Salon vs Home based

[naturalnails]

I have almost always worked from home - I spent 3 months last year in a back room in a hair salon in one of the local villages - never again LOL

I am just about to embark on a huge extension which will, among other things, give me a salon room which will be bigger than a lot of nail areas in salons.

As a home worker, should my services be less valuable than those received in a salon?

I have always felt that the service I give is going to be of equal quality if not higher than some of the salons - choosing my words carefully here LOL. I run my own business so I am personally affected if I do not get the happy customers - some employed salon techs get paid whether they do a good job or not. I am really only talking from experience of my local salons - I am certainly not casting nasturtiums here LOL.

My question is - Should my prices be lower because I work from home.

I also wonder if people perceive they will get a better service by going to a salon.

What do you all think?

 

[Debs]

Hi Fiona,
I`ve often wondered that myself.....In no way should you feel your services are not worthy of salon prices and if you have a salon at home so to speak then why not charge the same.
I have always done a few clients at my home in a partitioned off salon type corner of a room as well as doing a mobile round. I charge slightly less for clients that come to me but the same as salon prices if I go to them.
I`ve been no help to you but I too would be interested in what others have to say on this subject.

 

[nats]

.... in a separate room that is dedicated to the beauty biz and at the front of the house. I make sure I am always wearing my working clothes when I receive clients and I feel I look and behave professionally. So to me, it is like working in a one woman salon...
When I calculated my prices, I calculated them based on what I wanted to earn and what I thought I was worth. Afterwards, I did look at the prices around, and I was glad to see that I was not the lowest, but not the most expensive one either
I don't believe I offer less than a salon. I offer a very personal service and also time, ...which lots of busy biz don't always have...

 

[Nailsinlondon1]

Well Girls I had a thought on that.................oh no they yell,not another thought lol.

Why should you be worth less in at Homebased Salon then a Highstreet Salon...................?????
If your settings are professional, that means, no kids running around, friends popping in for a cuppa, hubby demanding lunch during your working hours....lol............

Then you are worth just as much as a Salon Technician, it is afteralll just geographie lol....................

Afterall the client will pay for a professional service, in professional surroundings,professionaly choosen by you for you and to be honest, some home salons put the Highstreet ones to shame.............
Not mention the use of your facilities, Electicity, Water, the cost of your education, Telephone aso.
You are the Salon owner here whether it's High Street, Culdesac, Way or Avenue...........................
These are my thoughts
love Ruth xxx

 

[Mrs Geek]

My thoughts are, that you are a professional, you are going to spend a great deal of money on creating something special and fabulous for your clients; they will see this, enjoy their experience because YOU will make it special.!! As a client - I'd pay for that any day - DON'T WORRY!!

 

[Nailsinlondon1]

Hear hear so would I
love Ruth xxxx

 

[Aligirl]

I also think you should charge the same prices as you would if you were high street based Fiona. Your clients are getting top notch professional service, and that's what they're paying for - regardless of where you're located.

 

[Anna from Toronto]

There was a conversation om my forum on the same topic.
BTW. I also work from home

take a look....

http://forums.delphiforums.com/BeautyProForum/messages?msg=57.3

 

[Nails At The Hat Hire Company]

... i worried about prices. I have a home based salon (a garage conversion) that is dedicated to my work. so even though clients are led through my kitchen and utility they have a room thats like you say probably bigger than most nail rooms in the back of a salon.
I bet my overheads are more than a salon... i have time between clients to hook up to the web and search and buy nail stuff lol....
i took the price list from the largest body tonning/beauty salon in the town and shaved off a tiny bit. (they dont have to pay to park at mine and they park right outside the door. they get coffee/tea/one to one treatment - okay thats cos im not busy yet but hey still a perk at the mo!!! :?
i remeber when i did my training we were told to go along with the prices in salons as our work is no less better/important etc than a salon...oh im wafffling but you know what i mean.
most people would rather pay extra for a service that is done better

 

[Belle De Jour]

i also charge the same as a salon! i'm mobile at the moment and i think people would expect to pay more if anything as you travel to them and they can be comfy in there own surroundings! i think if you are home based you are also fine to charge the same prices, if you are professional and you know your work warrants the fees you charge theres no problem at all!!! on another note how did you girls go about setting up at home? i have an out building which you can gain access either through the house or via the side gate it is a reasonable size and hubby is prepared to give it up for me to turn it into a working room at some point so that customers can come to me as i have a few who would like to escape there mad houses to be pampered but i don't have anywhere to treat them! only the dining room not very proffessional when your two year old wants to come and join in (the shed as its called is a brick building which currently houses his aircraft reclining seats which he escapes to for a ciggie and to read the paper along with his tools so bless him for handing it over!) it also has a toilet next door so i would have plumbing relatively near by to allow me to get a plumber in to have a sink fitted in the room the only trouble is it has only one small window although i expect there is many a back room nail area in salons that are more than a bit dingey, but nothing that i think a good light wont fix! i don't know the first place to start! did you girls have to go about getting permission to set up in your own home or if you are not knocking through walls will anyone care? any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[MichelleAU]

After 4 years of working in a home based salon I am now full time at the biggest hair salon in town.. and loving it!!

I always had my prices the same as the 'down town' salons while I was at home. Since starting at the salon last week I have raised them again.

I had a girl in today who needed a repair. Her current tech works from home and my client mentioned 'She's put her prices up and they're the same now as salons down town so I may as well just go to those'.

So I guess clients don't always see things our way

 

[prettynails]

i Fi
I had a big extension built at the begining of the year, soley dedicated to my nail biz. My prices are the same as the salons in my area. My clients feel comfortable coming to me as it is private and welcoming.
don't ever feel that you should charge less, you still have to buy the products, pay for cleaning stuff, electricity, heating, telephone, accountants, insurance, advertising, and training to keep you up to date and most importantly your time and your skill.

 

[liza smith]

During the 16yrs that ive had my salon, ive had 2 spells when, due to moving premises, ive worked from home.
There r some obvious advantages;
1. no travel 2 work
2. no wasted free-time
3.comfortable surroundings.
However, the biggest difference is that from home you dont have the worry,expense & hassle pf dealings with landlords.
This 1 reason alone means that salon owners have 2 usually have a much bigger comitment which is the only valid reason 4 salon prices being any higher .also staffing costs add 2 this.
Home based salons offer a v.exclusive service & should never feel anything other than equal to salon-based services.
lol liza xx