Advice on opening a salon /sideways move

SalonGeek

Help Support SalonGeek:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

liana kay

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2007
Messages
876
Reaction score
22
Location
Bucks
hi ,i left my salon job to become a freelance hairdresser ,but already missing salon atmosphere , but am making quite good money now . I think i want to open my own salon ,but i wonder if i would make better money if i were to go mobile full time . Has anyone had any experiences moving from one to the other ? How did they find it ,did they think it was a mistake? I definately want to start a salon at some point in the future, but am also unsure of initial startup costs - can anyone help?
 
Me - I made the transition from mobile to salon and Im mobile again.

It was a bit of a roller coaster ride of emotions.

Hand on heart - I wasnt as happy or free when I had the salon - but I was so fed up of driving - and still am!!

The salon was just getting somewhere when I got pregnant - tbh I couldnt pull it back round after that (what with being exhausted and not getting proper maternity leave) I hadnt planned for any of it.

But I have no regrets for setting it up or jacking it in - its the way it was meant to be.

I didnt make the money from the salon but this was beauty not hair and I personally think hair is far more lucrative these days than ever before (long gone are the days of the poor hairdresser thanks to Nicky Clarke)


I understand how you feel - as a mobile I felt like a nobody (still do a bit) but with a salon (albeit skint) I felt like a someone. And the interaction with others is great for us (thats why I love the salon geek - its my work banter lol)

I would have a good think about it - write down what you want from the salon and plan for it. I do believe in business plans. They should be followed to the last detail.

Best of luck.

xx
 
Thanks Pazzy. My kids are 2 and 8 so im not planning to have any more (not until my daughter is a lot lot older anyway) . Ive done it the other way round ive been working in a salon the last 12 years full and part time , and my parents had the kids .Being mobile is better for my parents ,better for me money wise , better for the kids , but im bored and want more (selfish i know )but my little one will be at school in 18 months - my main worries about staying mobile are- that i will have to retire at some point and then i will have hardly any income - if my joints and rsi get any worse ill have to give up hairdressing - having a salon will help solve these problems - but comes with a whole new set of responsobilitys so im really not sure ! ill carry on being mobile for the mo and draw up a rough business plan and do some investigating in the mean time .
I dont know how Tanya in Eastenders does it - she doesnt seem to even have regular babysitters other than Dot ( whos a bit old to be looking after a baby - what if she had a fall )
 
Well I would defnitely advise you go to your local business link. There could be grants available because - you will be employing someone -and you could set up apprenticeship schemes. (all of which you will need)


The other possibility could be to rent a chair - its quite popular up here and you get the salon/mobile in a salon on your terms and over the next few months it will help you to decide if a salon is for you.

There are some great tips on here if you do a search. Print them off - read them. A salon is hard - but has more rewards than being mobile IMO.

Trouble with tv - is they make owning a salon look so easy (I remember someone in family affairs having a lovely nail salon and Jackie Dixon in Brookside just simply walked into her salon and wasnt even a hairdresser!!!)

I think I would wait till your 2 year old is at school - then you can drop them off and get to work. In the meantime you can get everything you need together for the best salon ever. I heard that it can take up to 2 years to find the location of your dreams.

Planning is my favourite - its sticking to the plans I have a problem with .
 


Write your reply...

Latest posts

Back
Top