Help on setting up own business

[rhi07]

Hi!! i am just beginning to set up my own mobile manicurist and pedicurist business. Could anyone please give me some tips regarding -

best products. should i stick to one product range or is it ok to mix and match various products??

the best place to get nailcare record cards and box for them??

has anybody got or used the 'contes' aluminium portable trolley case?? i am looking to order one but was just wondering what people thought of them first? are there any better ones? are they a good size?

does anybody use a hand/finger bubble spa? i have seen one on the internet and thought it may be good to incorporate into a deluxe treatment like most people do for the feet with a foot spa? do clients like this or is it just a waste of time??

i have so many more questions!

please help!!

rhi

 

[blossom]

Hiya, firstly good luck with your new business, how exciting!

I would choose your product company carefully, from your profile it doesn't say you've trained with anybody yet, so when you do, I would keep with all the products from that company. It looks professional, they are designed to work together, and it shows that you have every confidence in that range and company. (Not to mention saving you money getting everything from one place). It's not recommended to mix gel and l&p products from different product ranges. (Just for the record I use Ezflow which is one of the top companies, Creative and NSI are very well spoken of on this site, not to say that others aren't good but these I believe are the main players, someone correct me if I;m wrong)

My trolley is a 3-tier opaque plastic and chrome one from Next.

Again good luck, sorry don't know about the finger bowl x

 

[Chameleon]

Hiya, firstly good luck with your new business, how exciting!

I would choose your product company carefully, from your profile it doesn't say you've trained with anybody yet, so when you do, I would keep with all the products from that company. It looks professional, they are designed to work together, and it shows that you have every confidence in that range and company. (Not to mention saving you money getting everything from one place). It's not recommended to mix gel and l&p products from different product ranges. (Just for the record I use Ezflow which is one of the top companies, Creative and NSI are very well spoken of on this site, not to say that others aren't good but these I believe are the main players, someone correct me if I;m wrong)

My trolley is a 3-tier opaque plastic and chrome one from Next.

Again good luck, sorry don't know about the finger bowl x

I would second this,as to not mix products when performing manicure or enhancements treatments.

A well established,reputable company such as Creative,OPI,EZ flow ,NSI are some of the few brands that would demonstrate to the client that you are serious about your profession,and use a salon brand only available to the qualified nail artist.

Good luck:hug:

 

[Rosey]

Hi!! i am just beginning to set up my own mobile manicurist and pedicurist business. Could anyone please give me some tips regarding -

best products. should i stick to one product range or is it ok to mix and match various products?? one range looks so much more professional

the best place to get nailcare record cards and box for them?? either design your own or buy from a wholesaler such as sallys. Record card boxes are usually cheaper at stationery shops

has anybody got or used the 'contes' aluminium portable trolley case?? i am looking to order one but was just wondering what people thought of them first? are there any better ones? are they a good size?

does anybody use a hand/finger bubble spa? i have seen one on the internet and thought it may be good to incorporate into a deluxe treatment like most people do for the feet with a foot spa? do clients like this or is it just a waste of time?? As a client i dont think i would be bowled over by the bubble spa. If you have lots to buy then i would put the money into other things, but if you have some spare then i don't see why not.

i have so many more questions!

please help!!

rhi

We got a portable trolley at the NEC show, for when we do bridal hair/make up call outs. If you are going to any of the autumn shows and can hold out until then you would probably get a good deal and would get a chance to have a play with the trolleys.

 

[rhi07]

thank you both.

I have not trained in acrylic or gel nails yet, as i am only starting small with limited funds i will just do the manicures and pedicures and nail art until a later date. When i trained i only trained with Precious and Orly products at the college, but did a seperate qualifiation in Nailtiques manicures. I find the Nailtiques range brill but only limited products, i.e no cuticle removers or exfoliating scrubs etc.

Would it be wise to use other products too or not? what products would you recommend to go well with the Nailtiques if so??

Also just a quick question, just want to find out the first steps of setting up my own mobile business, just so i dont do anything wrong, do i purchase everything first? how do i register my business? when do i get insurance? and any other tips you might know that can help me get off the starting block?!

 

[blossom]

Personally, when I started out mobile I made sure I had bought everything I could possibly need, its sods law that someone will want exactly what you haven't got otherwise - so every service you offer, make sure you have everything you need to carry it out.

I believe you need insurance as soon as you are working on paying members of the public.

Just choose a business name, or go under your own name. I think you only need to register at Companies House if you area public limited company which if you are going mobile, just yourself, you probably are not going to be. think carefully about what name you choose, make sure there is nothing of that name already in your surrounding area, and make sure the name hints heavily at what you do. (for example my business name is Nails Beautiful)

Any other tips? Well don't underprice yourself. It's so hard to raise prices but much easier to lower them if they don't work out, or set your prices higher and make offers for a while.

