booth rental

[Diane]

I was wondering if anyone can help me with a few questions that I may have about becoming an independent contracter... Come some one tell me how the whole booth rental thing works. I am currently a commision based stylist who is about to go chair rental and I have not the foggiest idea on how it works. My question is: what should a contract include ie: backbar, products, credit card charges, what is a good asking price on booth rental and so on... so please help out a fellow stylist looking to make it on her own!!! I greatly appreciate it...

[Hairflix Team]

Diane,
I can help you with that. Since you are a member of Hairflix and Hairflix Society, we are here to help, I can send you a copy of a contract that I have developed that will work in most any state. I had a commission salon for over 20 years and switched to booth rental. I now have the largest salon with the most stylists that I have ever had. I know it sound scary at first but you will be more in control of your own business. When you embrace the internet you can gain more new customers and inform your existing clientèle of any location changes with 1 e-mail keeping control over your own customers. Send me you E-mail and I will send you a copy of the contract.Please don't share it with just anyone I usually get $75 for each copy .
Thanks,
Rocco

[Diane]

Rocco,

I certainly do appreciate it. I am scared to death on this transition. I am getting as much info as I can to see what I am facing. Like client tracking, keeping a client list, average prices, how charge cards shouild be handle with landlord and product... My email addi is [e-mail] thanks a billion...

[trenise]

i just became an independent booth renter also. can you please send me a copy of the contract you developed.LikeThe One You Sent To Rocco it would be lots of help.THANK YOU

[Yolanda Russell Gurley]

Thanks alot, my email is [e-mail].

[Phil Stone]

DONT DO IT!!!!!!!!!
I have done this before and it was the worst. Open your own salon, it's cheaper in perspective.
Think of everything you need to run your daily business, now go out and buy it, EVERY WEEK.
Take home a days worth of dirty towels after a 9 hour day in the salon and wash them every night.
You will be charged for a receptionist and credit card charges. The only thing you are renting is a chair and a mirror and a roof over your head and the water you use. There is no team effort in the salon and creative competition is void. Stay on commission and set higher goals for yourself. With commission you can grow faster with half the effort. The overhead in a booth rental scenario will destroy you financially.
If you don't know how it works, dont get into it. I dont trade my own stocks, someone else does it for me.
good luck to ya
yours
phil

[Diane]

Hey Phil, I just started booth rental about a month ago and so far so good. But I do know what your saying about weekly inventory. Majority of my clientele is color and I am forever going to supply house to replenish. However I am a mother of 2 young kids and dont have the kind of time that it needs to open a salon for myself... I was doing commission up until now and turning over a ton of money everyweek to the salon owner. To me to be a successful salon owner you need to put in your own time to make it work, and not to just let other people run it for you because it willnever be ran the way you want it to run... Check back in a few months or so and see where it takes me... I respect all input that I receive. I am always looking to make a better stylist out of myself and value fellow stylist ideas...

[Diane]

Joseph, I took your advice on advertising. I opened up a city search account, and all other kinds of advertising... So far I have not seen that much traffic from it. I did exactly what you said as far as up dating my websites and such. In fact I just got finished ordering up post card mailers and doing target mailing for the slow months. It was a 117.00 value and in my eyes to sets of hilights will pay for it on its own and hopefully word of mouth will grow my business. I too worked for people and lord knows I would be sitting pretty financially if I didnt shell over 1/2 my service sales... I am always looking to grow my business and looking for ways to spread my name. I also know how you felt when everytime you stepped out of the salon you feared your customers were going to be offered another chair. I however am lucky because most of my clients will wait and if they are in dire need they will stray for the moment but most always come back... This business is definately cut throat ( i dont know if I spelt that right) always was and always will be but I love this industry and want to climb lots of ladders and open up tons of doors for myself. Always love the advice. Keep up the great job and if your ever in the apopka area stop in and say hey!!!

[Diane]

thanks i appreciate that!!! got to go get ready and cut some hair!!!

[Yolanda Russell Gurley]

I was wondering if anyone could send my a copy of a booth rental contract. I run a team based pay salon right now and will be switching to booth rental.

[John W. Durham]

Honey I have been in the business for 53 years have owned a number of salons in those years but now I booth Rent.
If you are looking for a contract go to your local state board and see if they have one , in ours state we can get one from our state board. Don't be afraid to try anything in this business especially changing your mode of opperation, booth rental can be very rewarding for the individual, control of your own business, not being imposed on buy others to do what you don't want to do , and as far as team work if you are in a salon that has a number of booth renters you can team with them to do almost any thing you want to do , there goals will almost always be the same as yours. If you watch your p's and q's you can increase your income by as much as 30% with no problem. The one thing I would encourage you to do is find yourself a good accountant and do what he tells you to do . As far as backbar products are concerned get together with another renter and split the cost of the products, We don't accept credit cards or any kind of charges at all we only accept cash or checks , the customers will get use to this quickly and don't be afraid of loosing a customer because you don't offer credit of any sort , if you are going to loose this customer it doesn't matter how you change you operation.
Don't know what to tell you about rental fees but I would check around the area and see what every one else is getting and then see what I could afford based on the amount of money you have been paying ,( the figure I would use would be the 50% that I had been paying ). Good luck honey and remember you don't have anything but success and happyness in yout future. JOHN

[Diane]

Hey Joseph, long time no talk!!! Well it has been almost 8 months since I have went booth rental and so far so freaking good!!! Thank the lord I have stayed busy throughout this crazy economic time. I want you to know that I always value your excellent advice and take it all in each and every time. However I would love to get involve with some of the things you put out there for us as far as photo shoots all the different social gatherings. I guess I need a mentor on teaching me all the new direction that I am striving to go into... I do lots of advertising, go to lots of certifiactaion courses to bring me to a whol new level. So far I am a grand into 2 classes I just finished up and now more than ever am I excited to move up the ladder and hang with the big people . If you can take me under your wing I would really love that!!!

[Diane]

John, Thankyou for your input and would love to tell you that I have been booth rental for almost 8 months now and I do not regret it at all!!! I have been blessed to stay busy thru this difficult time and looking forward to furthering my career in this great industry. Good luck to you as well and lots of best wishes!!! Diane