Please help with my home salon business!!!

[hayleypayne]

Hi guys, im in need of somehelp with my home salon, im a nail technician, have been for 5 years. I am good at what i do and have worked in a salon before and been over run with clients. once i had my family i decied to work from home. I coverted half of my garage, which i have to share with hubby as his office (not at the same time as me doing nails tho lol).
I have to work my business around my 4 children, school playgroup etc.
So although i dont have masses of appointment times my appointmnets are at a range of times to suit all hopefully!

possible appointment times are
Mon 6pm, 7.30pm
Tues 6pm, 7.30pm
Wed 1.15 pm, 6pm, 7.30pm
Thurs1.15pm, 6pm, 7.30pm
Fri 1.15pm, 6pm, 7.30pm
Saturday 9am, 10.30am possibly more!

I need to get my name out there and get known, at the minute i do 4 clients a week which has really dropped off since summer.
I have tried leaflet drops, adverts in shops, advert on my car, reccomend a friend etc nothing much has worked.

Could anyone give me any ideas of what more i can do, i need motivation to do something about this because im starting to feel drained.
Any advice would be appreciated and how all you other home salon techs have managed.


Thanks for reading
Hayley :|

 

[rock chic]

Hi Hayley i to have a home salon i'm only started but have been doing mobile part time for a while. Is there any home hairdressers in you area perphaps you could leave some leaflets with them that has always worked for me. Its very hard when your working around children.I only have one so cant even begin to realise how hard it is for you. I do alot of evening work not ideal but something i knew i had to do when i had children to try and get the business going and not be paying all your profit to child care. What makeup and skincare do you use perphaps you could have an opening night or get these companys to run some sort of promotion for you. hth:hug:

 

[jenny2]

Hun, ok. I now were u are coming from as at times i have been there. get out there and leave your christmas leaflets every were. Do some fab offers. Show off your specialisum.
leave them at your corner shop, tanning studio, chip shop any were that will let u. get in your car and do it.
If you can afford it advertise in your local mag, with some fab lingo ( contact ruth on here she is fab for leaflets and everything and reasonable to) Do a web page, mine is working for me and have had three new ladies from it and not had it long.
the clients u have offer them something new, make them work for you. For every new client they bring they get 50 % off there next treatment, just in time for crimbo. Every new person that u see, give them some samples of your products four or five leaflets and get them to rea book as christmas is gonna be buisy buisy xxx

 

[RedAdmiral]

I echo everything the girls have said - get out there wallpaper the school if you have to!
Get great price lists made up maybe a little webpage and be-friend EVERYONE!

 

[hayleypayne]

Cheers girls, i do need to get out there dont i, im moping around moaning about it at the minute, but that doesnt get new clients does it lol.
Im gonna get some christmas flyers made up defo, what sort of offers for nails do you all do around christmas, was thinking free christmas nail art!!!
And do you add your price list to your flyers
Thanks
Hayley x x x

 

[Missy G]

Hi, have you thought of may be offering a mobile service over the xmas period, this may seem not a good idea as you have set up at home, but alot of new clients that choose me out of the local YP, said they picked me because I was mobile.

 

[Sassy Hassy]

When you have a home salon you don't have a Hight Street Presence, thus you have to spend more time and have a bigger budget for advertising ... at least to begin with. I note that you have quite limited working hours, are you finding that when people book that you are able to accommodate them, or are you turning away business? If the latter then it's not so much your advertising as your opening hours.

It seems that you are workiing to about 25% capacity, so to help you achieve more try some of the tips given in this thread I wrote http://www.salongeek.com/business/28153-sassy-guide-advertising-your-business.html The more you get your name out there the more chances you have. HOwever I would say that in this current climate don't aim for the young mums - their money will most likely be tied up in buying Christmas presents and we mums tend to put ourselves last (unless of course you aim your advertising at trying to get them to put themselves first!) - try and aim it at those women with a dual income, or promote Christmas Vouchers to sell to the hubbies!

 

[hayleypayne]

Thanks for the reply, i dont very often turn people away, so i think its just the fact that i do need to get myself known.
Love the idea of selling vouchures to hubbys tho, have you tried this, how did you do it?
thnks loads geeks x x x

 

[loubylou]

You have said in your post that you were once over run with clients, if you have kept their record cards with their address's you could do a postal shot to them all with a special Christmas offer to try and tempt them back hth :hug:

 

[RedAdmiral]

I would also try and get group bookings as you have limited app times and groups can be a way of getting great word of mouth, lots of cash and lots of business in one swoop. do nails & tans say 3 people 50pp, 5 people 45pp office groups 30pp