The Billion Dollar question

[LieLash]

So here it goes - having had a very quiet two weeks including 6 cancellations and no new bookings right after 2 months of being nearly fully booked, ive now earnt peanuts and its got me thinking of how I'm ever going to make any sort of decent wage in the future and especially towards the winter when things will go quiet. Im a fairly new but very eager and passionate therapist and really want to be in this industry for the rest of my time but wondering whether financially it will ever be enough to support me year in year out.
I have been running my business full time for the past year and a half ( appreciate its still new) - I have web pages, adverts in papers, Facebook pages etc and get a good few clients from this - ive also been on business courses, web design courses to try to help me get business minded so I'm not looking for advice re advertising or promoting my business as I've pretty much done all of Lynn's threads as well and know there's lots of great threads on SG re this.
But what I need to know is how you all manage to earn and support yourself. Even with 3 nail clients per days thats an average £60 ( that's just not enough to live on in this day and age)
I currently offer nails, lash extensions, waxing, tinting , LVL spray tanning and threading - with lash extensions being my main earner but that seems to be very seasonal.
Again I'm not looking for advice as how to keep clients coming back, I have loyalty schemes and treat my clients well and really focus on customer care etc but more so whether there are any other popular treatments that I can offer that are going to earn me a little bit more than a manicure or pedicure.
Most of my clients only spend an average of £20 and if I'm lucky enough to have 5 clients a day ( a long ish day) that's still only £100 day - 5 days a week, so lucky if I make £500 a week take all my products costs, bills etc i find I'm not left with much!
Also I find that most of my clients want evening appointments, so my day ends up being very long. Over the past 2 weeks my average day has been two clients during the day, last one at 6:30 so by the time I'm finished, packed up, sanitised etc it's 8:30 - 9pm - and I've earnt £60 if im lucky for a technically very long day, and I just don't see how I can keep doing this. And if I don't work evenings il earn even less.
I rarely see my partner as by the time my day has finished it's so late and we go to sleep and then I get up and the day starts again. Starting to feel like a hamster in a wheel running and getting no where.

I've been very stressed over this as this is my passion and dream, I've worked hard and love what I do but have no idea whether this industry will ever support my financially.
I'd love to get into semi permanent make up and know that this can be a good earner over time but at £10000 for training I don't have that sort of money. I know it's not all about money but I have to live in the real world and prepare financially for a future.

I would really appreciate your own stories or help or advice on any of this
x

 

[lores]

It sounds like you just need to keep promoting and working to get your client numbers increasing. Make sure you prices work for your area demographic and look for things to make you stand out from the crowd. I don't necessarily think semi permanent make up will solve anything as you have stated your clients have an average spend of 20 per visit.
I have worked in both a very affluent marked and an average high street setting and I now only dream of attracting the type of spend I had with my old clients.....so now I concentrated on attracting loyal clients who focus on a quality treatment at a fair rice and I like to think I provide excellent customer service and good quality treatments in return.
hth xx

 

[lores]

Sorry about the terrible spelling and grammar....hate typing on my phone, lol
Xx

 

[makeupartistzoe]

Firstly for doing this all on your own and everything you have said you are doing you should be proud. People tell me this all the time and if I'm having a bad/ non profitable week I do want to slap them round the face with a wet fish and scream ' well I bloody deserve to feel proud, I work damn hard!' But you are surviving the recession and doing something every day that you love.

I've almost had my salon 3 years and I've thrown at it everything I've got. The following things have been great for me...

-subletting parts of my salon to other self employed professionals for a fixed rent
-wax training with Kim lawless
-building a text database ( now with 500 clients in it) looks better than just texting off your mobile if they have only visited once. Business SMS Marketing & Bulk Text Messaging Service
-www.browsbydesign.co.uk my new bestie Suzi teaching me semi perm brows
-a bonus stamp on loyalty cards when a clients friend visits them for the 1st time
-trading shellac rockstar hands for odd products off girls I know that work in dept stores...I get a treat, they get a treat, they tell their clients the best salon to go to
- never starting before 10am, if they want early they can pay me more, as I do 2 late nights which is pretty damn generous of me
-stopped giving everyone who ever asked for a charity donation, a voucher for a treatment with me, I appreciate charity work, but I'm not a charity.
-stop paying for advertising, ESP in papers, free editorial all the way

If it all gets too much you can always work from home with your good reputation and favourite clients. I have a friend who is closing her vintage clothing store in a few months, she makes so much more at festivals and online. It's been 3 years and she's been featured in Grazia, but she just says ' people can complain about it but they should come in and spend more money, more often'

I'm keeping my salon for another 3 years for sure

 

[pinkthistle]

I also gave up newspaper advertising last January...I found the local papers more expensive than the big ones! I also realised there wasn't much loyalty in so much as they phoned every other salon around and put them on the same page! And I'm actually busier now just advertising in my window and on my facebook.

Totally agree with the charity thing...it feels bad the first couple of times you refuse but now I sometimes say sorry too late I've reached this months quota...

We have recently found lava shell massage good for business as its a new treatment for us and changing a treatment to make it the months special offer good...for example adding a different mask into a facial and calling it facial of the month, its never generally anything that costs more and quite often the feedback means we realise the clients prefer the new way!

I'm also a great believer in trying new methods from different companies, take advantage free demos and open days at suppliers etc...sometimes you might learn something even if you have no intention buying...reps like to show off their skills and tell you all about their BIG accounts.

 

[J33XSS]

You say you've been nearly fully booked for two months... August is always quiet as its school holidays, so people with kids find it harder to get out on their own & everyone is going on holiday etc... I can pretty much guarantee you come September you will be busier again. Winter doesn't go quiet for me, it's always August so I've planned ahead this year & taken every Saturday, Sunday & Monday (with a few Fridays too) off to get all my paperwork sorted, advertising plan for September etc. Hang on in there, only a few more weeks of the quiet spell hopefully! x

 

[jujojones]

Summer holidays and half terms are always always quiet! So take advantage of this quiet time and prep offers/loyalty rewards/marketing etc for when you pick back up! Pesky kids being off school! ( ive not had hair or nails done or been the gym since they broke up) !!!! Dont stress yet x

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[LieLash]

Well done you - seems you have a great mental attitude to what you do and that fact that you have the ability to see the glass half full.
Times are hard I know just still not sure whether financially this will pay my bills

 

[LieLash]

Phew - good to hear its a school holiday thing, il keep my fingers crossed it all picks up again. Thanks for the advice everyone x

 

[Emily Case]

It's definitely a school holiday thing. People could have childcare issues, and if it's not finding someone to look after them it's trying to find a way to keep them entertained! Kids are expensive when they're bored so clients may not have the spare cash to spend on treatments during those 6 weeks the little ones have off school.

Xxx

 

[sallyyummymummy]

I've been quiet the last couple of weeks too. I went self employed in may and it started so well and I'm now building a good client base but its not enough to rely on yet. August is always a funny month. I take advantage of my quiet time and spend time catching up on jobs that I've put off, promoting my fb page, spend time on here, researching stuff etc etc. You sound very focused with your business so good luck.

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