I don't live in Chicago anymore, so I haven't had to work at 2 salons in a long time. But when I did, the types of services I performed were mainly acrylics & manicures. The types of clientele was slightly different. One salon had more younger, working women while the other salon had some working women mixed with an alternative group of people….drag queens, transexuals & cross dressers. Yep, never a dull moment there!
You just have to do what's right for you in the long run & go where you'll have the most aptitude to build your clientele. But make sure wherever you go that you feel good about working with/for the manager & staff. After being in the business for so long, you surely have some good instincts which will help you decide which salon is right for you. I don't know that resume's are even a requirement for nail techs any more because 9 times out of 10 the salons are so desperate to hire a dedicated nail tech so that their hair stylists can go back to doing what it is they love…doing hair. It's hard for salons to find a tech who's not Vietnamese & wants to work there. You may encounter managers only wanting to hire you if you can bring in a clientele, so be prepared for that. I'd definitely not just walk in unannounced & ask to see the manager, but instead email or phone a week prior to see if they are interested in hiring a tech & then set up an appointment for an interview. Be persistent if you don't hear back from them within 4-5 days & follow up. Interview at several places, too. And a trick I learned way back in the day was to book a polish change at the spa or salon I was thinking I might want to work at. Then as the tech is working on you, casually ask questions about how long they've been there, how many techs they have on staff, do they like working there, etc. etc. If they have no current tech, then book a shampoo/style & ask the same kinds of questions. You can learn SO much by NOT talking. You can see how the staff interacts with each other (is there cattiness or backbiting going on) & you'll discover if they have high turnover rates or not, is the manager difficult to work for, are there problems within the staff, how do they treat their clientele, how do they answer the phone, and so on. What works for me is to pray about it & once I've made a decision, then I act upon it. Hope that helps you some & good luck! Jill W. On Tuesday, November 12, 2013 1:09:02 PM UTC-6, Katherine Fahrig wrote: > > Thank you all for your input. It is all very helpful. > > So how do I do this? Just walk into a salon and ask to speak the the > manager/owner? I seriously haven't done this in 26 years. I applied online > to a large company, haven't heard anything back. > > Should I have a portfolio of my work? My nails done and wearing a business > suit is a given, what else? Should my nails be flashy, long with nail art > or subdued, short French Manicure? I can do whatever kind of nails they > want, long, short, any shape, conservative, dramatic. In my booth rent > salon I wear what I want to sell which is a short to moderate length gel > nail enhancement with gel color because that is what makes the most money > for me, but, in a salon, working for someone else..... I will sell what > they want me to sell. I guess it depends on what that salon's clients want. > The problem is that I have no idea what other salon clients want, I have > been focused 100% on what my clients want. That's why they come to me, they > get exactly what they want. > > I work in a conservative, upscale neighborhood and my clients are > conservative > and upscale. Should I stick with conservative, upscale salons? > > I have 2 or 3 clients who wear their nails long and 3 who wear nail art, > the rest are very conservative. > > I was thinking that I should go to a salon that has an entirely different > clientele to avoid any worries about poaching clients. My intention is not > to steal clients. But, my specialty is very natural looking, conservative, > upscale nails not bold, extra long, dramatic nails. Part of me wants to do > something entirely different, have some fun with longer and more dramatic > nails and part of me thinks that it's best to stick with what has made me > successful in the past. > > I'm thinking that now is a good time to do this, salons may be hiring for > the holiday season. Even if they do not decide to keep me on after the new > year, I will have gotten the experience of working at 2 places and have > more confidence about the situation. Though I can't imangine any salon not > keeping me after they see how great my nails are. ;-) > > So, Jill, how are you doing it? Are you doing the same nails at all salons > or does each salon have a unique clientele? > > Katherine > Nails at Panache > St. Louis, MO > Sent from my iPad > > On Nov 9, 2013, at 12:45 PM, Jill Wright <[email protected] <javascript:>> > wrote: > > When I moved to Chicago with no clientele, I arrived