Cash & Carry is a restaurant supply place... I believe it is part of a grocer's chain of distribution... Google it. See what you find. I know they are in Florida, my friends with a coffee shop go to one to get their stuff, so they are definitely nationwide. And no membership fee!! United Grocers maybe... Associated Grocers... something like that. I'll look next time I go if you don't find anything... And absolutely ask the one you know! Good place to start, and like I said, it's free for them so tough to say no!! Good luck!
--- On Thu, 1/22/09, Caralyn Brown <[email protected]> wrote: From: Caralyn Brown <[email protected]> Subject: NailTech:: Re: Just don't get it/building biz/donations To: [email protected] Date: Thursday, January 22, 2009, 10:44 PM Is Cash n Carry like a Sam's Club or Costco? We definately don't have them in the Dixie. And not so many coffee shops but a few. One of my son's friends family owns one maybe they would be interested. Wouldn't hurt to ask. Could even put on there that if they bring in the sleeve that they get $5 off a service.. Caralyn Brown 20 Digits Nail Spa PersoNAILized care for your 20 Digits Bartlett (Memphis) TN [email protected] 20digitsnailspa.com From: Michelle Cordes <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, January 23, 2009 12:20:05 AM Subject: NailTech:: Re: Just don't get it/building biz/donations Well, I wish I could take credit for the idea, but it came from the owners of the salon I work in. They did it before, and it worked good, but I'm not sure why they haven't done it since. Hmmm. Not sure. I've been at it for a few months now. But anyhoo, my thinking was people who spend money on coffees still have money for niceities in their budget, they care enough about quality to go to a little coffee operation, and obviously support the small businesses. Of course, I am in WA where there is a dang coffee place on every corner it seems! (LOL) I get my sleeves from Cash & Carry. They are about $14 a box for the bumpy ones and $18 a box for the smooth ones. The bumpy ones are nicer for the customers to use, but the smooth ones are easier to put the labels on, so you decide. They are 500 to a box. I buy the labels from Wal Mart (they seem to be the cheapest place). They are Avery 8160. Here they are like $7 something for 750. I buy 2 packs and that gets me 3 boxes worth of labels! I make the labels in Word and print them out on the 'ol HP printer. It is a PITA when you first start doing them, but eventually you get a routine down. And I make my kid stick them on too... slave labor!!! Depending on how busy the coffee place is, a box of sleeves will last them like a month around here. So I am a constant label-applying factory!! :) Good luck with it!!! (I'm SO smiling that I got a compliment from Athena!!! You are my hero, Athena!!) Michelle Cordes Bremerton, WA --- On Thu, 1/22/09, Caralyn Brown <[email protected]> wrote: From: Caralyn Brown <[email protected]> Subject: NailTech:: Re: Just don't get it/building biz/donations To: [email protected] Date: Thursday, January 22, 2009, 10:01 PM Thanks Michelle!!! I like that Idea Coffee Sleeves.. If you don't mind where did you purchase them from??? I like ideas like that Thinking way out of the box!!! Great one!! Caralyn Brown 20 Digits Nail Spa PersoNAILized care for your 20 Digits Bartlett (Memphis) TN [email protected] 20digitsnailspa.com From: Michelle Cordes <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2009 11:39:49 PM Subject: NailTech:: Re: Just don't get it/building biz/donations Caralyn, In response to your question... I think Diana would agree with me on what I am about to say... Don't look at the direct response to those things. Of the clients you listed who came in, say ten or so, did any of them stay with you? Do the math... for me, my wages average out at $30 per hour. At every 2 weeks, that means EACH client gives me $780 per year. So if even one of those clients stayed with you for one year, you made money. Now, look at your clientele. List them all on a piece of paper... try to remember where each of them came from. Was one referred by a teacher? Was one of them the cousin of the girl who came in on a gift certificate 2 years ago? I think what Diana was trying to say is that all the exposure builds your business even if you don't see it DIRECTLY. It has been my experience also that is true. My clientele is so intertwined it's not even funny... and when I get new clients, they eventually bring a few friends in over time, so even when the original client moves on, the people they brought in are still with me... The very first month I was a nail tech, I gave 2 full set GC's out to an elementary school silent auction. They were never redeemed. But 2 weeks later, I put flyers in every newspaper box in a 5 mile radius of my salon. A client came in on the special on the flyer... because she saw my name on the GC's at the school where she worked! 12 years later she is still my client... That means Debbie has given me almost $10,000 in that time!! So would I say that advertising was worth it? Absolutely. And people she knows (4 of them I think) still come to the salon on her original referral... they don't go to me, but that's because I couldn't take them by the time they got to me. And over the years, I have done probably a dozen of her friends for awhile... I think you are getting what I mean. Famous folks always say there is no such thing as bad publicity... any publicity is good, it means you are being talked about! Just make sure that as much of it is good that you can... :) I currently have made ads on address labels and put them on coffee sleeves, then take the sleeves to local coffee stands to use. They're happy 'cause the sleeves are free for them, and I get my name out. Costs me about $22 for 500 sleeves... and I am the only one really getting new business at the salon right now, so it's working... both directly and indirectly. Just an example... Keep it up girlie! You'll get it... Michelle Cordes Bremerton, WA --- On Thu, 1/22/09, Caralyn Brown <[email protected]> wrote: From: Caralyn Brown <[email protected]> Subject: NailTech:: Re: Just don't get it/building biz/donations To: [email protected] Date: Thursday, January 22, 2009, 7:56 PM I have given $700 worth of GC's to the local PBS station here and only 2 of those GC's were redeemed. I have given GC's to the local college for their employees's christmas giveaways 3 years in a row. No one. I offere the local school system 20% off all services. 6 people came in out of 5000 employees. I am literally giving away the "store". No response. I put really great magnets on my car to advertise my nail spa. 2 people. And now I have permanent scratches where the magnets where? So actually that has cost me big time.. I have given out almost 1000 "Digit Dollars" and I got back $50 to $75 worth of them. I sent out 3000 post cards to "new residents" in the surrounding areas giving them a free manicure and parrafin treat. I sent out 1000 post cards to newly engaged women giving them free manicures for them and their wedding parties if they got pedicures. And free manicures for the grooms. I don't have the ready cash to invest in advertising. Clipper magazine that goes out once every 3 months $900 full page, $600 half page, $300 quarter page if they have others that want quarter pages. Bartlett Times $200 for an add that runs once a week in a small community newspaper. So what am I doing wrong? Someone please tell me!!!! Cuz this is really difficult. Caralyn Brown 20 Digits Nail Spa PersoNAILized care for your 20 Digits Bartlett (Memphis) TN [email protected] 20digitsnailspa.com From: Diana Bonn <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2009 7:33:38 PM Subject: NailTech:: Re: Just don't get it/building biz/donations WOW, love these debates. We all have different ideas. Maybe it is the area of country we are in, or maybe we started building eons ago. Things are different now. But what is not different is we all agree we have to get our names out there. So for those of you out there that disagree, how would you get new clients to a stylist/tech with zero clientele? What can you do to convince someone to come to you vs. the salon down the road if you have zero clients? My theory of touching as many people as possible (free or not) to get clients in, It always worked in this area. Always. As for control issues, I really don't care how they build their biz. But when they keep telling US the things I listed, it gets to the point, I just don't get it. I will say 2 of them do come and and stay all day waiting for walk-ins. The one, kind of part time. I think Simmy hit the nail on the head for me, just different out there. Just frustrating because so many get out of school and just don't get it, and they drop out of the business. the reason salon owners are begging for nail techs. diana from indiana who appreciates all the different points of view!!!! --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "NailTech" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/NailTech?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
