Combining nails with another career....

[Missy G]

Well if I advertised as only available between Tuesday 9.30-5.30 & Friday 9.30-2.30 its gonna take a hell of a long time to build a client base,since I started out last year I think Ive had two bookings,one for a pedi and one nail biter for these hours.. all the rest have been working those hours..hence thats why Im working hours people require me that I originaly didnt want to do but if it means getting clients and earning extra money then I shall,some people can obviously afford to turn clients away ,I cant ,Ive put so much money into nails ,Im not going to turn clients away coz I dont want to work those hours unfortunatly.And its not always possible to advertise yours hours ie:Yellow pages !

 

[Helen17]

I too have two jobs and find that they compliment each other nicely - I am a dog groomer 3 days a week and work in a salon "doing nails" 3 days a week. Unfortunately due to where I live the demand isnt sufficient for me to concentrate solely on one or the other and as my spanish is better but not great I can at the moment only target the english clientele in both areas. I do find a cross over of clients though and this works well for me.

 

[Susie H]

My full time job is bus driving and if I could give it up tomorrow and work full time in my home salon I would.
I drive a bus because I'm good at it. The whole thing, I'm a very good driver, my customer care skills are excellent and I am 100% reliable.
I hate, loath, detest this job with a passion, can you tell:green:
Why? Because it proves to me each and every day that I can't, 'make it' as a tech, do I lack skill? no I don't think so, there is always room to improve but I can do a kick a** set of nails with the best of them.
But I have to have a set amount of money coming in each and every week, bus driving gives me that.
Nails doesn't, but if I had enough money in the bank to be able to live for a year then yes I would throw myself into my nail business and make it work.
As things stand, I have to accept that nails will always be my sanity but not my income.
My point is, Gigi is right, you can have a day job and a nail job but you can't have two carers that each involve masses of studying one or the other will suffer and your income will suffer to.
So I would say to you Pick! Which one you really want to do before you spend a bundle on something thats not going to rock YOUR world and then give it your best shot.

And what did happen to quote of the week:lol:

 

[stoney]

From what I can gather from the posters questions, she does not have a desire for either of her proposed careers to 'rock her world'. It sounds to be that she just wants to be able to do both and earn a decent living.

I dont know anyone's personal circumstances, and I know that what I'm saying doesn't or can't apply to everyone.

but lets be realistic..

renting a space, 3 days a week, and I mean full days, a good 10 -12 hours, at least one late night, should give anyone enough time to build a decent client base, but you have to get the word out there.

I dont mean by expensive advertising, most people have a home computer. A ream of paper and an ink cartridge can cost maybe £15. Thats 800 flyers! Through doors, on peoples car windscreens, in shops. Do a reccommend a friend deal, special offers etc, there is loads of things you can do.

If you are only getting 2 bookings in more than 6 months, then there is something wrong!

Who's says you can't be a dedicated nail technician 3 days a week, I am!! I own a salon now, after 5 years working as a nail tech, and I work wed - fri full days and half day sat. I have 3 kids, do all the paperwork for my husbands business, I am Secretary of the local golf club and am currently working on a project to have a junior golf academy launched in my home town. That easily amounts to a second career!!

If noodles doesn't have anything else in her way, then there is absolutely no reason why she can't do both.

I have a supportive husband and take whatever help is out there, because I'm dedicated to everything that I do.

My family are happy and healthy, I'm tired, but I have a really good reputation. People ask me all the time how I manage it all. I just do, because I want to.

 

[geeg]

I think this is the main point and only you can answer that.

How much do you love nails and how far do you want to go with it...?

Will you be happy just being another nail technician who does a few sets of nails each week...? or do you want to progress further into the industry and maybe one day become a educator..? top competition winner..? be well known worldwide for your contribution in the industry... like Gigi...?

Its not a matter of being capable, its how much you can do and how many hours are there in a day.

You can be perfectly capable in juggling a few balls at the same time but one day your arms will eventually ache, all of your balls will come crashing down and then you are left with nothing.

Like everything else in this world, you get back what you put in.

So true, Anna.

The fact is (whether you all like it or not) the most successful nail technicians are the ones who treat their profession as if is is their vocation. They dedicate themselves to their clients and to the service of those clients as and when they need it. If that is not your attitude (and you don't have to ask yourself if you work on Saturdays if it is) then you will never make your mark in our industry. You will be a part timer with part time renumeration AND part time clients who will end up going to the technicians up the road who ARE there for them full time.

