Pregnant Nail Tech, need advice please?

[lisasnails]

Hi Geeks

Just need your advice please! (Long post I'm sorry)

I'm a few weeks from 3rd trimester and own my own salon from home, recently business is booming which is great but I'm actually wanting to wind down slowly and finding it really hard to say no to clients, I don't want to take anyone else on as working from home and I don't want anyone in my space/take on someone new while pregnant! also I am taking a few months of while baby is here and have a friend that is a nail tech near by that I will be referring my clients to as I don't want someone to work here while I have baby, I might loose clients but that's ok!

My husband wants me to wind down and take it easy as he is the main income earner but I keep taking on new clients and am getting a bit stressed, I don't want to say no to people but I also don't want all my nights and weekends taken up which is what is happening, I don't mind day clients (which I have quite a few but could have a few more) bit it's night and weekend clients requesting appointments at the moment which I don't actually want to take any more on, I know I can't really be picky but I'm just asking how I can decline these people as I don't want them to take up my loyal clients time slots but also it is making me work every night and people just seem to want an appointment ASAP, I need to somehow let clients know that there is a 2 or so week booking time now but they don't seem to understand that and expect me to fit them in ahhhh and I don't need this stress right now! And I was kinda happy not fully working full time and having time to cook and clean and do stuff around the house but now I have no time and am exhausted....just any wise advice please, not rude comments as I'm a big emotional also lol just need someone to give me advise on how to be more stern with clients and how to manage new ones without actually declining them and telling them to go somewhere else, also should I put a message on my Facebook like people need to book in advance? As I get a lot of business from there?

Thanks for any advice

L

 

[lisasnails]

Sorry by taking someone on I mean a new employee (don't think I made that clear)

 

[Charlistar]

Youre in charge, you tell them when you have available and then get to pick from that or pick nothing.... you've said yourself youre expecting to lose a few clients anyway. And from the sounds of how busy you are your obviously good and will have no problem regaining clients later on. Just tell them youre fullybooked when you don't want to work... They don't need to know its cause you're having a night off. And they will soon start learning and book in advance. The only reason they coax you into doing times you don't want to is cause you let them. . Be firm.. it'll be fine xxx

Sent from my GT-I9505 using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[lisasnails]

Youre in charge, you tell them when you have available and then get to pick from that or pick nothing.... you've said yourself youre expecting to lose a few clients anyway. And from the sounds of how busy you are your obviously good and will have no problem regaining clients later on. Just tell them youre fullybooked when you don't want to work... They don't need to know its cause you're having a night off. And they will soon start learning and book in advance. The only reason they coax you into doing times you don't want to is cause you let them. . Be firm.. it'll be fine xxx

Sent from my GT-I9505 using SalonGeek mobile app

Thanks Charlistar!

I have been doing nails for a long time now, you think I would be good at being firm but recently I have just been trying to fit people in as they have left booking to the last min or new clients trying to get appts, when I was mobile everyone knew they had to book in advance and I had a good routine but I had to start all from scratch this year after starting up from home after working in a salon last year and having a restraint of trade I have been more flexible, I enjoy my job when I am not super stressed and worked off my feet but at the moment I'm not enjoying it so much! I just need to be firm from now on as I only have myself to blame for booking too many people ugh, it doesn't help that I don't have regular opening hours as I like to be flexible but it's now making me work every night

 

[sbckho]

Put up a calendar on your page of the times you have available, first come first serve. Add that all other times have been filled. It takes the guess work out and you don't have to say anything lol

 

[LBR]

It's great to be busy but that sounds way to much, even if you weren't pregnant.

You need to start winding down, not cramming in more folk at all hours of the day.

Start by not taking any more bookings in the evenings and then start cutting down on the amount of days you work.

Once your baby is here, bam, no more appointments available anyway!

Good luck!