Want to offer a nail service to my customers, need advice

[Tallmale]

Hi there,

I run a beauty business in London and I would also like to offer a nails service too but as a complete novice I need some advice about where to start.

1) Could someone give me a list of nail services I should offer? A standard list of services which most nail salons offer.

2) What would be a good brand to start with? OPI?

3) And how much should everything cost to get me started? A mobile table, nail supplies, uniforms etc

Many thanks.

 

[Gracew_beautyx]

1) Standard services to offer could be:
Basic Manicure (Regular Polish/gel polish)
Deluxe manicure, with soaks/scrubs etc. (regular/gel polish)
Nail Extensions (hard gel/acrylic)
And If you wanted to add pedicures in there you could do that too, again with regular/gel polish, basic/deluxe etc.

2)OPI is a good brand I love it but it is quite expensive. Gellux, Gelish and candy coat are other good brands I like that are slightly cheaper if you don’t want to splash the cash as much.

3) I’m working mobile at the minute and I’ve built up my products over the years and don’t work with a table as of yet so I’m not gonna lie I’m not 100% sure on the cost of it all, I guess it depends on how high end you want to go and how much stock you want to buy.

Hope some of that helped! X

 

[AcidPerm]

Employ a nail tech and let them suggest what works best. No good investing in a specific brand if your nail tech is trained in a different brand as you’ll waste time and money whilst they adjust their technique. All brands have their own quirks.

 

[Tallmale]

Thanks Gracew and AcidPerm for your fantastic advice. I have done so much reading but its great to get advice from professionals because I know that this can be invaluable. Thanks again.

 

[Tallmale]

Could any recommend the treatment times for:

1) File & Polish
2) Manicure
3) Pedicure
4) Nail Extensions.

Many thanks.

 

[GemGrayx]

File & polish 15 mins (no cuticle work)
Mini manicure 30 mins (incl cuticles)
Manicure 60 mins (soak, exfoliate, file, cuticles, polish & cream)
Nail extensions depending on your therapist
say 1 hour 15.

I wouldn’t bother with acrylic I would stick to soft gel in a salon, personal opinion.
Acrylic is so strong smelling and not pleasant for other clients in for other treatments.
Gel is much kinder on the nails, much quicker too.


Beauty desk £50-£100
Uniforms £20-£40
I set up my mobile business, 100 gel colours, mobile beauty trolley, desk, 20 nail varnishes, with base & top coats. All in for just less than £2000, obviously you wouldn’t need to start off with 100 colours, maybes 20. And a good selection of glitters.
Go to your wholesalers you can pick up mostly everything there, including gels.
There are so many gels on the market I use Bio sculpture and Jessica Geleration, and Jessica manicure products. Absolutely love them but there are cheaper out there too

 

[Tallmale]

File & polish 15 mins (no cuticle work)
Mini manicure 30 mins (incl cuticles)
Manicure 60 mins (soak, exfoliate, file, cuticles, polish & cream)
Nail extensions depending on your therapist
say 1 hour 15.

I wouldn’t bother with acrylic I would stick to soft gel in a salon, personal opinion.
Acrylic is so strong smelling and not pleasant for other clients in for other treatments.
Gel is much kinder on the nails, much quicker too.


Beauty desk £50-£100
Uniforms £20-£40
I set up my mobile business, 100 gel colours, mobile beauty trolley, desk, 20 nail varnishes, with base & top coats. All in for just less than £2000, obviously you wouldn’t need to start off with 100 colours, maybes 20. And a good selection of glitters.
Go to your wholesalers you can pick up mostly everything there, including gels.
There are so many gels on the market I use Bio sculpture and Jessica Geleration, and Jessica manicure products. Absolutely love them but there are cheaper out there too

Thanks GemGrayx,

For taking the time to respond and for all your advice too.

I have made a note of everything and it has given me a real insight of everything I need to offer a nails service. The timings is really important as I want to allow the girls the correct amount of time without them feeling rushed. I also plan to offer Pamper Parties so I am looking for nails services I can offer in that area too.

With regards to the nail extensions we have a mobile business and not a salon so other clients will not be affected. Would acrylic be a good option for the nail extensions? Or would you recommend the hard gel?

