks]

Thanks , i think im the kind of person that expects everything to happen over night 😂 which in reality i know it wont !
Thanks for reply x

Sent from my SM-G900F using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[LavishLocks]

Hi @rizz , i get where your coming from , i know not everyone has the kind of money asked for
Im qualified in acrylics also so offering a free set with every extension fitting .
People make apps but dont show so very frustrating x

Sent from my SM-G900F using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[LavishLocks]

You need to identify your target market so I.e 20 something year olds who work, or stay at home mums, or whatever it may be and focus your advertising on them, I'm a hair salon and even tho I do extensions I don't get that much business for them because I charge a minimum of £250 and I don't directly market them, other people in my area market it better because they target certain groups of people, I market to a wide audience I.e babies right up to oaps!
the profit in my area on extensions is rubbish and not worth my time tbh so many cheapeys in my area 🙈 so I just don't bother lol, I understand it's frustrating trying to manage a slow business while raising children I have 3 myself, maybe you could branch out into offering other services as well as extensions? Perhaps do a nail course or tanning or something else along the lines if hair& beauty? I couldn't make just extensions work as a business where I live because the market is saturated but I see geeks on here that do really well out of it

I offer acrylics and also qualified in spray tanning but no interest .. im looking to add eyelash extensions in the next month so hoping i get more clients for that x

Sent from my SM-G900F using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[hair_addict_extensions]

What's your competition like? Are there many others doing it around your area?

 

[surf girl]

Only if u target specifically to people who will have them :/ I think off the top of my head u need to look towards under 30's for tanning and lashes (I may be wrong but that's a guess) so u need to think about where they hang out shop party work etc and advertise there

 

[hair_addict_extensions]

Have you got a Facebook business page? You can boost your posts on there & it's not much money, you can set your target market & area & advertise directly. I do it every now & again & always get at least one booking of the 3days it's ran for it's costs penny's compared to what profit you make in return

 

[Roxybear]

Lvl lashesand gel polish & gel extensions are popular round my area, I struggled at first but ive been doing extensions 5 years and now have a comfortable client base it does take time, maybe offer different ranges from budget to high end that would help as well majority of my clients go for a middle range

 

[louisewhiterose]

I can only give you feedback as a client, and for me when looking to get a new set of extensions i look at what hair is being provided and photos of previous extensions done by the extensionist (usually they have a few on their facebook pages) what hair is it that you use? Glamourous legnths? (I have those in now and have recently found out what they advertise as 'russia range' is not actually russsian hair) for me my search for european hair that keeps its quality in my blonde colour still continues... best of luck though xx

 

[LavishLocks]

I can only give you feedback as a client, and for me when looking to get a new set of extensions i look at what hair is being provided and photos of previous extensions done by the extensionist (usually they have a few on their facebook pages) what hair is it that you use? Glamourous legnths? (I have those in now and have recently found out what they advertise as 'russia range' is not actually russsian hair) for me my search for european hair that keeps its quality in my blonde colour still continues... best of luck though xx

No i used glamorous lengths to begin with but hate the quality so ive moved to sjk hair , done 1 set with the 1g bonds & was really happy the hair felt amazing & soft & the client loved them .
I go for the krystal quartz & luxury indian remy x

Sent from my SM-G900F using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[LavishLocks]

What's your competition like? Are there many others doing it around your area?

Theres a good few people offering extensions , weaves etc i would say my prices are fare compared to theirs , ive seen a lass charge £550 plus & she has hundreds of clients so there is a fair bit competition around me

Sent from my SM-G900F using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[Jemma1919]

No i used glamorous lengths to begin with but hate the quality so ive moved to sjk hair , done 1 set with the 1g bonds & was really happy the hair felt amazing & soft & the client loved them .
I go for the krystal quartz & luxury indian remy x

Sent from my SM-G900F using SalonGeek mobile app

Same! Hair is gorgeous with sjk!
I keep aaa for budget customers , but its still quite nice considering its budget x

 

[LavishLocks]

Same! Hair is gorgeous with sjk!
I keep aaa for budget customers , but its still quite nice considering its budget x

I was thinking of offering 25 strands on each side of hair where its thinner than the rest if a client was fine with her hair but lacked volume in sides? X

Sent from my SM-G900F using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[samlintonx]

You just need to advertise loads and even get one or two of your friends or family moments to be models for you and only pay for the hair, means you will have more photos cause that's what everyone looks for when they're seeing who to go to for hair extensions. Try advertising on gumtree, the more photos the better I always get people texting & calling me after posting on gum tree. Good luck Hun x

 

[samlintonx]

Family members* not moments lol

 

[louisewhiterose]

Im thinking of ordering the sjk spanish in blonde 613 rather than glamourous legnths has anyone used the spanish nano tip hair? And yeah gumtree is a good idea to advertise and def get some photos up; as a client for me thats the very first thing i look at xxx