Renting space

[nicsnailz]

Hi Geeks
I am going to see a lady on Friday afternoon who is offering me space in her hair and beauty salon to rent. Now I work part time (school hours) for an internet copy at the moment and have spoken to the MD and he is happy for me to pursure the offer.
The question I'm asking is how much rent (approx) do you geeks pay when working self employed. I'm not sure what hours to do, not mondays and during school hours and evenings and weekend because I also work mobile in the evenings and weekend now.
I don't know weather to do say two days a week to start with or go for 4. But I don't know how busy I will be if I will make enough money to cover all my private bills. I know where I am at the mo with my wages that get paid in every month. But I don't like the thought of working for a salon. If that makes sense.
Forgot to say at the beginning I do acrylic extentions, manicures and pedicures.
I am after some basic advise and any questions I should ask her on Friday. I don't want to look stupid but I don't want to be taken for a mug IYGWIM.
Thanks for any help.

 

[geeg]

Hi Geeks
I am going to see a lady on Friday afternoon who is offering me space in her hair and beauty salon to rent. Now I work part time (school hours) for an internet copy at the moment and have spoken to the MD and he is happy for me to pursure the offer.
The question I'm asking is how much rent (approx) do you geeks pay when working self employed. I'm not sure what hours to do, not mondays and during school hours and evenings and weekend because I also work mobile in the evenings and weekend now.
I don't know weather to do say two days a week to start with or go for 4. But I don't know how busy I will be if I will make enough money to cover all my private bills. I know where I am at the mo with my wages that get paid in every month. But I don't like the thought of working for a salon. If that makes sense.
Forgot to say at the beginning I do acrylic extentions, manicures and pedicures.
I am after some basic advise and any questions I should ask her on Friday. I don't want to look stupid but I don't want to be taken for a mug IYGWIM.
Thanks for any help.

Well none of us can tell you how busy you will be. It depends on how good you are .. how much you put into it .. how popular the salon is and what kind of clients it attracts and its location.

I do know this .. working only part time in a business that really requires a full time commitment will only ever get you part time clients. When clients want you .. they want you .. and if you are not there they will go to someone who is and generally they will stick with that person

I know circumstances may be dictating what you do (naturally you have to eat and you do sound like a really hard worker) but I have always seen my job as a nail technician as 'vocational' ... I feel I have to be there for my clients whenever they need me .. and I cannot be there full time for them if I only work part time. Clients appreciate the commitment and generally treat part timers with a part time attitude themselves.

Your daily rent should be reached by both yourself and the owners (it is not all one sided .. you have a say in it as well). I always advise technicians to ask for a three month period where they start out lowish, building over three months to the required rent which is then capped for 2 years before the next review. This gives you a chance to build up and the salon a chance to get to know you .. if either does not work out then you leave at the end of 3 months or they turf you out at the end of 3 months. It has worked for allot of technicians that I have advised in the past.

 

[jes]

I'm not sure what hours to do, not mondays and during school hours and evenings and weekend because I also work mobile in the evenings and weekend now.

In all honesty, with these restrictions, I don't think you'll earn enough to cover the rent. Remember, you'll most probably, have to pay rent 7 day a week 52 weeks a year, whether you're there or not.

 

[Chloe D]

Sorry if I am being a bit stupid, but when can you work if you can't do Mondays/school hours/evenings/weekends?

 

[appy]

totally agree with geeg, i rented a room and worked part time and it worked exactly as geeg said i somtimes had the clients there, sometimes didnt. I then got my own salon and although alot of the clients followed me they deffinently became more loyal to me as i was then doing full time hours and long hours at that. But my questions to you would be if you are starting from scratch in the salon with no client base, then it is up to you and your skills to get people to you. I would agree on a rate per day on the lower side to start with and like geeg says look to review with the salon 3 months later. In the end its got to worth while for both parties. hope that helps and good luck xx

 

[nicsnailz]

I can't work Mondays but can do school hours evenings and weekends.
the lady said when I spoke to her today that she will charge rent for the days that I work there.

