Very dissapointed and ready to give up before I have even got going.

[rachells]

I love nails and had decided that when my youngest starts school, i will start myself on the way to be a nail tec. Everyone i spoke to, (friends, family and mum's at school/playgroups) all said what a good idea it was, and how they wished they could do something new, bla bla bla. I got a list of names and numbers and people told me to ring them or tell them at playgroup/school when i started.
Now i have got going no one wants to know, after i did my manicure course, i asked who would be intrested in minx, loads said yes, I said i would do the first 2 sets half pirce £8, As there was lots of intrest i bought the kit on a credit card as money was tight, but thought i would make it back in a few months, and now not one wants it doing, they have all made excuse's not to book or a couple booked and then cancelled, so i have only done my mine and my mums and am ready to give up, only thing is i have already booked, payed and got my kit for a gel course too, i have spent around £1000 and now want to give up and get rid of the lot.

Dose everyone have problems with people promising you they will have there nails done with you and then back out?
Sorry for the long post i am just so upset about it all.:sad::sad::sad:

 

[persianista]

I am gonna stick my neck on the block here and expect to get shot down.

Mums of young children tend not to be spenders on personal care, generally they have other stuff to spend on. I say widen your horizons and advertise, at least to make your money back.

 

[shedunlop]

I totally agree, from my own experience they are the worst possibe group to target. It's not that they wouldn't love to but money is usually tight and if it is £20 between them having their nails done and the kids getting something then the kids win hands down every time!

You are better targeting either single working women or the more interesting amongst us who have brought our kids up and are wanting to spend money on ourselves at long last!

 

[tinaf]

Hiya, Dont give up yet !! I,ve recently just finished my gel course and like you Im finding it hard to get people to practice on. A lot of my friends work in catering and " nails " arent allowed. At the moment Im practicing on the 'rubber glove filled with rice' idea. while i know its not the same as a real hand it can help you build up your speed and its great for practicing blending tips. Give it a try, and try to stay positive . Hope that helps you .

I love nails and had decided that when my youngest starts school, i will start myself on the way to be a nail tec. Everyone i spoke to, (friends, family and mum's at school/playgroups) all said what a good idea it was, and how they wished they could do something new, bla bla bla. I got a list of names and numbers and people told me to ring them or tell them at playgroup/school when i started.
Now i have got going no one wants to know, after i did my manicure course, i asked who would be intrested in minx, loads said yes, I said i would do the first 2 sets half pirce £8, As there was lots of intrest i bought the kit on a credit card as money was tight, but thought i would make it back in a few months, and now not one wants it doing, they have all made excuse's not to book or a couple booked and then cancelled, so i have only done my mine and my mums and am ready to give up, only thing is i have already booked, payed and got my kit for a gel course too, i have spent around £1000 and now want to give up and get rid of the lot.

Dose everyone have problems with people promising you they will have there nails done with you and then back out?
Sorry for the long post i am just so upset about it all.:sad::sad::sad:

 

[rachells]

I am gonna stick my neck on the block here and expect to get shot down.

Mums of young children tend not to be spenders on personal care, generally they have other stuff to spend on. I say widen your horizons and advertise, at least to make your money back.

Ok, I agree with what you, I think i am most anoyed as although i wouldnt say these people were my "friends" i would of said they were more than aquatencies (sp?) and it has upset me that they said they would love to let me do there nails. Why did they not say that it would be nice but they could never afford to have them done. I always made it clear what the price would be so they didn't expect it for free.

Think i will just complete my training and just aim to make my money back and leave it at that.

Thank you all for your replys, I think i am getting over the fact that people arn't all as honest about things as me.

I

 

[geeg]

Ok, I agree with what you, I think i am most anoyed as although i wouldnt say these people were my "friends" i would of said they were more than aquatencies (sp?) and it has upset me that they said they would love to let me do there nails. Why did they not say that it would be nice but they could never afford to have them done. I always made it clear what the price would be so they didn't expect it for free.

Think i will just complete my training and just aim to make my money back and leave it at that.

Thank you all for your replys, I think i am getting over the fact that people arn't all as honest about things as me.

I

You sure do give up easily!

Sounds like you have no passion for nails but were just doing it for a promise of what you could make out of it. Probably best if you don't go into the field of nails for without passion you will never make a business.

I Can't understand why a few acquaintances deciding not to get their nails done by you should make a difference to you starting a new career if it is something you REALLY wanted to do.

