Leaving beauty job to go self employed

[persianista]

Can I ask why you see it as a threat and a negative? Just out of interest

I went self employed based in a new saon in may and already I'm starting to build up a good client base. Still a long way to go but I'm getting there. I left my employed job as they made it very difficult when I went back after maternity leave. Said I could work part time around 20 hrs a week over 3 set days which I had childcare in place then cut it to 12 hrs. Expected me to work flexibly as in they would text me the day before asking me to work & weren't happy when I said I couldn't if I couldn't get any childcare. They were constantly telling us it was uncertain if the salon was going to stay open. Always taking shortcuts with products & buying cheap nasty stuff. Complaining that we weren't doing any advertising or getting people in on quiet days. I could go on but won't.

Anyway took the risk and so far so good its paying off.
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In your self employed status, you are building up your own clientele. In an employed job, you build clientele for the salon.
If you work elsewhere at the moment, you can legitimately tell your clients where you're going, the clients belong to you.
If you were employed, with a beauty room on the side, the fear is that in the privacy of a room, you wouldn't be able to resist telling clients where your self employed room is, as you would earn more per client doing them privately.
Most salon owners have had this done to them, and although everyone on here would throw their hands up, and claim that they wouldn't, enough people do, and have, to taint all self employed people.
So as soon as I see on a CV that someone has done mobile, or has been self employed, I bin it. I'm sorry if that shocks people, I'm only being honest. I know 100% that other salon owners do it too.
We place our employees in a position of huge trust, in terms of clients, data, stock, and cash. Any potential issues are carefully considered. Having a rival business is generally an enormous no-no.

 

[laurakate]

I can see why employers wouldn't want to employ someone with a self employed mind set because that is fair enough. I guess it's a case of "why employ someone who is ultimately competition who might poach clients?" Fair enough and thanks for the heads up on this.

I'm not sure if I'd want to work for someone who saw my ability to have independence and think for myself as a threat anyway but from a business point of view I can appreciate what you are saying.

Luckily, I don't think spas are as worried about this as salons because when working in a big spa, I met a lot of other people who were openly doing the job 2 or so day a week to supplement their self employed work but with a salon I can understand that with regular clientele things could get messy so that's fair enough. Post self employment, I guess IF I wanted to work for someone else again I would be best off going for the larger companies anyway (which I don't mind to be honest).

Good to know this though because I believe it's important not to snooker yourself so thank you

 

[ChicMich]

This is EXACTLY me!!!
I get sooooo down about having to go into work. Every treatment I do / hours work I think 'I've just earnt them £xxx and I don't even get £7.00 for it!!'

I've done so much research and planning. It's all I think about.
But all I get from family / husband is 'its not the right time'

Is it ever going to be the right time?!
I'm getting so stresses and down about it I'm just so fed up of working my ass off for other people. Getting a rubbish wage. And putting up with a lot of crap from colleges and manager.

I don't know what I should do!



Laura💋

Couldn't of said it better myself!! I'm in the process and not doing to bad. When I have the number of clients I need per week ill leave my employment job because I earn a lot more than I do working for someone. The problem I have right now is I always see room for improvement but my bosses like to control everything (with no beauty experience) every Saturday I come home exhausted and draining but most of all stressed, nothing is organised and I like to have things rubbing smooth but it's not my salon so I'm using unwanted energy only because I care!! It's hard but won't I know I have the clientele I need I'll be off!! and won't go back again hopefully


All the best Hun, keep in touch we can help each other out

Xx

 

[sallyyummymummy]

In your self employed status, you are building up your own clientele. In an employed job, you build clientele for the salon.
If you work elsewhere at the moment, you can legitimately tell your clients where you're going, the clients belong to you.
If you were employed, with a beauty room on the side, the fear is that in the privacy of a room, you wouldn't be able to resist telling clients where your self employed room is, as you would earn more per client doing them privately.
Most salon owners have had this done to them, and although everyone on here would throw their hands up, and claim that they wouldn't, enough people do, and have, to taint all self employed people.
So as soon as I see on a CV that someone has done mobile, or has been self employed, I bin it. I'm sorry if that shocks people, I'm only being honest. I know 100% that other salon owners do it too.
We place our employees in a position of huge trust, in terms of clients, data, stock, and cash. Any potential issues are carefully considered. Having a rival business is generally an enormous no-no.

