Should i start botox buxiness- help please :)

debtfreebyxmas

Hi guys, my names sarah and i'm seriously contemplating starting a botox business... wondered if anyone else has and how they are finding it. Im a nurse and really struggling to stay in the NHS due to having four little children and the current demands placed on me at work.
I need to change my career so this isnt an either/ or question. Really I am asking if the rewards would outway the 1500 pounds course and 700 pounds annual insurance plus money for marketing etc. Is there anyone who has made a good living from this, I could really do with some hints and tips... please no comments re *botox.. I am looking at this as a business start up, not a plight against natural beauty.
Also would be interested in how people deal with the prescribing of it? Sarah

Wywth

debtfreebyxmas wrote: »

Hi guys, my names sarah and i'm seriously contemplating starting a botox business... wondered if anyone else has and how they are finding it. Im a nurse and really struggling to stay in the NHS due to having four little children and the current demands placed on me at work.
I need to change my career so this isnt an either/ or question. Really I am asking if the rewards would outway the 1500 pounds course and 700 pounds annual insurance plus money for marketing etc. Is there anyone who has made a good living from this, I could really do with some hints and tips... please no comments re *botox.. I am looking at this as a business start up, not a plight against natural beauty.
Also would be interested in how people deal with the prescribing of it? Sarah

Go for it!

Once you've worked for yourself, you won't want to work for anyone else again

Good luck!

Errata

What's the competition like in the geographical area you would like to work in? Have you done any market research? Have you done any costings on premises etc?

debtfreebyxmas

yes I have worked out most costings- this will be a mobile business, treatment in their own homes. The only costings I am unable to actually work out is the mark up, the initial cost of the botox inc delivery. I am in them idst of trying to figure out how many clients i would need to gain back the investment in the course. Competition is pretty mild at present, I do push my ideas 100% once committed.. I just would like to feel a bit more comfortable with this business venture. Has anybody else had experience of this or know someone who has. Is it possible to make more than i do as a nurse?

Errata

Apparently the cost price of a vial to treat three areas is £70, see here
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/48016715#Comment_48016715

steve1980

It's a very specialized market. It's not like an Ann Summers party or a spray tan party.

I think unless you would have a guaranteed stream of "traffic" it's going to be a hard one to do.

Savvy_Sue

debtfreebyxmas wrote: »

Really I am asking if the rewards would outway the 1500 pounds course and 700 pounds annual insurance plus money for marketing etc.

Let's break this down: you're spending £2,200 up front. You'll cover those if you get 22 customers paying £100 per treatment, BUT on top of that you'll have to charge for the botox, and you'll have travel expenses, and presumably equipment expenses - I don't suppose needles are cheap! - and you'll have your time to consider.

So, what are customers prepared to pay? And how many of them are there? If customers will pay £200 per treatment (including botox), and there are lots of them, it's a much better looking sum than if you think they'll only pay £150 per treatment.

But you have to factor in that you presumably don't want to work so much during school holidays, OR you're going to have to pay for some childcare, but it's likely to be a bit seasonal - will customers be OK with that or will the long summer holidays be a problem?

The markup is your call. Too high and you'll price yourself out of the market, too low and you'll go bust. If there's not much competition in your area, have you called around a few less local competitors to find out what they'd charge?

paulwf

Don't forget the grass always looks greener on the other side. As an employee you get to take lots of things for granted, like minimum wage, statutory breaks, sick pay, statutory holiday pay, maternity pay etc.

My main concern would be what happens if you have a child off sick? Do you have guaranteed childcare? The customer has to come first, ALWAYS.

I'm actually quite envious of my employees, they get paid no matter what and if they feel unwell they naturally call in sick. I have to put the business first and everything else comes second and can't afford to be sick.

If you can I'd try and stay in the NHS, I hope something can be worked out

debtfreebyxmas

I am fixed on starting a business, I have been wanting for all of my adult life, I just havnt seemed to have gotten there yet. For me working for myself is the only option eventually. I am struggling at developing a business idea, Botox feels a little uncomfortable to me as the risks of being 'sued' seem quite high. At the end of the day I would be working on somebodys face :eek:. I am after a transitional business, allowing me to leave nursing gradually, botox seemed to fit that. However I dont think I could sell something I wouldnt have myself? I dont know :mad: Any ideas for a good start up? Kind regards Sarah

BlondeHeadOn

I'd check out the insurance you would need to do the Botox business, I assume you would need some kind of Public Liability? This would have to be factored into the costs.

On the other hand, there is a beaity salon locally who use a 'travelling' Botox supplier who comes in two afternoons each week, so this might be an option. This would mean you don't have to pay for marketing etc. and can tap into the customer base of an existing beauty business, although you would presumably have to pay them a percentage for using their facilities. I would've thought this would be an avenue worth checking out though - using their facilities while increasing their range of treatments is a win-win for both of you, I would've thought.

HTH

Savvy_Sue

debtfreebyxmas wrote: »

However I dont think I could sell something I wouldnt have myself?

!!! The thought of having Botox has never crossed my mind, but trust me, I wouldn't trust a practitioner who couldn't hand on heart say "look at me, I've had it, what do you think, would you know?"

I mentioned on another thread - not sure if it was yours - that I know a nurse who does laser (I think) hair removal. That's something which - were I having it done - I'd prefer to use a properly qualified professional rather than someone who's done a few hours training as a beautician. No offence intended to beauticians, I'm not saying the training wouldn't be adequate, BUT the lady I know is sometimes working with people who have medical problems which cause the excess hair, and I think that gives her an advantage when discussing how the treatment works, how many zaps will be needed, what the chances of recurrence are etc. Most importantly, she's honest enough to say whether it's going to help or not, with a decent understanding of the medical problem!

I don't spend a lot on my personal maintenance, but the three things I DO have regularly are a haircut, a massage (and again, my masseuse is a qualified nurse, which is good because I know she knows what NOT to do to my broken bits!) and an underarm wax. If I can get it on offer, I'll have a half leg done at the same time as my pits.