Take the plunge

[ErinGraceholistic85]

Hey Ladies

Im a therapist and have been in my job a long time 15+ years but now having had my little girl (6months) my future is so much more driven for her and wanting to better myself and take my passion for skincare to the next level. I want to take the plunge into freelance and leave the salon. I love skincare, been trained in Dermalogica but want to specialise in high end results driven facials mobile and also as pre Bridal skincare/nutrition. I have been looking into environ. I have big ideas I just don’t know where to start!
It’s so daunting, I will be going back after my maternity ends to my current therapist/manager job for a while as I decide on the future. Anyone done this? Any advice? Xx

 

[Nails and beauty by Rhi]

Hello,

No advice as I've just started level 2 beauty but wanted to say your ideas sound great and I hope it works for you!
Xx

 

[BrianWax]

There are men in here too , A big and scary jump! But, so exciting!

1. I think you're on the right track thinking about specializing. I also noticed you said you want to specialize in facials AND bridal skincare/nutrition. I strongly recommend keeping focused on one niche. The hardest part of starting out is to resist the urge to offer more and more services. Owners launch their salon, things are slow, so they offer more services in an attempt to attract more customers. Pretty soon they are no longer a specialist, but a generalist salon, competing against all the other generalist salons. Resist the urge and pick one.

2. Start cheap. If you already have customers lined up, then, by all means, dive in. If not, only grow as your client load increases.

3. Don't offer discounts as a way to drive customers. You have 15 years of experience, you know your stuff, and only take clients who are willing to pay you full price. This is hard to resist in the beginning! But, what happens is the cheap customers start telling their cheap friends. Instead, don't be afraid to say "I'm sorry, I can't help you...but, so and so down the street can." People are shocked by that and you'll gain a lot of respect by choosing the people you want to work with, rather than just accepting anyone who comes through the door.

Any thoughts about how to bring in customers?

 

[ErinGraceholistic85]

Sorry Brian, I know! I don’t even know why I said ladies?
That’s great advice, I think i was just thinking along the lines of what do I LOVE doing and that is facials I’m always busy and always requested at the salon for them.
Bridal was where I was going to try to slot in a USP with a skincare timeline, try and work alongside make up artists or hairdressers.
That’s one idea, I know a few good ones locally.
If I didn’t just focus on brides and keep an open field I’d then bring in customers maybe from word of mouth a bit of networking. Who is my target audience is a good question I think people who love skincare and want results. Where are these people

 

[BrianWax]

It sounds like you have a gut feeling, and it's probably right.

It all depends on your market; if it's not competitive, you don't really need to worry about niching. If it is, I would work on defining your target audience more deeply. You're selling skincare, but not really.

For example, why do your customers spend their hard earned money on skincare? What do they hate? What do they love? What do they fear? Who do they trust and why? What's important to them, not just about their skin, but about their life? Dive deep.

You're selling a feeling people get after your treatment. The feeling they get when they get a compliment from a friend or family member.

This is another reason to niche. The more services you add, the harder it is to answer all those questions and get specific about what your target customer is after.

And, all this isn't all that important if you're not in a very competitive market. Just something to consider.

 

[Charlotteellen3]

Sorry to hop on your post all these years later Erin! I came across your post as I am hoping to do the same, and branch out in to being a skincare specialist. I just wondered how you have found your journey?