 

[bombini]

Sorry if I am being a bit stupid, but when can you work if you can't do Mondays/school hours/evenings/weekends?

I was thinking the same thing !

I paid £90 per week for a room in a hair salon and that included all reception services, water, electric etc. etc.

If you are planning on very restricted hours then this would be the first thing I would discuss as some salon owners like the treatments to be available pretty much 24/7. When I first started at my previous salon the owner literally wanted me there all day with or without treatments booked in. Now I do think this is one of the best ways to build a business but when you are paying a set rent its your call when you start/finish and I got a bit sick of the salon owner breathing down my neck as she still got her rent regardless of how busy I was.

Depending on your hours if you are only doing a couple here and there I honestly think you will struggle to get a decent client base.

Could you get your mobile clients to come to the salon ?

 

[geeg]

I was thinking the same thing !

I paid £90 per week for a room in a hair salon and that included all reception services, water, electric etc. etc.

If you are planning on very restricted hours then this would be the first thing I would discuss as some salon owners like the treatments to be available pretty much 24/7.

When I first started at my previous salon the owner literally wanted me there all day with or without treatments booked in. Now I do think this is one of the best ways to build a business but when you are paying a set rent its your call when you start/finish and I got a bit sick of the salon owner breathing down my neck as she still got her rent regardless of how busy I was.

Depending on your hours if you are only doing a couple here and there I honestly think you will struggle to get a decent client base.

Could you get your mobile clients to come to the salon ?

The salon owner was absolutely right in expecting you or anyone, to be there with or without treatments booked in. That is how business works. Those who start to slide from that standard and start not being there just because no one is booked in never do well and never build a client base for all the reasons I mentioned above.

The fact that it is the renters 'call' to do what the hell she/he likes, does not make the salon owner wrong to expect the same standards that she has in her own business from someone who is renting space within it.

I would not expect one bit less commitment from anyone renting space within my business than I give myself .. if they are not prepared to have the same commitment and attitude as I do then they can 'take the highway'.

 

[nicsnailz]

Thanks for all your helpful advise.
I understand every area is different and every salon works differently.
I do plan on being in the salon even if I don't have any clients booked in as you never know when someone may 'walk in off the street' asking to have their nails done now!
I was really trying to get an idea of what sort of rent prices people pay. Weather they pay for a week, a day or just the times they have clients. I want to go in armed with as much information as I can.
I will also ask about a 3 month trial period for both of us.
I also need to find out what my rent will include as said by bombini. Do they book my appointments in the salon or do they ask potential clients to ring the mobile number I have that my mobile nail clients ring??
Some of my mobile clients might come to the salon but some are quite far away from where the salon is.
I will be able to work nearly full time I just need to finish about 3-4 to collect kids from school and take them to my mother-in-laws house as she doesn't finish work in time to pick them up.
Thanks again

 

[nicsnailz]

I geeks
So I went to see the owner of the salon. She is asking for £50 a week rent. Which I think is very good. This is a fixed rate so if I work 2 hours a week it will be £50 or if I work 6 days a week it will be the same.
She says they have has to turn people away as they don't have anyone to to acrylic nails at the mo. But this is just what she says. So I could be really busy or not have one client in all week. I haven't agreed to anything yet as there are other pepole I need to speak to about it. But my only concern is that where I work now I know my wages will be in the bank at the end of the month. I'm just a bit worried that I won't make enought to make ends meet.
Thanks for reading.

 

[jes]

Whatever you decide to do, I doubt you will ever find anything cheaper than £50 a week. I would have expected it to be around double this amount!

 

[geeg]

Ifit is a busy salon with a good regular clientele then bite her hand off ... 50 is remarkably low.

Why would you even think that you might not get even one person in during the week ... of course you will. You will not be instantly fully booked but at the end of 3 months you should be getting an idea of how it is all going to go.

If you really have a gut feeling that the salon is not the right clientele or in the right place , is not busy etc .. then trust your instinct. You need good exposure .... front of house in a busy place with a good reputation. Not stuck away in the back somewhere. Insist on that.