Not sure if I should take the salon

[MissNightbreed]

Hi Folks,

I'm looking for some advice please. I'm a holistic therapist with some basic beauty training, facials, manicure, pedicure, waxing and lash/brow treatments. I'm setting up a new business as I've been ill for a few years so I'm basically starting from scratch again. My plan was to be mobile but only as a holistic therapist, I can't work from home as we don't have the space and I can't find anywhere to hire a treatment room locally but an ex beauty salon has come available just where I'd like to work. Nobody in my local area offers holistics at a salon, there's a few beauty salons and nail bars around but that's it. The rent is affordable as my husband has said he'll pay all the household bills. Part of me want to take the chance, I've owned my own salon before and been self employed for about 20 years, but I feel that I have to offer beauty treatments to help get customers through the door and I've not done them for about 4 years!!! Facials I'm happy to do but waxing, mani & pedi I feel I'd be letting the customer down as I'd take ages. I would have space to offer a nail tech a permanent desk which I could charge a weekly rate for. I'm just after some input really...... What would you do?

 

[Lizziefin]

Get to grips with waxing if I were you. You can earn a lot per hour compared with say a pedi. Where I work a pedi is £28 for an hour whereas I can earn around £60 for a full leg wax bikini wax underarms and brows all in one hour. Good luck

 

[squidgernetball]

As above. Waxing and nails really are your bread and butter. I went the other way - all holistic then added beauty which was a life saver as my hands deteriorated.

Good luck

Vic x

 

[MissNightbreed]

Thank you ladies, I appreciate your comments. I'd better start practising!!!!

 

[Lisamv]

Go for the salon! I’ve just gone mobile about a month ago and am HATING it! Carrying everything, remembering everything, putting one little item away in a different place in a rush then failing to find it the next appointment. Been licked and charged at by dogs in the middle of treatments, juggling children, bad lighting, and trying to carry out professional salon quality treatments around all this. It is not easy! People expect all hours of work also.
I’m giving up already and found a room to rent. I have three more appointments booked in and cannot wait to get them done! Could you get someone else in to do the treatments you don’t like? I say follow your passions and build on them, i used to love holistic treatments and have gone into others the last few years like nails lashes brows, which I Enjoy but part of me thinks I should’ve stuck with my holistics from the start. Hard on the hands tho if it’s lots of massage! x

 

[TheDuchess]

When I opened I tried to offer everything as I wasn't sure what would sell. My waxing was pretty rubbish so I put myself on Groupon to get some practise. I thought I'd be basically waxing for free so I controlled my availability for bookings carefully to make sure that I wasn't booked up with Groupon customers during my peak demand times. This worked very well for me and I trialled lots of different pots of wax to find my preferred product. After 68 leg waxes I was very speedy and had found the waxing products that worked best for me.

Amazingly, one or two clients returned to try other treatments. If I looked at the money that I didn't earn because I was doing a Groupon deal and treat this as an advertisement cost - it worked out at the best response advertising I've ever done. I also got lots of rave reviews which pushed me up Google so I think I ended up on what was planned as a training investment.

My top three selling treatments are waxing, nails and brows/lashes in that order and they are 60% of my turnover. Hardly any of my regulars came to me first for a massage or facial - they mostly try me out with a bit of holiday prep first.

 

[Essexgary]

I put myself on Groupon to get some practise. I thought I'd be basically waxing for free so I controlled my availability for bookings carefully to make sure that I wasn't booked up with Groupon customers during my peak demand times. This worked very well for me and I trialled lots of different pots of wax to find my preferred product. After 68 leg waxes I was very speedy and had found the waxing products that worked best for me.

Amazingly, one or two clients returned to try other treatments. If I looked at the money that I didn't earn because I was doing a Groupon deal and treat this as an advertisement cost - it worked out at the best response advertising I've ever done. I also got lots of rave reviews which pushed me up Google.

Thats a great idea for practicing and getting your name out there.......

 

[MissNightbreed]

Thank you everyone, I've actually decided to take the premises I've applied for my massage licence and am waiting for the environmental health officer to check the premises before signing the lease. The landlords are great and happy to wait until I'm 100% happy. The Duchess, that's a good idea about Groupon for waxing practice, I was considering a special offer for it but as much as I dislike Groupon it would be good for advertising so I'll do that instead. I'm soooooo excited. I've got some refresher training lined up over the next couple of weeks for nails etc... more to build my confidence if I'm honest. Wish me luck

 

[TheDuchess]

Good luck and fingers crossed for you. I notice you're from Nottingham. Have you thought of offering Waxu? They train in Nottingham. The reviews here are great for their training and their product. I'm going to train with them soon and I've been offered a great deal on their training in return for a start up kit of wax heater, wax kit etc., My intimate waxing technique is great but they reckon I can improve on my timings and since I'm now turning business away, it makes sense to try and speed up!

 

[salonfrog]

Good luck!

 

[cosmeticagirl1]

Thank you everyone, I've actually decided to take the premises I've applied for my massage licence and am waiting for the environmental health officer to check the premises before signing the lease. The landlords are great and happy to wait until I'm 100% happy. The Duchess, that's a good idea about Groupon for waxing practice, I was considering a special offer for it but as much as I dislike Groupon it would be good for advertising so I'll do that instead. I'm soooooo excited. I've got some refresher training lined up over the next couple of weeks for nails etc... more to build my confidence if I'm honest. Wish me luck

Hi Purple7,
I opened my salon during the 2008 recession. I moved to a new county and I did not have no one client or friend. I used groupon, travelzoo and living social and it was the best thing that i did. You can negotiate the commision with the rep and build up a good client base. If you are professional and you know your strenghts go for it, I basically created my own back massage treatment and it was a total succes. I wouldnt risk to take Groupon as a practicing experience because you get positive or negative feedback in the groupon website and in tripadvisor. You are a new business and building your reputation is very important, go with the treatment that you are good at and it will pay off. I closed the salon in 2014 due to health issues but I still do a bit of work and still have my groupon clients since then comming for a regular treatments. Best wishes x

 

[redlottie13]

Totally go for it. You have a usp and your husband is very supportive!

The girls above are right. Nails, waxing and lashes do fantastic in my salon.
And they are repeat business so every month a client will spend 60 for lashes /waxing and 40 -80 for nails.

Unfortunately I have to disagree with Groupon offers ect. (Strictly my opinion)

Personally I don't feel they bring repeat clientele and I believe it shows you 'need' clients.

And speaking as a customer I go by recommendations for something as important as intimate waxing or in my case hair.
So I wouldn't go on Groupon.

I only ever had one offer for opening(
20% off your first appointment)

And going forward I have the following offers:
*New starter
*New service

Don't be 'that' salon who appear desperate.....

You got this! [emoji8]

 

[MissNightbreed]

Thank you everyone, you've all made some great comments and given me some things to think about. I pick up the keys tomorrow and will be spending the weekend with paintbrush in hand I've got everything worked out now in my head and on paper so all systems go.

 

[Mstango]

Hi can I ask you if what insurances you needed to start I am no the process of starting out on my own too. Public liability? Contents? Did you need to register, company name etc?Do you need to get everything pat tested?

 

[Noodle]

Hi can I ask you if what insurances you needed to start I am no the process of starting out on my own too. Public liability? Contents? Did you need to register, company name etc?Do you need to get everything pat tested?

Unfortunately, the OP hasn’t returned to the Salon Geek website since last September.

 

[Essexgary]

Hopefully she will. It would be good to hear how she's got on......