Mobile nail tech start up
- Thread starter LadyGray
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joingram87
Well-Known Member
I take cash 
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Jo xxx
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xxJo xxx
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Vetty
Lost and happy geek!
It makes much more sense to use a disinfectant spray that is formulated for the job in hand. Mundo have a spray Hard Surface Disinfectant Spray 500ml - mundo professional - for a healthy environment which is a medical grade disinfectant and brilliant for mobile use.
Cash and cheque.
MissOwen
Well-Known Member
Hi all,
I'm hoping you can help me and bear with me because at the moment my head is spinning and I'm struggling to get my head around everything, so in part this is just an attempt to get my thoughts down.
I'm a stay at home mum who is about to start training to be a nail tech. I have two small kids so am planning to be mobile, starting only on friends, family, other mums at nursery/school etc, until my youngest starts nursery (in a year) at which point I will have about 15 hours a week in the day to work also. Once the youngest starts school in 2.5 years ish I would hope to up my hours again.
So you see, I'm in no rush to get up and running with a full client base. Quite the opposite, I have all the time in the world to train, practice and slowly slowly build up a client base and reputation.
I am starting off with EZ Flow Spa Rituals training in a couple of weeks so I can get on with practising my skills there, in a few months I will be doing the EZ Flow Acrylics course and I plan to add Gels after that.
I have finally got my head aroudn what I need to do in terms of tax and insurance (although no doubt a bit further down the line I'll have more questions about insurance).
I have so many things running around my head because I'm a notorious over thinker
I'm just going to spill and if anyone can help with any of these things I'd be very grateful!
I have around 150 nail polish of my own, my personal collection. Can I use these or should I have a dedicated set for "work"? Should they all be one brand? I also swear by Seche Vite top coat, are there any reasons I couldn't use that? If they are professional quality, use them!
How many polishes should I have approx? Is there a recommended way of transporting all equipment? This is up to you but i wouldnt want to take 150 round with me mobile, heavy and clients will take forever choosing out of so many :green:
Do I need a table & chairs? Do you have a preferred one? How do people manage to carry table/chairs/kit/polish? I prefer to use my own table and chair. I have a saddle stool for good posture and taking care of your back is important. Having my own table means i dont have to worry about spilling anything on the clients and it savesme being at the wrong height or stretching over someones dinin table etc
Carrying it all around is just one of the joys of being mobile! Try and make sure your table is light weight but sturdy. A have a beauty box for my kit but whatever you choose make sure everything is easy to reach and in order to save you time and hassle at appointments
Given that I will starting out so info0rmally, do I need a uniform? Do mobile techs usually wear uniforms? Would an EZ Flow apron do? I'd say start as you mean to go on. You're charging people for a professional service so its good to look professional too.
What tools do you consider essential for manicures (not extensions)? I think you'll get plenty of info on your course to help with what tools you need
I will be given the spa elements products to go away with and use but what else would I need? I thought of hand sanitiser but is there anything else? Definately a hand santiser and a solution for cleaning your tools and equipment. I use Mundo for both of these.
What have I not considered? Be careful to not to get into the 'mates rates' trap with your friends, family and local mums. You'll never make any money and you will find it very difficult to put up your prices and keep your clients if you start too low or giving huge discounts
I appreciate theres an awfull lot of questions there, many of which most of you will thing are obvious, but if anyone could proffer opions on any of them I'd be so grateful as I can cross it off my list and stop it spining around my head!
Thank you in advance
Charlie x
These are just my personal ways of doing things and thoughts. You'll soon develop your own routine and work out what works best for you.
Good luck and enjoy :hug:
Mundo it is then. Thank you!
Thank you so much! All great advice and taken on board.
Added to shopping lists and things to remember lists!
Divine Diva
Well-Known Member
I never bring towels to a clients house when I do mobile. Mobile hairdressers don't because it is too much to carry wet and/or used towels on top of your equipment.
Plus it cuts down on your laundry bill at home.
