Sharing my worries hopefully will help me feel better

[MissLou]

Hello geeks,

I have gone full time self employed 5 weeks ago, I have always been part time self employed but recently had the opportunity to go full time s/e in a new little salon. I still have my other s/e work but i feel very unsteady at the moment.

I have been realistic from the start, I know I'm not going to make the same as what I had before with my employed bit of money but I am worried.

I just sat down and counted up all my earnings from the first month, its not good. I;ve received my last pay check from my previous employment and I think now I know that I am quietly panicking about paying my rent and bills.

I asked my parents if i could move back in with them for 6 months to tide me over and so i wouldn't loose all my savings, they've made it clear they don't want me back-there not awful people! Don't get me wring, but they don't want me back, they want to enjoy their own house now, fair enough, but that safety net has been taken away from me and now I've worked out what i'm getting I am scared.

I'm trying so hard to drum up some business, the salon is a bit out of my control, they are doing soooo many offers its ridiculous!! I'm voicing my concerns but end of the day it's not my salon, I'm just my own boss there and trying to be a stylist that doesn't do stupidly cheap deals running alongside stylists that are it's impossible to get the clientele we want but charging a stupidly low price, we just won't get them or rather I wont get them. My private work has dried up a bit the next 3 weeks, it does do this then it gets busy again….I hope everything will work out ok but I feel so scared and i am worrying about how i'm going to pay the bills.

I know I'm not the only person in this situation, what do you geeks do to get past the hard times? I keep reading up on business ideas, i've read the great thread on here numerous times about it, but when all said and done when you have tried your best, how do you survive until those clients start coming to you?? MAybe I just need a bit of reassurance. Thank you xxxxx

 

[Steph86]

Can you look for a part time job again? maybe evenings/weekend bar work? Something around what your doing?

Any bills you can cut back on?

Any sensible offers (low cost, low product, quick turnaround) treatments?

Im like you were, my own house, part time employed, part time self employed. I cant make that leap of faith, I like knowing my bills are paid. Id have to have enough money for 6 months min (home, living, salon, products etc) before id feel ok to do so.

You've got to do what you need to do if you don't have a partner/parents/the funds to support you.

Of course if you want to stick at the salon you'll need to do lots of marketing & putting time and effort in to getting a good reputation. Which takes a while. So if you have to, find something to pay the bills whilst you give the salon your all. Yes it will be a hard few months, but hopefully it will pay off

Xx

 

[KHS]

I know this sounds awkward considering you've just gone in that salon, but being a new salon, I assume it's new as in only just opened? Or new for you to work from?

You can't sustain a healthy client base while everyone around you is virtually offering services for next to nothing

Is there anywhere else you can approach close to you?

Confusion is a lifestyle - not a state of mind

 

[devonsdreamer]

If you are in the UK and rent your home you may be entitled to housing benefit/council tax reduction. Also depending on your age/income & hours worked you may be entitled to claim working tax credits. It is worth exploring these options as a safety net if you qualify foe them whilst you grow your business.

Then there is some great threads on here about promoting you & your services. Keep plugging at it - it does take time.
Good luck

 

[MissLou]

Thanks geeks for the advice.

I know it does take time, paitience, effort but unfortunately bills don't wait do they lol

I can't find a part time job because-now this will sound funny-i work every week at a home, every other week at another home, salon two set days and other week a different set day, then private work around that. So when I have clients in all of those slots I have no time but when I don't like now, I'm not sat at home making no money!! So it's catch 22 as usual, I can have a part time job when I'm not busy but there's no jobs I can just drop when I'm busy and pick back up again when I'm not I was thinking about doing something from home like selling stuff but I don't even n know what or if anything like that works anyway.

It's very frustrating, I'm more than happy to work hard and put my all into it, but I just can't seem to break past this wall, it feels like I always fall short like I get enough clients for half a week or two days and re rest I just can't hook anymore in!

The tax things a good idea but I don't like to do that even tho I should plenty do but it scares me that if I go down that road ten I end up making more than the threshold I have a hefty tax bill on my hands lol

Yes the salon is brand new, it is impossible to offer a high standard of service when your dealing out she loads of offers at stupid prices!! I'm not that kind of stylist never have been. I know we need pull ppl in but not like this, people are getting used to paying way under the going rate which means when we want to charge the full rate they will say no way! You've been doing me at this price for a year or whatever I'm off elsewhere! They say I can do what I want I don't have to be apart of the offers but come on, if you walk into a salon one person is doing it for say £40 the other £25 most people will got for the lower unless they think likee and think quality-not saying the other stylist is rubbish there not at all but I'm sure you understand what I'm saying.

Feel like a fish out of water with no safety met or support. I really like being in the salon but I'm sick of the offers and a few other things, I'm thinking about maybe just doing an evening and a Saturday or something in time and hopefully getting busy and build up my private work make that my number 1 maybe.....but again all comes back to currently struggling for money! Argh!

I'm going to have a look at Lyns thread again and get something out there, I put some pics up last night of hair ups I done advertising for Xmas that may help.

Thanks for listening geeks xxxx

 

[KHS]

Aww MissLou I really feel for you, your in a kind of hamster wheel at the moment.

I've seen constant new salons pop up over the past few yrs and yes, constant offers after offers, it does them no good - start as you mean to go on...sadly that is how they will go on, offering low budget services, then people like you will leave and you'll get replaced with low budget stylists...doomed.

There must be other salons far more established you can go to on the days you're at this place instead?

Don't lose hope, something better will turn up x

Confusion is a lifestyle - not a state of mind