I agree that venturing out on your own is the only way to make any money. Find a place that the rent is reasonable (renting the chair) and walk ins are high. Spend a year there and get a cell phone just for clients. When you get more built up, take your cell phone and business to your ideal place, be it in your home or your own place or stay there if you like. High walk in factor is key. That way your income can be higher while you are building. Nothing is worse than being slow and doing nothing while you starve.
The other is having BCs with your cell phone so clients call YOU to book, even if there is a receptionist. Find a place where you can have your own phone. If they don't want to hear your phone, put it on vibrate and/or answer/return calls between clients. I did all of this and it paid off well. That way they don't book with other people and when you leave that salon, you take your clients 100% of them with you.
I am now in a ONE PERSON salon that I pay rent on. The initial expense was high buying a chair, sink, dryer, fixing it up the way I wanted, etc. but its MY PLACE, my music, everything. I offer clients chocolate and great drinks and my satellite radio plays whatever they want to hear. They have me 1 on 1 and the whole place to themselves. The clients love it and my retention value is higher than any place I've been. My rent is low as I'm on the 2nd floor and share bathroom with other tenants of the building. I pay about 1/2 of what I paid for just one chair at a salon. I have a website, check out what it looks like to have a 1 chair salon (www.flipsalon.com)
I have tried many ideas of giving referral rewards. Referring a said # of clients didn't work. Some clients don't have 3 people to refer, just one. What has worked best is......$10 off your next appt. if you refer anyone! That has been the best one and I've tried just about every trick. Imagine how happy clients are when they go to pay and I say they their bill is $10 less cause they referred their friend, thank you. Works like magic. Good luck!
***Remember, bad times are what motivate us to make good times. I was in a horrible salon before I opened this one for myself. It motivated me to do it otherwise I may still be renting a chair from someone. Its the best thing I ever did and did it at a point where I thought about quitting this profession as well.
------Karla/Flip Salon/Portland, Oregon
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