Clients are quite happy to provide towels and no one has ever complained when I have requested them.
Plus it cuts down on your laundry bill at home.
Clients are quite happy to provide towels and no one has ever complained when I have requested them.
nailqueencat
Well-Known Member
I work from home but on the v rare occasion I've gone mobile (client had a caesarian/broken down car etc), I always use their ironing board as it can be placed at a suitable height for their chairs. Also, a good light is indispensible eg Daylight lamp and always carry an extension lead if you're doing gels or want a light as you never know how far away the socket will be. All the tips mentioned already are excellent - learn from our years of experience! Good luck and have fun.
Holly Byers
Karma and love
Hi sorry to bother you as I really liked your response to being mobile as I am in the process of being mobile and have all the right items but there not right and need better and new..
Could you help me and tell me what you use for mobile? table chair box to carry etc? as looking on amazon for a trolly to carry everything but dont want to buy something that isnt right.
this mundo cleaning spray sounds amazing as never sure what to use.
thanks for that
Sorry to bother you but this would be amazing
Would really be amazing help
thank you so much
just to let you know picked up large stanley tool trolley with 2 deep compartments, pull out tray and round swivel thing with small compartments for just under twenty quid at b&q today - instead of £40 odd, ideal for mobile
MissOwen
Well-Known Member
I've got a 2 sectioned beauty box from beautyboxes.com High Quality Beauty / Vanity Trolleys from Beauty Boxes to carry my stuff in. Its on wheels and holds everything i need. Its heavy!! But more because of all the stuff i carry than the actual box :green: its on wheels so i dont carry it far but flats and apartments are still a pain.
Lots of people use the CND bucket bags but i preferred the box.
I also have 2 small seperate boxes that i had earlier in my career, one now has my lash extension stuff and the other i use to tranfer bits and bobs in if i'm doing a smaller treatment and dont need my whole kit.
The table is similar to this one Manicure Nail Table with Cushion: Amazon.co.uk: Beauty i bought it 2nd hand off someone who had decided not to persue a mobile career so cant tell you exactly where it came from.
My chair.. well that is a saddle stool and i got it from ebay. This is the most annoying bit to carry around!! Its not heavy but bulky but it helps me sit correctly and comfortably.
It sounds like loads but i have a set way of carrying everything. The folded table goes under my right arm with the leg side resting on my hip to keep it stable. The right hand is then free to pull my case. The left hand carries my stool.
As i said, everyone has different ways of doing things and after a while you'll find whats best for you :hug: xxx
MissConfused
Well-Known Member
the search button is your friend
i was taught that barbicide was for sanitising and not sterilising?
some of the posts on this thread don't half make me ashamed to be mobile :\
do you go to a salon and the owner asks you to sit at an ironing board before starting a treatment on your nails? why are mobile therapists any different?
i have a folding table from argos - not perfect at all but it was the best i could find, i think it's much more sturdy than the mobile mani tables you can buy from your local wholesalers.
do you walk into a salon and see a wall of mis matched polishes that you can buy from your local supermarket/chemist?
i did my training with cnd (think seriously about who you want to train with because some companies you can't purchase products from unless you train with them/do a conversion course and the last thing you want to do after just spending out money is to be spending out even more money)
as for sanitising (not sterilising!) i use mundo file spray, mundo rapid sanitiser, i carry my tools and files in a mundo steri pouch,pink sanitiser for hands, green sanitiser for feet, mundo wipes for pedi bowl/table/chairs, i use the pedi bowl that has the disposable liners in and towels are my own as i think it's wrong to expect a client to provide numerous towels and i don't want to potentially ruin them by spilling something on them - though i am looking at disposable towels because i'm not digging having clients skin yuckies in a bag in my car boot. your training provider will go over all the methods of sanitising and sterilising with you.
as for being mobile and working it around the kids then that was my idea but it just doesn't work out like that at all. you spend so much time driving back and forth, setting up/packing away etc that it's not something you can do when you have a spare hour kwim? you should have a long and hard think before you commit yourself to being mobile, it's hard and tiring dragging around all your equipment and setting up for every client.