And 20 nail varnishes looks like a good place to start. I was looking at the Shellac brand which I know lot of people use but I am open to buying others. I will also take a look at the Bio Sculpture, Jessica Geleration and Jessica Manicure products that you have recommended too. They sound excellent!

How long have you been doing the mobile business? And how is it going so far? Its all a bit daunting launching these new services.

 

[GemGrayx]

I have been mobile for five years and I work 30 hours per week and I am always fully booked. I have never advertised I am not on Facebook or instagram it has all been recommendations and built up from my original salon clients where I worked for nearly ten years.

There is so much business out there for everyone, if you offer a friendly professional service and offer a high standard nail service your business will sell itself!

I love it, it is convenient for me I work the hours I choose, I am also flexible so around Christmas and summer I always put on extra hours.

I’ve worked with Shellac in the salon, it is a great product but it’s more of a fast drying gel polish, so it is half gel half polish, I find shellac looks more like a polish and doesn’t give the gel finish that the Jessica Geleration does . I found that some of the colours chipped easily and personally I preferred the Jessica, I still offer Bio Sculpture as Most of my salon clients preferred that to the Jessica but to be honest I would rather just work with Jessica.
But everyone has they’re own favourites you’ve just got to find what works for you best.
My advice to you would be to arrange a few different nail appointments with different mobile nail techs and try out their products, see how they work, pick up some tips and advice from them.

I don’t actually offer acrylic at all, I just offer the gel extensions, so they still can have any length they like, but with the gel. I find it a lot kinder on the nails, easier to soak off, quicker to do then acrylic, a lot less products to use. But again it is personal choice.
If you go for gel extensions you can buy the builder gel for added strength and durability.

You will also have to add your travel time into your appointments.

Being mobile I do not offer a full manicure or pedicure, so I do no soaking of the nails. I do mini manicures and pedicures so cuticle work and paint. Just for the time & for carrying so much equipment around.

Hope this helps

It is all a worry but you’ll be great x

 

[Tallmale]

I have been mobile for five years and I work 30 hours per week and I am always fully booked. I have never advertised I am not on Facebook or instagram it has all been recommendations and built up from my original salon clients where I worked for nearly ten years.

There is so much business out there for everyone, if you offer a friendly professional service and offer a high standard nail service your business will sell itself!

I love it, it is convenient for me I work the hours I choose, I am also flexible so around Christmas and summer I always put on extra hours.

I’ve worked with Shellac in the salon, it is a great product but it’s more of a fast drying gel polish, so it is half gel half polish, I find shellac looks more like a polish and doesn’t give the gel finish that the Jessica Geleration does . I found that some of the colours chipped easily and personally I preferred the Jessica, I still offer Bio Sculpture as Most of my salon clients preferred that to the Jessica but to be honest I would rather just work with Jessica.
But everyone has they’re own favourites you’ve just got to find what works for you best.
My advice to you would be to arrange a few different nail appointments with different mobile nail techs and try out their products, see how they work, pick up some tips and advice from them.

I don’t actually offer acrylic at all, I just offer the gel extensions, so they still can have any length they like, but with the gel. I find it a lot kinder on the nails, easier to soak off, quicker to do then acrylic, a lot less products to use. But again it is personal choice.
If you go for gel extensions you can buy the builder gel for added strength and durability.

You will also have to add your travel time into your appointments.

Being mobile I do not offer a full manicure or pedicure, so I do no soaking of the nails. I do mini manicures and pedicures so cuticle work and paint. Just for the time & for carrying so much equipment around.

Hope this helps

It is all a worry but you’ll be great x

Thanks again GemGrayx,

Wow there is so much to learn for a newbie like me! But listening to good people like yourself has definitely helped. Because its not just about learning about the different treatments etc but also learning from professionals about what they prefer and what works for them. This advice is invaluable so thank you so much for taking the time to respond to me. It is greatly appreciated!

And I totally agree with you there the Hair, Nails and Beauty industry is huge and there is plenty of work for everyone. I am so glad that everything has worked out for you though it could not have been easy when you first left the salon as you always wonder how things will go. But you have made a huge success of it and without Facebook and Instagram which is amazing as both of those websites are a great way to build a small business.

