Starting my own nail business, opinions please

[Yummy11]

hey all i am fully trained in beauty and i do a few facials a week nothing thats worth a weeks wage..

i am training in gel and shellac at the moment and was hoping to start doing it mobile for an extra income.. i would have a full day thursday and friday and prob take app from 10-1.30 of a saturday.

so my questions are as below..

> do you think i will get atleast 6 app a week?
> what should i charge - i will be calling any hours they like.
> what is the best way to advertise?
> what other nail services should i offer?

ps when i get the client base i hope to rent a small unit or put a log cabin in my back to a salon

i would love to here girls who are doing this type things ideas

ta ta

 

[Fake it...]

Hi,
All sounds very exciting. I'll try to give you some answers based on my own experiences.

Re 6 appointments per day- I'd say yes, eventually. It takes time though as people then spread the word. I would be super flexible with my hours in the beginning until you are earning enough to cover your weekly wage, this may mean working evenings only until quite late at first, it's one of those "how long's a piece of string" questions. That way you'll still be able to take a wage from your "normal" job until you are ready to go full time.

Re pricing - the best thing to do is research. Gather salon price leaflets and ring other mobile techs/therapists to see what the general going rate is. The salons may be more expensive but this will give you a ceiling figure that you won't want to exceed.

Re advertising - When I was mobile many years ago I used to place a small ad in the health and beauty section of our local paper, just a few lines that read something like...
Nails by Alex
All aspects of nail treatments and enhancements carried out in your own home.
For bookings and enquiries call XYZ.

I also used Yellow Pages but am not sure if this is maybe slightly outdated now, however I would say get a website, doesn't need to be anything expensive. I did mine through Vistaprint and it costs me £5.99 per month. Have a little look www.fakeitnailandlashbar.com

I hope this helps and really good luck with the new venture xxx

 

[AvinashiNails]

Hi Yummy11!

I've just started my own small business out of my home doing manicures and gel nails. I haven't got portable equipment for mobile but I imagine the principles of business success are the same!

1. You could definitely fit at least 6 clients in per week! Try 3 on Thursday, 3 on Friday and 1 on Saturday. I'm sure in time you'll be able to do more in the same time-frame.
2. Pricing can be tricky. You don't want to undercut too much as clients prefer quality over quantity and are willing to pay for it. At the same time a fairly new technician (such as myself) cannot charge the same as a salon or tech who's been practicing for 15 years. I chose to charge around the same as other techs in Calgary and include nail art such as a feather inlay or spangle french for free. I'm also finding that having a monthly feature or special is received well!
3. Advertising on Kijiji (at least in Canada) is the best way to advertise! People like to shop around online as they rarely check out the newspaper or phonebook anymore. A short advertisement along with a good picture or two goes a long way. I definitely recommend setting yourself up with a simple website as Fake It and myself have done. I get mine from Godaddy.com for about $50CDN/year.
Home Page <--my website if you'd like to see!
4. At this time I only offer manicures and gel nails but I've been looking into investing in a soak-off gel polish line such as Gelish, Shellac, X-tame or Mani-Q. It'd make a great addition to my manicure service. Also, gel toes are very popular! LCN has a product called Pedique.


I've heard it takes about a year to build a full client base, so hang in there. We'll make it!

 

[Fake it...]

Sorry, my mistake. I read 6 clients per day not week. xx