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I know this thread is a couple of months old but I found it really interesting

I set up just over 5 years ago having retrained after being made redundant.

I had no experience of setting up a business.

I researched researched and researched some more, used the very best products I could afford after testing them thoroughly and was totally passionate about my business and clients.

Salon Geek was and is invaluable for my business and has saved me many costly mistakes (although I did make some, mainly spending money unnecessarily when I thought I knew better)

I attended every Business Gateway meeting I could and joined Federation of Small Businesses, their regular literature and information are also invaluable.

I have never advertised I relied solely on word of mouth and my website and I grew slowly every week/month.

this was particularly hard as I worried each month about paying my rent with this strategy but I felt it was as bad to over advertise and get a reputation as never being available.

I have paid my rent since day one from my earnings, luckily I have a fantastic husband behind me who supported me financially when every penny earned went straight back into the business.

I treat every customer with respect and courtesy and make it my business to stay up to date with trends, keep my salon spotless and fully equipped and it works for me.

I suppose my tips are;

Providing the best service I possibly can - Every time to every client
Using only quality products after thorough research
Having financial backing to see me through the beginning of my venture (first 24 months)
 
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Hello!!! So nice to see this thread back on the main forum page, for I think it is a very inspiring thread, a very timely thread, and worth another look now that we are into the new year. Those that posted before should re-read their posts now a few months down the line, and those who have not read it before should read every page of it. thanks again for the inspiration, Linda!
 
great thread, very inforamative and interesting.
i opened my first salon in 1992 when my baby was 4 months old, i ended up with 4 children and remember bringing one of them to work with me when he was 5 days old.. no luxury of maternity leave for self employed then... you do what you have to do.
i am one of those strong headed types who couldn't work for any one else and now 20 years later i have to say i still LOVE going to work . it's a lot easier now the kids are bigger as i don't have to scramble to organise child care.
my biggest problem is controlling my nail product spending... i'm like a child ...i want it all....
 
This thread is absolutely inspirational...I am so glad that all the ladies i really admire on salon geeks have posted, such as Geeg, Angelina, Persianista, Lynn, VHunter and others. I highly value your opinions.

If i was starting again, i would've done it a little differently...i didn't find salon geek for a while, unfortunately.

I rent a room within a hairdressers. The room had notoriously been bad for previous beauticians and nail technicians, none lasting more than a couple of months, but it really appealed to me.

I was 20 and like other delusional therapists, whose posts i read, thought i was being stupid working for £6.50ph when i was doing a massage and earning the salon £40-£50 :lick: How young and stupid was I? Haha.

I had hardly any money and no clients to speak of. The salon i worked at wasn't near the same location. However, i lived with my parents and my boyfriend completely supported me. I said hey, if it doesn't work out, i don't have a mortgage riding on it.

I got a loan from the bank, worked out a treatment list and set to work. I remember ordering Dermalogica, whose opening order was in the thousands. Everyone thought it was ridiculous spending that amount of money on a product, even the salon owner pulled me aside and said it. But i was adament that I was going to use a product that i knew worked and that i believed in.
It paid off! People came to me simply for the name...they googled Dermalogica and my location and there i was.

The salon owner has since ordered in a brand of well known hair products and they are doing really well from it.

I'm not saying it was easy. I worked my backside off and so did my mum, haha. I ordered price lists, business cards and we did a huge leaflet drop that really paid off.

I've been in my place for 4.5 years and have loved every minute off it! My intake last year was over double the intake my first year.

If i were to give some advice to someone starting out, i would say, don't do it cheap. Go for the big names, they'll bring you big business. They have spent time, cost and energy perfecting their products and their training, so take advantage of it!

The other thing would be, stand firm and never feel pressured to make an immediate decision. I made a mistake with a salesperson once, something that i will never do again, and it cost me about £400. It was gutting, but it made me wiser and stronger and I can pass the info on.

Lastly, the best of the best are on this site...take as much from it as you can. Don't be afraid to ask questions...but please use the search bar first :lol: xxx
 
Hello All
My first post here on SG.

I moved to Scotland 2 years ago and started by renting a room in a large salon.
I didnt fell that I grew as a nail proffesionel, as the range that I was allowed to do limited me to do only l and p.
My fear was that if I opened up on my own I would feel lonely.
I have never once thought to myself that I would not be succesful.
6 month ago I had enough of being restriced in my work, tock the plunge, and opened up a small nail and beauty salon.
3 weeks in I was working up to 70 hour in a week and have 2 lovely girls working along side by me.
My buisness have been a massive succes, i put so much hard work in, witch have resulted in being busy 6 days a week even in Januay.
NO is not a word I use, I say lets see what we can do.
Every day im on SG, thank you all for great advise.
Always reading and trying to come up with the next new thing or desing.
I feel empowred and rich, I can what I like, or should I say what my clients would like me to do.

By the way I have never once felt lonely in my salon.

what a happy girl I am and I can truely say
That im in

ATTITUDE OF GRADITUDE

First thing I invested in when opening was Shellac Brisa and Minx to go along side my CND l and p.
 
Hello All
My first post here on SG.

I moved to Scotland 2 years ago and started by renting a room in a large salon.
I didnt fell that I grew as a nail proffesionel, as the range that I was allowed to do limited me to do only l and p.
My fear was that if I opened up on my own I would feel lonely.
I have never once thought to myself that I would not be succesful.
6 month ago I had enough of being restriced in my work, tock the plunge, and opened up a small nail and beauty salon.
3 weeks in I was working up to 70 hour in a week and have 2 lovely girls working along side by me.
My buisness have been a massive succes, i put so much hard work in, witch have resulted in being busy 6 days a week even in Januay.
NO is not a word I use, I say lets see what we can do.
Every day im on SG, thank you all for great advise.
Always reading and trying to come up with the next new thing or desing.
I feel empowred and rich, I can what I like, or should I say what my clients would like me to do.

By the way I have never once felt lonely in my salon.

what a happy girl I am and I can truely say
That im in

ATTITUDE OF GRADITUDE

First thing I invested in when opening was Shellac Brisa and Minx to go along side my CND l and p.

Fan.bloody.tastic! This is what happens with the right training, the right products and a wonderful 'never say never' attitude! BRAVO!! :hug:
 
Brilliant thread and responses so far. Congratulations to all the "grafters" out there....:hug:

I'm not going to say much, but I have left my office job and have set up in beauty full time. My mother told my sisters "if I had known she would have been so happy and successful, I would have encouraged her to leave a long time ago."

All I can say people, believe in yourself, work hard, don't offer shabby services, treat people the way you want to be treated and you will succeed. You NEED to know what is going out, what is coming in and what is in the middle (IMPORTANT)! :lol:

If in doubt, have a love affair with Salon Geek. There are some fabulous geeks on here. Pick the bones out! Listen to every word they say and you will succeed; I did.:hug:

Good to see this thread back up again!

Well today is one year since I resigned from my office job and became a full-time Beauty Therapist.

It has been the best year of my life, absolutely no regrets.

I now have the opportunity to focus on a FULL TIME basis on my business and it has been so much better. Gigi has always pointed out that you cannot run a business on a part-time basis; very true!

I have gained much more confidence doing all of my treatments on a daily basis, have met fantastic people through training and in the salon. I am earning money and at the same time have job satisfaction.

The reality is that nothing is perfect, but put your best foot forward and remain positive.

Wishing everyone all the success you deserve.
 
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I have read this post from start to finish-it has taken me hours to digest all of the info, but The knowledge and experience throughout makes me proud to be a geek, albeit a new one!

I have 2days left of working in my full time office job. I currently run a small mobile beauty business, but I am leaving the job security behind to expand this-I had to turn clients away over the festive period as there simply weren't enough hours in the day to work, be a mummy (even though I have the most supportive mum and friends around to help out) and see clients. I now feel I am better equipped to deal with what's thrown at me-my savings will be kept for rainier days, in the hope they never appear :) I hope to one day find a small premises and start my own salon journey, armed with the added knowledge and inspiration I have gained from here.

Thanks Geeks :) xx
 
I have read this post from start to finish-it has taken me hours to digest all of the info, but The knowledge and experience throughout makes me proud to be a geek, albeit a new one!

I have 2days left of working in my full time office job. I currently run a small mobile beauty business, but I am leaving the job security behind to expand this-I had to turn clients away over the festive period as there simply weren't enough hours in the day to work, be a mummy (even though I have the most supportive mum and friends around to help out) and see clients. I now feel I am better equipped to deal with what's thrown at me-my savings will be kept for rainier days, in the hope they never appear :) I hope to one day find a small premises and start my own salon journey, armed with the added knowledge and inspiration I have gained from here.

Thanks Geeks :) xx

Good for you .... Reading all of this thread shows just the sort of attitude a person who is really interested in growing a business should have. I still find it pretty amazing that with over 3000 views Of such an important topic ... There are only 60 ish replies. Need I say more? :D
 
This is such an inspirational thread....

I don't have my own Nail/Beauty business at the moment, but after training recently in Calgel (after doing two years at college Beauty and Massage NVQ 2 and 3 when I was abit younger), owning my own Nail business is definitely something I would like to do in the future. I always dreamed of owning my own beauty salon and had a few ideas that I always felt would
Set me apart from other businesses. Unfortunately, I didn't find my passion in General beauty therapy and enjoyed certain aspects more than others so didn't pursue that dream from college as didn't feel I had the passion or drive to do well. I wouldn't dream of doing it half-heartedly....

I do have my own business (childminding) so very different from what Im on salon geek for, but since discovering Nails I've found that THAT is where my passion lies. Im not able to make the financial jump yet to working full time doing nails, instead, I'm starting it as an extra job...so evenings and weekends for the minute. I know Im not going to be able to make the business the success I want it to be until I can make the jump and leave my other Business behind, but until then, I'm doing as much research/learning and practicing as I can and Trying to get as many word of Mouth clients as i can. It's so helpful having salon geek to turn to for advice, and now, I'm deserate to train in Shellac and Minx too in order to offer my clients more variety, still using professional products....properly!

I will be keeping a close eye on this thread. :) Thank you
 
just wanted to say what an inspiration all of you are and how much i've loved reading this post,

I have been a nail tech for years but have only just started out working form home. I am investing in quality products, i've tried the cheap ones and they are cheap for a reason!! I want to start as i mean to go on as Geeg said. There is so much competition about but i am not deterred by that, offering a quality service with quality products has to be the way!!

I want to have my own salon but believe starting from home is the way forward for me until i get some capital behind me. I could not be without this site and try to have browse daily. I am using my quiet times while i am starting out to practice nail art etc, read about going into business etc and watch tutorials, i love nails and am living and breathing them at the moment but have never been happier!!

Has anyone got any advice about marketing yourself? I am on facebook, i have a website, have leaflet dropped, have advertsied in local publications and local business websites and slowly they are coming through the door......My husband asked me if i should lower my prices just to get people through the door but again i wanted to start as i meant to go on!!what do you think?
 
I love this thread it's so inspirational.
I started my salon in September (used my divorce settlement as my capital) and love it. I also play in a brass band and have a boyfriend in the Army that travels a 500mile round trip every weekend to see me (which is lovely but I do feel guilty if I have to work longer hours than normal to accommodate a client. We had a discussion the other day, as I'm still quite quiet as I'm just building a client base, that he seemed to think I should shut early if I have had no one in or not many but I felt as though I had to stay open as long as I could just in case. Having read these threads I was right. And I decided last night (before even reading this thread) that I was going to leave the brass band and focus on my business and relationship. He is supportive in the fact that he helps with food/bills etc but clearly has no idea about running a business and how much of your life it consumes so only time will tell if my relationship lasts but I had my business first before I met him lol.
I agree with what has been said about products. I always try and use the best that I can afford and have tried lots to make sure we have what works for us. I am learning fast. It a very steep learning curve and sometimes I feel the stress and don't sleep but I wouldn't change it for the world. It's so good to know that my ideas for my business are heading in the right direction and that I'm not nuts for spending on it all the time when I feel we could do something better or add/upgrade. Keep up the inspiration people. Love this site so much xxx
 
I've been reading all these threads all day between doing all my duties for the day and have just managed to start writing.

I got to say, I love being my own boss and knowing that if anything goes wrong, I don't have to wait forever for someone to correct it, I can sort it myself quickly and easily.

I found to be successful you must think quickly and precisely in order to make everything work smoothly. On the other hand, you should never make rash decisions. I know that makes no sense but I sort of mean that you have to make the decisions at the right time. A good way to start is to list down costs involved, how long it will take to recoup these costs and start making a profit and whether it's worth it.

I think also it's important to treat people politely and in a friendly manner but to always be on guard as people will walk all over you if you give them the slightest opportunity. Never trust anyone 100%.

Will edit if I think of more :) x
 
Thank you for bringing this thread back, totally inspiring.xx
My mantra is "against all odds"
I am a stay at home mum and I do nails for friends and family and I am going to start my own business. I thought it would be easy at first lol just set up and go. I have been to seminars and I am having business advise, I read through all the boring stuff and surprisingly take most of it in, you learn something new every day. I go to every meeting.

I am not 17 any more but for the first time in my life I am really comfortable in my own skin and feel happy to go into this at 38. I have two lovely kids a 16yr old boy and a three year old girl. My 16 yr old had facial surgery from being attacked on the weekend and this is the first time I have looked at the salon geek after despairing for days. So thank you salon geek.I read all of the inspiring stories and it has gotten me back on track. I have saved for good training and top products and tools and I am looking forward to Hard work, I am looking forward to the challenge and using all of my resources when I need them the most. My little girl starts full time school in September and we are also moving to a bigger house(fingers crossed) in a few months. I have a vision of my self, I can visualize my self in a year or two working looking smart, neat, professional and confident. For the first time in my life I can see my self and it is truly uplifting. Against all odds.xx
 
I was meant to read this today!! This great thread had answered a lot of questions for me. I have read every single thread from start to finish and feel very very motivated. A must read to all out there wanting to start their own business. Thanks everyone for your contribution x
 
Following, will read later x


Enjoy life
 
Just dredged this baby up again!! Such an inspiration to read 1st time and glad I found it again! Xxxx

Sent from my SM-G900F using SalonGeek mobile app
 
As a relative newb, this is the first time I've seen this thread and it's wonderful!

Up until I had my son 2.5 years ago, I worked in Merchant Banking in London before moving to Gloucestershire so a complete change of career for me but I chose it because I've always loved doing my nails and those of my friends and decided to make it into a career.

I decided I needed to research the best products and get relative training. I wanted my clients to see that I had the qualifications to back up my bluster and I also feel much better knowing that I can offer good, sound advice.

My choice was CND Shellac and I've now studied a few courses with our local academy. I am still learning and I am booked in for an L&P and art and design course with the same SS trainer who has been an invaluable source of information.

I have a long way to go and my business is in its infancy but I have enjoyed every minute of it so far, with the few clients I have shouting about my work from the rooftops. Not content to sit on that, I've had nice quality A6 leaflets and business cards made up, my branding is in place and I've been leafleting like a demon, I've been to local businesses offering my services which is going down well and I don't mind as there are multiple people to work on in one day and saves me driving round the county.

I use social media which I showcase my work on but need to get my butt in gear and get a web page. Most nights I can be found behind my nail station (I'm working from a converted room at home) practicing, practicing, practicing.

Practicing with additives, practicing with glitter, colour combos, stamping, ensuring my working area is a nice, relaxing environment for clients to indulge in for a short amount of time and go away happy.

I am not the best in our area yet - but I will be and I'm concentrating on what I love hoping to master one trade rather than be a Jack of many as I know I've no skills or interest in hair or skin.

Edited to add how refreshing it is to see you'll sharing ideas, advice and tips. I realise it's one of the purposes of such a medium but after a very cut throat previous career, the kindness you show to each other is good to see.
 
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The posts on this thread are so inspiring!

My salon opens on the 7th january (under 2 weeks!) and I have been a total nervous wreck about it, i feel totally inspired!

I've been working in salons since I was 14 and live and breathe beauty, and have managerial experience and even teaching qualifications, but I suppose you're always gonna be nervous when opening your own business!

I've invested in good quality products (CND, He Shi, Decleor) & I'm determined to give it my all, so fingers crossed all goes well!

Does anybody have any advice on how to get the initial clientele in? I'm opening in an up and coming town, and a few of my clients have followed me from previous salon but it's not enough to fill my columns day in day out!

xo
 

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