My situation is unique since I always work alone and go straight to my clients, but I feel like there are far more pros than cons for my work/family situation.
Pros:
- I set my own schedule completely around my family and without a brick and mortar shop, no one even knows is I'm taking a day off
- I am responsible for my own equipment and no one else's (when I was in a salon, I was always told I wasn't doing enough even though I had hardly any clients to start and did nothing but wash everyone else's towels and capes and colour bowls all the time)
- I have no rent to pay for a shop or a chair, which really helped me during all the shut downs the last year and a half
- since I go straight to my clients, I feel very strongly that I'm making a big difference for people who otherwise wouldn't be able to have their hair done due to mobility issues, not knowing what to do with the kids while they get their hair done, or recently, those fearing public spaces during the pandemic
Cons:
- Being on my own means needing to do my own hair myself or finding another salon to visit, and not having another professional around to consult on trickier cases
- I have a lot of equipment to bring with me... I use a FatMax rolling tool box and two medium sized totes (from Thirty-One) to carry most of it, plus I have a smaller tote for perms, a plastic box with my rollers, and a portable hood dryer that I occasionally need. I try to bring only what I know I'll need for a particular appointment, but the toolbox has my clippers, irons, hairdryer, brushes, scissors, styling products, etc. and so I often just bring that whole thing rather than moving things back and forth in the totes.
