How busy are nail techs based in hairdressers?

SalonGeek

Help Support SalonGeek:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Peppy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2011
Messages
181
Reaction score
5
Location
UK
Hi just keeping my options open, but as the question says, just how busy are you nail techs that are based in hairdressers?

Ive got an interview for a hairsalon that is setting up a nail staion due to customers asking for the service. I would be the only nail tech, and when i asked about wages, she said we could discuss either commission or renting a space.

what questions should i ask?

i need a decent enough wage to support myself and i dont know if this will or not? im new to this side of things so any help would be appreciated
 
How many days are they open?
How much is Rent? Daily Rate? or Weekly?

Do they take all the cash & put it through there books & only give you something like -40 VAT (saw something about that on the business forum on Salon Geek)
Up to now Ive had 2 Salons offer me work but I've not taken them up on the offer. I know its all about Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained but Im scared of making a hash of things.....
 
There are no guarantees in life .. you will be as busy as you make yourself be.

My advice is to rent the space and NO COMMISSION. What you want is your OWN business within the salon and to pay the same amount every week for that space.

Whatever rent you decide upon you should ask that they hold that rent for 2 years at least with no price increases and get them to sign on that.

You want everything set out in writing as to their responsibilities, your responsibilities etc. Its the little things ( like who provides the coffee, who washes the towels, who answers the phone and takes the bookings, who if anyone does the advertising etc.) that often turn into BIG issues later on if not agreed upon in the first instance.

A contract works both ways and it is not all what THEY want .. you can also say that you don't like something and ask for what YOU want. Good luck but at the end of the day you want to be part a BUSY boyant salon with a buzz and and a good reputation for good work ... the rest is entirely down to you as to whether you make a good go of it or not.
 
My friend who has a hair salon is asked nearly every day whether she can recommend a good nail technician.

When I'm qualified Im going to be working there 1 day a week, the rest of the time mobile. And if anyone I come across asks for a hair dresser I will send them to my friend. I'd say it's a good base to do nails from, i think people who visit the hair salon regular will be more interested in other treatments than people who don't.
 
my nail tech in my hair salon was fully booked her 1st day and going well. my beauty therapist in my hair salon is doing really really well too so yep go for it. you ride off the back of their (my) advertising, have their support and client base....BUT be prepared to put the work in and join advertising campaigns etc. i had a technician that nagged me for clients all the time but did nothing to help herself ie we print 5,000 leaflets at a time and share costs, she printed 120 of her own, we delivered, then moaned no results.
 
hi thanks for that, theres some great points to think about.

guess i am just scared about making the move, but like you say, nothing ventured, nothing gained!
 
Hi,
I rent a room in a hairdressers who has been established for 25 years. I find that I get very little business from the majority of her customers as they have been going there since day one and just dont have beauty or nail treatments done ever! I feel that if I were to do a really strong advertising campaign I could bring customers in however I only rent 2 days a week and feel that its not my job to advertise her salon. Catch 22, I would make sure you research the type of customer that goes inti the salon and whether she does any promotions/adverts at all.

Hope that all makes sense xx
 
Hi,
I rent a room in a hairdressers who has been established for 25 years. I find that I get very little business from the majority of her customers as they have been going there since day one and just dont have beauty or nail treatments done ever! I feel that if I were to do a really strong advertising campaign I could bring customers in however I only rent 2 days a week and feel that its not my job to advertise her salon. Catch 22, I would make sure you research the type of customer that goes inti the salon and whether she does any promotions/adverts at all.

Hope that all makes sense xx

How pathetic!

You would not be advertising her salon you would be advertising YOURSELF!

2 days a week is no commitment at all! That is not offering service! That is saying, take it or leave it, I'm only going to commit to you for 2 days per week.
I would not go near you.

If you are not prepared to commit to service then I wouldn't give you a call either. You had better have a re-think cause you have it all wrong!
 
How pathetic!

You would not be advertising her salon you would be advertising YOURSELF!

2 days a week is no commitment at all! That is not offering service! That is saying, take it or leave it, I'm only going to commit to you for 2 days per week.
I would not go near you.