And I agree if you give an excellent service and are friendly and polite during the appointments then the business can quickly grow through referrals with people recommending you to their friends etc. You deserve this success so much because I know you have worked incredibly hard to get to where you are now. Its always great to see good people doing well who work hard and I am sure your business will go from strength to strength.

Many thanks.

 

[GemGrayx]

Thankyou so much that’s a lovely thing to say. I do work hard and I am very proud of what I have achieved, but it took me a long time to believe in myself. I am not a very confident person, or should I say I was not a very confident person but I just knew how much I wanted it to work and I made it.
I only passed my driving test a couple of months before I became mobile, and decided to do it when I was pregnant with my little girl and in the process of moving into a new house, I was under a lot of pressure/stress and I just thought if I’m going to do it, I’ve got to do It now.
The salon I worked in was closing as the owner was moving away and unfortunately she didn’t get a buyer for it, I wasn’t in a position where I could afford to buy, and also being pregnant it just wasn’t going to work.

One thing I will say is charge what you are worth, what you want, and don’t worry about anyone else’s prices.

Also, when you meet your new clients always get them to fill in a record card and make sure they put their birthday on, and try and get them a little gift or even just a card. It’s a lovely gesture, and makes it all more personal.
These clients will become your friends, your family. The job is enjoyable and so rewarding and I really think you are doing the right thing.

You don’t always have to buy from the wholesalers, cheap shops like b&ms, home bargains for storage boxes, little pencil cases to keep your nail files in, cheap towels rather than using expensive. And stock up on bed roll.

I’m always a message away if you need any advice I’ll try the best I can to help [emoji8]

 

[Tallmale]

Thankyou so much that’s a lovely thing to say. I do work hard and I am very proud of what I have achieved, but it took me a long time to believe in myself. I am not a very confident person, or should I say I was not a very confident person but I just knew how much I wanted it to work and I made it.
I only passed my driving test a couple of months before I became mobile, and decided to do it when I was pregnant with my little girl and in the process of moving into a new house, I was under a lot of pressure/stress and I just thought if I’m going to do it, I’ve got to do It now.
The salon I worked in was closing as the owner was moving away and unfortunately she didn’t get a buyer for it, I wasn’t in a position where I could afford to buy, and also being pregnant it just wasn’t going to work.

One thing I will say is charge what you are worth, what you want, and don’t worry about anyone else’s prices.

Also, when you meet your new clients always get them to fill in a record card and make sure they put their birthday on, and try and get them a little gift or even just a card. It’s a lovely gesture, and makes it all more personal.
These clients will become your friends, your family. The job is enjoyable and so rewarding and I really think you are doing the right thing.

You don’t always have to buy from the wholesalers, cheap shops like b&ms, home bargains for storage boxes, little pencil cases to keep your nail files in, cheap towels rather than using expensive. And stock up on bed roll.

I’m always a message away if you need any advice I’ll try the best I can to help [emoji8]

Hi GemGrayx you really are a lovely person! And you're story is such a great one and an inspiration to everyone on these forums starting out for the first time. You do have to be brave and it takes guts too. So even though you say you were not the most confident person back then to do what you did while being pregnant and losing your job and moving home your obviously a strong person because it takes a lot of inner strength to cope with all of that and come out of the other side. So you were perhaps stronger than you imagined? As often we are. And so this is why you are an inspiration because you came through such a difficult time to start out on your own and now you are successful and will only go onto bigger and better things.

As for me I am not actually going to be doing these treatments myself. Thank god lol I will be hiring qualified staff! But I still have the have pressure of having to find the work for them but thankfully I am also a marketing expert so that helps! At some point in our lives we all have to be you and take a leap of faith. Sometimes it feels like you are jumping in the darkness as you do not know where you will land and this is the scary part! But you did it and can look back on that time as a key moment in your life. A stepping stone to a brighter future. This is why you such a inspiration to everyone.

