I think it was about a year for me but I spent a lot of money taking on Dermalogica and Im a sucker for buying things I don't actually need so when I should of been putting money to one side I was blowing it on expensive things that just weren't necessary !!

I also rented a room in a hair salon so not quite the same as a salon.

Its also worth noteing that if you have a lot of competition then it will know doubt be harder than if there were only a couple of salons in your area. A girl I went to college with opened up a salon in a small town with no other salons in the area and she was literally fully booked within a month so it can be done.

I have just read everyones threads and i'm wondering if any of you done anything unique or different.
Im thinking of renting a room or opening my own shop, but i'm trying to come up with something different to set me aside from everyone else.
What did you all do to survive and beat the competition????

The only thing I did was to consider the local market, choose products & services to meet their requirements & then deliver them professionally at a reasonable cost. A lot of my clients are wealthy(ish) & of the country set, they aren't interested in dermal fillers, nail extensions, nail art & so forth. I thus chose to offer treatments using high-end plant-based skincare (Decleor), natural nail cultivation (Jessica) as many of them garden, look after their own horses or are artists, and St Tropez for fake tan (especially as I have a number of clients who can't go into the sun due to cancer).

The main trick is to offer something different to the competitors without it becoming a gimmick!

update - its decision time tomorrow, still lots of thoughts going through my mind. all my figures are correct, the girl who will be my partner runs a salon already so i am totally aware of everything. some of your costs mentioned must be for larger salons with staff etc. I'm 90% sure that if we can get a deal with the rental then we are going to go for it. the location of the premises is just fantastic and nothing else compares. Lots of reasons for and not many against......in my eyes anyway. Appreciate some of the encouraging comments, and respect the not so positive also, however i really think sometimes you have got to take a chance and just go for it! Wish me luck everyone x

Good luck, hun - I would rather look back on my life and regret the things that I had done, rather than those I hadn't.

How can you tell I am just about to open my day spa, lol...

Take care, MrsMac

I hope we get a post about how your desicion went

I started In aug and since then have been taking a wage which covers my bills etc, and hopefully if everything stays as good as it hap been so far, i will be able to put my wage up to what i had been earning prior to opening up by the end of december. I'm lucky to have a bf who helps me financially which is a big weight of my shoulders. I know if i have a month that i can't take Any money, he will help. Also, i think because i don't have kids, have a mortgage but my flat is rented out so the rent covers it, i just give my bf a bit of money to cover his mortgage and bills etc. I think the later you leave it, the bigger your personal outgoings generally are, So i would take the jump as early as possible. Xxx
Posted via Mobile Device

Hi Kirsty, I know your business partner is your friend, but you must put a business head on and get some advice and a really good contract drawn up by a solicitor. Especially as she has got 3/4 of the business (one and a half salons) and you only have a 1/4 of it.

jes

Thanx martin for the reply!
that is exactly what I am doing at the moment, i'm trying to do as much research as possible to find out exactly what my target market require and if I can find a niche in the market!!!