hiya ive been working in a salon self employed for 6 weeks this is the first iv every done this ive always just been employed i only work 3 days a week ive been giving the owner of the salon 50% but i think im giving her too much i have bought all my own stock from colours , foil and blowdrying products i take 5 pounds from every colour before we split the money but i dont think thats covering the cost we also dont have a junior i do all my own shampooing answering the phone colour and the cleaning as well which i dont find doing but just fell im working my but off for not much money i have also payed for adds in the paper myself to let my clients know where i am i would be very greatful if anyone could give me some advice on what they think if this is a fair amount or should it be less thanks xx
How much % should I be giving
- Thread starter 30sharon
- Start date
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persianista
Well-Known Member
50/50 is quite normal in hairdressing. It takes about a year to build a good clientele and start earning good money.
i know its not going to happen over nite i have been hairdressing for 19 years i have got clientele which alot of them have came to this new salon with me but with not having a junior i have to watch what im putting in as i have no one to take of my colours or shampoo for me 2day i had to leave one of my clients 4 times to i checked my other clients colour then i had to take it off put on the toner take it off and answer the phone so i really shouldnt have put her in till after my colour was finished and with 5 pounds not covering the cost of the colour means the owner is making more out of it than me i just thought the % should maybe lower since i dont have anyone to help
-sophisticutz-
Well-Known Member
50% is very reasonable. I had a girl on 50/50, she paid for her own colours and perms. 50/50 is actually a rubbish deal for the salon owner as it doesn't cover the chair as well as employed staff do. Don't looked a gift horse in the mouth! I was 50/50 before I had my own salon and made a better living doing that than now.
scottydolly
Well-Known Member
to me it seems a bit steep, but thats from an outsider looking in kinda way. Where i work there is a set rate per week, and the folk who rent there chair buy in there own stock of colours and have use of the salon juniours. They pay a standard fee per week and wotever they make above is there own. i didnt even realise some salons were percent of takings x
-sophisticutz-
Well-Known Member
It's not steep Scott, trust me! Most of the time 50/50 doesn't cover the running cost of a chair in the salon. Staff always seem to have this weird idea that we are ripping off and rolling around in their money! 
I have not said i thought she was ripping me off were both new to this this is the 1st she has done this as well as me when i went to business gateway a few weeks ago they said they thought it was high and so did the accountant they only reason i feel its steep is because of what scott said i dont have any junior im doing everything by myself even cleaning the loo so i have to watch what im putting in so that limits what both of us can earn most stylist i have spoke to that are doing it have a junior some even have a colour technician im only looking for feed back from what others do
persianista
Well-Known Member
Are you aware that almost 50% of the stylist's takings are taken by various taxes? 50/50 is almost not worth it from the salon point of view.
-sophisticutz-
Well-Known Member
I am giving you a point of view from both sides. I have worked as a 50/50 stylist and I have had 50/50 stylists work for me. As I said in my original reply, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. I earned a very good living as a 50/50 stylist and I was also paying for my own colour stock. From a salon owners point of view, it is not worth it. I think you are getting a good deal and an opportunity to build yourself a good business. It just takes a bit of hard graft and patience.
iv worked as a 50/50 stylist before and i had full use of there products as well as juniors, so i would speak to the boss and review it ask for 40/60 or see if there is some way you can bring in a shampoist to the salon tell her if you stick with 50/50 she needs to bring help in!!!!! or the other thing to do is go mobile, i did that in the end and will never go back to a salon!!!!
LindaHR
Well-Known Member
Well I've no experience of any of this but I think those of you saying 50/50 is the norm and therefore it should work out in the long run are not taking into account the lack of junior and receptionist. So I should have a quiet and respectful talk with the salon owner and see what options there are for change. Just bring it to the table and talk around it politely.
Just wondering....if this 50/50 deal doesn't work for salon owners why do they do it? A genuine question, not a dig, by the way.
