Renting a Room

[ANNIEGIRL2356]

Hi all, i've been browsing this site for some time now but just registered after qualifying as reflexologist. Now I have the daunting task of drumming up business. I don't fancy working from home for various reasons but I know renting premises will be expensive. Can I pick the brain of you experiences reflexologists, particularly those who have been working from business premises.

What is the going rate for renting a room? I'm going to see a room tomorrow which is within a hairdressing shop in the high street of a reasonably well to do area. It's near a station so plenty of passing commuters and they saidI can advertise in their window. Trouble is I currently have zero clients and I know that to begin with I would probably lose money or just about break even but do you think it would be worth it in the end, do you think it would be possible to build up enough clients to make a profit eventually - the rents over £100 per week. I feel in some ways I may be running before I can walk but at the same time I think I may have a better chance of drumming up more clients in the long run and sometimes you just have to go for it. Your thoughts would be gratefully received.

 

[Little Princess]

Hello and Welcome to HP Squirrel [sm=angel_sm028.gif] [sm=angel_sm030.gif] [sm=angel_sm029.gif]Sorry cannot help you with your query, think it will depend on where you and if you are near town/city centre to how much the rent is.

 

[KeeJacauia]

Hi, I'm in a similar situ and have been looking for a room/ setting up business for a few months now.

I would say, say how the room feels...that's a good indication. I've been to see quite a few and have remained quite picky and decided that I would find a room at the right time for me and my business...

Also, be honest. Say you're just starting out and can you come to an agreement for even just the first month to pay an amount commission for eg based on how much you get from your clients. With a cap on the total amount this could be so that if you're really busy you don't have to pay loads!!!

Go withh your instinct and if in doubt, don't go for it. You'll find the right place in good time!!!

 

[caraohara]

Hi Squirrel
I had a similar problem with room rentingI have paid 25% of my takings and also £5 an hour rent for a block of 4 hours. I wasout of pocket for the second one. Now i am mobile and so much happier. But do go with your gut instinct. I didn't and left to go to another but it has turned out to have been the right move for me.
Check out any noise that you may encounter by being within a hairdressers i.e hairdryers, talking, telephones, staff washing up etc..

 

[SecurityTeam]

Hi Squirrel,|
This is why a lot of therapists are forced to work from home or go mobile. Not that it's a bad thing to do that,but it would be much better to have all your things in one place. Try and do a deal with the clinic or whereever it is that you want the room, maybe offer them a small % at first on just the clients that you do and let them realist that if you can build up your business at their clinic, then the more you do the more they get. This helps with them getting you more clients for you when they ring in. Belinda

 

[owlcroft]

Hi Squirrel - just noticed your post. Did you go for the room in the salon? £100 per week seems very steep, unless you have free access to it 24/7! I used to work from a comp health centre, which had 3 treatmentrooms, and I had one of the rooms one day a week, and this cost me £100 per month - luckily I had a good client base in the town, and was able to pay, but after only a year in operationthey had to shut down (the other therapists were not busy). I now rent a two roomed business unit which works out at £3000 per year. When I first started out 30 years ago, I went part-time doing secretarial work, and built my client base over 4 years before I took the plunge into self-employment!

Good luck in your new career - just don't rush into stuff - chickenlicken had some good advice - check out the working environment and go with how you feel 'inside' and whether you would be happy there.

 

[Gracie]

Hi Squirrel,

I am in exactly he same position. It is really difficult to know what to do for the best! I still need to get my insurance documents through, before I can talk to the therapy centre where I want to work about renting a room. The rental at there is £10 per hr, or £7 if you book 4 hour blocks (which I might try and do eventually as £3 off per hr is pretty good).

Its tricky with weekly rental and I would say, although its only my opinion, its too risky when you're just starting out. I was also given a similar option of renting a room for about the same amount in a beauty salon. It was a great location, with advertising out on the two main streets of Edinburgh, but I just didn't feel I could take it on. I hope to go back there, or somewhere similar, one day with my reguar client base already built up. But for now its going to be room rent by the hour- I just don't have the money to risk consistently making a loss.

Good luck with whatever you decide, and keep us up to date with what happens!

Mel x

 

[Skiperrrr]

I've done room rent by the hour, which was good when I didn't have many clients and percentage of price, which was more expensive, but also good when starting out.

The problem with both those methods is, & certainly with the percentage, you are always paying rent on every treatment. I'm now rentling a room at a fixed rate with the opportunity to do more hours. I know how many treatments I have to do to cover the rent & it's an incentive to build up the business -

(I just hope it works - wish me luck[sm=animal-smiley-021.gif])

FBx

 

[dennisoo]

Thank you all for your replies,appreciated your opinions and experiences. I went to see the room and have spent over a week debating whether to take it or not and have come to the conclusion not to. It was actually £120 per week and although the room wasbigit meant walking through to the back of a hairdressing shop, into their kitchen and upa rather shabby staircase to the room - it also had an outside toilet which isn't the best. Also I would be restricted in the hours I work as they only have one late night a week (close at 8pm), the rest of the week they close at 5.30pm and I wouldn't be able to access the premises out of their business hours. I hope I done the right thing, it was a tough one because it is in a great location but I think it was too much too soon. It isn't really an option to work from home unless it'sclients I know personally as I don't have a suitable area to work from but I may offer a mobile service or look for places that will let me work on commission or pay by the hour - less risky! Thanks again. xx

 

[Devin]

you definetly did the right thing.
it would have to be a palace for it to be worth £120 and restricted hours.

something will come along, and in the meantime, get some cards out and do a few promotional talks. start off with a few mobile treatments and keep your eyes out for another rental.

I rent a room 2 days a week, my intention is to increase to 3 or 4 days but its just not worth increasing yet. I've been there since Oct and took over from another therapist who had been there 7 years and was retiring. I inherited 30 clients (bliss) and have now 70+. But still not enough work to warrant an extra day.

Little steps squirrel, little steps.