Help - Struggling to Pay Rent!!

[lolaw]

I started renting my room in a hairdressers in May this year. Up until now things have been really quiet. The hairdressers is new too and is reasonably busy but mainly with elderly ladies who only tend to get the odd lip & chin wax! I've advertised on loads of local business intranets. I've put fliers through hundreds of doors in the area and even advertised in the local newspaper. I'm really starting to panic as there is nothing in the book again this week. For the last month I've had to dip into my savings to pay the rent (£150 a week) and my savings are starting to dry up! How long do you reckon I should carry on like this? Any ideas?
I thought about renting a nail table out to a nail tech as I have loads of space in the room?
Any advice would be appreciated x

 

[pure]

Have you had a chat with your landlord and explained the situation to them? It is afterall in their interests to keep you there and in business otherwise they will lose out on the rent money. See if you can renegotiate your rent. I don't know what kind of area you are in but £150 pw for a room seems awful expensive to me. (I pay £164.50 per month!)

Have you also tried special offers to get people in? There are lots of threads with some great ideas on here.

When I rented above a hairdresser I have to say I often struggled to cover the rent and other expenses each week, I then luckily found the room I am in now which is on the high street and haven't looked back.

Good luck.:hug:

 

[jenny2]

I now how u feel hun, only difference is i do not rent a room at the min. I seem to have hit problem after problem and have got to the point were i was ready to give up on everything. But some thing this week , my husband lol gave me a kick up the old bottom, a much needed one mind.:green: But i am ready to go. I have over fifty ladies on my book about twenty that are regualars and i have gained them over a short time, but they just come so infrequently it drives me mad, one week i have hardly any one and the next it mad. But i have got all my recored cards out , bought christmas cards, done some christmas fliers and put a small voucher in that is valid for dec through to jan, second class stamp and they have gone.
I have also took a load to my local spar and they are up in a stand, i have asked in a local tanning shop and a nail salon and leaflets will be in there as of tomo. I have my new web, courtacy of ruth mills on here, who has done it at a fab price as skinttttt just like u. I have just got in touch with our local look mag and will be in there for the begining of dec which is about time i did that as now one near offers the intamate waxing yet or the minx. So that will be all round my area very soon. So girl as kim lawless said to me when i first started, if you need to discount then do so, ie charge 15 pound for intamate waxing because it is better to have some money coming in that not at all.
Have a look at my web page hun it may give u some ideas on how u could approach your advertising or have a chat with ruth on here she is brill
Waxing4Women - Waxing and Beauty Clinic in Bolsover, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, chin up and get walking them streets and sell your self be confident, cos i am gonna. its gonna be a good christmas all round i feel it in my bones hun

 

[femmefan]

Jenny has given you lots of good ideas to get you moving on the marketing side. Sometimes we just need a little push to get going again.

But - definately have a talk to your landlord like Debs mentioned. Try to re-negotiate for a percentage of takings for say 4-6 months (up to a maximum of your normal weekly rent). Explain that as things stand you don't have any money left for marketing after paying your rent so the business is not expanding and that paying a percentage will enable you to develop the business which will benefit both of you in the long run.

It is very hard starting a conversation about money, but you may find that they are more understanding than you think.

Good luck :hug:

 

[lolaw]

Hi everyone, thanks for all you tips. You are definitely right, think I need a good kick up the bum to get me motivated again, think I was getting a bit too negative about it all. I will defo try all the marketing tips and have a word with the landlady and see what she says on the rent (ouch!). Will let you know how it goes. thanks again for all your help L x

 

[karenstars]

Hi, the exact same thing happened to me at the start of the year. I wasted three months in a hairdressing salon that mainly had little old ladies as clients. No offence to the elderly but they aren't likely to have enhancments on. GET OUT of there, don't waste another day. Find somewhere where you can feed of f their client base, and one that would want nails. Thats what i did and i'm not looking back. It was so soul destroying what i went through, i really do understand. Take my advice and all the best of luck to you! xox

 

[Rach]

Can you offer more services to the elderly clients? Maybe hand massage (while they are having their hair done), file and polish or mini facials.

 

[Martin Duffy]

Regarding the advertising, have you thought about advertising where you meet the prospective clients? I've found open days, demonstrations, talks for interest groups etc give a much higher yield of clients than flyers. There are some people who don't understand the treatments & what they could do for them, or are frightened to go into a salon for the first time, but meeting them on neutral territory makes it 'safe'. I've done talks on skincare, reflexology, nail care, aromatherapy & various other things for the WI, flower guilds, craft groups, young mothers meetings etc & had a great uptake - just take the diary & price lists!