The discount salons are not heaving with customers for no reason. It isn't all about cheap sets of nails and speed ... it is about availability as well and the fact that the girls and boys in these salons work hard and long hours ... that is why THEY are coining it in.

Now if nails is not your career goal then you can do 10 jobs and kill yourself trying.

As for those of you who say you can't make enough money doing just nails .. have you ever considered that it is because you are not doing just nails that you have never made enough money at it??? Thought for the day!!!!

 

[Missy G]

. You will be a part timer with part time renumeration AND part time clients who will end up going to the technicians up the road who ARE there for them full time.

Apologies if Ive misread ,but if I can only do nails part time due to family comitmment and having another part time job ,this means I may as well give up nails as clients will go to the full time techs?

 

[geeg]

Apologies if Ive misread ,but if I can only do nails part time due to family comitmment and having another part time job ,this means I may as well give up nails as clients will go to the full time techs?

Lets not get too dramatic. You haven't misread but you certainly have misinterpreted my meaning.

I never said that anyone "may as well give up" OR that ALL yours or anyone else's clients would go elsewhere to full time techs. But some of your clients may do just that.

Clients who break a nail or have a problem, generally do not want to wait to get to you on a day when you are available and it is convenient to you. They want it fixed NOW and will MANY TIMES go where someone is available NOW. THAT IS THE RISK YOU TAKE with a part time business. If they like the job the full time tech has done, the risk is they will continue to use him/her in the future.

In general, Clients are much more loyal to full time techs than they are to part timers.

 

[karentriff]

I work three jobs. Full time day job 9 - 5, Evening job working for my husband's business and Thurs, Fri evenings and Saturdays doing nails. (Also have two children and home to run) I am a very organised person, I have got to be, but something has gotta give. I'm becoming run down.
I began learning nails as my new career. I haven't been able to build up a client base because barely a soul wants to come out in the evening to have their nails done. Most who have shown an interest have said "cant you do them during the day while the kids are at school" and I can't fit them all in on a Saturday (I'm too slow) As a newie building up clients I feel you must be able to fit in when the client wants you because simply its just as easy for them to go elsewhere. Because of this I am giving up my main job two days a week to concentrate on building up my nails business.
Think carefully before you run yourself ragged because then everything suffers
Cheers
Karen

 

[Missy G]

Lets not get too dramatic. You haven't misread but you certainly have misinterpreted my meaning.

I never said that anyone "may as well give up" OR that ALL yours or anyone else's clients would go elsewhere to full time techs. But some of your clients may do just that.

Clients who break a nail or have a problem, generally do not want to wait to get to you on a day when you are available and it is convenient to you. They want it fixed NOW and will MANY TIMES go where someone is available NOW. THAT IS THE RISK YOU TAKE with a part time business. If they like the job the full time tech has done, the risk is they will continue to use him/her in the future.

In general, Clients are much more loyal to full time techs than they are to part timers.

Ok thanks Geeg I can see where your coming from now,I can appriciate if someone breaks a nail and wants it replacing there and then..fortunatly all the clients Ive done have MMA nails on ,so havent really come across this yet,but I will bear that in mind for the future,if I dont jump I might loose them!:lol:

As to my previous post the reason I said I had to think, do I work Saturdays ,is because originally I didnt want to originally I held Tuesday and Fridays during school hours open to do nails,the phone calls that I had I had to turn away due to family commitment and another job,it then came about four months down the line and I thought..heh Im gonna have to do something about this Im going to have to be more flexable here otherwise I aint going to get nowhere...And I have done that...,

I had a MMA client phoned me last month for a Saturday appointment..the first one thats asked me for a Saturday IMA..bearing in mind I didnt want to work Saturdays thats why I had to think ..do I? But Im so glad now I did ,she turned out to be my first regular client,and shes also forwarded my number on to two of her friends,so I cant see as originally posted elsewhere in this thread ,you have to set your self times you want to work and stick to it ,and dont let clients tell you when they want you,for someone whos been doing nails for several years I can understand maybe they can afford to turn people away ,but when your a new tech building a part-time client base you most definatly cant.

I was only originally warning Noodles clients will want evening and weekend appointment as so she was aware,as I wasnt when I first started out,just thought it was going to be cushty doing Tuesdays and fridays in school hours...NOT.