And budget quite a bit for marketing if you can. If nobody knows you're there, nobody will call. I did leaflet drops, shop window ads, Personal column in local paper. The leaflets worked quite well, the others didn't. Yellow Pages and Thompson will both give you a free lineage ad if you work from home or are mobile. PM me if you need the numbers xx

 

[Rosey]

Click here for the Business Link website Business support, information and advice | Business Link

It has loads of info for you, plus you can arrange a free consultation with a local business link advised who can help you with business start up procedure. They also do free training with cash back and all sorts of business support stuff.

 

[rhi07]

thanks all.

i will definately check that business link site out.

and again if anyone has got any help with the product range thing please let me know, i dont really want to have to train in another product range as i want to get up and running straight away.

rhi x x

 

[blossom]

Could you ask your Nailtiques trainer what products she would recommend to go with the Nailtiques line?

 

[user 17140]

Hi!! i am just beginning to set up my own mobile manicurist and pedicurist business. Could anyone please give me some tips regarding -

best products. should i stick to one product range or is it ok to mix and match various products??

the best place to get nailcare record cards and box for them??

has anybody got or used the 'contes' aluminium portable trolley case?? i am looking to order one but was just wondering what people thought of them first? are there any better ones? are they a good size?

does anybody use a hand/finger bubble spa? i have seen one on the internet and thought it may be good to incorporate into a deluxe treatment like most people do for the feet with a foot spa? do clients like this or is it just a waste of time??

i have so many more questions!

please help!!

rhi

Hello, i have just started my own business mobile and i am still getting things together , first i got my kit sorted, cant believe how much i needed, i have it in them cheap storage boxes that you can get at the supermarkets i got lilac so it looks pretty. I got my insurance sorted through babtac but there is also lots of others, and i my car insurance needed altered for business use, when i was ready to trade i called the tax office and registered my business ,you dont have to have a name for your business to do this.I have seen the hand spas they look nice but a bit expensive, i use a nice bowl with glass beads in the bottom , a tip from my creative trainer, it looks nice and feels nice, i make my manicure luxury with heated mittens! i got my case from Luggage | Laptop Bags | Briefcases | Suitcases | Handbags it seemed a good price! and to get your business going you can get free business cards from vista print and brochures free if you receive there email offers, really worth the effort and they look lovely, if you want me to email you a special offer that they send me, then pm me you email address.Good luck.:hug:

 

[rhi07]

i cant believe how helpful everyone is!! thanks so much

i have got heated mittens and booties to make deluxe manicures and pedicures. i think this will go down well to attract customers as i dont do acrylic or gel extensions.

Does anybody know any good ideas for business cards?? is it best to use business cards or leaflets?

Another quick question, i have been collecting nail polish of all different makes, shapes and sizes for years, do you think this will look unprofessional? should i invest in a good polish range? if so, any good ones out there??

rhi x x

 

[blossom]

I'd say you need business cards and leaflets really.

When you do your business cards, its a good idea to have it printed for appointment dates on the reverse

 

[user 17140]

i cant believe how helpful everyone is!! thanks so much

i have got heated mittens and booties to make deluxe manicures and pedicures. i think this will go down well to attract customers as i dont do acrylic or gel extensions.

Does anybody know any good ideas for business cards?? is it best to use business cards or leaflets?

Another quick question, i have been collecting nail polish of all different makes, shapes and sizes for years, do you think this will look unprofessional? should i invest in a good polish range? if so, any good ones out there??

rhi x x[/quot
The business cards i find are cheaper than leaflets , so i can give away cards more to different people places , but i keep my leaflets for clients or if they would like to give one to a friend , they are too precious to leave lying around!
I like creative nail enamels and their base and top coats are lovely, i also use nubar but i never mix them , i always use compatable base coats etc!

 

[rhi07]

thanks again guys, if you have anymore tips please feel free to let me know!!

rhi x x

 

[bombini]

If you are trained with Nailtiques then I would stick with them and then just choose a range for polishes, id be inclined to go with Orly as I believe they are also distributed by Graftons ?

They key thing to remember is don't overspend ! I bought just about everything you could possibly need and didn't need half of it :irked: The amount of retail that I bought was ridiculous and most of it is still sat on the shelf now over a year later. I hardly ever sold retail when I was mobile unfortunatley and I find nail products the hardest to sell to clients.

Ensure you have enough money to pay for advertising as you need to do as much as you can and it isn't cheap, that was one of my biggest mistakes when I started mobile, I thought one advert in the local paper would get me loads of clients, wrong !

Good Luck x

 

[Jennykins]

take a look at www.vistaprint.co.uk for your business cards

xx