Room renting- what do you wish you had known?

[mobile-hands]

Hi

Is there anything you wish you had known or asked prior to renting your room?

I am meeting a hair salon owner tonight (she has room at back for me!) and already have a good list of questions but wondering what fellow 'Salon Geeks' that rent rooms have experienced so that i can watch out for any potential pit falls.

I currently work mobile part-time so renting a room is going to be a big step for me and its making me a little nervous, i don't want to let my fella and children down

Thanks
Angela

 

[NailsXpress]

The only thing I can think of is
Don't take their answers for granted. Twice I have been told it is a very busy salon with lots of people passing (foot fall). It turned out it was rather a quiet salon and not very many people passing by.

I had to work VERY hard getting my name out there and encouraging younger people into the salon as most clients at one were rather elderly and scared to spend or didn't like changing their habits.

Check out the salon on various days and times to get a feel of how many people actually use it etc.

Check out other salons in the area to see what they offer, prices etc.

When doing your contract, agree the price for rent and also agree how long for, before the owner is able to put the rent up.

 

[curvygirl]

I wish I had taken everything the salon owner said with a slight pinch if salt. I was told by her that she was going to open a further two shops. She promised me an REM top of the range naildesk. Said the shop had a heavy footfall with large client base. Sadly none of this materialised. I left and went back to my home based salon. It was a hard lesson...

 

[sarah7898]

I used to work in a salon with a beauty room. The salon was mainly busy wed-sat. There was probably about 8 beauty therapists while I was there in ten years, I can honestly say that only 2 were ever busy enough to justify keeping the room!
The beauty room was next to staff room and it was noisy on busy days, kitchen clatter, tv etc. Was also next to loo! This was obviously a turn off for clients. Hopefully the room you're in will be more secluded!
Also you will really have to stay in the salon area so everyone can see you. Do offers for loyal hair clients whilst their colour is taking... File and paint for example. Put lots of posters up if you can.
Also a couple of them would do my nails or do a mini facial so that I could tell all my clients about them lol, I was the busiest so I did usually drum up some business!
A other thing to check is whether the heating works properly, a cold beauty room is unapealing! Check the lighting..
I'm sure you e thought this through, just my 2pence worth there for you! Good luck!

 

[Zooks]

Check that as a self employed person you will be able to come and go as you please, can work longer if you want to. (My salon owner is a pain in the backside about this)

Check heating/aircon. The salon I am in is glass fronted. Sweatingly horribly hot in summer and bone chilling in the winter as she provides one fan in summer (I bought more and one oil heater in the winter which is frankly insane.

Check that she will not expect you to pay joint advertsing fees (uness you are happy to) I would do your own. Far more beneficial.

Just a few to think of

 

[KirstieLou]

I used to work in a salon with a beauty room. The salon was mainly busy wed-sat. There was probably about 8 beauty therapists while I was there in ten years, I can honestly say that only 2 were ever busy enough to justify keeping the room!
The beauty room was next to staff room and it was noisy on busy days, kitchen clatter, tv etc. Was also next to loo! This was obviously a turn off for clients. Hopefully the room you're in will be more secluded!
Also you will really have to stay in the salon area so everyone can see you. Do offers for loyal hair clients whilst their colour is taking... File and paint for example. Put lots of posters up if you can.
Also a couple of them would do my nails or do a mini facial so that I could tell all my clients about them lol, I was the busiest so I did usually drum up some business!
A other thing to check is whether the heating works properly, a cold beauty room is unapealing! Check the lighting..
I'm sure you e thought this through, just my 2pence worth there for you! Good luck!

Alot of this is correct!!
I recently rented within a hair salon and it was a nightmare. So noisy all the time!! I don't know many people who rent a space in a hair salon that are doing really well. IMO xx

 

[nubee]

The only thing I can think of is
Don't take their answers for granted. Twice I have been told it is a very busy salon with lots of people passing (foot fall). It turned out it was rather a quiet salon and not very many people passing by.

I had to work VERY hard getting my name out there and encouraging younger people into the salon as most clients at one were rather elderly and scared to spend or didn't like changing their habits.

Check out the salon on various days and times to get a feel of how many people actually use it etc.

Check out other salons in the area to see what they offer, prices etc.

When doing your contract, agree the price for rent and also agree how long for, before the owner is able to put the rent up.

