Hi Linz - welcome to the site, and to the business!! I'm a mobile tech in Scotland and got started last year. I'm just now finding my feet and am still learning every day, but I'm confident and my skills are speaking for themselves. I have lots of happy clients and am just now working on expanding as I'll have more time after September (my little one is off to nursery!).
I know it's pretty overwhelming to get started - the sheer vastness of the industry, and the huge array of supplies and equipment can take over the most sane of people. Still - first things first.
1) Have you (or are you working on) completing your training and getting your insurance? Until that's in place, you'll be very limited in what you can do. Where are you taking your training?
2) Can you find a business start-up course in your area? I went on a course for two days a week for a month, and it was invaluable. It covered business plans, marketing and advertising, websites, Inland Revenue, basic record keeping and bookkeeping - essentially everything you need to know to get started. It was a great networking opportunity as well. A lot of these courses are FREE as well, so definately look around!
3) Find a Women Into Business group in your area - these are invaluable!! Great networking, and you get to spend time with people who've already made some steps into their own businesses.
Your profile says you are from West Midlands - I found these sites that might help:
Prowess : Promoting Women's Enterprise Support
Business Start-Up West Midlands: Business Start-Up courses in West Midlands: Business Start-Up evening courses West Midlands: West Midlands
4) Banking - this is only a suggestion and I know there's lots out there, but I like Abbey Business Banking. No fees unless you are banking more than £60K (not likely in my case!!) and they have been really good for me so far. No fees is nice! I have a chequing account and a reserve account (to tuck my tax money into).
5) Equipment and Supplies
Now, this is the one that everyone gets excited about (as it's hard to get excited about Inland Revenue!!) Again, do your research, ask lots of questions here, and don't sink a lot of money into anything until you are SURE you it will earn it's keep. I'm not saying use only cheap items - far from it! I'm saying don't buy a lot of stuff that will sit unused in a wardrobe when you decide it wasn't right for you.
You have a pedi stool and a massage table. Good start. I don't take my massage table every time I go out as it doesn't fit well in the boot of my car. I only take it when I need it.
There's lots of differing opinions about how to carry your stuff around. A lot of people like "bucket bags" but personally, I don't find them big enough for what I do because I offer lots of different services (if I only did L&P, one might work for me!).
In this thread (
http://www.salongeek.com/consumer-queries/74976-mobile-beauty-business.html ), I outlined how I carry my stuff around. But you have to use what works for you! I've used a large rolling duffle bag, and also an aluminium trolley - both had positives and negatives. The trolley needed another brace to be screwed onto the bottom to keep it from toppling over, and the duffle was too heavy to be practical because I tended to keep EVERYTHING but the kitchen sink in it. It sounds like a cool idea to have everything in one kit, but you will accumulate SO MUCH STUFF there's no way it will ever fit in one bag, so just keep it real and keep it as organised as possible.
One thing - I would keep your wax kit separate from the rest of your supplies. If you are mobile, the chance is high that you will be transporting wax that is fully melted and in a very liquid state... it's an accident looking for a place to happen. I had a spillage on my dining room floor and it took two days to put it right (thank God I don't have carpet in there - it would have been a write-off). I like to use a plastic bin with a lid - I wrap up the wax pot in an old towel that can handle a spillage or two, pack the other supplies around the pot to keep it snug, and make sure that the box is carried UPRIGHT and not just tossed in the car. Even if the lid is on the wax pot, accidents still happen. Some wax got splashed inside the lid on a recent trip, and then hardened... I had to completely reheat the pot to get the lid off again.
Can you imagine if the wax seeped into your nail and facial supplies, and into the boot of your car? Not good. Career-endingly bad, in fact. Don't risk it!!
While you don't want to show up at a client's house looking like a bag lady, I find it helps to keep your supplies a bit separate. Keep waxing with waxing, nails with nails and facial with facial. You aren't going to get many clients that want everything done at one session, so don't carry what you don't have to. Your back will thank you!! Plus, if your client decides that they'd like a facial treatment after their pedicure, you can always make a quick dash to your car if needed. Just be flexible, and things work out fine.
As far as your manicure table, I would go ahead and get one (watch your prices, though - there's a lot of difference here), but keep in mind that if your clients are already having a service that you've brought the massage table in for, just use that. Put a towel and some couch roll over the end you're using and you're good to go! Why carry two tables? Some techs ask their clients to use the ironing board, but to each their own. I prefer the size of my mani table, but I won't drag it along if I already have my massage table up.
Sorry - I'm babbling tonight!
PM me if you need to talk - I was in your shoes last year, and know how exciting and scary it is. I'm off to bed now.