 

[Miss Salon]

Absolutely excellent advice Martin. Actively and effectively marketing your business is one of the most important things you can do. You have to try and find your clients; seek them out where ever they may be and meet and greet them. Also you've got to figure-out their hot-buttons - understand and give them exactly what it is that they want. For instance, there's no point offering fabulous nail art to french manicure lovers! So make sure your marketing material and verbal communications focus on how you can help them fulfil a need.

Do your flyers highlight a major benefit of visiting your salon? Do they highlight a need that you are going to be able to fulfil? Or do they just give your business details...

Good luck with your business.

 

[essentia]

Hi there - I am inclined to agree with karenstars and get out of there but it depends on the potential - we cannot see where you are or what the salon is like. I think the rent is way too much. I have had similar experiences in the past - so stop throwing all your money away on rent. either find a more competitively placed room in a salon with younger clients or work from home or mobile. :hug:

 

[Lynne Baker]

also consider your local business network meetings - I went to one last night and picked up 2 new clients who made appointments there and then. It cost a fiver to go, and it was a lovely, friendly evening too!

 

[DCraig]

Hi, That is quite expensive. What treatments do you do? Maybe something like semi permenant eyelash extensions might bring in more money or Hot stones? Something a bit different to whats offered in the area.

Good luck with everything!
Danny x

I started renting my room in a hairdressers in May this year. Up until now things have been really quiet. The hairdressers is new too and is reasonably busy but mainly with elderly ladies who only tend to get the odd lip & chin wax! I've advertised on loads of local business intranets. I've put fliers through hundreds of doors in the area and even advertised in the local newspaper. I'm really starting to panic as there is nothing in the book again this week. For the last month I've had to dip into my savings to pay the rent (£150 a week) and my savings are starting to dry up! How long do you reckon I should carry on like this? Any ideas?
I thought about renting a nail table out to a nail tech as I have loads of space in the room?
Any advice would be appreciated x

 

[divalou]

Hi everyone, thanks for all you tips. You are definitely right, think I need a good kick up the bum to get me motivated again, think I was getting a bit too negative about it all. I will defo try all the marketing tips and have a word with the landlady and see what she says on the rent (ouch!). Will let you know how it goes. thanks again for all your help L x

first off, i think what they are charging is rediculous! thats £600 a month! £7200 a year! thats only a few thousand off the rent for my ENTIRE salon!

I would chat to the salon owner, who obviously is new and doesnt have a clue either, and see if you can work on a commission basis. This is how we do things at our salon. Maybe 60/40 or something so that you only get paid if you do clients and they get a cut of what you earn. Its a fairer way of doing things and you both have the potential of earning much mre than £150 a week. x

 

[lolaw]

Thanks again for all your responses. I hadn't thought about doing talks at local groups and things. I used to be a sales rep so I'm certainly not shy. Will look into it.

I'm bit concerned that everyone thinks my rent is way too high!! I was a bit naive when I went into it but when Divalou worked it out at £7200 per year I nearly fell off my chair!!! I have mentioned it to the landlord but she just says that she will be able to rent it out to someone else if I decide it's not working. I am just outside the city centre in Edinburgh but it still seems a bit steep!!!

So much to think about but thanks again for taking the time to respond guys xx

 

[AndyP]

On the level of your rent it is all relative, if you are in a good location the salon may have very high business rates and the landlord is recovering some of this. I have two salons one has business rate of £1,000 the other £5,000. Neither of which is in a big city like Edinburgh. Also how big is the room and how much of the salon does it take up ? Could you reduce the space you use in return for a reduction ? I suggest looking at other rooms available in your locality and see what they are charging. IMO your rent is probably on the high side but is probably not excessive if you are in a really well equipped room, you pay no other costs such as gas and electric and are in a good high street type location

 

[bombini]

I agree with Andy about the rent.

To be prefectly honest I would say £150 is probably about the average weekly rent across the country there may be a lot of therapists on here that pay a lot less but thats nothing compared to how many therapists are out there.

The average rent for a room in a town centre salon where I am is £250 per week, now that is high BUT I know a girl that pays this and has been at the same salon for about 4 years and she takes a very good wage home.

If you are struggling to get clients are your prices are to low then I can see why it would be difficult to pay the rent. I think you are going to have to decide if you want to stick it out and invest more money in paid for advertising etc or find somewhere else to rent.