 

[Envylicious]

I totally agree! You cannot give up so easily if you really want to do nails as a profession. Aim your business at a different market. You cannot afford to rely just on people that say that they are going to have their nails done, from personal experience a lot of people say things on the spur of the moment and then change their mind. Especially when money is a consideration. What would you do if these were one offs anyway, you couldn't just rely on a few regulars to supply business on a long term basis. Keep up with your training and enjoy what you are doing, get yourself known and people will get to hear about you and hopefully you will get a lot of business this way. Word of mouth is very important!

 

[shedunlop]

Unfortunately people will, more often than not, tell you what they 'wish' rather than what is possible for them. I am sure all the girls who said they would love you to have their nails done really did mean it at the time.

Never mind this is just a little glitch that a lot of us come across when we first start out.

I don't agree that you don't have the 'passion' I think you are just disappointed that you have no outlet at the moment for your passion and the thought of your investment coming to nothing has gotten you down a bit.

There will be plenty of geeks on here who fully understand where you are coming from and who will empathise with you.

I see you have done your manicure training with CND so you have been trained well and should have no problem doing a good job!

Try some older women for the manicure side of things. Older women really enjoy having their nails done. You just need to target the people with a little money and time to spend.

It is hard and there are no shortcuts, I did a lash course last week and am gutted that I am so busy at the minute I can't find the time to practice! Have actually had to book in some time week after next so that I can get my case studies done! You will be this busy some day, just keep at it my darling! You only need to find a couple of good clients who will spread the word for you!

Let us all know how you get on! :hug:

 

[Gigit]

When I first made the switch from L:&P to Gel, took my course and decided to start my home based business, I OFTEN felt discouraged. Getting clients was difficult and friends and family vanished. There were times I was sick to death of nails, not feeling passionate about it at all, and ready ti sell the whole lot.

So my I created a flyer and my husband and I printed off over a thousand of them... then my husband hand delivered them each morning several hundred at a time. It didn't take long until business was booming, the phone was ringing and regulars started returning. After that, the referrals of my regulars started coming in and here I am.

Happy that I stuck with it, because I'm doing very well. Hang in there and don't give up! :hug:

 

[geeg]

For the record .. I did not accuse the poster of having no passion but that rather her giving up so easily made it appear or seem as if she didn't have the passion ... there is a difference.

Neither does it mean that I do not empathise or understand that she feels she has been let down ... I just think to feel like quitting at the first hurdle in business is not a sign of having a passion for what one does nor the true grit it takes to make it ..

There are hundreds of geeks here on this site who have overcome obstacle after obstacle to finally make it, some after years of trying ... shyness ... lack of confidence ... lack of skill ... lack of business ability .. lack of funds .. lack of family support ... real and fundamental isses, and yet they have still gone on and on. The issues mentioned have taken everything these techs had to overcome them ... not just a simple matter of a few people reneging on a promise to get their nails done! AND in the end, they HAVE made it ... that is passion and that is true grit.

 

[shedunlop]

Yes we all have overcome lots of different obstacles time after time. My husband walked out on me leaving me to bring up a 5 year old alone when I first began nails and I too had problems starting out with no friends or family in the area where we lived but I made it. Doesn't mean to say though that you don't think of giving up in your darkest moments and that you might just reach out for a pleasant word of encouragement now and again.

I have my way of putting things and others have their way of putting things even if we might just, at a push, be saying the same thing.

 

[Deena]

Don't give up, if you feel you truly believe that you want to succeed with nails. Whilst I'm not the best advertisement for this, I know it's down to confidence issues and not being 'Pushy' enough.

I did my foundation course with cnd nearly three years ago now and couldn't get anyone to practise on for ages. The only person who would tolerate my deathly slow and seriously awful pink and whites was my mum! :o I eventually got a steady flow of candidates from my daughter's college and that got me going with improving my skills.

I've done lots of courses since and, although I'm still not as quick as I'd like to be, my nails are perfectly acceptable <most of the time> and they attract attention when I'm out and about. I still don't do them for a living, but I love doing nails and maybe one day ..... I certainly have no intention of giving them up and this site has been an absolute godsend.

I am now delving into minx and shellac and loving them both. They are fantastic services to offer and the right people will love them, too. Young mums possibly aren't the best market for this sort of thing. It's not that they don't want them, they simply don't always have the time or the money to indulge themselves as much as some other groups of society.

