Self employed, pregnant and very busy

[leenie81]

I have abit of a dilemma. I have a busy beauty salon. I’m booked up 4 weeks ahead solid but I get people wanting last minute appointments a lot which I used to work sometimes 4 late nights to fit them in but it’s got to the point where I’m exhausted. I’m in very early stages of pregnancy and can’t fit clients in on a Saturday, late night or Friday until August and it is hard as clients are getting annoyed I can’t fit them in. I have a girl on trial to do level 3 apprenticeship but she’s not sure she wants to go to college one day a week as it’s two buses away and she’s also had lots of complaints in nsils which she’s qualified in and used to do from home. It’s hard as she’s new so I know she needs me to train her but she said she prefers the way she does nails but they don’t last. So I struggle woth staff as I’m soft and don’t want any extra stress at the minute. I’m debating renting a room to a slightly more mature person who can take on some of my clients also . Has anyone had any experience with this and been off on maternity etc

 

[Lollilox]

Sounds like a whole lot to take on. I’m no expert but I think renting a room to someone who knows what there doing rather then taking on the trainee who tbh does not sound the most reliable is the best option for you short term. I know it’s not ideal, but it’s better then causing yourself more stress then it’s worth so early in the pregnancy X

 

[leenie81]

Sounds like a whole lot to take on. I’m no expert but I think renting a room to someone who knows what there doing rather then taking on the trainee who tbh does not sound the most reliable is the best option for you short term. I know it’s not ideal, but it’s better then causing yourself more stress then it’s worth so early in the pregnancy X

Thankyou I’m 37 and it’s my first pregnancy through ivf so I’ve been so stressed. I’m thinking renting a room out seems less stressful at the minute x

 

[AcidPerm]

Sack the trainee. They’re likely to lose you business if they’re already making errors and not willing to listen to your suggestions for improvement. You don’t need staff with a poor attitude. They need to turn up on time, keen to learn and follow instructions exactly. A trainee who questions you and thinks they know best can jog on.

Renting out your room to an experienced tech could be a good short term solution whilst you’re on maternity leave but you might still lose a few clients to them when you return. I wouldn’t worry too much about that though as there’s always a percentage of clients who like to swap Techs every so often, so you’d lose some of them naturally anyway.

 

[leenie81]

Sack the trainee. They’re likely to lose you business if they’re already making errors and not willing to listen to your suggestions for improvement. You don’t need staff with a poor attitude. They need to turn up on time, keen to learn and follow instructions exactly. A trainee who questions you and thinks they know best can jog on.

Renting out your room to an experienced tech could be a good short term solution whilst you’re on maternity leave but you might still lose a few clients to them when you return. I wouldn’t worry too much about that though as there’s always a percentage of clients who like to swap Techs every so often, so you’d lose some of them naturally anyway.

Thankyou, what do you think is best long term? I am only in the early stages? I have about 10 clients booked in with the apprentice next week so I’m unsure what to do?

 

[House Beauty]

I have abit of a dilemma. I have a busy beauty salon. I’m booked up 4 weeks ahead solid but I get people wanting last minute appointments a lot which I used to work sometimes 4 late nights to fit them in but it’s got to the point where I’m exhausted. I’m in very early stages of pregnancy and can’t fit clients in on a Saturday, late night or Friday until August and it is hard as clients are getting annoyed I can’t fit them in. I have a girl on trial to do level 3 apprenticeship but she’s not sure she wants to go to college one day a week as it’s two buses away and she’s also had lots of complaints in nsils which she’s qualified in and used to do from home. It’s hard as she’s new so I know she needs me to train her but she said she prefers the way she does nails but they don’t last. So I struggle woth staff as I’m soft and don’t want any extra stress at the minute. I’m debating renting a room to a slightly more mature person who can take on some of my clients also . Has anyone had any experience with this and been off on maternity etc

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Forgetting the staff issue - when you are working that hard doing all those hours that is a signal that you need to up your prices. Then if you are still super busy, up then again until you are at a comfortable medium.

Your time is now worth a lot! Make sure you reap the rewards for it. Don’t be afraid.

As for fitting people in. I don’t do that. I work 10-8 everyday, I have a long lunch, I have weekends off and I refuse anyone that wants something ‘now.’ My time gets booked 3 months in advance so those clients come first. When my diary is fit to burst and I have no space between them to clean up and set up for the next one I do a price change. It’s not often but you can always up whatever is the most popular.

Your nail girl needs to do what her boss tells her and learn her trade. If her nails are falling off it doesn’t just reflect on her it reflects on you. As she is giving excuses for going on a course you need to tell her either she does it properly or doesn’t do it. Otherwise she’s probably costing you more to redo them.

 

[leenie81]

Thankyou. I had just had new price lists done but I think I do need to put my prices up but I darent [emoji87]what treatments do you offer? X