Salon is failing while I am on maternity leave!

[Clare Dawson]

Hi I am in such a situation I just need to see if anyone has some advice or give me an idea of what they would do in this situation.
I have had my salon for 3 years and was doing really well, I have invested alot in machines and won a few awards which I am super proud of. I employ one girl.
When I fell pregnant I spoke to all my lovely clients n they convinced me they would still stay loyal with my other therapist when I was away n I would try n return quickly.
Well now I am on maternity most clients have stayed but not all. So we have lost quite a bit of money from 2 therapists to just 1.
Now I am dying to go back to work to rev things up a bit. But my childminding plans have changed ! My mam is my only help but she works nearly full time and going out on weekends and likes to go on lots of holiday so I literally don't know what to do !
I can only commit to one day back at work.

I am seriously considering selling it or closing it as my little boy is the most important thing but I am so worried I am guna loose everything I have worked hard for and there is nothing I can physically do.
Also I know I could take on more staff but it would be expensive to train them in the advanced treatments we do and I just don't have the money to invest.
I have looked at childcare costs but I just can't afford it , my money is so tight as I have a few machines on finance.
Any thoughts on what you would do in this situation ?

 

[AcidPerm]

I know it’s a bit early to think about it but are you considering having more children in the future?
If so, you will have to revisit this situation again (maybe only a couple of years from now?) so it’s worth bearing that in mind whilst you’re considering your options.

Could you realistically reduce your hours and work from home to reduce the extra overheads that a salon carries? You can always expand again when your little one starts pre-school or goes to primary school.

I think relying on family for a regular childcare commitment can sometimes throw up more problems than it solves so consider using them just for emergencies and ad hoc arrangements. A childminder is probably cheaper than a nursery.

You’re not really losing everything as you’ve already gained a huge amount of valuable experience. You’ve already built up one successful business so there’s no reason to think that you couldn’t do it again from scratch, if you had to.

Do you have a business mentor that you can talk to?

 

[Clare Dawson]

Aw thank u that message was lovely. You are very right I am considering more children in future so I think Ur right I have to look at my options very carefully.
So nice of you to point out if I have done it once I could do it again from scratch in future. Thank u. Xx