Just keep going, practise as much as you can, wear the fruits of your labours at all times and wait for the interest and compliments. You will get them, guaranteed, with these products. Above all, don't give up!

 

[rachells]

Thanks again for all your post's i see where you are ALL coming from in your coments, and thank you for takeing the time to post.
Maybe i have given up to easely in the past and that is my problem.
I never expected to make a business out of these people, just to have a few people to parctise on till september when i hope to go mobile or get a job, and now feel i have no one to practice on, I shall start my hunt again tommorow (some were else this time)
Thank you all.

 

[tigi]

oh dear, ok without sounding unsympathetic, you cant put all your eggs in one basket. broaden your horizons, there ARE women out there who will want your services.

BUT

they dont know where you are and wont come knocking on your doorstep. SO get out there and find them !!!

If this is something you really want to do then giving up now is so wrong. If this is something though that you thought would be a walk in the park, then sorry sweetie, but its much much harder than that.

get strong, stay strong and market yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!

best of luck!

tigi

 

[Brandywine]

I too found out that what people say and what they do are two different things. When I was practising and they got free treatments many people were very enthusiastic about my massage, felt better for it etc.....when I'd qualified, things went very quiet all of a sudden. Strange that!!!!

If you love your new career use this experience to become stronger and more resilient.

 

[katiebbaby]

Oh dear, I prob won't be very popular but,,,,, I really would not advise you to go into the nail tech business if you feel like this. Why should you expect these ladies to have there minx done by you? because they said probably once over coffee that they would? hey I say lots of things but never do them.

I have been trained by CND and have a passion for natural nail care, it has taken tears and tantrums but im still here (only making profit now) I put so much money into education not just my fondation, I done skill building, learnt to sculpt on form, done master classes, I bought brush after brush experimented, done nails for free and lots of them, and believe me it was not easy, but hey I never went into this to walk away and give up, I understand that ou cant please everyone. I am proffessional I am friendly and I am willing to learn and admit if I am wrong, which I think goes a long way. I have a regular client whom comes to me for minx and she asked me to start doing her enhancments, which I kinda refused as her nails are lovely and she has always been happy with her so why come to me? I think she felt obliged, My point being you will always have competition and you will always have people whom let you down just rise above it and concentrate on doing a good job 100% all of the time, that way you have nothing to worry about xxxx

 

[sarahpoppy24]

Another thing to think of is that getting clients who arent friends is way better. You wont have that personal feeling of being let down etc, the are your clients and your friends are your friends, sometimes you have friends who become your clients. Stick at it get a nail trainer if you need to practice, its ace you can get them from ebay second hand or essential nails brand new. Or use cheap tips stuck on a pencil with blue tack lol xxxxxx

 

[rachells]

Another thing to think of is that getting clients who arent friends is way better. You wont have that personal feeling of being let down etc, the are your clients and your friends are your friends, sometimes you have friends who become your clients. Stick at it get a nail trainer if you need to practice, its ace you can get them from ebay second hand or essential nails brand new. Or use cheap tips stuck on a pencil with blue tack lol xxxxxx

I know what you mean about friends and clients, I will be getting the nail trainer next week, I will stick at it, as it is what i realy want to do, I think i was just having a bad day and let it get to me too much, i am much more posative today.And looking forward again to the very long hard learning i have to do.

 

[Denise W]

I found myself in a similar situation where I had loads of people appearing to be keen "ooh you can practise on me" but when I finished my training, no-one wanted extensions and therefore I haven't had the practise and have lost my confidence. I have however, found what appears to be a lots of interest amongst my family and friends and school mums in manicures, pedicures and minx! They love minx! They are even telling their friends - word is starting to spread. I'm considering learning Indian head to replace the extensions and again, all the same group are very keen.

 

[evestar]

This is my 1st post on here and am fairly new to salon geek but i felt compelled to comment here. 1st i totally disagree that mums with young kids either dont have the cash or need to spend it elsewhere, this is a bit presumptious!!! A lot of my clients are mums with young kids (myself inc)!! Britain may be in a recession and we may not have as much spare cash but they will still get their nails done!!!, same as any single person, lol!!!

Dont give up hun, if they are so called friends offer to do their nails once FOC then charge for ur products after that and by the time u are confident to charge fully other people will have seen your work and you wont need to worry wether the so called friends will pay full price as you will have other people who will!!!

If you have the passion and drive to succeed you will hun!!!!!