veggie
Well-Known Member
Hi everyone. Things are not going well and I need some opinions. For the last three months I have been steadily trying to build my clientele at the gym/day spa where I work. I no longer have that ability. I need a reliable income *now*. My sister, who used to watch my daughter for me when I was at work has had to move out of the state on very short notice, and my back-up babysitter started summer school this week, and won't be able to sit for me anymore. My husband can take care of her Tuesdays and Saturdays, and my mother in law can take her after 2:30 pm, but that leaves four days that I have no-one to watch her in the mornings and early afternoons. Right before my sister left I looked into daycare for her on those days and it will cost me over 200$ a month.
To make matters worse, my clientele that I've been busting my butt trying to build up have just dropped off the face of the earth. I used to have 4 standing appointments, and now I only have one. One of them got into a horrible accident and is going to be hospitalized for sometime. One has said she can't afford them anymore for right now. The other cancelled her mani because she broke a bunch of nails and I haven't heard from since. In addition, my occasionals have also dropped off the face of the earth. I used to get at least 2-3 other appointments per week from people with gift certificates, or people who only come in every month or so but don't/can't book very far ahead. For the past three weeks I have only had one other client besides my one weekly standing. The only good thing is that my weekly standing is an excellent client who gets lots of add on services every time and tips very generously.
So far it looks ike my income for this month is going to be half of what it was last month. This is not good!! As of this week I have had to change my hours until I can procure a new sitter, and I'm sure that's not going to help things either. I absolutely HAVE to get my clientele up by mid-August because my mother in law, who watches my daughter in the afternoons, will have to go back to work as a teacher, and any babysitter I find may also have to go back to school. I will have no choice but to pay for daycare at that time, and it will run me 350$ a month since it will have to be full time hours as well. I would need to be doing a bare minimum of ten clients a week by then. Last month I was doing about five a week on average, and this month it's been less than TWO! I just don't know if what I need to happen is even possible.
I also need to be saving for some things and I can't with what I'm making right now. When my sister left she took the car with her which we shared before. She will be paying us back for it, but can't for a while. In the meantime we have no car and my husband is leaning on me hard about it. He hates taking the bus to work. I also have to go to my best friend's wedding in early October, and that is going to cost me no less than 500$. I also need to get a more permanent form of birth control, as I've had one too many pregnancy scares lately, and that is going to cost me over 250$. Not to mention in September I will have to begin making my student loan payments. My husband's income basically just covers our regular expenses right now, and anything extra like that needs to come from my income.
I am trying to decide right now if I should stay on at the spa only a couple days a week, and work part time somewhere else (not neccessarily doing nails) to help boost my income, or if I should try to find a new job altogether with guaranteed hourly. The problem is, I really LIKE where I'm working, and the freedom I have. It's close to my house so I can walk there. I like the owner. She's a very nice, enthusiastic lady, who has invested alot of time and money into her nail room. I do not want to let her down. I know if I get a job with hourly I'm not going to have the same freedom I have now, and it would be a hard adjustment for me to make.
To make matters worse, my clientele that I've been busting my butt trying to build up have just dropped off the face of the earth. I used to have 4 standing appointments, and now I only have one. One of them got into a horrible accident and is going to be hospitalized for sometime. One has said she can't afford them anymore for right now. The other cancelled her mani because she broke a bunch of nails and I haven't heard from since. In addition, my occasionals have also dropped off the face of the earth. I used to get at least 2-3 other appointments per week from people with gift certificates, or people who only come in every month or so but don't/can't book very far ahead. For the past three weeks I have only had one other client besides my one weekly standing. The only good thing is that my weekly standing is an excellent client who gets lots of add on services every time and tips very generously.
So far it looks ike my income for this month is going to be half of what it was last month. This is not good!! As of this week I have had to change my hours until I can procure a new sitter, and I'm sure that's not going to help things either. I absolutely HAVE to get my clientele up by mid-August because my mother in law, who watches my daughter in the afternoons, will have to go back to work as a teacher, and any babysitter I find may also have to go back to school. I will have no choice but to pay for daycare at that time, and it will run me 350$ a month since it will have to be full time hours as well. I would need to be doing a bare minimum of ten clients a week by then. Last month I was doing about five a week on average, and this month it's been less than TWO! I just don't know if what I need to happen is even possible.
I also need to be saving for some things and I can't with what I'm making right now. When my sister left she took the car with her which we shared before. She will be paying us back for it, but can't for a while. In the meantime we have no car and my husband is leaning on me hard about it. He hates taking the bus to work. I also have to go to my best friend's wedding in early October, and that is going to cost me no less than 500$. I also need to get a more permanent form of birth control, as I've had one too many pregnancy scares lately, and that is going to cost me over 250$. Not to mention in September I will have to begin making my student loan payments. My husband's income basically just covers our regular expenses right now, and anything extra like that needs to come from my income.
I am trying to decide right now if I should stay on at the spa only a couple days a week, and work part time somewhere else (not neccessarily doing nails) to help boost my income, or if I should try to find a new job altogether with guaranteed hourly. The problem is, I really LIKE where I'm working, and the freedom I have. It's close to my house so I can walk there. I like the owner. She's a very nice, enthusiastic lady, who has invested alot of time and money into her nail room. I do not want to let her down. I know if I get a job with hourly I'm not going to have the same freedom I have now, and it would be a hard adjustment for me to make.