What you should know before opening your home-based esthetics or nails business

Have you ever wanted to start an esthetics or nail business and work in the comfort of your own home? It sounds great, and the idea of not commuting to and from work does like an excellent idea. On the other hand, do you want to keep your front entrance spotless for all of your clients?

I wanted to share this blog post and write it as a pros and cons list, but a pro for one person can be a con for another. Instead, I will bring up some important things to consider that other industry professionals have shared.

Is a home-based spa studio worth it?

Here are some of the things you should consider when choosing to work from home:

• Noise. Do you plan to work from a space next to 3 kids and 2 barking dogs? How comfortable do you think clients will be with this?

• Accessibility. Is your workspace wheelchair accessible or easy to get to? Do you have to go through the house to get there, or is there a separate entrance?

• Private/work-life balance. Will you have the willpower to shut out your family when it is time to go to work? Or turn off the business phone when you are eating dinner with the kids?

• Equipment. Will you be able to afford the equipment you may need to do your job? Will you need to buy a new desk?

•Product.  Can you afford to invest in an entire product line?  It can be an expensive but necessary start-up cost.

• Concentration. Do you have the willpower to sit at your desk doing paperwork when it is a sunny day, and the beer in the fridge is calling your name?

• Paperwork. Can you be accountable for the paperwork when owning your home-based business? Are you willing to learn how to take care of all of the tax and accounting processes?

• Cleanliness. Are you prepared to clean your space top to bottom, including sidewalks, when needed? Do you know what the rules and regulations are for having a home-based studio?

• Outside world. How will you deal with the lack of stimulation in the outside world when you are inside your house all day long and often all night long too?

• Responsibility. Are you willing to take any responsibility when ANY situation arises?

•Salon or spa insurance. Are you able to get the proper insurance for owning a home-based business?  Some insurance companies may not offer this.

•Licences. Can you get a business license from your town or city?  Some do not allow home-based studios or have very strict rules.

•Marketing. Do you want to be in charge of all your own marketing and promotions?

•Room/house maintenance.  It can be annoying to have to get up a little early to make sure the sidewalk has been swept or to make sure that the handrailing has been secured properly.

These are some important factors to consider when starting your own business.

Working from home can be amazing too!

Now for some of the fun things that I have grown accustomed to from owning my own home-based studio for the past 8 years.

•Complete control of your schedule. I love being able to drop my kids off for school, or taking half a day off to run errands if I need it. Check out my post on time management!

•Time to complete household chores.  If I have a few minutes in between clients I can put super in the oven or swap a load of laundry.

•Educational opportunities.  One of the things I enjoy about working from home is taking any course I want.  It’s perfect if you want to explore adding new services to your menu.

•Client comfort.  Clients love the personalized feeling they get when they come through the door.  They don’t feel rushed through services ar feel like they are just one of 2000 clients.

•Connection to the community.  Neighbours often comment that they like the fact that someone on the street is always home and keeps an eye on the neighbourhood.

•Confilict with other employees.  If someone doesn’t do the laundry or seep the studio store I have no one to blame but myself.

•Complete inventory control.  I worked at a spa before where the owners would let things like nail polish remover run out on a regular basis. It drove me nuts.  I mean, nail polish remover is essential if you do manicures all day long.

•Small write-offs to save money. As a home-based business, I can write off a small portion of my house utilities.

•Client loyalty. My clients are dedicated to me and my business.  I have an extremely high number of repeat and regular clients. They treat me like family.  3 years ago I had surgery and a number of clients took the time off to drop off meals from my family!

•Daycare Savings. Because I worked from home my son could just pop off the school bus and come into the house.  Working from home saved a lot in daycare expenses.

The pros and cons are different for everyone.  My hope is that with this list you will be able to make a better-informed decision.  Working from home is not for everyone.  Perhaps you might want to consider renting a room at a spa or salon.

If you are looking at a really in-depth guide at starting an esthetics business check out this blog post:The practical guide to starting an esthetics business