Fair point and I can see where you're coming from as this actually happened with a girl when I was employed. She started advertising her mobile services on facebook & was friends on therr with the salon owners. She got a choice of leave & go it alone or stay working with us. For me personally if I was employed by someone I would only work for them as with my little one I have my hands full at home & treasure my time with her to be working outside of work. I would be upset if I was refused a chance at a job I'd be good at just because I'd worked for myself. But I do see your point

Sent from my GT-I9100 using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[Leely]

I am registered self employed and did work from home, and want to start mobile work.
As i love this industry and really want to work in a salon and gain experience but i have had a feeling for a while now the reason i am getting no where is due to me being self employed and working from home. If i was to work in a salon i would ask my clients i have to follow me and would stop mobile work, like others i have 2 small children so will be spending time with them.

Like all of you i have been planning on what will be best for me and my family. I have never wanted to get out there and work as much as i do at the mo

Good Luck Laurakate

 

[MrsHBeauty]

I have just employed someone who was self employed. It was only the fact that she had done an apprenticeship at an amazing salon I decided to interview her. She is fantastic, by far the best therapist I've had yet.

But as a rule I am exactly like Persianista



Jemima

 

[Elaine Armani]

Who's done this and how did you find it? what was it like? what made you reach the decision to do this? did you always want to go self employed ultimately or did you do it because you didn't want to work for other people anymore?

Soooo many questions there lol but basically this is the stage I'm at now. I've always said that I didn't want to be self employed due to the uncertainty/responsibility/not being able to switch off (as I've mentioned a number of times on here) but I'm amazed and impressed to say that I've had a massive change of mind. I'm tired of working anti social hours and struggling to get time off all for the sake of a smidge above minimum wage. I'm tired of working with product brands that I have no training in due to my current and previous employers taking little interest in the importance of this. I'm going to turn this poop into a positive thing by being my own boss, working my own hours where I offer treatments with products that I am going to become fully trained in.

I will miss the social side of working with other people and working on a vast range of new clients on a day to day basis. I'll miss the holiday pay and the sense of routine but overall, I've now reached a point where I feel ready and I'm immensely amazed by this because I always thought I'd be too scared to go self employed but I'm at that point now where I need to do it in order to honour and respect my own skills and intelligence after having given them so willingly to other people in exchange for a small return over the past few years.

I'm going to be kind to myself by setting realistic goals as a self employed person. I anticipate being quiet and a small business for a good while initially but I guess that comes with the package of starting a business I suppose.

Frankly, I'm feeling a bit anxious but mostly liberated. When I'm getting a bit tetchy (in my head at work) I remind myself that I'm going to work for myself as soon as possible and then it makes me feel really bouncy again. I've already decided what I'm going to call my business, the treatment menu, brands and how I'm going to do the accounting (ish!) lol!

Who else has been in this situation? Talk to me!

Hii!!
You re not alone! I guess everyone that was once upon a time a full time employee in a hair/beauty salon have felt like they cannot take the step into the world of self employment...
I was working in hair salon and was doing 55 hours a week ( which is illegal in AU) was the youngest hairdresser there (im 19) I worked later than my shifts almost every night and never got paid over time. I had no social life, I had to wake up at 5am in the morning to get ready and to open up every morning and to set up (got home really late and was too tired to have fun).. there was a salon manager that didn't want to do the duty she was supposed to do and I was eventually burning out... I was getting EXTREMELY under paid and was miserable most of the time. I loved what I did but just didn't feel happy... I'm currently studying Beauty Therapy and run a hair extension business from home I have just started out and feel sooo much better you may feel down when you begin as it could be hard building a clientele especially when you start from scratch ( my clients from my old job don't know I work from home) I don't think it's fair to take some one elses business or clients thats why you are better off starting from scratch and building your own loyal clients without any dramas from your bosses or etc. Maybe you shouldn't wuit your current salon job for financial support and try to gain a clientele (outside work hrs or clients) and as soon a it starts picking up you could do it full time. Believe me it's hard to start off but do what you love and love what you do and it will eventually build and you will making great money (espeically if your a beautician) You can work your own hours, you can pick your own clients, charge how you like, you can value your work and you can work in a peace of mind. You might think that working for yourself will get boring it will sometimes but you have the freedom that being lonely doesn't even matter...
Put your head to it! My business isn't quite there yet and I am still not earning a tone of money (my third month) but i sure do have hopes and dreams and I know I will slowly get where I want to be) SO WILL YOU!!
Lots of love xxxx

 

[w1nnie]

My story is slightly different. I started as self employed 9 years ago, but when I realised early on how tough it is I got with a salon, but only doing pamper parties with them. I built up my business slowly, keeping in touch with the salon. The salon owner wants me to do more for her now, but I'm keeping the salon at arms length, as I have done amazing things on my own, worked on film sets and took up An offer with Marriott hotels.