Def agree with this... owners will exagerate to get your money asap xx

 

[nubee]

have to say i rent in a hair salon and i'm fully booked now nearly every week... it took a year but the trade from those getting hair done is quite large, especially on your quiet days. They see you're free then everyone asks for treatments. I think in this climate keeping it small and building it up is the safest bet when you have family etc... not a major loss if it doesnt work out. HTH's xx

 

[purenique]

I've had a fantastic experience renting a room within a salon. The owner had been extremely supportive and although its hard to get your name out there in the beginning, if your a good therapist word will spread. After just over a year I'm busy with a large regular client base very happy indeed definately sort out the

 

[purenique]

Sort out your contract. Try and keep rent the same over a year.
Giving you both a months notice or more if it doesn't work out but it will

 

[Leely]

The last one I went to look at wanted me to provide all the products and they still wanted 60% of my takings another I looked at had already chosen my hours.
Make sure you chose your hours and not them.
Hope it went well x


www.facebook.com/BootyliciousOxford

 

[Kikilou]

I am doing exactly the same thing! I'm meeting up with the salon owner on Wednesday.
It's a brand new salon, opening next month. All staff are self employed.
She has offered me 80% of my profit, she takes 20%, plus £10 a day in rent. I buy all my products and do my own advertising.
She is also saying we have to have our own card machines.
My concerns are that it's a brand new salon and no guarantee it will be successful. Also I will be part time and worry I'll have no control over my bookings.
The salon is not in my local area so I am starting from scratch with no clients. How can I guarantee new clients will be divided equally amongst all stylists?

Do you think she has offered me a good deal?
What sort of questions should I prepare to ask her?

Any opinions would be helpful, I'm really in 2 minds. She is an old work colleague and I don't want things to end badly between us...

 

[mobile-hands]

I am doing exactly the same thing! I'm meeting up with the salon owner on Wednesday.
It's a brand new salon, opening next month. All staff are self employed.
She has offered me 80% of my profit, she takes 20%, plus £10 a day in rent. I buy all my products and do my own advertising.
She is also saying we have to have our own card machines.
My concerns are that it's a brand new salon and no guarantee it will be successful. Also I will be part time and worry I'll have no control over my bookings.
The salon is not in my local area so I am starting from scratch with no clients. How can I guarantee new clients will be divided equally amongst all stylists?

Do you think she has offered me a good deal?
What sort of questions should I prepare to ask her?

Any opinions would be helpful, I'm really in 2 minds. She is an old work colleague and I don't want things to end badly between us...

I have a list of the questions i asked, you are welcome to a copy! PM me you email address and i will sent it across, its on an excel spreadsheet.

 

[Kikilou]

Thank you!
How did your meeting go?

 

[mobile-hands]

Thank you to everyone that took the time to reply, there have been a lot of things that I have taken from your reply's and will be sitting down again tomorrow with my list of answers and finalising some details. To be honest I am please I was so organised and done my research it really helped with the negotiations.

The meeting went really well! The salon owner used to have a therapist but she left to have a baby, the baby is poorly and so the therapist has decided not to return (I know who this is and it is true), this was around Oct 2012 and so the original client base has declined but they are going to do a email shot to let the old clients know I will be taking over.

She hasn't bigged up the footfall but did suggest the days I would be best to work, I discussed and adjusted them so we are both happy.... I have negotiated a good rate for the first three months (or should say my fella did, he's better at that sort of thing than me!) and start my first full day on September 16th, It seems like such a long time away...

Gosh I really hope this works

Thanks again everyone J
Angela

 

[Zooks]

She should be taking a set rent OR a percentage. ...not both...

Sent from my GT-I9300 using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[Leely]

I am doing exactly the same thing! I'm meeting up with the salon owner on Wednesday.
It's a brand new salon, opening next month. All staff are self employed.
She has offered me 80% of my profit, she takes 20%, plus £10 a day in rent. I buy all my products and do my own advertising.
She is also saying we have to have our own card machines.
My concerns are that it's a brand new salon and no guarantee it will be successful. Also I will be part time and worry I'll have no control over my bookings.
The salon is not in my local area so I am starting from scratch with no clients. How can I guarantee new clients will be divided equally amongst all stylists?

Do you think she has offered me a good deal?
What sort of questions should I prepare to ask her?

Any opinions would be helpful, I'm really in 2 minds. She is an old work colleague and I don't want things to end badly between us...

I think this is not that good of a deal. Out of that 80% you will have to buy your products and pay for your advertising and pay your bills plus pay rent. Are you working mobile as well? Or part time due to other reasons? Card machines don't you have to pay a monthly fee for them ( just a guess)
If your self employed then it should be all your money not 20% to her. It should be you renting a chair from her if I'm correct.
Will someone in the salon be taking your bookings when your not there? Or will you have a receptionist x


www.facebook.com/BootyliciousOxford

 

[Kikilou]

I am working part time in a hairdressing school so cannot dedicate more than 2 1/2 days a week to the new salon.
I have never been self employed so feel very naive and out of my depth, but I did worry that maybe I was getting ripped off a little..
She is claiming that they are fantastic rates..
She has just got a colour contract with Goldwell which comes with loads of training which she says she will send the staff on..
There will be no receptionist to begin with, although she plans to get someone when the salon gets busier. (It's brand new, opens September)

 

[Chrysalis]

I would have added into the contracts I had no using my business address for your own needs after someone who rented a room got into so much debt and didnt pay their suppliers the bailiffs nearly came!!
Nothing to do with me or my business!