Please Help! Just about to crack up....

[JoSu]

Can anyone out there please give me any advice as I feel that I am fighting a loosing battle and am so close to throwing in the towel!:sad:

I have owned my own salon now for a year and work alone. It has been alot of hard work which is now starting to pay off as my clientelle has increased so much over the past few months that I am now working appointments back to back and cannot fit anyone in for min 2 weeks at a time.

The only thing is I am really struggling to cope with doing everything and work long hours as it is without then having to do all the day to day stuff like cleaning, book keeping, promotions, etc. On top of it all I have only been in the industry just over a year and have found it to be a steep learning curve however there are some things which I cannot seem to get right and take forever to do. I know you probably think I was mad for opening a salon with very little experience however I am slightly older and just felt it was right to 'grab the bull by the horns' and just do it rather than work for someone else.

My salon is my pride and joy however I am now at the stage that I am anxious about even going to work and dreading every client who comes through the door for fear that I am not good enough!!

I can only wonder if things will get better or is it time I took a good look at the situation and decide what has to give? I have spent SOOOOO much time and money on my business & training and do not want to loose it all, including my sanity!

Anyone....??????:sad:

 

[totalbeauty]

Okay, now calm down and count to ten, maybe it is time to look at getting someone in for may 10-12 hours a week to help you, or maybe start giving your paperwork to someone else to do.

What are you really struggling with? Sit down and think about this, do you need help at home or in your salon? Can you afford to get some help in, I started employing someone for ten hours a week, now I employ eight members of staff and have some help in my house.

It sounds like you are doing well if you're are booked up two weeks in advance and are doing back to back treatments, so you are definately doing something right. I hope you are not undercharging people, as you have to charge your clients what you are worth as it under values your treatments. I am quite happy to help and answer any questions you may have, please pm me.

 

[*sarah*]

If you have clients back to back what are you worrying about your work for they wold'nt come back if you were'nt any good would they?
I think you need to maybe hire a junior or even someone else to take the load off you just sound mega stressed & over worked !
After working soo hard to build up your business it would be a real shame if you jacked it in. Chin up & relax xx

 

[WaxGirl]

It sounds like you are a bit exhausted, could you not get a wee break for a day or two and get away and do something fun that is not salon related?

I can recognise a lot of what you are saying - sometimes it can be overwhelming .... however consider the facts - you are booked 2 weeks in advance! The proof your customers are happy and think highly of what you do is in the bookings so well done you and give yourself a break girl!

If you cant afford to take someone on then draft your friends and family in to help you on the practical stuff like reception, stock purchasing, cleaning etc and make sure and take time out for you.

Take care of yourself

 

[persianista]

Salon ownership IS very full on. Remember though that you dont have a boss standing over you telling you what to do!
So unless you have a huge bank loan to pay, book yourself an hour every day to do the ordering/stock etc.
Also the more experience you have, the easier these tasks are.

 

[TheBack&Beyond]

Someone once told me it's OK to book some time out for "you" and not to bend to the demands of customers begging for appointments. I promise you it's is!

Get your diary out now and pencil the next available Tuesday morning to yourself. Plan on shuffling about in your nightie, slurping vast quantities of tea - or maybe even going back to bed! Treat yourself - it's delicious!

 

[Lynn Elderkin]

Oh dear it sound exactly the same post that I wrote a couple of years ago... you cannot possible go on as you will do yourself more harm in both mental and physical state. I took a couple of weeks off and rested (actually slept for one solid week), then I cut my hours back. I learnt how to say no and have stuck to that, clients will push and push to get appointments but the simple thing is say no!! I have not lost one client by doing this and I believe they respect my situation a little better.

Good luck....

 

[VictoriaJ]

Firstly. Wow! What an inspiration you are! Starting your own salon when qualified and doing it on your own!

Clearly you are doing very well for yourself but not taking care of the person who makes the business - YOU

My advice would be book a whole day off! Spend a day relaxing and having some me time. When you are mellowed a bit have a look at your figures and see if there is funds available to take on a member of staff part time to do reception and cleaning etc. Maybe even if it's an accountant to do your books! You can find some good quality freelancers who are cheaper.

If you cannot afford a lot. Think about someone for 10-12 hours a week and also set yourself an hour or two a week to do your paperwork and appointments.

 

[cuteycalls]

first let me say i dont agree with five min wounders (cowboys or girls ) BUT i feel the world is in the state its in because of all this snobbery yes everyone needs really good training and lots of practise but in a society where most peeps work alone now its sad that when peeps come on here for support and advice they get slated i did hair extensions before i became a hairdresser and to be honest apart from it helping me cut and colour the hair it didnt help me with the extensions themselves, dont get me wrong i DO believe GOOD TRAINING and qualifications are a must but even some qualified peeps are cowboys/girls so where is the support for one another who are passionate about what they do whether it be hair or beauty.

