leaving and going mobile

[pretty pink]

Hi Geeks,

Hope your all well. I need some advice......I'm thinking of leaving my current salon as there have been some disagreements and feel like they are taking us for a ride a bit. (There is just me and another girl who work there other than the owner) Me and the other girl get on very well and thinking of joining forces and putting all our clients together and writing them all letters explaining we have left and now offering a mobile service where we will come to their home.Is this wrong to do?? We have never signed a contract saying we wont take our clientele. I know it is a bit naughty but do u think clients will think its unproffessional??
In the future we would like to open our own salon but still waiting for the right premises and finishing our NVQ.
And what are your views on mobile services?? Do you think clients will mind the change??
Its all sooo scary but with slightly cheaper prices they should go for it??!!

Thanks everyone

x x x x

 

[bessie]

Everybody moves on at some point and I guess just advising your current clients that you will be leaving and planning to have your own business isn't unprofessional and as long as you don't badmouth the salon you are working in at the moment. We do get comfortable with people who does hair, waxing, etc. and follow them where they go. It's best not to burn bridges when it comes to these things. Good luck!

 

[pure]

The only problem would be in writing letters to the clients because the client list legally belongs to your emplyer/salon owner, not you.

I would check out exactly where you stand before you do anything and I know that there will be other geeks on here who would be able to advise you better.

As for going alone, I'd say if you're not happy in the salon then you should go for it!! theres nothing quite like being your own boss.

 

[pretty pink]

We are self employed at the mo, didnt know if that made any difference?? Really hope the client list isnt legally the salons!!

 

[Mrs Gadget]

I was in a similar position self-employed, unhappy with salon owner I advised her I was leaving to work mobile, I took my client base with me.

I still do the clients that I had from the salon, a lot of my clients now prefer it when I visit them at home, much easier for me too.

Hope that has helped a little bit.

Ju xx

 

[pure]

We are self employed at the mo, didnt know if that made any difference?? Really hope the client list isnt legally the salons!!

Then it would depend what agreement was originally made between you and the salon owner.

If they are your clients and you only rented salon space from the owner then of course you can write to them. Did you originally have a contract? If so it should have been detailed in there. (hopefully!)

 

[pretty pink]

Fortunetly neither of us have signed a contract. (Never even been shown one!!)

Thanks everyone for your replies!! Will have a chat to my friend i work with and decide, but its sounding more likely that we will go out on our own. Scary stuff but actually quite exciting too!

x x x

 

[Sals]

Good luck. Let us know how you get on.

 

[Sparklepink]

the way i see it your both s/e you do your own clients so who is to stop you letting your clients know you are leaving?
if you were employed yes i could understand the owner not wanting you to take the salons clients and having the right to say you cant but not if you are self employed

when i left my employed job ( abt 5/6 yrs ago now) i was told i wasnt allowed to take any clients... but once id left if those clients happen to find me then the way i saw it its up to the client where they go
im far to honest for my own good tho and didnt take client details before i left (i felt far too guilty!) but lots of my clients found where id gone and are still clients today

when i left my job renting in a salon (2 yrs ago) all my clients came with me as they were just that my clients, id built up my own business and the salon owners couldnt say anything

if a client is happy with your work then i cant see anyone not wanting to follow you both hunnio
good luck and keep me updated

Jess
xox

 

[jadegirl]

It is illegal whether you have a contract or not. The list would belong to the salon under data protection and the salon owner will simply say you knew they were his/her clients and stole them! But as sparklepink says if they follow you its there choice.

 

[chantell simone]

take the plunge and go mobile

why stay if you are not happy

i wish you all the best of luck

 

[gillian w]

If you were truly self employed then they are your clients anyway.
I have a feeling that you were working in a way where by you should have actually been employed.This isnt so much your problem as much as your employers as they have had had you working in an illegal way.
You are only self employed if you are managing all your own hours and clients and products.Is this what you were doing, if not you were employed and they would be in trouble ,its their responsibility to have you working there in the right way.If they had you working there in the way that gets them out of the responsibility of employing you i wouldn't worry about leaving and taking the clients.That would be the least of their worries if the Inland revenue found out.

