Starting a mobile nail business!

[Nails Unveiled]

Hello,
I've recently completed my manicure and pedicure courses and gel course. I have my tip application and sculpture course in a couple weeks and then nail art after that. My plan is to start a mobile business but hoped to get some information and advice from those in the know. So here I am! At the moment I am speaking to friends and family about my intentions and how I will soon be offering treatments and prices will be released as soon as I have completed my last course. I have quite a bit of interest so far. So my question is, where do I start?? If I create a business name does that mean I have to register as a business for tax purposes even though I am unlikely to be taking many clients for the first few months/year? Do I need to register my home as a business on the insurance if I will be mobile? How do you go about advertising through fb and Twitter etc. I've been inclined not to start advertising yet under a business name incase it's not legal without registering with hmrc first etc. Basically any advice you can give me on how you went about starting up your own businesses would be great. I've been in nursing for the last ten years and so this is an entirely new kettle of fish for me and I decided this year to finally take the plunge into a career that I have always enjoyed and I'm really keen to make it work.
Thanks in advance for your help

 

[PamieD]

Are you working at the moment? If so then set aside one day or one eveing a week to start building up your client base. Set up as a sole trader, it's the easiest way. You register under your own name and have a trading name, so you can advertise under this trading name. You need to register 3 months from the 1st month you start trading, so if you started today then you have under the last day of July to register. You register by calling HMRC, and they have guidelines on their website for what you need to write down in terms of accounts (very, very easy). Then you need to open a business bank account. Keep a record of income and expenditure, then fill in a tax return for this once a year (you will also have to do a personal tax return).

Advertising, I would have a think about this before plunging into it. Nothing sadder than a twitter account with 5 followers and which hasn't been updated for months. I would build up a portfolio of your work and then create a Facebook business page first (you can do this using your personal Fb login, it's kept separate from your personal info). I wish I could tell you exactly what to do to advertise but is SO depends on where you live. You just have to try different things and see what works best for you.

For insurance, you register where you will work. If you're mobile then they need your address to know where to send your certificate! Your home address is just that, your home. Nothing to do with your business.

Just curious, what's pushed you to leave nursing?

 

[Nails Unveiled]

Oh wow!!! Thanks PamieD!!! Thats exactly the type of info I was looking for! I'm just in the process of thinking up a name for my business.

I am still nursing at the moment but I have reached a point where I feel I have become very qualified in my area of specialty and in order to progress I would need to promote which would result in me being mainly office based. Im a hands on practical person and like to be one on one with people, I dont really want to do my job from an office. I am also due my second baby in July and don't want to return to the long hours and night shifts that come with nursing and would like to be more flexible in my hours and be able to work around my children and for change have a good work/life balance, which Ive never really had.

So I guess to start with I could say Mondays and Saturdays are the days that I could set aside to do business at the moment (I work tue & wed)? and jut take clients on those days for a while to build up a good client base?? Do yu happen to know how it works with HMRC if I can only accept cash payments? Obviously I won't have the facilities to accept card payments at first and giving receipts for manicures isnt really done is it?? So if I only have my records of payments for treatments how will HMRC know that this is an honest representation? obviously Im not going to fiddle things but I mean if they asked for a paper trail of my income I would only have my own books. Or do I need to have a receipt book and issue receipts?

As sooon as I have my extension and sculpture courses done in a couple of weeks I will purchase a mobile folding table and carry case for equipment and then start advertising appointments!!! EEEK its all very exciting, just a little daunting as Ive really wanted to do this for years but never had the guts to give up my job. But now I have kids and only work part time anyway, seems like the ideal opportunity and really dont want to fail as Id like to be able to not return to full time work after this baby arrives.

Thanks for all your advice!!

XX

 

[PamieD]

No problem, that's a shame about your job but sometimes it's good to have a break and try something else.

It doesn't matter how you take your payments, HMRC are only interested in figures. You sign a declaration to state it's honest, and you keep records (bank statement to show deposits, cash book to show your weekly takings) in case they ever decide to check (not likely but always be on guard). It's up to you whether to give receipts for cash or cheques. I used to keep a blank book of receipts handy if clients asked but they rarely did.

Just Saturday is fine to begin with, it's always a trickle so you don't want to waste a whole day on Monday for the odd client. When you have enough for Saturday then you can add on more days according to demand.

 

[Nails Unveiled]

Right gotya! I had a look on the government website and got that impression but I want to do things right and want to be sure im doing everything above board. Hubby was skeptical that I didn't need to have a trail of receipts. he was a self employed joiner a few years back and obviously in that trade everything is invoiced and traceable. not always possible in beauty and i know most of us try and avoid having receipts hanging around for beauty treatments because then we cant lie to our husbands about how much we really spend!!! lol