Opinions, advice and inspiration wanted, thanks

[kate789]

I qualified in beauty 2 years ago but haven't really done much in beauty at all since then, just because I had a child and was too ill to work.

Now I am able to go back into beauty. I have found a really nice little hair salon, with a room in the back (unfinished so would need a lot of attention) which could be used for beauty (the room is quite small but it would be possible to have a couch and small trolley in there but no room to do tanning) and I could move around the couch OK. There is also enough room in the hair salon to have a nail desk.

I would be paying the landlord a rent each week which includes rates and water and would pay my own electric and phone line.

I could also rent the chairs out in the salon.


My other choice is to rent a room (really nice finish, and very large, possible to do nails have a couch and do tanning in) for the same cost in a very popular well established hairdressing salon, where I can offer manicures and pedicures to hair clients as well.

Both have a one year lease and I would be self employed in both which I want.

I know I want to have a salon or a room.

Now where I need opinions, advice and inspiration........

The nails (acrylic and gels) and tanning are something I haven't done in a long time so I'm quite nervous about doing them.

When I trained in them, I seemed to take to it very quickly and that really built my confidence, but having not tried again in 3 years I am a little worried that I could be doing lots of refunds to begin.

So from that point of view, renting out chairs in my own salon would help me financially.

I guess I'm really worried about screwing up in a prestigious salon. If it were my own salon (which it actually would be, since I'm self employed, but it isn't...... if that makes sense, I wouldn't panic so much about mistakes I can rectify).

I am also going to do a barbering course in September and Bridal hair course then too, just because I saw the hair salon first to rent but can't cut or colour hair etc, so if I couldn't rent the chairs out I would basically have a hairdressing salon with possibly no hairdressers but only providing beauty treatments for 6 months although I do already do hair extensions.

I guess I want help choosing which to go for.
The smallish hair salon with the small beauty room in a well placed residential area

OR

the big beauty room in the big well established hairdressers

If you were in this situation (qualified but inexperienced), which would you go for?


Can I ask as well, when I do the barber course, would I be allowed to cut womens hair with that qualification or not?

 

[umvemve]

Personally I'd go for the beauty in an established salon option. There is existing clientele. Re: nails and tanning, get practicing and you'll soon be back to where you were.

 

[kate789]

Thanks UMVEMVE. What worries me is I have no one to practise on. All my friends are men. so my practising will be through work only.

I appreciate your thoughts view and do agree.

Any other thoughts?

 

[laurakate]

Spas often employ people straight out of college and its a great way to get your confidence and speed up plus it takes the pressure off you to advertise and do all the maths etc because you just get to focus on treatments and everything else is done for you

 

[kate789]

Thank you laurakate.

I won't consider employment as an option right now as I had a very bad experience as an employee which went to tribunal (not in beauty industry though) and I really don't mind the business side as I'm an accountant and I worked in hotel management for 10 years, so business doesn't scare me....... nails do

But it may be worth asking just for a temporary position to get a month of practice in or something. I know both places have been available for several months now mostly because people don't have the equipment, advanced rent and deposits they are needing...... which I do have. Worth considering for the very short term future.

Anyone else have thoughts?

 

[ch-ela]

Do you really want to do both hair and nails? With which one lies your passion?
Personally, I would go with the busy salon. This will give you time to focus on nails and they will sell themselves when people see that they are available. With the other option, you will have to put effort into advetising and bringing new clients in, which is also time consuming. In the salon the clients are already there, you only need to convince them that they want your services, if that makes sense.
I have recently moved from a small salon (one stylist with hardly any clients) to a busy, friendly salon (3 stylists) and have had much more work and havent even started my advertising campaign yet.

 

[kate789]

Ah thanks ch-ela.

I think I'm convinced now. I actually had a problem with the smaller salon owner, which I didn't mention, but he offered the salon to me and we made a verbal agreement on it, on which basis I proceeded to purchase towels for the hair salon and spend some money.

Three days later he phoned to tell me he had given the salon to someone else. And three days after that he did that he phoned me back saying the other girl had let him down and it was still available, so now I am very cautious of his indecisiveness, and that he can't honor his word and could turn out to be landlord from hell. I guess the big salon has a reputation to maintain so that kind of behaviour could go against them. But it's good to hear your experiences with similar salons I'm mentioning. Thank you.

I kept the receipt for the towels so got my money back thank goodness.

Anymore thoughts let them out.

 

[ch-ela]

That landlord sounds a bit unreliable, you would forever be unsure that he will keep his word, I imagine.

I'm doing lots of manicures and pedicures now, and a few people have shown interest in Gelish now that their nails are growing. Ive had lots of success with Vitagel strenghtener so my business is growing nicely. I am looking to add brows to my services too, I'm getting requests for them as the clientele are older and they just cant see well enough to do their own!
The stylists are very supportive too, forever advertising my work.

Good luck!

 

[kate789]

That's encouraging. I know that they will deal with my appointments at the reception desk and they also take bookings through their website now, which they will do for me, as well as include me on their website and facebook page too (I have one ready of my own too).

This is something I would have to do over time establishing my own smaller salon.

The owner did ask if I had ever worked for a salon, which I haven't so that concerned me really that they asked that, especially since I'm self employed.

Did you have salon experience before going it alone?

Did everyone have salon experience before going it alone for that matter?

 

[Precious2013]

Its really obvious which one you should go for, the room within a hairdressers, good to start you off with and a lot less hassle but more potential clients