When to take plunge to mobile beauty?

[Luscious85]

Hi all,

I'm 25 and I've been studying NVQ2 Beauty Therapy part-time for the last 2 years, and I'm 4 weeks away from qualifying. I'm also qualified as a Bio Sculpture and CND Brisa gel nail tech and am looking at adding tanning and lash extensions to my portfolio. I have a few beauty clients who come to my house every 6 weeks or so for waxing, manicures, pedicures, gel overlays - I just charge them a small amount to cover my costs as they have supported me from the start and been great practise for me.

I work FT as a Marketing Exec and have been with the same company for 7 years so am quite settled there, but over the last 6 months or so I've been seriously thinking about starting my own mobile beauty business and I just wanted some advice on what to do next. My FT job is very involved and I have to travel overseas regularly so I can't start building up a client base until I leave there. I earn quite good money, and obviously have some financial commitments, but I'm feeling as though if I want to do this, then I've got to do it soon. Well paid jobs are quite hard to come by in my area as it's a rural town so got to be confident about what I'm doing before I hand my notice in. (Was about to buy a house but pulled out last week because I know I'll never be able to do this once I've got a mortgage around my neck.) I've built up quite a lot of kit, a reliable car, a couple of hundred pounds for initial advertising etc and obviously have a few years of marketing experience.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? I'm no stranger to hard work and long hours, I'm so excited about the possibility of working for myself doing something I really enjoy! I don't want to get even more settled at work and look back and regret not giving this a go.

Some advice would be much appreciated...

Luscious85 x

 

[xxhaylzxx]

HI,
Its very hard to build up a client base. A good idea is to get a part time beauty job out of your area and do some mobile work on the side providing that they are ok with this. As i think salon experience is much needed and will give you a better idea of how things are done out of the class room. If you are used to a well payed job you are probs best to have a part time salon job aswel so that you have that guaranteed income and what ever you make ontop will be a bonus.

I am just starting out on my own doing mobile beauty but have my salon job as part time luckily for me because of the type of setting the salon where i work is alot of our clients are not local. So they are ok for me to be doing this on the side. It takes alot of time and effort to build this client base of regulars. Once i have enough regulars to keep me afloat then i will leave my job but at the moment i havent enough and am still in my job.

Good luck with what you decide.

HTH xx

 

[ukfaye]

Hi I think it totally depends on how much money you have to support you in the mean time for rent and bills etc, or if you have a kind other half willing to support you whilst you start up. I think if you have the right attitude and totally throw yourself into selling yourself, advertising on line evrywhere you can, a web site, handing out cards to every person you meet, offering your services for pamper evenings, raffle prizes, everything day after day plugging away. It can happen quite fast, within a year you could have a fairly good income, but being self employed it can be up and down good weeks and bad! So have you got some back up to help you at the start!! Good luck it is totally possible just be tight at first. But you can do it. Xxx

 

[Luscious85]

Thankyou xxhaylzxx and ukfaye - very sound advice and I know it's going to be hard work building up a client base from scratch. I'm usually not very good at selling myself, but if this suddenly becomes my full-time occupation then I will have to in order to make a go of it!
I don't have anyone to support me, I'm on my own, but luckily I live at home so my overheads are not as high as they would be if I was renting/mortgaged. I am thinking that perhaps getting a part time job to cover my outgoings would be a good idea, and then anything I earn above that is mine to live on/buy stock/advertise etc.
Thankyou again.
Luscious85x

 

[**TwinkleToes**]

another option could be to discuss with ur employers about going part time say 2, 3 or 4 days per week that way you could work 3 days and start ur beauty business and do 2 or 3 days at that until you build up enough to leave ur job completely

employers now have to make some sort of provision to at least consider your request if you ask to reduce your hours to part-time - that doesnt mean they have to agree to it but if they look at that for you it may be the best of both until you can do ur business full time.

sorry to butt in