on a Saturday with > all my worldly possessions stuffed into my car. I unpacked, then rested on > Sunday. On Monday I hit the streets looking for a job & by that night I had > 2 of them! > > I worked part time in the mornings at one salon, then had an maybe hour or > so lunch break with time to get to my 2nd job in the afternoon that I > worked until the evening hours. They were only a few blocks apart, which > would've translated into maybe 1+ mile, but I never had clients that would > bounce back & forth to either salon. > > Each salon had its' own distinct flair that catered to a different > clientele, so maybe that's something you can investigate. Possibly working > in a large spa instead of a salon like the one you're in now might be a > solution? > > I worked both those salons for over a year until I built up a larger > clientele at the evening salon & was able to go full time there. You may > find that this happens to you at your new place. Or once you cut your hours > down to 3 days, your existing clients may perceive a greater demand for you > & you'll find yourself getting busier there. > > You also are under no obligation to reveal to either set of clients where > you spend your time on the days you're not working in each salon. If they > ask, you can say something like "Oh, I keep busy" & then change the > subject. > > A few years ago I had a wave of disappearing clients….moving away, > retiring, lost jobs, couldn't afford nails, etc. & I immediately started > hustling for new ones. I talked to each of my clients as I was doing their > nails, humbled myself by revealing the situation was looking dire & asked > them to refer their friends, family or co-workers to me. Sometimes all it > takes is asking. They were surprised because they always thought I was so > busy that I'd turn away new clients, so none of them were talking me up! > Things turned around & now I'm as busy as I want to be. > > But I made sure they know that I never turn away new clients. Sometimes > they may have to be on a waiting list, but I never will get to the point > where I brag that "I'm not taking new clients". I believe that it > eventually leads to a declining clientele, as anyone who's been in business > for over 2 decades like us knows….clients die, change jobs, move away, lose > jobs, cannot afford nails & give up their nails for a myriad of other > reasons. If you're not taking new clients, then your client base gradually > shrinks, which means your income shrinks, too. You always need the > lifeblood of new clients to keep things moving forward. > > Hope this helps a little & keep us posted on how things turn out! > > > Sincerely, > > Jill Wright > Event Coordinator & Nail Tech > www.nailtechevent.com > > > > On Friday, November 8, 2013 4:00:07 PM UTC-6, Katherine Fahrig wrote: >> >> Hey Techies, >> >> I am heavy hearted. I've been doing nails for 27 years and I still love >> it. I rent booth space in a small salon, off the beaten path. We do not get >> many walk ins so, as my clientele has aged or moved away I am not gaining >> enough clients to stay busy. I've tried referral programs, online booking, >> Facebook, etc.. I'm thinking that the only thing I haven't tried is >> "location". I prefer the work environment at the no drama little salon >> where I currently booth rent, but, I'm not building my business here. I'm >> thinking that I should cut my hours to 3 days a week and work at a busier >> salon 2 days a week. >> How would I accomplish this and is it a good idea? Is anyone else working >> at 2 salons at the same time? How does that work? Should I apply to work at >> a salon more than 5 miles away from my current salon to avoid any concerns >> that the salon owner might have about steeling clients away from the salon? >> I live 14 miles away from the booth rent salon, I could apply to salons in >> my neighborhood. I have several clients who live within 5 miles of my home. >> They drive the 14 miles to come to me. I would not want them to start >> coming to me at the new salon where I will be paid commission or salary. I >> make more money off of them if they come to my booth rent salon. How would >> I deal with that situation? Wouldn't the salon want me to bring new clients >> to their salon or would they hire me without bring any clients with me? >> I've booth rented for 26 years, I've interviewed salon owners not the other >> way around. I don't know how to do this. >> Thoughts? Opinions? >> >> Katherine >> Missouri >> > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "NailTech" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected] <javascript:>. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]<javascript:> > . > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nailtech. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "NailTech" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. 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