Magazine for the professional nail industry.
Issue link: http://nailsmag.epubxp.com/i/271273
152 | NAILS MAGAZINE | APRIL 2014 LANDLORD CONFUSION We heard a recurring theme from techs who work as booth renters. Many of their hellish landlord stories involved renting from a landlord/salon owner who didn't understand the distinction between an employee and a booth renter. We heard stories of renters being told they had to sit at the salon and wait for walk-ins. They weren't given keys to the salon. They didn't have access to their client records because the appointments were booked through the front desk. Some were even required to donate services when the business owner sponsored local events. Don't allow yourself to get into a contract that's clouded. Instead, protect yourself — and your business — so you have the best chance of success and a great work environment. If you have questions about the distinction between employees, booth renters, and independent contractors, we recommend these articles: > Independent Contractor Q&A; (www.nailsmag.com/icqa) > Misclassifi cation: The Ultimate Nightmare (www.nailsmag.com/misclassifi cation) > Spin the Wheel! Playing the Classifi cation Game (www.nailsmag.com/classifi cationgame) When Meghan Atwater opened The Nail Spa in Sarasota, Fla., she was delighted with the price of the rent. "I thought it was such a good deal!" she says. "Once I paid for the costs of renovating, my operational costs would be manageable." Atwater paid for a new bathroom, she added a kitchen, and replaced the fl oor. She even covered the cost of adding central air. To Atwater, that was an early warning sign. "I understood covering the expense of internal renovations, but central air was a more permanent addition. I thought the landlord should have covered that expense," she says. Once the renovations were complete, Atwater realized the landlord considered no building maintenance to be within his scope of responsibility. "He paid for nothing. Nothing," says Atwater. She tells the story of doing nails when a strong breeze caught the door and broke it. "He didn't even pay for that, which, in my opinion, was completely his responsibility," she says. Atwater remembers becoming so frustrated, she broke down crying in front of a client. "There really was nothing I could do," says Atwater. "I owed all the money for the renovations, so I couldn't relocate. I really was stuck." Her business was successful enough to pay back her renovations loans and cover the cost of the occasional repairs. Atwater learned from the experience and warned the new owner to get all agreements in writing when she eventually sold her spa. Atwater eventually learned it was her misunderstanding that caused much of her frustration. More often than not, it's the tenant, not the landlord who is responsible for the improvements and repairs. "I had just graduated from school, and my fi rst job was as a booth renter in a larger salon," says Toyia Brown, a nail tech at Sizzlin' Styles in Capital Heights, Md. "The landlord told me she wanted six months' rent up front." Brown didn't know if this was normal or not, but told the landlord she couldn't afford that and they worked out a deal. But the trouble didn't end there. That shady way of doing business came up in subtle ways. "I learned she was lying about me to my coworkers and withholding information about what was going on in the salon," says Brown. After only a couple of months, Brown left that salon, but her troubles didn't end. As a new nail tech, she still had some growing pains, which she experienced when she ignored the next red fl ag… "I answered a legitimate ad from a salon owner who was looking for a nail tech to work as an independent contractor," says Brown. "People warned me he had a bad reputation, but I ignored their warnings." Brown says the man's bad reputation was in regard to his personal life, not his professional one. She thought the two would remain separate. "I chose to not believe the rumors, because I didn't want to judge him based on what someone else said," says Brown. Within only a few weeks, Brown saw another red fl ag that confi rmed she had made a mistake… Rent is too cheap. Landlord wants too much rent upfront. Reputation of the landlord is questionable. n a 0 4 1 4 l a n d l o r d . i n d d 1 5 2 na0414landlord.indd 152 2 / 2 1 / 1 4 3 : 5 4 P M 2/21/14 3:54 PM