Calling all Nail Technicians.....

Okay so here is my BRIGHT IDEA....Well DH's actually.....

I am thinking of starting a home business once the lil one is here and the one thing that really interests me is doing nails. I have always wanted to be a hairdresser or beauty technician.

You always hear about these women that work out of home and make a killing from it so I was wanting to know if you ladies think it is a good idea and if its worth it??

I would have to do a course which costs around $900 and then buy the kit which is $480.

Please let me know what you think about my little venture that I might take!!

I think it's a great idea!
I do mine myself, & have thought about it too, but I just don't have the time with 5 kids anymore!!
Good luck with it, nail tech's are always busy, especially once all the locals know, you'll be flat out.

So you think it is worth it Jo??? I just don't like taking ventures that cost so much out of my pocket.....

Hey Amelia,

I was ready to do it prior to bubs being here, but finance wouldnt allow it, i do plan to do the nail course once bubs is here, and either (preferably) work from home or work in a shop.
I think its a great idea, the ability to work your own hours, work around yours and bubs needs and be doing something you really enjoy, and in return have an adult outlet where you are able to talk to adults rather then just a baby and earn money in the mean time.

The course im looking at doin is costing me $1200, including the kit, its a 10day f/t course.
Lucky me though MIL's friend has all the equiptment to set me up once i've done the course, as her neice did the course and she paid for all the stuff (table, electric file etc about $2-3000 worth), and then decided not to go through with it, so its sitting there doing nothing, so she is willing to give it to me for free. So im pretty lucky there...
You can start off small, i looked when i first investigated, and you can pick up some bargins online, just keep an eye out and ask around, even ask the place your doing your course at where you can pick up items to help you out.......

Go for it I say..........Goodluck

Yeah Naomi, I am getting some equipment from my best mates mum cause she does it on the side on weekends.

Hey Amelia... as a therapist for 14 years, I'll give you my 2 cents & advice. I don't want to scare you with some of the things I'm going to say - I just want you to go into things with your eyes wide open.

- any work from home venture usually needs approval from council - otherwise they can close you down and fine you big time.
- any beauty treatments (including nails) will need a health permit to do it - especially at home.
- you will need insurance (if a clients nail became infected - they could sue you).
- the acrylic fumes can be really intense, so I wouldn't consider doing it while you are breastfeeding. And when you're not bf, I would ensure you have a really good exhaust system to remove fumes
- apart from set up costs, there are other costs like advertising, business cards, GST & income tax, accounting etc.
- you can probably get away without charging & registering for GST as you wouldn't be earning too much - but then you can't claim any GST from the things you purchase.
- ensure you do a course at a really reputable school/uni (ideally TAFE/govt run schools). I have seen so many people do cheap (and expensive) courses and couldn't do a set of nails if their life depended on it.

Okay - thats the scary stuff over with...
- If you were considering doing nails, I would also suggest doing a waxing course. A really good nail tech can do a set of nails in about an hour (a newly trained could take around 2 hours). You might earn about $50 for that. But with waxing you could do two brazillian waxes in an hour and get $60-$80 - with no fumes and fairly minimal equipment. You would need a room with a wax bed, 2 wax pots and floor protection from the wax (as well as lot of little things). Just an idea. It's a lot easier to learn waxing then to get really good at acrylic nails.

You can get some really good support and advice from Government departments (on phone/internet & in person), and possibly your local council.

You can pick up work at local beauty salons - but they rarely employ nail techs only. You usually have to rent the table space from them. And you have to be really good to be successful. I've given up employing nail techs in my salon. more trouble then it's worth.
And there are so many cheap asian nail salons that pump people in/out using lots of machines. Very hard to compete with those salons now.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. It can be a really hard decision to find home based work - and it is usually expensive to start up anything. I hope that I've given you some useful information that makes you aware of all the things you need to consider.

At the end of the day; you can always do a cheap course, set up without registration/insurance/permits and risk that you never make a mistake, none of your neighbours get annoyed with a 'business' running next to them (or council discover your business somehow), and you don't pay any taxes. But the big word there is RISK. You have to consider whether it's worth taking those risks.

Thanks Jodie, I have thought of all of that.....Besides the permits, I thought of everything else. My mum and I were talking about it the other night and we made a list of everything I will have to set up.

The waxing idea is a good idea as well. Thanks for that.

I am also going to do a course, and set up my own business from home. My husband is building me an office/salon for me, and we are going to start getting permits etc.
Jodie, I think the waxing idea is great. Gives you another avenue.

Great idea girls, I get mine done at a "home salon" and its great, my nail tech is always busy and she does waxing too so her booking sheet is always full. She didnt do much advertising, most of her business was via word of mouth!

best of luck,
Lisa

HI All,

I had the same idea and am currently studying at a great place that caters for adult learning. Jodie is right there are a lot of other things to consider etc My teacher is studying waxing ATM to expand her business opportunities but I guess you need to ask yourself one question "how much do I expect to make'
For me it is simply something to help cover the costs of my animals, if I can earn as little as $50 a week then I am happy. I also have considered the advantages and disadvanages of doing this from home (esp living in the country) and fortunately there are none of those asian salons anywhere near us.
Write down the pro's and con's and what your expectations are of yourself and the business, this way you will see if it will really benefit you.

