TPTW-Care to discuss your business success?

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geeg

Judge Gigi-Honorary Geek
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The following is a quote from a great interview given by Linda Nordstrom CEO of "Famous Names", the company that manufactures and distributes LUMOS the fantastic fast drying "Top and Bottom" coats that have just won the BEST in category from Elle Beauty Awards in London. And now the next generation dadiOil.

I think what Linda says here is a great basis for a discussion ...

"If you believe in what you are doing I think the sky is the limit! I would highly recommend starting a business to anyone who understands the commitment, who is ready to get their hands dirty and do what it takes to make it work! You have to have pure determination! The other thing is to make sure you have adequate capital…you can be on the right path and run out of money before you obtain breakeven."

When starting a business ...

"understanding the commitment" needed to make it work.

Working like hell to make it work, whatever it takes ...

Understanding the financial commitments of starting a successful business and having enough behind you to do it before you run out ...

Did YOU?
 
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What a great quote. I am just starting out in this business at the age of 46. I did wonder if I was too old for a career change, but decided age was not a barrier to sucess.
I am comitted to my business & am working extremely hard as it is something I love & am pasionate about. I am aware of the financial commitment too, & am sticking to my planned budget which will change as my client base grows ( hopefully lol ).
I have gained much support & knowledge from this site & I think it is just fab.
Cathx
 
Oh yes, now did you really want to get me started on this?!

If I hear one more time about how people (and I'm afraid it's always women, because they're the caregivers, mostly) can't understand why they're not making any money, and then I discover that they do it around school hours and of course, they don't work in the holidays, I swear I will blow a gasket.

You simply cannot, cannot, cannot make a profitable business if your business is not your primary priority. Yes, you can have a hobby business. Yes, you can build up a holiday/conservatory/shoe/bag fund very nicely from a hobby business, but if you want a proper income from it you have to work like stink.
Don't get me wrong, there's room for all sorts of businesses, but people want more and more from their service provider and will simply churn onto another one if their existing one doesn't cut it.
So, if you cancel clients because your child is sick, because you can't get child care, etc, etc, don't be surprised if they find someone else.
I had to cancel a client because I had proper, full on, in bed for a week over Christmas flu. She never came back.
I hardly see long distance friends anymore. I have to book out a half hour to call friends. I never turn down work, even at night (but I do draw the line on Sundays now simply because I can't work 7 days a week and give of my best.)
It's the hardest job I ever had, including operating theatre nursing which was pretty full on.
I have lived a life of penury for the last 4 years so that I can be properly equipped, properly trained and properly marketed, and only now is it really starting to fly. My local hair salon opens its beauty salon a week on Monday and it could all go to rat sh!t in a heartbeat, so I'm going to have to work even harder still to keep my clients.
 
My business success is more of a personal success :)

I am newly started on my journey to making things work.

In my eyes from day one it has been a great success for me.. nothing to do with building a massive client base, making money or any of that jazz, just that I did it and will continue to do it because this business is the right road for me. The further I go along, the more I will allow things to work by putting that extra mile in to keep clients coming back for a fabulous & friendly service.

I feel that happiness with & confidence in the success of your own business, where ever it is on the scale is very important - any service I give is done with those things in mind and performed well, & my clients seem to enjoy and return for more.
 
My salon has been open for nearly 12 months now - at the age of 48 I found myself being made redundant after 18yrs from my wonderful job at college (lecturing in beauty)
To say I was devastated is an understatement; but I had to do something, so I followed my dream, took the step and opened my own salon
I invested in further training with Kim Lawless and a range of product companies to get me re-aqainted with lastest trends.
I can honestly say I feel far more confident in my treatments that ever before
I have been inspired by Salon Geek, which I have found to be a mine of information - thank you to Gigi, Kim & others who have put valuable info on this site
Lynne you too have been a fountain of knowledge and info
The beauty industry is so rewarding and I am passionate about it.
My salon is small, but it is successful; my clients love the fact that I am an older therapist, a "woman" and not a young girl.
It is hard out there, you do have to give 200% comittment and drive. I work long hours, thankfully my kids & family understand this and support me
I would encourage anyone to follow their dream, but you do have to be realistic, if you have a family you do have to have their support.
I am still striving to learn - but I am so loving it xx
 
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‎'Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do...'
Steve Jobs RIP
 
My success i would say is that ive always made my own money.I have earnt every week of my working life, though not always that much and yes ive loved making it.

My family has been able to always come first, ive worked around my family and not the other way around so i haven't suffered any conflict or stress in that respect.

My husband is a police officer so works shifts and is the main bread winner so my work has revolved around him and to be honest i am happy with that i enjoyed my time with my children.

I am now a pushy mother in the beauty world.I think my daughter will be the business success i haven't been or maybe wanted to be and i think she will do very well she certainly works like a Trojan and i know enough now to steer her although its often the other way around and its good for me too its certainly been a good bond for us as mum and daughter and thats a success in itself its kept her on the straight and narrow.

Its a wonderful industry to be in you can certainly go as far as you want if you want.
 
I don't think anyone who has not owned a business really has any comprehension of how all encompassing it is.
The word "business" is a broad sweep though. One person working mobile has a business, but so does the salon chain turning over many hundreds of thousands. Hard to compare them though.

When I started out I was naive and made mistakes. I had no idea about just how hard I would have to work. How people think owning a salon will fit around a family is beyond me. I just about had enough money, but I did already had an A list clientele. I could never have done it without the support from my clients.

I was also fairly well known as a hairdresser. The struggle for me has been to keep my work fresh and creative. Very difficult as you get a bit older.

It is only by being driven by creativity that I have been able to maintain my motivation to keep going, and get through the hard times.

It amazes me that people go into business accepting mediocraty. A one day course will be mediocre, and you are up against people like myself, who pride ourselves on our skill.

Steve Job's taught me a lot, I have listened to a lot of his speeches.

It is NEVER about being cheaper, it is ALWAYS about being better.

Love the avatar by the way Gigi.
 
I guess you have to ask yourself as well at the beginning of starting a business how much are you willing to trade and sacrifice because there is a lot for sometimes huge reward but its always going to be a gamble especially if you are naive.
 
Dawn I totally agree with you! :hug:

I owe my successful business to sheer hard work and determination!! I've made some mistakes too over the last 9 years and do you know what?... I'd do it all again if I had the chance.

I've had two business partners (2 of the mistakes I've made :lol:)... both of whom thought it was going to be easy and wanted to have the glory of having a Beauty Salon, but didn't want to put in the hard work... this attitude shocked me, as my work ethic is completely different, so needless to say, I no longer have or ever will have a business partner ever again!!

I love what I do and I think it shows in my work... I'm extremely passionate about Nails and I never scrimp when it comes to investing in Education or products.

I never make excuses or have a negative attitude and I believe if you have a successful business, it has nothing to do with luck!
 
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I don't think anyone who has not owned a business really has any comprehension of how all encompassing it is.
The word "business" is a broad sweep though. One person working mobile has a business, but so does the salon chain turning over many hundreds of thousands. Hard to compare them though.

When I started out I was naive and made mistakes. I had no idea about just how hard I would have to work. How people think owning a salon will fit around a family is beyond me. I just about had enough money, but I did already had an A list clientele. I could never have done it without the support from my clients.

I was also fairly well known as a hairdresser. The struggle for me has been to keep my work fresh and creative. Very difficult as you get a bit older.

It is only by being driven by creativity that I have been able to maintain my motivation to keep going, and get through the hard times.

It amazes me that people go into business accepting mediocraty. A one day course will be mediocre, and you are up against people like myself, who pride ourselves on our skill.

Steve Job's taught me a lot, I have listened to a lot of his speeches.

It is NEVER about being cheaper, it is ALWAYS about being better.

Love the avatar by the way Gigi.

Thanks so much, Dawn, for contributing (and everyone else too, thank you. Your experience and input should be impactful for new ones who are starting out) ... my hope was that those who have "been there done that" successfully would help some of the newer entrepreneurs with encouragement and solid advice.

To me starting a business is like having a baby .. lol .. you THINK you know what is involved .. how hard can it be right?? .. then you have a child and your whole life alters completely and all the advice in the world before it happens never completely prepares you for the life-altering result of it. But the smart ones .. listen and absorb as much as they are capable of and hopefully the wise words of those of we who have gone before will echo in their ears at some point.

My avatar ? .. my mark of respect to the entrepreneur supreemo who as well as all the other epithets given to him as a genius .. was also very wise!! Tragic loss to the world. :hug:
 
The struggle for me has been to keep my work fresh and creative. Very difficult as you get a bit older.

It is only by being driven by creativity that I have been able to maintain my motivation to keep going, and get through the hard times.

You say it's been a struggle but don't you think what you are doing is at the core of your personality? One of my best friends has been hairdressing for about 35 years and the majority of her clients are blue rinse brigade, she has no up-to-date colouring skills...She would be the first to admit she isn't interested!

On the flip-side, I have a friend who is a photographer; I've been looking at his website this evening and he has archive pics of musicians on there from the mid-80's and absolutely bang up to the minute portraits of current celebs. He's late 50's but everything about him is absolutely on trend.
 
yes - your business is your baby! AND MORE!!!!

its like having a baby/todder/pre-school/teenager/graduate/wedding/grandchild

all in one!
 
You say it's been a struggle but don't you think what you are doing is at the core of your personality? One of my best friends has been hairdressing for about 35 years and the majority of her clients are blue rinse brigade, she has no up-to-date colouring skills...She would be the first to admit she isn't interested!

On the flip-side, I have a friend who is a photographer; I've been looking at his website this evening and he has archive pics of musicians on there from the mid-80's and absolutely bang up to the minute portraits of current celebs. He's late 50's but everything about him is absolutely on trend.

The day I become happy with "same old, same old" in my hair work is the day I hang up my scissors.

I want to be the one setting the bar, not struggling to keep up.
 
I guess you have to ask yourself as well at the beginning of starting a business how much are you willing to trade and sacrifice because there is a lot for sometimes huge reward but its always going to be a gamble especially if you are naive.

You see, I just don't get that .. I NEVER once thought that what I was doing was a gamble ... it never once (and I mean this) occured to me that I would fail at what I was doing ... and don't forget, I was one of the very first people in the country to be doing nails in a way that got them ON THE MAP .. now look !!! That is pretty awesome to look back and see how far as a profession it has come.

IF you Do the things that Linda points out in the quote above ... How in hell can you FAIL? Why would anyone think they would?
BELIEVE in yourself and your ability
COMMIT your energy to succeeding
WORK at it with dogged DETERMINATION and
Put your earnings back IN until you can start to take OUT

Those who can't do those things are not going to earn a living from nails or any other business. Pin money .. topping up the housekeeping .. that is not making a living but there is a living to be made and it is there for those that go for it.
 
yes - your business is your baby! AND MORE!!!!

its like having a baby/todder/pre-school/teenager/graduate/wedding/grandchild

all in one!

In that case I've got (nearly) 5 kids:eek::lol:
 
You see, I just don't get that .. I NEVER once thought that what I was doing was a gamble ... it never once (and I mean this) occured to me that I would fail at what I was doing ... and don't forget, I was one of the very first people in the country to be doing nails in a way that got them ON THE MAP .. now look !!! That is pretty awesome to look back and see how far as a profession it has come.

IF you Do the things that Linda points out in the quote above ... How in hell can you FAIL? Why would anyone think they would?
BELIEVE in yourself and your ability
COMMIT your energy to succeeding
WORK at it with dogged DETERMINATION and
Put your earnings back IN until you can start to take OUT

Those who can't do those things are not going to earn a living from nails or any other business. Pin money .. topping up the housekeeping .. that is not making a living but there is a living to be made and it is there for those that go for it.

Without wishing to disagree with Gillian because I understand her sentiment, I totally agree with geeg. I would like to copy this into the thread about minimum orders. If you believe in yourself and you are going to make a success of your business then surely it doesn't hurt to carry a bit of stock! When people place really small orders I wonder if they think they will be out of business by next week...?
 
I have worked my behind off for the last 4 yrs, in sickness and in health,to build my business and a full book.
I can't work any harder so now I need to work smarter.
Helps that I love my job.

My business is everything to me and everything else has fallen to the wayside some what. But I wouldn't do it if it didn't make me happy, no one is making me stay at the salon 50 hrs a week but me. No one is making me think about it 24/7 but me. No one makes me spend most evenings doing bits and bobs for the salon but me.

Luckily my other half has a business too so he understands what it takes and is always pushing me.
My friends understand too.

I'm getting married in July next year and the only thing panicking me about it is being off work for 3 1/2 weeks! I'm off to Ibiza, Italy and Cuba and I will be researching how they do things there for sure!

I can put my all and everything into it as we don't have any babies, but there will be a time when we do and I've got to give it 100% while I can.
 
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Without wishing to disagree with Gillian because I understand her sentiment, I totally agree with geeg. I would like to copy this into the thread about minimum orders. If you believe in yourself and you are going to make a success of your business then surely it doesn't hurt to carry a bit of stock! When people place really small orders I wonder if they think they will be out of business by next week...?

Be my guest! :hug:
 
Without wishing to disagree with Gillian because I understand her sentiment, I totally agree with geeg. I would like to copy this into the thread about minimum orders. If you believe in yourself and you are going to make a success of your business then surely it doesn't hurt to carry a bit of stock! When people place really small orders I wonder if they think they will be out of business by next week...?

I wish there was a "like" button.

I think in business you have to commit to doing it properly. The amount of stock I hold is terrifying. You gotta buy the tools to do the job properly.
 

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