Want to be specialised mobile hairdresser

[Kathjr38]

Hi everyone, I'm currently awaiting my certificate for my level 2 in hairdressing, starting level 3 in September.

I've been thinking alot about which road I want to take in my career. After working in home care for 6 years I decided to make a career change. So given my experience in care for the elderly I also wanted to give them something for themselves which I think is what they deserve to make them feels good about themselves also look presentable (apologies if I haven't worded it correct). I want to specialise in hairdressing for the elderly, mobile based of course going to residential/care/ nursing homes, also clients homes. I understand that I will need a live dbs in place, insurance and good client list. I have many friends and ex colleagues who work in these sectors so Im positive they will recommend me.

I feel there isn't much call for hairdressers that specialise with the elderly. There are many salons and mobile hairdressers who cater for the younger and more mobile client and keeping up to date with the latest hair trends, also I have noticed that some hairdressers tend to charge the elderly quite a bit and I don't think this is fair, this is due to recent experience.

For anyone who specialises in hairdressing for the elderly, firstly what price list is reasonable, and what do you need along the legalities side of it, how do I register my business etc?

Very grateful for any help.

 

[AcidPerm]

I applaud your charitable principles but when choosing to work on a self employed basis, you do need to look very carefully at your costs, otherwise, you’ll end up earning far less than minimum wage. I think when you’ve examined the figures, you’ll realise that those hairdressers coming into the home are actually pretty fair with the fees they charge.

When working out if your business idea is financially viable start by comparing the figures. You need to be taking around at least £350 a week in profit so that you can set aside £50 a week to cover paying tax and NI contributions, public liability insurance, car insurance, general car running costs etc. Don’t forget to factor in your product costs too, if you’re buying colours and perming solutions.

First rule of being self employed:

You NEVER set your prices based on what you think is the maximum that someone can afford to pay for your services. Your prices should be based on how much you want to earn per hour. Why would you want to work a 70 hour week (including the time spent travelling) to earn the same as someone working a 35 hour week on minimum wage?

As a very rough guide, if you price your services so that you’re including £12 an hour as your labour charges, it will be more or less viable assuming you’re earning money for at least 6 hours every single day that your working. Don’t forget that when you’re self employed, you won’t earn a penny when you’re off sick or on holiday so you need to earn enough to allow at least 5 weeks of no income every year, to be comparable with someone working on minimum wage who is entitled to 4 weeks holiday, sick pay, maternity pay etc.

Remember, that my rough estimate of £12 labour charge really is the bare minimum you should be charging.

 

[Kathjr38]

Thankyou for that, I understand that there is alot to learn before I'm on an even keel and feeling comfortable or happy with what I'm earning. I do have a lot of research to do I understand that. I want to make sure I am doing everything by the book and not letting anything slip.

How do I register my business and with who is the best to do this?

Which is best for business insurance or insurance as a student till I'm fully qualified?

How do I go about taxes etc?

As I'm not wanting to set up my own shop I don't think I need to apply for a licence from the council, is this correct?

What additional course do I need to do, first aid? Health and safety? Etc.. I have my barbacide certificate

Do I need to put thing in place for the future due to covid? Like asking clients to sign something to say they or vice versa were symptom free at the time of me carrying out their service?

Alot to get in place I know, I just want to be as legit as possible.

Thankyou

 

[beth82hi]

You register with HMRC if you'll be a sole trader. You can also be a ltd company but that's a bit more complicated (ie I don't get it! ) Once you're registered, you'll be reminded to fill in a tax return every year. You need to keep all paperwork and receipts related to your business to prove earnings and costs. I use Salon Gold insurance, there's loads though and they'd be best to say about which cover you'd need.
You don't need anything from the council.
First Aid is always good to have - just in general life - but especially when working with the elderly. Most other things would be tied up as part of your qualifications.
I'd say maybe think about working in different settings on different days, like a session in a care home one day, maybe a warden supervised village another, that way you're not using all your time & petrol on zig-zagging across town travelling to different houses. That would help you to fit more people in too.
Also, don't feel you have to completely 100% go down this route. You could always have days doing regular paying customers to supplement you doing some more charitable work - if that makes sense? After Covid I'm hoping to do some voluntary work in a women's cancer centre but I could never do that if I didn't have my full paying clients. If you're wanting to heavily discount the elderly prices then don't feel bad making it up elsewhere.
I hope that helps.

 

[Kathjr38]

Thanks this is Brill, I was sayin the same to my other half last night about making set days for care homes etc this is what i would be doing.. And the odd day doing regular clients for earning extra, I'm going to really look into the pricing side for elderly and see what the average is, I don't know how hairdressers do this, for example doing a perm would you double the price.. You pay 15 for the product and charge 30 for the perm,,, this is just and example.. Or would you charge a bit more... Nothing is set in stone yet, I'm gathering what I can... And the hardest part is the buisness name lol.

 

[AcidPerm]

....for example doing a perm would you double the price.. You pay 15 for the product and charge 30 for the perm,,, this is just and example.. Or would you charge a bit more...

As I said....work out your minimum hourly rate and how long the service will take from start to finish.
In your example, if you charged £30 for a service that takes you 2 hours from arrival to leaving, take out the product cost (£15) that gives you an hourly wage of £7.50. Out of this you’d take you still have to cover your costs of insurances, car running costs, petrol etc...

You'd be bankrupt within 6 months.

If you work on the assumption of a minimum of £12 an hour (and that’s very low), add your product costs of £15 and allow 2 hours for the service, that’s £15+£12+£12 = £39. I think a cheap rate for a perm is around £45.

Remember that if you set your elderly services prices low, you’ll have to charge MUCH HIGHER prices for your ordinary services to cover the deficit. If your prices for basic hairdressing services are also low, you won’t earn anywhere near enough money to cover your bills and you’ll end up working two jobs.

Sadly, I’ve seen it all before where a talented hairdresser struggles with the business side of self employment, too afraid to charge clients properly and they end up quitting and getting a mundane 9-5 job in order to pay the bills.

 

[Kathjr38]

Thankyou will bear this in mind xx