Getting Started in the Salon Business
To have a successful salon, there are important factors that will play key roles in your business.
First, you must be secure in your own abilities as a hairdresser. You will be the example that your staff will follow, the educator for your hairdressers, and the backbone in building clientele.
Immediately following your licensure, it's suggested for you to apprentice under someone you admire and learn everything you can; become a sponge. In my first job, the staff used to joke that to find me all you had to do was pick up a pair of shears. This apprenticeship will serve you many times over and will be more important to your career than cosmetology school was.
Your salon's reputation will be built or destroyed by the entire workforce, so it will serve you to keep the educational standards high. You will do some of the educating, while seminars and classes will do the rest.
The owner of any salon is usually the busiest because clients assume they are the best. The income that you bring in will go towards maintaining your start-up business, only earning an income once the salon is established. Building your clientele will be the mainstay of your business,followed by building the salon's clientele.
Second, your overhead will determine how quickly you become profitable. You want to find a reasonably priced space in the best location possible. I recommend starting small and building. Create the image you want within that space through layout and decor, keeping in mind that every square foot is costing you, so use it efficiently.
Thirdly, create a business plan, for this will be your roadmap and will be used to get funding. Within this plan, marketing will be an important factor in building your business. There are ways to market without spending a lot, such as calling your local newspaper for an article on your salon, giving rewards to clients who bring in friends, participating in charity events, or doing hairshows with other local businesses.
Owning your own business is exciting, challenging, and rewarding. Be persistent and you will succeed.