 

[Kim Lawless]

I think I know you (I trained you?) and I know that you're very hard on yourself. You're an excellent therapists but a perfectionist and it's a fact that perfectionists are never happy with what they do.

The fact that you are so busy in this current climate is amazing so give yourself a pat on the back for that.

On a practical level, like you I often feel at times that I have no life. However, one thing that has changed things dramatically for me is getting a cleaner. Just a few hours a week and it's worth every penny. Think of it like this. Work out what you will pay your cleaner and what you could earn an hour in the salon whilst they are cleaning. Say you pay a cleaner ten pounds and hour and during that hour you're doing a treatment for £30 to £40. It's a no brainer.

If you carry on the way you are, you'll become ill (I've done it) and you'll be fit for nothing. Clients come to us not just for the treatment but for our conversation and personality. If you're not on top form, they'll find a new therapist.

So, get more help at home and with admin and then you can spend time at work without worrying. xxx

 

[Verve Designs]

If working for yourself was easy- everyone would be doing it- give yourself a little praise that you aren't one of life's sheep!

Lets be honest- the current economic climate is crap and that can't be helping anyone. However, the beauty industry is bucking the trend to a certain extent.

That said, if you put yourself in "tick-over" for the meantime while you get your practices and processes correct, when the economy does pick up you'll get your reward for your hard work, stamina and perseverance.

I find it hard to say "no" to clients as well- mainly out of weird working class "guilt" about turning business down- but I've learnt to manage my time a little better- and that can only come from experience.

Working for myself was the best thing I ever did, rather than being "screwed" by faceless middle managers in the office- every penny you bring in feels earnt and you simply don't get that feeling when working for someone else- and you WILL miss it if you got a normal job.

I've quoted this before "If you find a job you love you'll never work a day in your life"- and its very true. But thats not to say it's easy. It'd be boring otherwise

 

[JoSu]

Thank you guys for all of your precious advice. I always knew it would'nt be easy and yes, I am a bit of a perfectionist so nothing is ever good enough. I shall definately take some time to look at the figures, etc and see how I can move forward.

Having read all the comments it is so comforting to know that I am not alone and that many of you have been where I am. Deep down I know it will take time and experience to become confident in my abilities however Thank you all so much for your support.......Onwards & Upwards :Love::wink2:

 

[totalbeauty]

I am so glad to hear a little more positivity here, yes perfectionists do give themselves a hard time and think nobody can do it as good as they can, so we try to do it all. It took a long time to get into delegating, because I thought I could do it quicker and better, and I learned the hard way and became ill. At least you are recognising you need a little help, so you are halfway ther, as you say onwards and upwards, and dont forget we're all here to help! Well done you XX

 

[nixnewcastle]

Im having the exact same problem only im not really really busy! Im ticking over and making money but no where near as much as im wanting and im finding it very difficult to take time away from the salon as it's just me there. I need some time off and im finding im losing the passion for my work a bit cause everything i do is about the business.

I've started leaving my business phone at work and when clients have rang and not got me and then rang again iand asked why i didn't answer i now tell them because im closed at that time and tell them my opening hours. Im starting to realise now that i need to be firmer and im turning down mobile work as there is no reason clients cant come to the salon.

I could do with a bit of help a few hours a week but thats going to eat into my profits and i wouldn't know where to go to get a good member of staff to be honest

 

[Spa Therapist]

Just wanted to send a hug :hug: xx

 

[diamondsue]

Its great to hear you are so busy but u need to look after yourself aswell.
I am only newly qulaified and have been looking for somewhere to do some work experience I am sure there are others out there doing the same as me. Why not go to one of the local colleges and see if you can get a girl one day a week for work experience that could help out getting the rooms prepared for clients and reception I know they cant do very much but it might take a little pressure off.
Hope u feel better abou things soon xx

 

[weezie]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned it but why not use this as a time to put your prices up a bit? That way it makes the hard work more worth while, you sound busy enough to do this confidently.

 

[emzlou]

Why don't you look for someone on work experience or an apprentice they could do the cleaning, answering the phone, taking appointments, washing hair and when you are not too busy they could watch you and learn, sometime you can even get some money of the goverment for this.

might be worth trying to find out about this.

Good luck
Emzlou

 

[wikkidharma]

Hi there

I'm no beauty professional, but I've been working in admin, marketing, reception, etc in beauty/nails/complementary therapies industries for over 10 years now.

I maybe able to help you - just drop me a line with everything you think you can't cope with and we'll take it from there.

Best of luck xx