How To Work For Yourself - Without Overheads

Are you an aesthetics industry owner watching empty chairs, nail stations or treatment rooms and other under-utilised space draining your bottom line?

Are you an industry professional who wants the flexibility to work in a salon, spa or clinic environment but only when and where you choose and without being tied to leases or contracts you may not be able to sustain?

Bringing the trend of shared working spaces to the booming hair and beauty industries, new Australian company Ninyo is turning the traditional rent-a-chair business model on its head.

Connecting freelance professionals with salon, spa and clinic owners looking to rent out their extra space, hair and beauty professionals can book time online in any Ninyo salon with no minimum and pay only for time used. Rentals can be daily, hourly or weekly and there are no leases or contracts.

‘Qualified professionals can register their profile on Ninyo, which provides a personal booking page, their own calendar and online payments direct from their smartphone,’ says founder Danny Bhandari.

‘These listings are free and generate bookings whether the professional is renting space or not.

‘Ninyo users tend to be freelancers, home and mobile operators needing occasional salon use, those using it as a base for a second or part time job, those starting their own business and recent graduates looking to build experience with their own clientele.

‘Salon owners register on Ninyo and set their own days, rates and number of spots available. It is 100 percent free for them to use and many have benefited from having their extra space rented, boosting their revenue without the need for additional employees.’

Ninyo screens hair and beauty professionals for qualifications and experience before providing access to the salon and bookings on the system. All users set their own prices and availability.

Water, electricity, towels, lockers, display space and trolleys are provided. Providers bring their own tools, colours and products.

End customers can also use the site to find hair and beauty professionals.

There are Ninyo salons in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia and they range from small suburban shops to high-end city salons all offering extra chairs, treatments rooms, nail desks and beauty rooms.

‘The Ninyo model is about freedom and flexibility to work where you want, whenever you want and in a manner convenient to professionals and their customers,’ says Danny.

‘We are solving the biggest headaches around expensive real estate, fitouts and getting online. Ninyo provides the salon network and the software professionals need.’

Lisa McDonald, a freelance hair stylist (pictured above), uses the Ninyo salon in Sydney’s Bondi Junction salon (which has six cutting stations, two beauty rooms and a nail desk, and is open seven days) three to four times a week.

She has her own established clients and a recurring salon booking on Ninyo, which handles her payments and invoicing.

‘It gives me complete freedom and control to work with my clients whenever it suits us both,’ Lisa says. ‘I have no lease to worry about but can work any time and day I choose. It’s exactly how rent-a-chair should be.

‘I also have clients in Bathurst, in the central west of NSW, so Danny is looking at adding Ninyo locations there so I can share them on my regular visits.’

Danny Bhandari is previously an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner, as well as a member of the BRW Young Rich list since 2009.

Ninyo is based in Sydney and operates its own salons as well as building software and payment systems for the hair and beauty industry.