How many clients, and how many hours a day?

[nailartist]

I was just reading a post on another nail board from a tech who is working 14 hour days. I cannot get my head around this. Do any of you work longer than 8 hour days? Me, with my Fibro and CFIDS, I'm lucky if I manage a seven hour day a few times a week (my average is 5-6 hours per day, five days a week with a day off in the middle), but I don't have any problems making the bills that way. Why would peeps work so long that you don't have time for a life after work? Is it to make the bills, or to just make lots more money? And how many clients do you have to require working so long?

Enquiring minds want to know!

 

[Sassy Hassy]

I got into nails as a way of getting out of the rat race and being able to choose my hours. I would never go back to working all hours god sends, maybe cos I'm older and past all that, or maybe cos I'm older and wiser and realise that there is more to life than a fancy salary. If I worked that many hours I think I'd be on burn out very quickly and the joy of what I do would soon be lost. But then some people really do thrive on that type of lifestyle!

 

[oey]

I do open the salon for 11 hours 2 days per week but i dont necessarily do treatments for all of those 11 hours. Although saying that I have done that many hours for at least 1 day each week since the salon opened and I will be doing appointments from 9 until 8 this Thursday.

I am sure it will not be like that after xmas though!

 

[*Garfield*]

I wouldnt want to work 8 hours or more a day personally, I like the fact that I can still take and collect my kiddies form school etc, so i tend to work no more than 4 hours a day...usually see 1-3 clients per day. On a sat I work 10 - 4, seeing 3 clients. I work 4-6 days a week. This at the moment is great for me, and I dont really want to work any more hours.

 

[Cathie!]

I generally work 9.30am to 5pm on Mon, Fri and Sat. Weds and Thurs are late nights so I do split shifts on these days.

I will work the hours I need to work to make money....I used to have a stressed out salaried job at £28k before I took up nails, but I have a young family and my hubby is a chef so makes crap money.

We share the child care and the kids go to after school club on Monday and Friday...at the end of the day we need money to survive and have the extras that make a difference and I will work the hours I need to to make sure my family has what they need.

Nailwise I do on average 5 clients a day, this differs though if I'm spray tanning inbetween.

 

[Peter Pan]

when i rented space (before she had to move) i would work till 11.30 at night, if the clients were there, sometimes i felt you have to bend the rules abit. but generally i would work. 10 - 6 all week (except friday and saturday) then anything from 8 - 11.30pm for those days. mostly these were for brides and her bridesmaids tho. i got handsomly tipped for it too, which was a bonus

 

[Lana]

I work Mon-Friday 9:00am -6:00 pm(last client at 5:00)
One hour for lunch from 1:00pm-2:00pm
I book my clients every hour .
I am off Saturdays & Sundays.These two days are reserved for my family.
I don't have to work this much as I am financialy stable(my hubby makes more than enough money).
But I love my job and I don't feel I am working,I'm having fun.

 

[luv2getnailed]

I go in about 10:00 and go home about 5:00. I usually see four maybe five clients a day.

I have done the 12 hour days and let me tell you...that led me straight to immediate, if not sooner, to burnout. I was exhausted and simply, hated my job. This time around, I'm going to keep it simple and laid back. Calm...just the way I like it.

 

[sc in canada]

I have slowed down alot in the last few years, but before when I first started doing nails I would work 6 days a week 8am to 9pm somedays I was lucky to have a lunch break. I did this for a couple of reasons 1) I LOVED doing nails and wanted to build a big client base so that I could open my own salon. 2) I loved the money. 3) I was young and stupid

Now however I'm slowing down I only do nails 4 days a week 7 people a day. That is more than enough now. My back can't take sitting in a chair for 12 hours a day anymore.

SC

 

[JesseDavidNailDesign]

I work a ton. 5 days a week 9:30-7 at the spa and 2 days 8:30 to four teaching an hour away. I usually take 3-4 clients a day during the wek and 8-10 on weekends (i squeeze in polish changes, mini manis, etc.) Often I get stuck with the later appts because I'm the only nail tech with no children to pick up. I live alone. I feel like this is what I have to do to build my career, it sucks, but I just keep my sights on the future. I am working smartly though. I try to focus on doing the most with the clients I have. Pre-books, retail, referalls, add-on services, repeats, even when I don't feel like it1
Fortunatly I love my job so much it doesn't feel like work, sometimes I can't even believe people pay what they pay me for it!!!:lol:

 

[beautynails]

I work 4 days a week (Tues -Fri), I start at 9 & once or twice a week I need to be at 4, the other 2 days I'm willing to work until 8pm. Alot of the time I don't have a lunch break but I'm not always fully booked.

 

[sam1]

I usually do a 40hr week but sometimes it can be alittle more and I average between 30 and 40 clients a week depending on the week(three week or two week client cycle). I would like to cut this back a bit cause it is affecting my quality of life(haha).

 

[shelly83]

I used to work a 50 hour week, only occassionally getting lunch breaks. Now i've cut back to 40hours i was burning the candle at both ends. I book clients an hour. The reason i do these hours is cos i would like to buy a house, so i've got a few more nails to do!!!

 

[aj1]

Lana,
Do you not have any requests for evenings or for Saturdays? Did you ever work evenings and saturdays?
I work from home and am trying to build a clientelle and find it's hard to not work nights and Saturdays, don't necessarily like it though!

Thanks,

aj

 

[Lana]

My business is well established and I can choose what time and days I am going to work.Remember,I do this because I love to do it,not because I have to do it.90%of my clients have standing appointments booked 6 months or even a year in advance.When I started I did everything to accommodate my clients,working late,Saturdays and sometimes Sundays.Not anymore.I work 8 hour I have weekend off like everyone else.I just choose to work smarter, not harder.

 

[aj1]

So I guess us newbies have to pay our nightly and weekend dues, thanks Lana!

aj

 

[nailartist]

Yep, the dues must be paid. I think I've got mine almost paid--I'm not booked out six months ahead of time, for sure! But I'm pretty solid for about two weeks out, usually.

Great answers, geeks--I hope they keep coming. I have another question for y'all: how many clients do you have? I think I'm pushing 50 now. It doesn't seem like very many, but a full week for me is twenty clients, and gets me about $800, which doesn't suck.

 

[Teri]

I work mainly during the day BUT there are a few clients that can't do school hours so I accommodate them too.

I have a very understanding fella and if I need to go out in the evening then I go. I love this job, I am eager to learn and I am now 35. It has taken me ages to find something I enjoy and if I have to put the time in (as long as it doesn't come to great expense of my family, as they come first) I will do it!

Teri x:hug: