Seeking advice

[suntan]

Hi all,

Firstly, I apologise if there’s already same topic within the forum.
Secondly, sorry for the long post.

I’d be interested to know your thought on this, so here goes.
I’ve recently decided to set up my own business, so I’m looking for a room to rent within a hair/nail salon.

Just had a viewing , had a chat with the owner. The place was clean and modern, what we discussed sounded good, she seemed flexible, didn’t have any problem with me having my own business name, website etc...except for two things that made me feel cautious.

1. This is a hair salon and they use vegan products. So she said she would like to get the products for me as she wanted them to be vegan and the ones she wanted to get for me were top quality. I pointed out to her that I don’t have a problem with natural products but because I’d be self employed I’d rather be in full control of my business that including the products.
So I suggested some natural, vegan friendly products inc. Eve Taylor and Kaeso
She agreed to check these products out and she’ll get back at me

2. The other thing that made me worry is that she asked if I would be able to do some waxing and other treatments on some client so she could see how I was with them.
When asked why that was, she said she wanted to make sure therapist who was going to provide services there had high standards.

Does anyone hear alarm bells or am I worrying for nothing?
Aren’t they supposed to be just a landlord and let someone work self employed within their salon( within reason, of course)

It’s kinda getting me down as the reason I left my employed therapist job thinking It would be better self employed, being your own boss and choosing your own hours instead of working 8-8 (or very irregular hours staying after 8) and begging for your entitled holiday hours as you weren’t allowed to take that during the busiest
times of year

Thank you for reading all the way through,
much appreciated x

 

[AcidPerm]

Not necessarily a red flag, I think she sounds like a very sensible salon owner.

If you were a responsible salon owner with an interest in ethical products, you’d want to ensure that the people working in your premises share similar values.

Also, she probably wants to check that you’re smart, keen and your work is of a high standard. After all, if you leave the clients disappointed, it will reflect badly on her salon and she’ll be the one having to reimburse unhappy clients out of her own money. There are some quite lazy self employed therapists who cut corners, leave a mess everywhere and are unreliable, cancelling on clients at the last minute because they fancy a day off to go shopping with a mate.

Using the landlord/tenant analogy, if you were renting a house, you’d expect the landlord to want to meet you and check out your references. They won’t necessarily let the property to the first person who enquires.

It actually sounds like potentially a very good place to work because if you turn it around, if the salon and other staff have high standards, it’s a win:win situation all around. Her reputation will help you gain new business.

 

[TheDuchess]

I only have employees in my salon because I had such problems with self employed therapists when I first set up. As well as the problems that AcidPerm mentions I also found that some therapists were self employed because they weren't very good or not properly trained and they couldn't get a job.

The products issue needs to be discussed thoughtfully. Being ethically aware isn't always joined up. Sometimes a brand will prioritise, it's very difficult to be ethically and sustainably sourced, non polluting, plastic aware, organic, carbon neutral AND vegan. You might want to have a conversation about whether there was any flex on vegan products to cater for allergy issues or to support a cruelty free brand with amazing credentials but a bit of beeswax or glycerin from non plant sources in the ingredient list.

 

[Sandiiiiiiii]

It's not personal, she just wants to make sure you are in keeping with her ethos. Don't worry, you will be great!

 

[suntan]

Not necessarily a red flag, I think she sounds like a very sensible salon owner.

If you were a responsible salon owner with an interest in ethical products, you’d want to ensure that the people working in your premises share similar values.

Also, she probably wants to check that you’re smart, keen and your work is of a high standard. After all, if you leave the clients disappointed, it will reflect badly on her salon and she’ll be the one having to reimburse unhappy clients out of her own money. There are some quite lazy self employed therapists who cut corners, leave a mess everywhere and are unreliable, cancelling on clients at the last minute because they fancy a day off to go shopping with a mate.

Using the landlord/tenant analogy, if you were renting a house, you’d expect the landlord to want to meet you and check out your references. They won’t necessarily let the property to the first person who enquires.

It actually sounds like potentially a very good place to work because if you turn it around, if the salon and other staff have high standards, it’s a win:win situation all around. Her reputation will help you gain new business.

Hi AcidPerm, thank you for your reply, it makes it easier when you get other pros opinion.
I guess, reading some horrible situations some members have found themselves in, I've become a bit overcautious when it comes to finding the right environment when I seek for premises, don't want to end up self employed in paper while practically working as an employee.
I don't have a problem with work, I'm a hard grafter, been working several years in spa, where 7+ massages a day was the norm. At the end of the day if you want to run your own business with success, you got to work twice as hard, with even higher level of professionalism

It's just the way she said it, she wanted to buy the products for me with her own money, split on commission, she wants to display and sell some of products to her area upstairs as she sells other stuff as well.
Now, I understand we have to work together and help out each other's business, cross refer etc but I wouldn't want to have blurred lines when it comes to managing my business and money.

 

[suntan]

@TheDuchess I actually support the idea of natural products
something I found a bit odd was that together with hair products they had fur jackets to sell. What I believe to be fake but seems like glamorising fur wear

 

[suntan]

@Sandiiiiiiii thank you, it’s encouraging to know