New Salon needs Help! Please advise.

[olabecee]

Hi people, just after a bit of advise and help really. I have done a search on here but none specifically answers my question. I have rented a beauty room for quite a while now and I'm about to take on a salon (a shop really) I'm not very good with measurements but the shop is much bigger than a standard double bedroom but its very plain (more like walls). The first issue is I don't really know how to set it up and I can't really see it past a big room. I'll be doing treatments in tanning, nails and beauty and I know I want a reception/waiting area at the front of the shop with probably a wash hand basin. The back room, I visualise having a section made out for private treatments like waxing, spray tanning and stuff and I imagine I would need a kitchen area as well. The landlord is prepared to do what I specify but I really need to know exactly what I want where. (That's one of the main issue----as I can't really decide) so I need any help I can get. My team for the salon is chic, classy and contemporary but still don't kow how to execute this in terms of the setting, and furnishing. Second question is this area is quite populated with beauty and tanning salons and I dont know if its right considering most of my presnt clients might not be coming with me as its quite a way from where I am presently. This new area is also not quite up market so I'm prepared to drop my prices a little to match the area (I don't really want to be the most expensive neither would I want to be perceived as cheap)

Any help would be highly appreciated and if anyone has pictures of their salon I can get ideas from Please feel free to post or let me know where I can view them. Anyone who have been in this situation as well, please could you let me know how you went from this transition? My goal is to start small and see how it goes. Also any other bills that I need to be aware of apart from the rent and business rate?

All contibutions appreciated and sorry for the long questions. Thanks.

Is this a crazy thing to do if I'm having to start building my clients from the scratch?

 

[SJK]

There are a lot of questions there so I'll start with just the last.

It isn't crazy to start your business from scratch with no clients following you BUT it will be hard work and you do need to plan.

Have you done a budget for your first year. You need to assume very little income in the first couple of months and then it will gradually increase. You may not be up to full speed by the end of the first year and you need to know you have the money to cope with this and support yourself during this time.

Have you researched your running costs?

Have you got a figure in mind for the costs of preparing the salon for opening?

How do you plan to advertise yourself? Lynne Baker has a thread on here about promotions and networking. You need to get started before your salon opens to bump up demand.

 

[olabecee]

Thanks for the reply. I'm definately up for not earning in the first year or two. I have done this before when I was building my clientelle from the beauty room. I'm telling my clients already where I intend to move to so hopefully I'll get some of them (atleast). As regards advertisement, I intend to get a website done, some sort of free web listings, leaflet drops, monthly offers or recommend a friend scheme---all I can think of for now. My main issue is the whole set up as it's just one big room---quite different from the beauty room I'm renting in the sense that I did not have to think about the reception / waiting area, the kitchen and so on. I really need to get my imaginative cap on (don't I)
Anyone been in this kind of situation please let me know how you transformed your a four wall to a little gem. Thanks