'essential tools' for a manicure will be told to you when you do your training so there's no need to worry about things like that right now. record cards/aftercare/insurance are all things your training provider will cover when you do your training too.
what i would do is to stop worrying and wait for your course, then if you have questions after the course do a search on here for advice and ask your training provider.
good luck, i'm sure you'll do great on the training! x
i was taught that barbicide was for sanitising and not sterilising?
some of the posts on this thread don't half make me ashamed to be mobile :\
do you go to a salon and the owner asks you to sit at an ironing board before starting a treatment on your nails? why are mobile therapists any different?
i have a folding table from argos - not perfect at all but it was the best i could find, i think it's much more sturdy than the mobile mani tables you can buy from your local wholesalers.
do you walk into a salon and see a wall of mis matched polishes that you can buy from your local supermarket/chemist?
i did my training with cnd (think seriously about who you want to train with because some companies you can't purchase products from unless you train with them/do a conversion course and the last thing you want to do after just spending out money is to be spending out even more money)
as for sanitising (not sterilising!) i use mundo file spray, mundo rapid sanitiser, i carry my tools and files in a mundo steri pouch,pink sanitiser for hands, green sanitiser for feet, mundo wipes for pedi bowl/table/chairs, i use the pedi bowl that has the disposable liners in and towels are my own as i think it's wrong to expect a client to provide numerous towels and i don't want to potentially ruin them by spilling something on them - though i am looking at disposable towels because i'm not digging having clients skin yuckies in a bag in my car boot. your training provider will go over all the methods of sanitising and sterilising with you.
as for being mobile and working it around the kids then that was my idea but it just doesn't work out like that at all. you spend so much time driving back and forth, setting up/packing away etc that it's not something you can do when you have a spare hour kwim? you should have a long and hard think before you commit yourself to being mobile, it's hard and tiring dragging around all your equipment and setting up for every client.
'essential tools' for a manicure will be told to you when you do your training so there's no need to worry about things like that right now. record cards/aftercare/insurance are all things your training provider will cover when you do your training too.
what i would do is to stop worrying and wait for your course, then if you have questions after the course do a search on here for advice and ask your training provider.
good luck, i'm sure you'll do great on the training! x
the search button is your friend
i was taught that barbicide was for sanitising and not sterilising?
some of the posts on this thread don't half make me ashamed to be mobile :\
do you go to a salon and the owner asks you to sit at an ironing board before starting a treatment on your nails? why are mobile therapists any different?
i have a folding table from argos - not perfect at all but it was the best i could find, i think it's much more sturdy than the mobile mani tables you can buy from your local wholesalers.
do you walk into a salon and see a wall of mis matched polishes that you can buy from your local supermarket/chemist?
i did my training with cnd (think seriously about who you want to train with because some companies you can't purchase products from unless you train with them/do a conversion course and the last thing you want to do after just spending out money is to be spending out even more money)
as for sanitising (not sterilising!) i use mundo file spray, mundo rapid sanitiser, i carry my tools and files in a mundo steri pouch,pink sanitiser for hands, green sanitiser for feet, mundo wipes for pedi bowl/table/chairs, i use the pedi bowl that has the disposable liners in and towels are my own as i think it's wrong to expect a client to provide numerous towels and i don't want to potentially ruin them by spilling something on them - though i am looking at disposable towels because i'm not digging having clients skin yuckies in a bag in my car boot. your training provider will go over all the methods of sanitising and sterilising with you.
as for being mobile and working it around the kids then that was my idea but it just doesn't work out like that at all. you spend so much time driving back and forth, setting up/packing away etc that it's not something you can do when you have a spare hour kwim? you should have a long and hard think before you commit yourself to being mobile, it's hard and tiring dragging around all your equipment and setting up for every client.
