Which room do you use for your home salon

[fats28]

I am thinking of converting our laundry room into my salon. The upsides of it are theres an external door between it and the rest of the house, so family can be as noisy as they like, it looks out onto open fields so its private and quite a pretty view. Its all been fitted in the last year with lovely oak units so I don't think it would take much to do it. The downside is theres no way anyone could get into it without coming through the house and its the cats thoroughfare which I can't do anything about. I was going to put some piccies on and see if anyone thought it could be done.

 

[Welsh Geek]

I have a friend who would like to work from home, already works from a salon room and already has a client base.
Do you think that many clients would loose interest going to her house after going to the salon? Do you need to reduce your prices because you are working from home?

Have any of you found that you get problems from neighbours because of parking? If so, how have you dealth with this?

Did you need to get planning permission to use a current room in your house as a salon? (she has a garage conversion, which has an interior door and exterior french doors, clients would be likley to use the interior door from the house)

What about smells from nail products? Is there is small ventilation system that could be purchased to reduce smells and dust, where there are nail desks which do not have filters,etc;?

Sorry for so many questions..I have promised to do my best to get answers... so hopefully some of you may have experience of going from a salon to home, as most people do it the other way around... any advice welcome!

Thanks

Sue x

 

[minky]

hi im quite new at doing nails but i really love doing them ,i trained many years ago as a manicurist , and ive completed a course for l&p ,at the mo im doing nsi l&p, also ive had a play with thier gel too which impressed me . i was just thinking about working from home but only when im more confident and can do really good nails , but I didnt know it was allowed to work from home ,do you need to have any sort of permission ? or can i just go ahead ?any advice would be appreciated minky

 

[blossom]

I work from home, I charge the same as the top end salons in town and have good client retention! I don't want people to choose me as their tech because I'm cheap, I want them to choose me because they like what I do for their nails! :green:

I have always done nails in my dining room which is joined to my kitchen but mainly due to the repair man taking so long to repair the dishwasher and crashing round in the kitchen, I moved into the lounge, which seems nicer and I don't have to scurry round after tea etc. We sit in the window too and I see people looking in as they walk by so it's a bit of an advert as well!

As far as I am aware, you don't pay business rates if you work from home as long as you are utilising one of your own rooms; if you have a dedicated room to work from then I think you are liable. I'm sure if I am wrong here someone will put me right!

We are lucky enough to have room in our drive for clients to park but they still choose to park outside sometimes anyway and I've not had any complaints from neighbours.

Hope this helps, I'm sure you'll get plenty of help on your other questions too.Good luck xx

 

[minky]

I work from home, I charge the same as the top end salons in town and have good client retention! I don't want people to choose me as their tech because I'm cheap, I want them to choose me because they like what I do for their nails! :green:

I have always done nails in my dining room which is joined to my kitchen but mainly due to the repair man taking so long to repair the dishwasher and crashing round in the kitchen, I moved into the lounge, which seems nicer and I don't have to scurry round after tea etc. We sit in the window too and I see people looking in as they walk by so it's a bit of an advert as well!

As far as I am aware, you don't pay business rates if you work from home as long as you are utilising one of your own rooms; if you have a dedicated room to work from then I think you are liable. I'm sure if I am wrong here someone will put me right!

We are lucky enough to have room in our drive for clients to park but they still choose to park outside sometimes anyway and I've not had any complaints from neighbours.

Hope this helps, I'm sure you'll get plenty of help on your other questions too.Good luck xx

thank you for sharing this info with me as im trying to convince hubby its ok to run a nail buisness from home so ill apreciate any info i can obtain from all the hard working home workers , i must admit im getting rather optimistic
now ,

but a nail tech who has her own salon told me you cant run a nail buisnesss from home, I just wondered why ? as i never asked . minky

 

[blossom]

I know quite a lot of geeks work from home and will probably tell you about it too!

Perhaps your salon owner friend was just thinking it might be hard to start up a nail business from home as you have no shop front, etc. It's true you do need to invest a bit in marketing, leaflets, ads, Y Pages & Thompson will give you a free lineage if you work from home, give out bus. cards at every opportunity and offer discounts for recommendations, but although it's hard work and slow to start with it can defo be done!

You have no overheads such as a salon would have, so at least you don't have to worry about outgoings when you've not much coming in! And if you have a day with no clients you can go shopping or whatever, instead of having to sit in a salon waiting! Go for it hun, you won't regret it.

PS This site is an absolute lifeline for a homeworker! It's fantastic. :hug:

 

[honeybee83]

Hi Geeks

i am loving this thread, and can relate to warning my guy that "i have a client tonight, so please no loud belching lol, be on your best or else...." and im sure you girls know what i mean by "or else" LOL :lol:
We tuned our den into an office (as both he and myself own our own businesses) and once i decided to work from home/mobile we made a little home salon on the other sidfe of the office, it works. i have had clients comment that my home salon is just as nice and comfy as any other salon...makes me happy to hear that. PLus, i love the fact that i MYSELF own MY OWN busainess....i love that! I find oit very impowering. i have no overhead, i dont have to pay rent, or worry about time constrants, and i make my own schedual, i make all of the decisions, i think it is the best decision for me, am so happy i made it, even though i was nervous when i had first decided to do a home nail salon. I love working from home, and my clients dont seem to mind either~!

 

[ClaireWalsh]

I don't want people to choose me as their tech because I'm cheap, I want them to choose me because they like what I do for their nails! :green:

Excellent philosophy Blossom!

There's a great thread in chit-chat about Salon Cabins in the garden...
http://www.salongeek.com/showthread.php?p=568269#post568269

 

[louise jane]

Hi, we had a double garage and converted one of them into my husbands office as he used ot work from home. Then i decided to do nails and beauty so he gave upi his office for me and i changed it into a beauty room. He now has changed jobs and no longer works from home.
It is nice to have a seperate room away form the house as my clients don't even have to come to my front door, i tell them to come through the back gate and straight into my room, so then my hubby and son don't get disturbed............great!

 

[Whammers]

Hi, once fully trained up (by end of next Jan) I will be using my garage which will be converted to a salon. It will have 4 walls (no garage door!) and a side door that people can come in through. There is also a toilet next door. I intend to close my kitchen and lounge doors so they will just see a hall way. I feel I have to remove personal family photos from the hallway and downstairs loo really to make it look professional. I dont want people to think they are lying in someones garage! Do you people who work from home get many customers? Its just that Ive always gone to salons for treatments, im not sure how I would find going to someones house? Im really worried about it and think i may struggle to get clients. What is the incentive of going to someones house rather than a nice salon? I guess if I make my prices cheaper that would be a benefit - is this what i need to do? x

 

[pinkiessfingers]

I Have A Summer House Out The Back Of My Garden. Its All Been Plastered & Painted And Has A Fitted Floor Its So Cosy.
Theres Ways Around It Hun.

 

[user 17597]

Brilliant Thread!

I am due to qualify soon, hopefully, fingers crossed. I have been seriously debating about working from home as my youngest is still pre school age. It will be hard and more payout to get childminders if mobile as i know at first it will be building up a clientelle. After reading this thread i have decided that i will work from home at first and may even keep it that way if it works out. My mum can always pop round or if the other half is home and watch the children, it will be easier.

 

[alli bongo]

I started out in spare room which was OK when I was only doing it part time but since I went full time we decided I needed space and away from the house. I now have a log cabin in the garden which is perfect. I do Waxing and beauty as well as nails so this is perfect. My clients are not worried about someone walking in (not that they did before!)