Back To Work with Chloe & Leanne

Chloë: HOME SALON

Hiya Angels, so just a brief introduction about me! As you may already know I’m Chloë (beauty by Chloe May Boyce) and since lockdown I have made some huge business changes. The biggest change I have made is when returning back to work I will no longer be salon and home based. As going forward right now I’m excited to be working solely from home, in my new cabin situated in the back garden. After 6 years of being self employed and paying a rent, I feel like this is the next chapter, what a perfect way to start. 

Leanne: SALON – Self Employed

Heyyy lovelies! I’m sure most of you will know me, but I’m Leanne aka. nailsatbear. I am based in a gorge little hairdressers, I am the only nail tech as everyone else is a hairdresser which is super lovely! I have worked from home in the past, but I love the salon environment and the feeling of having a ‘work family’ and actually leaving the house to go to work. 

1. How are you feeling about returning to work?

Chloë: Honestly, I have mixed emotions. I’m beyond excited to get back doing what I love. To be able to see my clients, and actually have some money in my bank. But on the other hand Lockdown life seems so normal. I love having free time without rushing around, being outside, connecting through NTO  and social media, doing only my own 5 fingers. 

Leanne: Much the same as Chloë, my emotions are very mixed about returning. I’ve found myself worrying a lot about making sure that I have enough time booked out for people and how long things are going to take me when I’m back, but with time we will soon get back into the swing of things and speed back up. It’s going to be so strange having to do a full set of TEN fingers! I’m so excited to be back to ‘normal life’ but lockdown strangely seems so normal now too, wouldn’t it be lovely to have a nice little balance of the 2?

1. What plans have you made to help with your anxiety? 

Chloë: I really struggle with anxiety and through lockdown this has been a subject for me which has been up and down. Being self employed and my own boss, I love having complete control over my diary and set hours. So for the first week when we are able to return, I’m going to focus on booking in regular faces, family and friends, allowing more time for treatments. Rather then throwing myself in the deep end too quickly. 

Leanne: Anxiety is a massive part of my life anyway, so lockdown has only heightened that, especially this last few weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions. I’ve made the decision to only open my diary up to my regulars as a priority, so that I can be settled and organised. Organisation is the key to me being less anxious, but even then I’ll still worry that I’ve forgotten something important! So I’ve been spending a lot of time prepping everything for the return so that it takes some pressure off when our return date is confirmed.

1. Have you made any amendments your treatment menu for returning to work? 

Chloë: Yes! And I’m so excited to announce I will now be offering Elim pedicures from the cabin, after doing my online training. I have also increased some of my prices after watching “boss your salon- with Maddie Cook” available for Gold Members, and removed some treatments which I no longer want to offer. 

Leanne: I haven’t made many changes on my return this time as I did the main bulk of them after the first lockdown. This time, however, I have taken a few treatments off my menu & also added in the option for clients to have a silent service if they suffer with anxiety or just want to chill out with their headphones in whilst I do their nails. 

1. What is your top tip for being your own boss?

Chloë: JUST BE YOU. Don’t compare yourself against anyone else, only yourself. Allow yourself to grow and be the best version you can possibly be of YOU. 

Leanne: Be kind to yourself! Don’t treat yourself in a way that if someone else was your boss and were making you work that way that you would be complaining. We make the decision to be self employed so that we can be in control and live a happier, more free life but often that doesn’t happen because we aren’t good bosses to ourselves. So be a good boss, give yourself time off, charge your worth, set boundaries & stick to them! 

1. What steps do you take to ensure you have a good work/life balance? 

Chloë: This is really difficult, as when you’re running your own business and it’s a job you adore, where do you draw the line? I work out my diary and pencil in set days and hours. 80 percent of the time I do stick to them, but I guess we’re all guilty of adding that extra client in occasionally at the end of your day. 

Leanne: I am still working this all out! But since I started I made the decision to only work 3-4 days a week to allow me time to work on passion projects, myself and spend time with loved ones. I have a booking system which has my set working hours and clients can only book in within that time, which makes it so much easier for me to not sneak in the extras after and end up working until 9pm every night.

1. Who do you turn to the most to support you in your work life?

Chloë: I feel extremely lucky that my best friend is also a beautician who I have worked with for 6 years now, so it’s easy to be able to talk to her when I need support or unsure in situations. Going forward I think I would turn to my NTO family. On the news feed where you can ask questions about clients, reactions or products. I feel so comfortable and confident that one of the girls would be able to help me now if I was ever stuck. 

Leanne: Working in a salon, I have the 4 girls who I work with to lean on, but I wouldn’t say that we are super close friends. Also, with being the only nail tech it can sometimes feel that I don’t have anyone to talk to about Nail stuff, so I am super excited this time for returning to work as I will now have you beautiful lot to talk all things nails to! We really are one big family. 

1. What do you do in your spare time to rest and take care of yourself? 

Chloë: Lockdown has taught me so many lessons, and one I will continue to use is listening to a podcast on a walk with Florence. Podcasts are amazing if you don’t feel like you have the time to sit down and read a book, I’m always so inspired, motivated and positive after listening to one. 

Top recommendations:

Happy Place – Ferne cotton 

Diary of a CEO (I can’t take credit for this, Amy Guy was the one who told me about Steven) 

The Beauty Edit Podcast 

No so much to rest but I do love a workout. Since lockdown I have been working out 5 days a week at home, and honestly I have loved every minute. A workout for me is a reset button for the day. I would typically complete a workout in the morning (whether it being at home or in the gym 5am wake up calls before clients), and then do my journal afterwards while eating breakfast. My journal helps me set goals and be able to express gratitude for the here and now. 

Leanne: Again, much like Chloë, I love a good podcast & I’ve been listening to all of the ones she mentioned too! I also spend a lot of time in the gym as my ‘me time’ fitness is a massive part of my life and that is something which I am super excited to be getting back to! I also LOVE family time, and I can’t wait until we can all be in the same room once again. Family are my everything and allow me to switch off completely and be present. 

We can’t wait to get back to work, let us know on the news feed how you are feeling about your return to work & some things which you plan on keeping in your new routine to take care of yourself! 

Lots of love, Chloë & Leanne xoxo