If you are in Vic and want further details about the school that I am studying with feel free to message me as it is quite flexible in its delivery, but requires a large commitment for homework.

Nae x x

i have wanted to do a nail tech course for years! but when mum and i looked into it, it was about $3000 all up, money i just didnt have, then when i fell pregnant, i really wished id done the course! id also be interested in waxing and body piercing as well. ive been thinking lately that when krystal is at school, i'll get into it, whether i need to do a course, or i can work & learn at the same time...

my best friends sister is a hairdresser, and the salon she worked at had her learning waxing & piercing, but she eventually left as she wanted to concentrate on hair only. ill definitely be looking into it over the next couple of years!

As a beauty therapist and nail tech myself... let me explain a few things.

Jodie is right with the set up costs etc. Council approval also involves the following:
-A salon not attached to the house (ie a room in the house) so a garage, or externally built area.
- A toilet for clients to use, which is not domestic
- Allocated parking for 2 cars
- Disability access (ie no stairs)
- Appropriate fire regulations, ie exit signs, extinguishers, smoke detectors
- Coffee and Refreshment making facilities, for in the case of an emergency you can offer the client water

Thats all I can think of atm.

Also, nail tech gets really boring. I thought I'd be into it, sitting down all day etc, but you really get sick of it. All the dust from filing makes you sneeze if not well ventilated, and also people complain something chronic. Most people don't take care of their nails, and if you don't use a product containing MMA [(which the asian salons do, and it STICKS to your nail like glue!), most trained nail techs use products which do not contain MMA], then people are most likely to get lifting ang nails falling off. They are rough as guts with them, and it doesn't matter how good of a nail tech you are, you will still get lift. And people don't wanna hear about them being rough with them (customer is always right) so they blame you for not doing your job properly. Oh and something else, is you don't make a lot of profit with nails. Equipment and product is VERY expensive. I use a brand which the monomer (liquid) is $150 for 140ml! My nail brush alone is $90. You would probably make about $20-$25 profit for a set of nails, but then you have to add in your time, and equipment costs.

I agree that waxing is a lot more beneficial in money making and time. If you can doa great eyebrow shaping, you can charge $20 for 15 mins work. And wax is relatively cheap, and you can get great massage tables well priced too. I find waxing is in much more higher demand these days, because of the amount of asian nail salons that are hanging around us.A waxing course should only take 2-3 weeks to complete. If you did 3 wax clients a day (most people get more than one thing waxed, plus you learn eyelash tinting too) you could easily make $100-$150, and each waxing job only sets you back $1-2 of product (an assignment I did in beauty school, we had to work out the cost of different brands of product etc), $6 max for a full leg wax, which you spread the wax out thinly, will be more economical.

And don't forget that if you did any course in the beauty industry, family and friends and friends of theirs will come to you also! And if you are good enough, you will get a nice client base forming!

I am going to do this from home when bub comes, as I already have a salon approved by council in Sydney, that I had going before I moved to Brisbane (I'm moving back).

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

All the best

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As a beauty therapist and nail tech myself... let me explain a few things.

Jodie is right with the set up costs etc. Council approval also involves the following:
-A salon not attached to the house (ie a room in the house) so a garage, or externally built area.
- A toilet for clients to use, which is not domestic
- Allocated parking for 2 cars
- Disability access (ie no stairs)
- Appropriate fire regulations, ie exit signs, extinguishers, smoke detectors
- Coffee and Refreshment making facilities, for in the case of an emergency you can offer the client water

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Heya Ladies,

All I can suggest is check with your local council on the requirements for your particular area. Depending on the services you are planning on providing and where you live can greatly effect the requirements. For my trainer all she is required is a sink and a toilet near by (doesn't matter if it is domestic or otherwise) she is just a Nail tech. The more experienced ladies here certainly have thrown some things around that you may not have considered but all of the things mentioned are applicable for everyone and for every trade in the beauty industry.

Use these and guides only and contact your local council, also things vary greatly between city and country

Cheers nae

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Okay so here is my BRIGHT IDEA....Well DH's actually.....

I am thinking of starting a home business once the lil one is here and the one thing that really interests me is doing nails. I have always wanted to be a hairdresser or beauty technician.

You always hear about these women that work out of home and make a killing from it so I was wanting to know if you ladies think it is a good idea and if its worth it??

I would have to do a course which costs around $900 and then buy the kit which is $480.

Please let me know what you think about my little venture that I might take!!

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Just on the council permit stuff, you will need to check with your own Council as the requirements can vary greatly between Councils.