Linda
Just wondering....if this 50/50 deal doesn't work for salon owners why do they do it? A genuine question, not a dig, by the way.
Linda
persianista
Well-Known Member
In reply to the above post, I don't know, as it is not really that viable. Certainly not in a large vat registered salon. I suppose they do it because it spreads the risk. If the stylist earns zilch, the salon isn't liable for the wages. The norm with stylist salaries is 33% of takings should be gross pay.
To those of you that think she should have a receptionist and junior, by the time all aspects of salary, holiday, and employers contributions are paid, even at min wage you are looking at 500 a week. If this stylist is barely earning a decent wage at 50/50 now, then there is clearly not 500 quid a week spare on the other side to pay that out for support costs. To justify that, the salon would have to have at least 4 stylists paying very good money to the salon.
1 in 3 salons go bust. Reading the above ideas I can see why!!
To those of you that think she should have a receptionist and junior, by the time all aspects of salary, holiday, and employers contributions are paid, even at min wage you are looking at 500 a week. If this stylist is barely earning a decent wage at 50/50 now, then there is clearly not 500 quid a week spare on the other side to pay that out for support costs. To justify that, the salon would have to have at least 4 stylists paying very good money to the salon.
1 in 3 salons go bust. Reading the above ideas I can see why!!
skankinchar
Well-Known Member
At the salon I work in I am on a 50/50 basis, but I get full use of colours, products etc.
angelina221
Master Lash Tech
The key thing here is, she is self-employed. That means she works for herself. If someone is working for themselves then why should someone else have to pay for a junior and receptionist for them? If someone was self-employed and working mobile, you wouldn't expect anyone to provide them with staff!
Most stylists i know would rather work on a percentage than have a weekly wage as the earning potential is a lot more.
I do think however, if the stylists are providing all their own stock and equipment, then the stylists should be getting 60%.
-sophisticutz-
Well-Known Member
The salons that tend to do this in my area, the salon owner normally has a full clientèle. So they rent chairs out on a 50/50 basis. They have no initial outlay, no holidays to pay, no tax and NI to sort out etc. The downside is the chair renter is entitled to come and go as they please and it becomes a minefield for VAT and tax proof for the salon owner.
I had one 50/50, as it was a friend, big mistake. It is better for me financially and hassle wise to have employed staff. You don't get as much return from a chair renter, so it makes re-investing money in the salon harder.
If you had the chair renter on 60%, there is nothing in it for the salon. The whole idea of a salon is to make money, if a chair renter wants more, then open their own salon! As I said before, I earned a great living on 50/50, my old boss is now bankrupt, what does that tell you!
thanks to everyone for there feedback on this i know there is 2 sides to this i want it to work for both of us im willing to work hard ive been doing hairdressing for 19 years so i have got a good size clientèle which im lucky enough that most of them have came to this new salon with me there is only 1 full time stylist and myself i was the only person in the salon working yesterday and i was fully booked all day i had clients come in and phone to see if i could take them but i had to say no i had to watch what i was booking in so that i could take my colours off and couldnt get my next client started till the last one had left i started at 9 and was ment to finish at 5 but stay till 630 so i could fit a few of them in but i could have done more if i had someone to shampoo which would make more money for the salon as well as myself i know it will take time im not trying to be greedy i just want to do it the right way from the start that was why i asked its new to both of us
-sophisticutz-
Well-Known Member
I hope it works out for you. I don't have an apprentice at the moment, so I can sympathise with you! You will learn to manage your column around this and answer the phone, make the tea etc! I do and still do over £1000 a week in hair sales.
LindaHR
Well-Known Member
Well there certainly is a lot to this salon running business. Lots of overheads, costs, responsibility. Those of you that do it deserve a good return for sure.
good luck in sorting out your 50/50 deal Sharon, anyway.
Linda
good luck in sorting out your 50/50 deal Sharon, anyway.
Linda