'essential tools' for a manicure will be told to you when you do your training so there's no need to worry about things like that right now. record cards/aftercare/insurance are all things your training provider will cover when you do your training too.
what i would do is to stop worrying and wait for your course, then if you have questions after the course do a search on here for advice and ask your training provider.
good luck, i'm sure you'll do great on the training! x
Thank you so much for your reply.
Please trust me when I say I've been extremely polite here as I would expect everyone to be to me, but as for which bits of advice I am taking on board and am not, I am using my judgement
You are of course right about stoppign worrying, unfortunately it's my personality and I'm the same in all areas of life, but of course, its a total waste of time to worry about things like this! I suppose it's just helped writing it all down. I've spent hours searching on here, literally hours and absorbing all sorts of info, but I think I just needed to spill out the mess in my head if that makes any sense because there were so many questions, and then when seraching there were so many different topics with so many replies, I was even getting bogged down in searching. I thought it would be helpful to have one thread with it all in!
Thank you very much for all your advice. It's going to be a long time before I'm doing any work to speak of and I will only be doing weekends and evenings for now... well for along time actually! I also don't plan to build up anything more than a couple of clients a week to practice on for the next year at least... then I will rethink my plans. Does that make sense? Do you think that sounds unrealistic?
Thanks very much for your reply. It is very much appreciated.
Vetty
Lost and happy geek!
Without wishing to sound argumentative, it does work like that for me...... I work 9am to 3pm Monday to Friday and from 6:30pm Monday to Wednesday - all mobile. I also do the school run both ends of the day and have my weekends free.
I don't see mobile as 'dragging round all my equipment', I see it as providing a professional service in the comfort of my clients own house. I've been mobile for 6 years now, so not in my first flush of naive enthusiasm!!! I love being out and about, having my clients comfortable and relaxed in their own environment as well as having a workplace outside of my own home......
It works for some and not others - just wanted to add some balance!
MissConfused
Well-Known Member
it's so encouraging to hear stories like that!! the majority of therapists i have spoken to who are mobile have all said the same thing as what i think that they hate it and it's just not enjoyable, one therapist i spoke to said it was great and the best thing she ever did and within 2 months of saying that she'd started renting back her old treatment room because she just couldn't put up with it any more LOL so it's certainly nice to know the other side exists, that it's not all doom and gloom in the mobile beauty world!
i must say carrying a table, chair and nail products/equipment is such a treat compared to carrying a treatment bed hahai agree, it is nice that clients can relax after having a treatment and there's no need to worry about smudges or concentration due to feeling so relaxed. i too provide a professional service... after i've finished dragging all my equipment from the car to the clients home
the point i was trying to make about being mobile was that it's not the kind of thing you can just fit in when you have a spare hour with all the preparing and getting to the client etc kwim? x
MissOwen
Well-Known Member
It works for me too. Adapting my working hours to fit around my family doesnt mean me fitting in the odd hour here and there. It is just more suited to mobile work to be able to offer unusual hours. I wouldnt be able to have the general 9-5 sort of hours that would be required to rent a room or work in a salon. This doesnt mean i cant do a 35 + hr week.
Mobile work isnt for everyone. Its hard work and takes a certain system to try and organise clients in a similar area together to make travelling easier and i think you either love it or hate it. You wont really know until you try.
Going in with your eyes open and knowing what to expect will save any shocks though and i think this sort of thread really helps those considering it to see the ups and downs of mobile work :green:
bigtallblonde
Member
Hiya
Can I ask where you got your fold up table from please?
Can I ask where you got your fold up table from please?
purpleivy
Well-Known Member
I guess if you only do mobile it's easier, but I generally work at home. The odd time I've been out to someone I've found heaving the couch in and out of the car a faff and forgotten some vital piece of equipment!
When a couch is described as portable, it means it folds and has a handle, not that you can actually lift it in and out of anywhere!
When a couch is described as portable, it means it folds and has a handle, not that you can actually lift it in and out of anywhere!
