Working during school hours ?

[Cazbar]

Hi All,

Does anyone successfully ONLY work during school hours ? Either mobile or home based ?
With maybe a couple of evening appointments ?

I am mobile at the moment and had a huge row with my husband the other day because basically we don't see much of each other. He works shifts and when he comes home I go out !

When I started this business I hoped to get daytime clients to avoid this but it just hasn't happened. All my clients so far work full time so want evening and weekend appointments which I can't turn down as I don't have anywhere near enough clients yet.:cry:

However, we are moving soon to a more affluent area and I 'might' have room for a small home-based salon. This would cut down on travelling time and I was wondering whether I could try and make it daytime only like a normal salon.

Has anyone got any tips on how to attract the ladies that lunch types rather than the workers ?

Thanks
Caz

 

[bombini]

Since Ive been based in the salon I have asked clients how they feel about mobile treatments and most of my daytime clients have said they don't like the idea as they want to get out of the house not stay in.

When I was mobile lots of my clients were full time workers to or there was a reason why they couldn't leave the house, illness, new baby etc. Thinking about it I hardly ever worked in the day when I was mobile always evenings.

If the mobile hours aren't working could you possibly rent a room somewhere ? Nearly all my mobile clients now come to me at the salon and actually prefer it.

 

[Cathie!]

Most salons don't only work in the daytime. I do 2 late nights per week and Saturdays to accommodate the working clients who, like the ladies who lunch, have disposable incomes, which I guess are the type of client you are trying to attract...

Also, if you can only work school hours, what are you going to do about school holidays? If you build up a good book of regulars but can't service them during the holidays you'll loose them.........

I am in a similar situation, I have 3 young children at school, short holidays aren't so much of a problem, but with the summer holidays coming up it's a logistical nightmare.

Good luck!

 

[Zo Zo]

I have a home-based salon and I admit, I do work evenings and saturdays, but I am in the process of limiting this to 2 evenings and alternate Saturday mornings. However, I find I have quite a lot of daytime clients, if I look in my appointment book over the last 2 weeks I can give the following examples...

Someone who is freelance, working from home
A mum of baby twins whose parents were staying and able to babysit
A school dinner lady
Someone who has recently been made redundant
A schoolgirl who was off school doing GCSE's
Someone who works flexi-time
Someone who works only at the weekends
A lady who lunches
4 retired ladies
A mobile hairdresser
Someone who had the day off
2 people who works shifts

I could go on!

I am actually quite surprised how many people are available during the day, but I don't know how to attract these people, I have just been lucky. Although as I am now trying to be stricter about how many evenings I work I was thinking about incentivising people to come during the day, for instance.. offer a discount between 10 and 2. (Or more realistically put your prices up for evenings!)

Now a little rant if I may... I have a client with 3 children, all at school. She said she doesn't want to come during the day, she wants to come in the evening. I feel cross about this because I feel she just wants to leave her husband to deal with the three kids and the bedtime routine. So I had to tell her quite plainly that if she wants an appointment I need her to come during the day, as she is free during the day, as I need to keep my evening appointments for people who genuinely can't come during the day. I decided, she can like it or lump it, I know we are in a service industry but we are also human beings and I just don't want selfish lazy women for clients! (I know I'm awful but I don't care!)