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MissMellons

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Nov 17, 2017
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Hi

I'm going to be starting my nail courses in the new year with a view to working partly from home and also partly mobile.

There's loads of questions that I have in my head as it's so scary making the leap to servicing actual clients and I hope some of you lovely people could answer my questions for me:

- I'll be training in gel polish, how many colours would you say would be best to start off with?
- I'll also be training in L&P, how long did you wait until you were able to offer this to clients? I want to get this right before I'm let loose! Is it best to practice on a friend for a certain amount of time?
- what furniture did you use? Ideally I'll be working from home but also need something that is mobile if I'm out and about. What are the best tables and carry cases?
- what do you even pack when mobile? I would hate to forget something imperative!
- Marketing: this is a big part of the courses I'm taking but would love to hear some of your tried and tested methods so I can get the word out once I'm fully trained!
 
I want to get this right before I'm let loose!

I couldn't stop laughing at this!!! :D:D:D:D

Hi

I'm going to be starting my nail courses in the new year with a view to working partly from home and also partly mobile.

There's loads of questions that I have in my head as it's so scary making the leap to servicing actual clients and I hope some of you lovely people could answer my questions for me:

- I'll be training in gel polish, how many colours would you say would be best to start off with?
- I'll also be training in L&P, how long did you wait until you were able to offer this to clients? I want to get this right before I'm let loose! Is it best to practice on a friend for a certain amount of time?
- what furniture did you use? Ideally I'll be working from home but also need something that is mobile if I'm out and about. What are the best tables and carry cases?
- what do you even pack when mobile? I would hate to forget something imperative!
- Marketing: this is a big part of the courses I'm taking but would love to hear some of your tried and tested methods so I can get the word out once I'm fully trained!

Now to your questions,
nails require a big budget so start small and slowly build your collection.
I'd say start with around 10 colours and then ask your clients your preferences and go along them and you know the odd one that catches your eye.
L&P takes some time to master. So practicing on just one friend will take even more time as you're gonna have to wait for her to come back. I'd say bribe all your friends and family with chocolate or cocktails and set them down to practice as much as you can. Be very specific that you want their feedback and if they don't like your work for any reason they should just tell you about it so you can get better, instead of going to someone else.
From home a good table and good light. And like 654547 shelves and drawers for everything else. You want your working space to be clean.
For mobile, my, that's a question I myself haven't solved yet. I go around carrying everything. I have a separate bag for nail art supplies, one beauty case for the basics (e-file, acrylics, builder gels and all my liquids, tools and forms) and a backpack for my led lamp, my light etc. Polishes can be tricky to carry. I've spilt a few that way so I definitely recommend getting a tube roo bag for those ( I really wish I had one of those, but they don't shi to Greece :mad:). And don't let me start on the pedicures... Going around carrying everything in separate cases can be tiresome so for that I'd recommend a large beauty case (the 3 storey ones). I usually ask before for a table and a couple of chairs and pretty much everybody has those so you don't need to invest in these as well.
What to pack, well heh! everything! I can't go anywhere without them. I've made a checklist and I don't forget anything anymore, although I used to.
Marketing, well I'm sure someone else will be more appropriate to answer that, as I restrict to facebook and word of mouth only.

I'm sure you'll find out everything for yourself once you start.
 
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply and some great advice although, I'm now wondering if offering a mobile service by request is the right thing to do - that's a hell of a lot of stuff and I only drive a Fiat 500 with the smallest boot space in the world!! :D

I couldn't stop laughing at this!!! :D:D:D:D


Now to your questions,
nails require a big budget so start small and slowly build your collection.
I'd say start with around 10 colours and then ask your clients your preferences and go along them and you know the odd one that catches your eye.
L&P takes some time to master. So practicing on just one friend will take even more time as you're gonna have to wait for her to come back. I'd say bribe all your friends and family with chocolate or cocktails and set them down to practice as much as you can. Be very specific that you want their feedback and if they don't like your work for any reason they should just tell you about it so you can get better, instead of going to someone else.
From home a good table and good light. And like 654547 shelves and drawers for everything else. You want your working space to be clean.
For mobile, my, that's a question I myself haven't solved yet. I go around carrying everything. I have a separate bag for nail art supplies, one beauty case for the basics (e-file, acrylics, builder gels and all my liquids, tools and forms) and a backpack for my led lamp, my light etc. Polishes can be tricky to carry. I've spilt a few that way so I definitely recommend getting a tube roo bag for those ( I really wish I had one of those, but they don't shi to Greece :mad:). And don't let me start on the pedicures... Going around carrying everything in separate cases can be tiresome so for that I'd recommend a large beauty case (the 3 storey ones). I usually ask before for a table and a couple of chairs and pretty much everybody has those so you don't need to invest in these as well.
What to pack, well heh! everything! I can't go anywhere without them. I've made a checklist and I don't forget anything anymore, although I used to.
Marketing, well I'm sure someone else will be more appropriate to answer that, as I restrict to facebook and word of mouth only.

I'm sure you'll find out everything for yourself once you start.
 
I'm a mobile beauty therapist, and trust me it is a lot to carry round. I used to have a three tier case but it was WAY too bulky for doing nails. Instead, I bought a nail case from nail harmony and it's fantastic! Much more compact and I can carry everything with me.

Regarding a table, after a few years of sitting at other people's tables and sitting slightly awkwardly (on the edge of their table, not keeping your back straight etc) it does havoc with your body. 100% invest in a portable manicure table. Also, I find I work quicker at my own nail desk, clients don't seem to faff as much, my back and shoulders are much better and in case of any accidental spillages you aren't risking your clients furniture. (It hasn't happened yet to me, but I do know someone who unfortunately spilt some acetone on an oak dining room table and the client claimed against their insurance!)
I always have a good out chair with me just in case. 9/10 I don't need to take it in with me but on the odd occasion they don't have a table and chairs, I have one myself xx
 
I started out offering a mobile service 20 years ago and found it ack breaking and very time consuming lugging everything from house to house - and that was before gel so no curing LAMP to carry! 2nd time around I decided not to offer mobile appointments at all as I was worried if I did some, everyone would expect it.

With regard to practising, if you are short of human volunteers you might want to consider getting a decent practice hand that you can attach normal nail tips to? I really wish we'd had these at college when I went back to retrain last year as all our nails really suffered applying and removing nails constantly. Obviously you'll want real hands to practice on too, but with a practice hand you can do a set any time you want.

I agree with Asteropi about starting off with about 10 colours with something to suit most choices, taking into consideration the season and then as you build up some regular clients, ask them what they like too and slowly add to your collection as you start earning some money. I don't know about other brands but Cuccio do miniature collections and earlier this year they had a half price offer on 2 of the miniature collections so I ordered both which meant I had, if I remember rightly, 16 colours plus 2 base and 2 topcoats for a very reasonable price! When you're just starting out, having smaller bottles isn't such a bad idea either!
 

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