How do you deal with friends wanting deals?

['chelle]

I know my opinion isnt a popular one, but I learnt the hard way (kind of), and decided to put a stop to it immediately, hence my strict rules:

As a newly qualified tech I once spent 5 hours doing nails for two of my friends, we went into the early hours, and because I hadnt been specific about what I wanted (I just said I wanted "something" for them) that something turned out to be a bottle of wine. They expected the same deal the next time aswell. It was at that point that I pulled my socks up, started treating it as a business, and set out my clear price guidelines to anyone who enquired. Since doing that people have taken me much more seriously as a business woman.

I agree that you always continue to learn, I'm very much still learning, but there does come a definite day when you stop practising on friends and family, start being a business open to the public, and for me it was at that point when I had to begin charging everyone.

Mrs R, there are no hard & fast rules on this, just opinions, and they vary greatly. The important thing is to do what feels right to you, but do bear in mind your profit margin - dont give treatments away to the detriment of your business and livelihood:green:

 

[champagne]

Further to my earlier post £15 is only until i qualify & am based in the salon, then its list price for all, all of my friends are aware of this and have all agreed that its a business..

They have all been told in advance so there are no grey areas.

I wouldnt do any treatments cheaper for friends once i am qualified and up & running...

Set your targets and stick to them like glue, whatever the situation..

Champagne xx

 

[beautynails]

IMHO The only people who deserve freebies, don't want them. They are the people who care about you, appriciate you and want you to be successful.

I have one friend who I give freebies, and it took ages for me to get it into her head that I will not take money from her. This friend babysat for me while I was studying, 3 days a week/12 months, before and after school. Most nights feeding Tiana dinner, and often me too.

Without her I never would have been able to do my course because there is no way I would've been able to afford childcare. If she wanted to have every treatment I do, I would give it to her free, but all she ever has is the occassional brow wax................She even tried to pay me to do her nails for her wedding.

If they ask for a freebie/discount don't give them one. We know who in our lives deserve them.

I do my sisters nails for free....
and my BESTEST friend since we were 7,
But she will hide money before she go's (last time she gave me a hug..and shoved a tenner at me..then litrally RAN up the car park and jumped in the car..so I couldnt give it back lol)

I have another 2 friends who I have known since i was 14 I would do for free but they never ask..
And 1 more life long friend who I hate taking money off, but she always instists,

So please DO think very carefully about it, it can get tricky to keep under control xxxx

 

[lisa-marie]

i am so glad i found this post, i started training in september and at first my full sets looked awful, i was only doing my close friends and family, now 6 months later and i'm getting better, i done my friends the other day because i was taking her out for her birthday and wanted to make her look and feel nice (she usually bites her nails badly!)
but then half her family started asking for me to do theirs, i was happy to get the practice so did all theirs free of charge too.... only to be very annoyed when i got phone calls a couple days later saying they've all just fallen off! they completly ignored my aftercare advice, couldn't be bothered to walk 2 minutes down the road for me to safely remove any remaining nails, and to annoy me even more they want them done again (probably for free).

it started to knock my confidence, thinking 3 sets of nails that took me about 2 & 1/2 hours each time had just fallen off after 2 to 3 days! but thinking a bit more my own nails last much longer and so do my other friends whose in the navy!

looking at all your comments i'm definatly going to start charging a training rate, its costing me way too much time and money, and just maybe if they pay for their enhancements they might follow my aftercare and look after them properly!

i qualify in may so i'm going to make it clear that when i start my business i can't make a living on freebies, the products cost too much, i've allready had a family member ask if i'm going to give her 70% discount on full sets and infills! she wasn't joking either! i'm sure people think i'm doing this as a hobby, a way to apend all my hard earned money on other people!

sorry for the long rant, i had to join in ad get this off my chest
x x x