If you are not prepared to commit to service then I wouldn't give you a call either. You had better have a re-think cause you have it all wrong!

Couldn't agree more! Even if you do only do two data a week you should advertise like crazy! It's your business and your money that you could potentially earn!!
 
I hated working at the nail bar in the hairdressers! they hated the smell of my acrylic and made that perfectly known, i hated their hair getting in my gel, it didnt work for me and ill never do it again in a hairdressers! Doesnt mean it wont work for you or anyone else, thats just my experience.
 
6 months ago I relocated from a Beauty Salon into a Hairdressers.
The distance was such I couldn't take my clientel, so was basically starting from scratch, although I did work in this area when I first started, and about 10 miles away 6 years ago.

It is my sister's Hair Studio, and she built a room for me within the main shop.
Her business has been established for over 20 years, and she has a steady regular clientel. A good mix of clientel from the more mature lady to the younger client.

I love it there!
I have built up a good clientel myself over the last 6 months.
I have only advertised once in the local Community Magazine, my main clientel are regulars in the salon, who would not have thought of ever going to a Beauty Salon to get their nails done.
I think the combination of a gel polish and the fact I am there..they get their hair done every week and their nails ever 3 weeks, then tell all their friends ;)

The bulk of my business is Gel polish manicures.

The enhancement side is mainly clientel from years ago who either tracked me down or saw my picture in the Community Magazine, but I am slowly but surely building that up too.
I only work Thurs,Frid, Sat but I work long hours on those days and these are the busy days in the Salon anyway. Most weeks I am fully booked, and when that becomes every week I may add another day on.

OK I may love it because I am now working with my sister, but for me moving into a hair salon has been a great move, and I could not have built up a new clientel so quickly without the existing clientel in the salon.

I pay rent for my room, I furnished it and provide all my own products etc.

If the salon you are thinking of going into has clients wanting this service then you should go for it. Check out the demographic of the clients though and know what kind of treatments they want, whether it is enhancements or Gel polish, and I much prefer having my own room as the noise of the hairdryers would be very loud if you were in the main area.

Good Luck whatever you choose.
 
Izzi I'm so glad to hear the change has been a success for you :)

After a year being not salon based, Im starting up next week in a hairdressers, mainly doing nails, both natural and enhancements, with a little bit of brows thrown in lol I'll be self employed, working 4 days a week.

I'm really hoping its going to be successful, the salon owner wanted someone in as so many of her clients were asking for additional services. She will do all main advertising, booking clients in etc and I found out yesterday that my first day is already fully booked :eek:

I'm keeping my fingers crossed the clients like me and my work :Scared:
 
I have just opened a salon above a busy hairdressers is great as it feels like my own salon with reception and 2 rooms but which is the best part is I am
Linked to downstairs.

The hairdressers tell the clients about me my leaflets are on the mirrors I pop down and introduce myself and offers I have on etc. I had to do quite a bit of advertising so people knew I was there but now two weeks in I'm really quite busy.
I feel it really works if you want it to with lots of advertising plus you already have a list of clients coming into the salon everyday!

You should def go for it. I would highly recommend as Geeg said that you rent the space not on commission and you really get everything in writing.

How one of the poster can say she won't advertise as its advertising the salon is mad!! You should work together not against each other!

X
 
Sorry to hear you think I'm pathetic! I only rent two days a week as they have other people renting the other days (a holistic therapist and a injury massage therapist) not only that but I have a huge client list of mobile clients who don't want to come to a salon because of lifestyle commitments so I don't want to leave them without my service.

Having said that you're right that I should be advertising like mad however my advertising budget is now spent on paying the rent.

I thought this forum was to help each other by offering each side of the story not to offend people when you disagree with their opinion. I feel truly hurt that you think I'm pathetic, thanks!
 
Sorry to hear you think I'm pathetic! I only rent two days a week as they have other people renting the other days (a holistic therapist and a injury massage therapist) not only that but I have a huge client list of mobile clients who don't want to come to a salon because of lifestyle commitments so I don't want to leave them without my service.