The owner let me have a room, rent free for the summer, to do what I want with as she trusts me so much, but to me it's like starting over again, plus I have to take my kit with me. After 2 months of having it, I very nicely told her I don't want it. It's just not for me , as my home business has taken off so well, it's silly me having the salon room. But I'm glad I gave it a go.

What I will do for her is pop in if she has a client of hers lined up for me to do nails, which has already happened occasionally. But my home business comes first, and nothing gets in the way of that.

Go for it laurakate, stick with it, self employed will be the best ever.

 

[JemimaFox]

In your self employed status, you are building up your own clientele. In an employed job, you build clientele for the salon.
If you work elsewhere at the moment, you can legitimately tell your clients where you're going, the clients belong to you.
If you were employed, with a beauty room on the side, the fear is that in the privacy of a room, you wouldn't be able to resist telling clients where your self employed room is, as you would earn more per client doing them privately.
Most salon owners have had this done to them, and although everyone on here would throw their hands up, and claim that they wouldn't, enough people do, and have, to taint all self employed people.
So as soon as I see on a CV that someone has done mobile, or has been self employed, I bin it. I'm sorry if that shocks people, I'm only being honest. I know 100% that other salon owners do it too.
We place our employees in a position of huge trust, in terms of clients, data, stock, and cash. Any potential issues are carefully considered. Having a rival business is generally an enormous no-no.

This is an old post but I was just browsing this topic.

I’ve just had my first employee (after 12 years) hand in her notice to say she’s quitting beauty.
I found out while she was working her notice that she was in fact opening a beauty room in her house and lying to me about it.
I can’t help but feel so hurt about the lie and am really taking it personally. I can’t help but think she did this because she doesn’t like my salon or maybe me and is telling everyone this except for me.
I’m being totally paranoid, and we’ve lost a lot of clients to her.
I guess it’s common that a therapist can earn more mobile than in the salon but I just feel so betrayed.
She’s still friends with the other guys and girls that work for me so slightly worried she’ll be telling them how great it is and they’ll do the same :-(

 

[laurakate]

This is an old post but I was just browsing this topic.

I’ve just had my first employee (after 12 years) hand in her notice to say she’s quitting beauty.
I found out while she was working her notice that she was in fact opening a beauty room in her house and lying to me about it.
I can’t help but feel so hurt about the lie and am really taking it personally. I can’t help but think she did this because she doesn’t like my salon or maybe me and is telling everyone this except for me.
I’m being totally paranoid, and we’ve lost a lot of clients to her.
I guess it’s common that a therapist can earn more mobile than in the salon but I just feel so betrayed.
She’s still friends with the other guys and girls that work for me so slightly worried she’ll be telling them how great it is and they’ll do the same :-(

I don't think that this is anything to be worried about. If she's solely responsible for her bills then she may be scared to tell you until her notice is up so that she doesn't risk being put on garden leave.

To have an employee with you for up to maybe five years in this industry is phenomenal let alone twelve! It would be understandable that she might feel that there's no more mileage in her current role and is ready for something new. I don't think what she's doing sounds like a personal attack on you at all. She stayed with you for twelve years and that could easily be testament to you being a good employer. If I went for a job interview and the employer told me that their staff turnover was that low, I would be very impressed. I've worked in spas where the average employment for a lot of people is probably twelve weeks!

 

[EssexFreelance]

Support her! There is nothing better than an old boss supporting you on your next journey. She will speak highly of you to other people, recommend you if she needs too, maybe gain you other staff members.

She’s taking the next step in her life as women in business we should support each other. It’s not a personal attack on you some people want a business they can call their own.

 

[laurakate]

Support her! There is nothing better than an old boss supporting you on your next journey. She will speak highly of you to other people, recommend you if she needs too, maybe gain you other staff members.

She’s taking the next step in her life as women in business we should support each other. It’s not a personal attack on you some people want a business they can call their own.

Love this so much.

 

[JemimaFox]

Support her! There is nothing better than an old boss supporting you on your next journey. She will speak highly of you to other people, recommend you if she needs too, maybe gain you other staff members.

She’s taking the next step in her life as women in business we should support each other. It’s not a personal attack on you some people want a business they can call their own.

That’s the thing. If she had been honest I actually would have supported her. She had many clients that would not have switched to any of my other therapists if she was still doing beauty so why wouldn’t I have told them about her plans?!
That’s what hurts is that she lied to me and obviously assumed I wouldn’t support her, just such a shame as thought we had more of a friendship as well