My TPTW - Do you feel like you are 'playing' at your buisness if.......

[Jen Smith]

My TPTW is :
Do you feel like you are 'playing' at your buisness if you work part time else where too?

I have worked in an office for the past 18 years and the owners are very close friends of mine now and I know they really rely on me to keep going in to do their administration, be it only for one day a week now.

Last week I put in over 44 hours in my salon and a full day at the office. Most weeks I put in over 30 hours in the salon my hours covering 9.30 to 5 then the evening appointements 8 - 11pm and weekends if necessary. The hours dont drag in the salon.. I love my salon and the clients that come to me. I don't feel I am playing at building my business.. yet I don't feel I am fully successful yet.. and even though it is not a high street salon, I have spent 1000's of pounds of investment into setting up my home salon and training and it is still ongoing.

My question is this... what do you think makes you into a viable business. Is it a full diary, contant returning clients as well as gaining new clients; Clients seeking you out due to word of mouth on your skills, customer care. Or can you have all this only working a few hours a week and working similar hours in a completly different job?

~What gives you respect in the business? Is it based only on how successful you are or admiration on your sheer determination and effort?

I want to eventually spend more time training others in the skills I have learned and see this as my goal to be a successful and sought after skill provider in the North West of England. I feel this is achievable and this is what inspires me to improve in areas of my skill base. I would hope that this will sit hand in hand with the salon services I provide currently too.


:hug:


I just wondered what your thoughts were?

 

[wowbb]

hI Jen,

this is a really good question

I personally think its a mixture of a lot of different things.....If your business makes you happy which yours clearly does to the point that you want to do more in it and with it and make it even more important to you and others - this is probably the most important point as I believe to do for a living what you enjoy is very important - after all this is where we spend most of our day (even more hours than with our partners)....

Everybody is different but to feel successful you want to know that your business can support you and that you dont have to run around doing three different jobs to actually pay for you to be a therapist or trainer etc......but that it is the other way around and your business can actually pay for your living - that is the most fulfilling!

When you first start off your business and you dont quite know how its going to go and if its going to be successful or earning you enough money to do what you want to do and then you get your first clients and it slowly takes off from there to where you are now - what a big step and what an achievement!

Having said that making it pay is fulfilling how about being recommended and having customers queing at the door because they want to see you and not the therapist or trainer that is near them but they prefer to drive for an hour to come to you specifically - isnt that the biggest compliment?

With that also comes being busy at the salon as that keeps you buzzing and rocking and wanting to do even more....(guess buzzing and being happy is the best drug ever and its free and legal!!!):biggrin:

So after all this waffle...I think for me it would be a combination of all of it to feel successful: A business that makes a bit of money (not a lot and we are all not going to be millionaires ...but at least a little bit helps?), customers that appreciate you and your work and recommend your service and that you are happy with what you do and how you do it and that you feel fulfilled!

Just out of curiosity..... do you enjoy the work at the office or do you do it because they are friends and you want to help them and would you rather have those hours to continue working on your business and coming up with new ideas and ways or with all the hours you work maybe just sit back one evening with a glass of wine and put your feet up? :hug:

 

[Jen Smith]

hI Jen,

Just out of curiosity..... do you enjoy the work at the office or do you do it because they are friends and you want to help them and would you rather have those hours to continue working on your business and coming up with new ideas and ways or with all the hours you work maybe just sit back one evening with a glass of wine and put your feet up? :hug:

I would prefer not to do it any more to be honest. My boss is my son's Godparent and we are very close as families. I think he knows that I am there on borrowed time nowadays though as I do get a fair few calls from clients on my mobile phone while I am in the office and he realises I am turning away clients when they want to book in that day. I will keep at it for now, but Thursday is a killergo home pick up my son from nursery, get his tea, have a few cuddles with him and then he is then off to bed and I then start work again as I always have clients in often until after 10pm.

 

[wowbb]

I would prefer not to do it any more to be honest. My boss is my son's Godparent and we are very close as families. I think he knows that I am there on borrowed time nowadays though as I do get a fair few calls from clients on my mobile phone while I am in the office and he realises I am turning away clients when they want to book in that day. I will keep at it for now, but Thursday is a killergo home pick up my son from nursery, get his tea, have a few cuddles with him and then he is then off to bed and I then start work again as I always have clients in often until after 10pm.

It's always difficult when it involves family (even godparents) and friends as you dont want to upset them and help wherever you can. But reading between the lines they would probably understand if you had an open word with them - they can see how hard you are working and if you are friends they will want to help you also....

Your days seem to be busy enough with everything you are doing - treatments and training!!! so maybe you also need some time off now and again....and by the sounds of it your son and hubby might want to see you sometime too????

 

[ValencianNails]

I sometimes feel that I'm 'playing' at being a nail tech, mainly because my other job takes up a lot of my time, however, the few clients that I have keep on rebooking so that makes me feel that I must be doing something right :wink2:
I'd love to be in a salon, better still to have my own, but finances won't allow that for a while yet.

Fab thread