Having said that you're right that I should be advertising like mad however my advertising budget is now spent on paying the rent.

I thought this forum was to help each other by offering each side of the story not to offend people when you disagree with their opinion. I feel truly hurt that you think I'm pathetic, thanks!

It's not you as a person it was aimed to, it is that you didn't feel it was your place to advertise your own business! Clients can be fickle and need constant reminding that you are there and that you are offering quality service! Being a business within a business is a great opportunity if you make it one, as there is no doubt an existing clientelle - if you say they aren't interested in nails then educate them!! Advertising doesn't have to be expensive, use yourself as an advert, go in to clients getting there hair done and offer free hand and arm massage, get chatting to the clients, give the hair dressers free file and polishes etc!! Even give a head massage at the back wash while they are getting hair shampooed. The opportunities are endless and much better than a stand alone salon x x
 
personally i don't think it was you as a person that was being called pathetic but your attitude!!

And i have to say that i agree, it doesn't matter to be honest whether you are working for yourself or for someone else, you should want to promote yourself and enhance your career for your own benefit. Like you said you have rent to pay there so you should want to bring clients into the salon to help pay for your rent. Also most of my advertising has been free with yell.com,gumtree,vivastreet so nothing stopping you advertising to say that you are mobile some days but in a salon on the other days, that gives ppl choice.

This forum is to help ppl and if you cant take constructive criticism then don't ask for it!!!this is of course just my opinion xx
 
I had a room in a hairdressers once. I was there for about 3 years until I moved across the road to a ground floor salon all of my own with 5 of us full time.

When I first started work in my little room in the hairdressers I naturally had some down time when we started up. So I swept the floor and chatted to the clients and made coffee's etc to keep myself busy and gradually I got some women from the hairdresser to come to me but the thing that gave me the biggest thrill is when some of my new customers went to HIM for their hair!!

I was so pleased that my business was helping his business too and visa verse .. I felt was justifying my presence there and I was as pleased for him as I was for myself. I sure never had the attitude "It was not my job to advertise his salon." I saw it as my business and his business and over that 3 years he got many new (and much younger) clients from me as he had been established for years and had many elderly clients of the 'blue rinse' brigade (but they loved their manicures and it is largely from them that I became a good manicurist as before that time all I did all day was enhancements). lol.
 
I have to say I'm really excited to be going into an established salon. Having worked alone before I know I hard it can be, no-one to bounce ideas off, being solely responsible for everything! This time I'm going to be working within a team of hairdressers and am looking forward to helping them out on quiet days just as much as building my own side, I'm hoping to learn lots off them about promoting treatments to customers and working in a team.

I guess like everything in life you get out what you put in :)
 
I have to say I'm really excited to be going into an established salon. Having worked alone before I know I hard it can be, no-one to bounce ideas off, being solely responsible for everything! This time I'm going to be working within a team of hairdressers and am looking forward to helping them out on quiet days just as much as building my own side, I'm hoping to learn lots off them about promoting treatments to customers and working in a team.

I guess like everything in life you get out what you put in :)

Good luck .. loving your attitude and your enthusiasm .. you have the right idea and I'm sure the clients will love you. I send All my very best wishes for your future success.
 
I had a room in a hair dressers up untill i moved here ,




I made sure they all knew who i was lol i think all to often in salons staff will go out the back and smoke or drink tea or wonder around the town if they don't have a job on at the time ,
you cant afford to be one of them .
when i first started there I did have quiet days But like Geeg said i to used to wash up , sweep the floor , answer the phone .organize the windows it went both ways i had products in the windows as well .

I would all so talk to the clients that wear waiting , i would take in a bottle of sensation's lotion and offer the Lady's who's colors was developing free hand massages , i kept flyers on there stations , and i always bigged up the hair dressers to my clients , i was very buisy to the point where I had to get some one else in to work as well as I was turning people away ,
with in a few weeks alot of the regulars wear booking in with me , then there friends and with in a few months even the hair side was busier than it had been ,

you might be working independently for your self but you still have to work together in formation or it just wont work.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top