Friends taking advantage ....

[Ophala]

This is a great thread - it's something I've always struggled with.

As I'm sure is the same for a lot of you - when you're first starting out a lot of your clients are friends and family so it's hard to know where to draw the line with who to charge.

My mum doesn't pay me (sometimes if I'm short of money she'll give me something towards product but it's usually only a manicure or sometimes gels) she also knows she is last priority and that paying customers come first!

My nana will give me money towards product (usually £10 for mani, £15 for gels) but again, I fit her in when no paying clients and she would go and pay more somewhere else if I wasn't in this business.

My boyfriend's mum has never offered me anything - but, I live with her with my boyfriend and she doesn't charge me rent so I figure the least I can do is her nails once in a blue moon (only done them about 4 times ina year anyway!)

Friends is more difficult, I generally charge full price unless it's a very close friend I just charge for product but if you give a discount to everyone you will never make any money!!

 

[sammymeme]

I always tell them the before price and friends rate usualy £5.00 max off for anything £20 or over, I used to do a tan for £15 but now have told them all that the solution, has gone up in price (whoo vat rise really very helpful) i still knock off a fiver for most friends, and moan about how expencive things are and how we just gotta keep buying things to keep on trend (this serves two purposes) one they feel slightly guilty that i have given them a discount , a £5 tip is the usual response, and two it tells them that i constantly improving services and up-to-date with the best products!(win win) i always do a £5 discount as i say usually get back as a tip, but this restores the Karma and all my friends ((recommend me to others)) so good for word of mouth which i think is priceless!. hope this helps, oh this is kinda what i say, i always telling em how there not a lot of money in this industry wel not by the time you spent on fuel to get here and back + insurance + newest products (never ending ) quick chat about new products!! + time (throw in a funny re some treatment taking way to long)+ things they don't see like sterilisation charges ( you want em to know how clean your instruments are) but i do it coz I love it (love making others beautiful) but i always say im busy after all i am busy beauty!!! and i find they then dont take the piss, I think the prob is they see nail varnish sets for £3! and asume as you trade you get cheaper when infact you would not buy crap stuff!! so its educating the friends and if you can do that while making yourself look like your really in-tune with the market think that works (they think we spend £2 and charge em £20! so educate em .......... so what if we make £18 proffit they never need to know he hehehe wink wink xxx

 

[ktoso888]

The ony people I do "freebies" for is my old mother hubbard as she did bring me into this world!!!(although every now and then she gets me a gift like a set of elemis or similar which is really nice of her!!) And my sisters but none of them take the micky!!

Friends I either do swapsies if they do hair/reflexology etc. If not it's a simply £5 discount or round it up to nearest round digit!!

I've been really lucky in ten yrs I've never not had anyone not pay or expect a freebie!! And that's how I want my friendships I wouldn't expect my friends to do a job for me without paying.

Maybe to get round this you could suggest that seeing as u have spent 2hrs doing her nails etc you could do a swap and she could come do ur cleaning/ironing for 2hrs I'm sure they would offer to pay then lol!!!

Xx

 

[Lorrainelola]

I started this thread some time ago and have certainly learnt my lesson. I only do freebies for my sister (mum lives 4 hours away and only ever wants a nail tidy up anyway). Friends get mate rates and it works out quite well as I've had friends of friends come to me for treatments. so I see it as a bit of advertising.