 

[shugg]

hi
going it alone is the best thing i ever did. you can tell your clients that you're leaving and as has already been said, if they want to follow you then that is up to them. can i also say that i think you should think carefully about setting up with your friend as sometimes these things don't always work out... just something to think about. good luck and let us know what happens!!!

 

[gillian w]

hi
going it alone is the best thing i ever did. you can tell your clients that you're leaving and as has already been said, if they want to follow you then that is up to them. can i also say that i think you should think carefully about setting up with your friend as sometimes these things don't always work out... just something to think about. good luck and let us know what happens!!!

Ooh yes good point about working together.
It could be almost impossible working mobile registered as a partnership.It means you share all your profits what if one has more clients than the other etc etc you would have to be agreeing on everything, id guarantee you wouldnt be friends for long.You need to have a good think about how that could work and to be honest i dont think it could.A salons different but not mobile.

 

[pretty pink]

I can see your point, the way we were going to do it was have price lists and loyalty schemes the same and everything. I would write letters to my clients and say my name and number and my friends aswell. (just incase they were desperate for an appointment or something and i was busy). I would use my products and who i did would be my money. What she did, she would keep her money. Does that make sense.
So we sort of still work together but our earnings are seperate. We want to still be team for when we finally find premises for a salon.

I'm probably not making sense now, head all over the place and its late....

Thanks again for all your advice x x

 

[gillian w]

I can see your point, the way we were going to do it was have price lists and loyalty schemes the same and everything. I would write letters to my clients and say my name and number and my friends aswell. (just incase they were desperate for an appointment or something and i was busy). I would use my products and who i did would be my money. What she did, she would keep her money. Does that make sense.
So we sort of still work together but our earnings are seperate. We want to still be team for when we finally find premises for a salon.

I'm probably not making sense now, head all over the place and its late....

Thanks again for all your advice x x

So you are going to register as self employed separately but come together to work sometimes.That sounds a better idea.The only thing is that you are fighting for the same clients .Think of a situation where by you have a client pass them over to your friend because you are on holiday or too busy and then that client wants your friend for future treatments.
Most clients in my opinion wouldn't want to be chopping and changing between the two of you.One of you may end up with more requests and work than the other and then resentment would build up.
Sorry to sound so negative but its something to think about.

 

[jax]

It is illegal whether you have a contract or not. The list would belong to the salon under data protection and the salon owner will simply say you knew they were his/her clients and stole them! But as sparklepink says if they follow you its there choice.

I dont agree this is necessarily true. The key factor would be what form the client filled in, ie did it say 'this information will be held by salon x under the data protection act' etc or did you take the client information directly?
Point is, if there was no mention to the client where and by who their data would be held, and there is no legal contract between yourself and the salon owner then legally it sounds like you both have a claim on the client list. As long as you dont breech the data protection act after you have copied the list then I think you are well within the law.

The salon owner was a bit short sighted not clearing this up from day one! but thats their lookout. I would use the list. xx

 

[bombini]

If you are self employed then I believe they are your clients. Who keeps the client records ? Do you each have your own filing system or is there one for the whole salon ?

When I left my last salon I contacted all my clients by phone/post advising them I was moving to a new salon & would love them to continue having treatments but totally understood if they wanted to carry on going to old salon (Knowing full well that they hadn't got a replacement therapist to rent the room) most of them followed me, a few haven't which I understand as I am now the other side of town.

Have you considered renting space together instead of mobile ?

I can honestly say none of my salon clients have ever expressed an interest in mobile treatments (even though they know I do them) so If I were to leave the salon I think I would loose a lot of clientele.

 

[JDs]

I just quickly scanned the above posts and didn't see this scenerio. Forgive me if it was already discussed.

If you are self employed at this current salon , You should, as a responsible business owner have all your own client contact info. The salon owner should not have any of it.
Now... if she is/was supplying you with walk ins /call ins and advertising for you, then the clients are the salons and not yours.

In order for them to be your clients, you must put forth the money in advertising and earn them.

 

[littlepinkfairy]

I want to wish you the best of luck, but also to say that some of your clients may not go with you because they like going to a salon, so don't take it to heart if they don't all follow you.
xx:hug:xx