If I could do it all again

[Beautygirl1977]

I just wanted to share for anyone starting up on their own. I wish I had done more research before I decided on products. I do love the products I use but I constantly get asked for minx, shellac and gelish. I've been in business for a year now and even my clients I have had since then still call my products by the wrong name. Anyway it was just something another geek said "the marketing is done for u". I cant afford to change anything this year but once I have the cash I will hopefully be training with CND and Gelish and I will be changing my products. Hope what I have said is ok to say on here but don't want anyone making the same mistakes as me. X

 

[Sam81]

Good thread! If I could do it all again, I wish I'd taken it more seriously (I only really started to cover someone's maternity leave and didn't realise how obsessed I'd get!), done my research about training and not tried to do it on the cheap. It's ended up costing me twice as much in the long run.

 

[xxJackiexx]

If I could do it all again I wouldn't of done any mobile work lol I can't wait for my first day in my new room tomorrow .....no more lugging stuff about and having to deal with other people's children & animals lol x

 

[Beautygirl1977]

I wish I had got a better couch! Something else to invest in next year. It's not even like my products are cheap. My gel costs twice as much as gelish for a bottle.

 

[geeg]

If I could do it all again I wouldn't of done any mobile work lol I can't wait for my first day in my new room tomorrow .....no more lugging stuff about and having to deal with other people's children & animals lol x

Congratulations and I hope all goes well for you. I so agree about working in your OWN space. Wonderful. x

 

['chelle]

If I could do it all again...

actually I can do it all again. I recently returned to the salon after a 2 year break, and I am determined to learn from the mistakes I made last time. I feel very lucky to have the benefit of hindsight to make my new business work well. Specifically the things I will do differently are:

1) Treat the business as a business, not a hobby. Its great thinking that working for yourself means time off when you want it, early finishes when there are no clients booked in etc, but actually I dont know how many new client opportunities I missed last time by not being at the salon for drop-in appointments. My business is now strictly 9 to 5 MINIMUM (I will do evenings too). Yesterday I had no clients booked in but ended up doing 4 full sets on the basis of drop in trade.

2) Advertise. Constantly. Its no good thinking people will just pass your shop and be immediately bowled over by your impressive shop front and book appointments. You need to market your services and post leaflets all the time.

I know that I can do good nails and my customers have always been happy with my services, but I really let myself down on the business side of things last time, a mistake I will not make again x

 

[xxJackiexx]

Congratulations and I hope all goes well for you. I so agree about working in your OWN space. Wonderful. x

Thankyou very much It's only a wee room within a sunbed place , but it's my little nail haven . The shop owners are very nice too and said they will help promote me to their sunbed clients as I'll be upstairs out of the way of the hussle & bussle lol xx

 

[Jigglyb4ll]

I love this thread
I am just starting so it's really usefull to see what you would all do different so I can try and do my best...thanks geeks xx

 

[Beautygirl1977]

Anything you guys starting out not sure about ask away and I will help all I can. I have a room in my house (well I have just moved and my room is at my parents house) best thing i ever did! I did waste a lot of money though. Good luck! X

 

[xxAmyxx]

If I could do it all again i'd have gone straight to CND!...but will convert as soon as i can

 

[mizzy_dizzy]

If I could do it all again ,
I would like to work on my confordence so that I would not feel so much pressure that from day one people expected something amazing and 1st class when I asked if I could practice for the first time lol
It was always hard to get practice starting out as people expect more or faster timings than you can do , and that knocks your confordece.

So to go back knowing that , and knowing not to let it get me would be grate.

Other than that there isn't much I would change.

 

[geeg]

If I cold do it all again, I would have done exactly as I did.

I started out with a different brand than I now use, but doing so showed me all the things that brand was missing, when I started to use CND. I was working much harder t get the results for my clients than I need to do now

Always have taken a further education class at least once a year too, and I still do. That never stops.

 

[Beautygirl1977]

It's all learning I suppose. Maybe in years to come I will say the same. What further education courses do you do geeg if you don't mind me asking? Is it always beauty related?

 

[Dream Nails]

If I could do it all again I would have done my research a bit better and gone straight to CND. However it's not something to dwell on as I'm on my way to being a CND Tech.

Also I would never have bought those pink sandals in my wardrobe. What was I thinking!!!!

 

[geeg]

It's all learning I suppose. Maybe in years to come I will say the same. What further education courses do you do geeg if you don't mind me asking? Is it always beauty related?

Nail wise, I train every year with CND ... There is always something new to learn there but I am lucky because much of the training I do is with the top CND people like Doug Schoon and Jan A.

Not everything I do in the training line is beauty related. At the moment I am doing some art courses ... not nail related in any way ... !I have done business courses, sales training, all sorts of courses that have related to my business and improving my performance within it.

 

[EmJZ]

if I could do it all again I would have listened more when told that products aren't miracles. Sometimes it's not what you're doing as the tech, it's that the product isn't right for the client. Could have saved myself a lot of frustration!

 

[gjg1]

If I cold do it all again, I would have done exactly as I did.

I started out with a different brand than I now use, but doing so showed me all the things that brand was missing, when I started to use CND. I was working much harder t get the results for my clients than I need to do now

Always have taken a further education class at least once a year too, and I still do. That never stops.

Exactly what I was about to say..................I'd do exactly what I've done! I'm glad I used the differnt brands and gone through a few different ones as not only have I seen the difference for myself I can pass on what I think to others. Yes, don't get me wrong, I have spent out a lot of money over the years but I see it as a way of learning and not a waste at all. I make sure I take courses every year to improve my knowlege of the products and systems. I love doing them and meeting other techs. My clients are always saying 'youre doing another course?!' I love my carrer and would not change how I got to where I am now

 

[Jbeauty couture]

Hi I couldn't agree more, I do wish I had gone with more well known brands I bought in to OPI Gel big mistake everyone in my are only wants Shelkac I have now given up on nails and do other things now. I made costly mistake in my choice x

 

[Candystarrstarr]

I love this thread
I am just starting so it's really usefull to see what you would all do different so I can try and do my best...thanks geeks xx

Me too

 

[Candystarrstarr]

Anything you guys starting out not sure about ask away and I will help all I can. I have a room in my house (well I have just moved and my room is at my parents house) best thing i ever did! I did waste a lot of money though. Good luck! X

So here I am starting out! I've already done a course with calgel but actually need to do a manicure and pedicure course still as I did my last one over 11 years ago and never fowed it up :-/

I don't know whether to pay out the full money and train with cnd which I can't really afford and do the whole manicure pedicure shellac and acrylic with them?

Or split the courses and go with someone like carlton institute and do it slower in aired affordable way but without the shellac?

I would really appreciate your help I currently have no qualifications other than my calgel

Thank you x