Hows it going..credit crunch

[shiney]

Hi all
Not posted in a while been really busy but anyway I am coming to the end of my course now and I am wanting to go mobile soon. What I wanted to ask is how is everyone doing with the credit crunch do you find people are cutting back on their nails. Also I wanted to ask about prices in my area the prices vary so much from £20 to about £40 per set so I was think of staring st £20 but maybe doing a special offer of £15 to attract client or maybe a free set with a block booking of five sets please tell me what you think and I hope I am not being nosey asking about your business.
Cheers

 

[geeg]

Hi all
Not posted in a while been really busy but anyway I am coming to the end of my course now and I am wanting to go mobile soon. What I wanted to ask is how is everyone doing with the credit crunch do you find people are cutting back on their nails. Also I wanted to ask about prices in my area the prices vary so much from £20 to about £40 per set so I was think of staring st £20 but maybe doing a special offer of £15 to attract client or maybe a free set with a block booking of five sets please tell me what you think and I hope I am not being nosey asking about your business.
Cheers

The information that we are getting from technicians who have a nail business is that business is a little down but not much .. in any case this is a slow time of the year traditionally so it is hard to tell.

It seems that new business is slower to come through the door but in the main the women who are hooked on their nails are still hooked on their nails and certainly won't change their technician just becasue the price is cheaper.

Attracting new business at this time is the difficult thing. I would say this time is a very difficult time to start up a new business, but not impossible if your work is excellent and you are prepared to work really hard and long hours.

It might be a better idea to go to work in a busy and WELL ESTABLISHED NAIL SALON for a year or 2 and then move on into your own business at a later time when things have settled down somewhat and you have gained much more experience.

 

[Bev Rose]

I have been very busy of late, in fact much busier than December.

I have had quite a few new enquiries and new clients come to me.
I have been working in this industry, predominantly nails, for 5 and a half years.

Having analysed where my clients have come from over the last 2 years, it is definitely from word of mouth & recommendation. Which tells me the more nails you can get out there, the more recommendation you'll get.

When I first started out, it was very hard, but now, even though there is a 'Credit Crunch' on I find my clients are 'hardened nail wearers' and they would not stop having their nails done.
It's their image & their feel good factor - that they would not wish to lose.

Starting out a new business in the current climate is going to be a very hard slog, if your prepared to give it your all and be very determined, then you'll likely make some headway. If you expect clients to come to you regardless, then you are going to struggle as a new tech, unless you've got passion & ability.

These days, you can literally hold your arms out either side of you and touch a nail tech - but, how many GOOD ones are there?

As far as pricing goes - how much do you think your sets are worth?
Should you try a battle to compete with the lower end at £20 - or do you know you can produce a far more superior set for £40?
I do not get into the lower end, I know my skills are better than that & so are my products and my time. But, I can say that as an experienced and established tech.
All the same, if you start off low priced, it will be very hard to climb your prices up to what they should be.
I hope that makes sense:hug:

 

[Mieke]

I wouldn´t start to cheap with my prices. As mentioned before it will be very hard to raise them later on.

Customers who want to pay little to get their nails done won´t be prepared to start and pay more everytime you raise your prices. It could be risky to lose a lot of those customers that you gathered over a certain period of time if you are planning to higher your prices anyway.

Look from the beginning for the right target group that is willing to pay. This doesn´t mean that you have to charge a lot but something that falls into a ´medium´price class. If you are doing a good job you won´t be needing to depend on promotions or the 2 for one type of deals to get in customers but others will notice your work and ask for you.

As mentioned januari/februari is always a quiet month. a lot of people are on vacation, they wait a bit longer to get their nails rebalanced etc... I do have my regulars who come regardless of the financial situation because they feel they can´t do without. The only thing i do notice is that i haven´t gotten in that many new customers since the credit crunch.