It also takes a rare person to be kind and supportive to a stranger. Because you have had to make an effort and to give some of your precious time to respond to my comments and questions on here. And for that you have my undying gratitude and thanks.

Many thanks.

 

[AnnaAQ]

so helpful tips for beginner, thanks!

 

[GemGrayx]

That’s really kind of you to say Thankyou. You’ve made my day [emoji5]. And yes I guess I did have inner strength, I just didn’t know it then!

It just depends how much you want something and how much work and time you will put into something. I suppose it is the same for every business venture.

I think in this kind of industry, we empower each other, build each other up and support one another. It’s not a competition. My best friend is also a fantastic nail technician, one of the best I’ve seen, and we are constantly asking each other for advice, showing each other our work, helping each other out if the other one is fully booked. And that’s the way it should be!

We all work as a team even though we’ve all never met each other, That speaks volumes and shows just how kind and helpful we all can be, and I think salon geek is fantastic for that reason!

We’ve all started from scratch at some point, I’m always on here looking through forums and without even needing to ask any questions there’s always someone asked what I’ve needed to know, and the answers have all been there.

We are all amazing in what we do, we make people smile for a living, we make people happy for a living, that in itself is the biggest reward for me!

As for you being in the marketing business your going to do amazing, you’ll get the right girls on board and the work will come flying to them.

Good luck in your venture and keep me posted on how you are getting on! You’ve got a great attitude and that’s the first step. PMA positive mental attitude! [emoji1373][emoji5]

 

[Tallmale]

Hi GemGrayx,

Once again thank you so much for your kind and inspirational words! As I mentioned earlier you are an inspiration to everyone on here and particularly people like myself who are just starting out and taking that leap of faith! You have a great attitude too and are obviously a super lovely person as well. So as I mentioned before its always nice seeing people like you being successful in life especially after all your hard work. You deserve it so much.

And I totally agree life is about supporting each other and helping each other along the way whether that be with friends, family or strangers. We all need a helping hand now and again especially when we are starting out which is often the most difficult time.

And yes what a wonderful way to earn a living by making people feel good about themselves each day. Knowing that you have contributed to that person feeling happier and perhaps lifting their self esteem. There cannot be many more rewarding jobs than knowing you will be going to work and putting a smile on someones face.

And thanks for your support with my new business. It means a lot to me! I believe I have the experience now to make this a big success but I will always try to help other people along the way. So if anyone is reading this and needs some free advice or help with the marketing side of things or a website then please feel free to contact me in a private message or comment below. Its nice to be successful but just as important to be nice.

And of course I will keep you updated with how everything is going. Please do the same. As I will watch your business with great interest now and be incredibly proud when you go onto even greater success.

 

[Perfectlypolised_helen]

Thankyou so much that’s a lovely thing to say. I do work hard and I am very proud of what I have achieved, but it took me a long time to believe in myself. I am not a very confident person, or should I say I was not a very confident person but I just knew how much I wanted it to work and I made it.
I only passed my driving test a couple of months before I became mobile, and decided to do it when I was pregnant with my little girl and in the process of moving into a new house, I was under a lot of pressure/stress and I just thought if I’m going to do it, I’ve got to do It now.
The salon I worked in was closing as the owner was moving away and unfortunately she didn’t get a buyer for it, I wasn’t in a position where I could afford to buy, and also being pregnant it just wasn’t going to work.

One thing I will say is charge what you are worth, what you want, and don’t worry about anyone else’s prices.

Also, when you meet your new clients always get them to fill in a record card and make sure they put their birthday on, and try and get them a little gift or even just a card. It’s a lovely gesture, and makes it all more personal.
These clients will become your friends, your family. The job is enjoyable and so rewarding and I really think you are doing the right thing.

You don’t always have to buy from the wholesalers, cheap shops like b&ms, home bargains for storage boxes, little pencil cases to keep your nail files in, cheap towels rather than using expensive. And stock up on bed roll.

I’m always a message away if you need any advice I’ll try the best I can to help [emoji8]

Great advice - Thank you! as a newbie just starting out the one thing i have been worrying about it what to charge - i guess its hard to have the confidence to charge what you want to from the start. Love the birthday card idea - stealing that xx