Beauty Salon

[KitKat]

Hi Everyone

I'm new to this forum and found out about it from a friend it looks like it could help me out quite a bit :P

I am working as a beauty therapist at the minute in melbourne and I am hoping to open my own salon in the next year or so can anyone give me any advice as to where to start when opening something like this??

Thanks!! :P

[wiiman]

Well I have never been in cosmetics but from hearing a couple success stories about the field I think your best advertisers will probably be your friends and relatives. Give them free service and if it is exceptional you know what people will ask for...."who is your stylist".

[KitKat]

yea I think I might start small and not open a salon straight away, I will maybe to some house calls and use word of mouth to promote my services.

Maybe once I have enough clients then ill look into opening a proper salon!

Thanks for your help :P

[wiiman]

That is probably the best bet. I heard about this one family that started a beauty salon outside their home in NYC. It was grossing 500K a year until Uncle Sam shut it down cause they were not certified cosmetologists.

Also if you can develop your own line of products it would help greatly.

[Slade]

Yea good idea KitKat! that way you can develop your business and marketing skills a bit more, as well as still reatining the income you are currently getting so you can move easily into your own business.. everybodys dream situation!

[crackers]

I think the first thing you need to assure is that you have clients who are willing to stick with you when you start your own salon. That way you will have a existing customer base and business...

Also use them as market research :)

[fred333]

That is a great suggestion. I would also look at the competition in the area and offer things they do not. Like refreshments or spa treatments to keep you saloon above the rest.

[itycoon]

Another thing you might think of doing is targeting specific businesses. That can greatly help.

[KitKat]

Thanks everyone, so many great suggestions =)

I have started to buy my equipment and I already have a few clients who want me, so at this stage I will just be doing house calls. I already have about 10 clients so it should be good.

Ill see where I am in about 6 months and then look at opening a salon

Do you think I should start a webpage for my business?

[The Profit Frog]

Kitkat,
A webpage for your business will only serve a purpose if you can direct traffic to it, that traffic is only valuable to you if they can come into your salon or are in your serviceable area.
That said, I highly recommend them because a good webpage or site will serve you in many ways:
It is a 24/7/365 sales person... with the right words it will help any of your potential customers understand why they should call you and not your competitor.
The site can offer free stuff - coupons, special discounts, whatever you want to offer - that will persuade people to do business with you.
Depending on your goals for how big your salon will be, you may want to have a newsletter on the site that has visitors sign up, so you can market to them later.
You can then look at how you can use internet marketing and ecommerce to develop a second source of income ie selling products or services via your site that work toward establishing your reputation and credibility in the marketplace.

Web pages need to reflect what your salon is about so you want your business logos on the site, and you want just a nice site that is plain, clean, easy to navigate and user-friendly.
Forget flashy sites that take forever to download - people are less likely to stick around and prefer instant information in sites that open quickly.

I would, personally, recommend that you set up a site, because when you hand out business cards, you can have the site URL on them, and people can check out the site, see the freebies or newsletter, sign up and you instantly have an extra database of potential clients.

You can have the site optimised through SEO and SEM to ensure that it reflects searches for salon services in your area.

Good luck.
Terri
Professional Copywriting Services - Freelance Direct Response - Copywriter Professional Writing Services Freelance Web Copy Direct Copy Marketing (http://www.twohandsdancing.com)

[KitKat]

Thanks for the info Two hands Dancing, some very valuable help!

[pmina]

Hi, well I am a salon owner currently looking to sell my salon on Lygon Street Carlton Melbourne. I am getting married later this year and after 7 years of owning the salon I am ready to have a honeymoon and start a family!!! If you are ready run your own show, without starting a salon from scratch, email me! Otherwise definatly keep building your clientelle- its amazing how loyal your customers will be if they are happy with your service and will follow you wherever you go!

[Barbaragabogrecan]

Wow! It’s a good idea but first of all you have to search places where you think you can get more and more profit. Then you’ll start the business over there.

[Paul Baker]

Hi KitKat

This is a common high growth area in the business world. As a small business consultant I see a high number of beauty services, masseurs, lawn mowing, and handyman business owners wanting to use these skills to open a business.

The areas that you will have to research for your business to survive past the first 3 months is;

How many other beauty services businesses are in your area {there will be lots just like you, working from home with little advertising so they will be hard to find} but you need to know about them.
How much is the average price you can charge to stay competitive
Do you have your Public Liability insurance [and product insurance if you make creams etc] to avoid losing all your personal assets and valuables. For beauty services this can cost $1,200 per year.
Do you have the required Certificates and Qualifications to run a Beauty Services business.
How will you advertise to get more customers than just your friends. On average a new business needs to spend $2,000 to $5,000 on advertising.
Business owners often fail to take account of the cost of using your car for business. Average costs to use a vehicle for business is $3,000 per year [not counting petrol or purchase costs]. Make sure you work out the cost to get a clients house and back again for your prices.
Also using your car for business now makes it a workplace and and involves OHS Act if any accidents, smoking, or traffic offences.
Before you invest too much money into your business, you need to do a Business Feasibility test to see if your business idea can work.

I see too many beauty services start and fail within 3 months because they failed to do some research into the business.

[Barbaragabogrecan]

You have taken the right decision to start your own but you first try to do survey and then decide which the best one is. All the best :)

[brucecaine]

Yea good idea KitKat! that way you can formulate your business and marketing skills a moment more, as well as still reatining the financial gain you are presently getting so you can motion well into your own business.. everybody dream position!