Salon or Room Rent? Thoughts please!!

[Glossi]

Hi guys

Im new to posting on the site but have been reading it for ages and love, love , love it! I am a beauty therapist and in the process of starting out on my own - scary biccies......but am totally confused as to whether I should bite the bullet and start my own salon from scratch or simply rent a room in a hairdressers salon. I have been weighing up the pros & cons of each and am just totally confused, obiviously the cost factor in todays climate makes the cheaper option of the hairdressers seem attractive but I am worried that it would isolate clients who dont use that particular salon (as I know I would not be super keen to walk through a salon I dont use to get to the therapist) however the massive start up costs of a salon scare me greatly! I have a meeting with a business advisor next Wednesday and would really love to have a clear image before going to see her, I really appreciate your thoughts!

 

[sknight]

A lot of salons let you use their appointment system, I wouldnt have a problem going in a salon I dont usually use to get a top notch treatment x

 

[tog]

Definitely rent the room first, you can always then think about the salon idea once you've built up your clientele. There are so many more costs when opening a salon compared to starting up renting a room.
Also, have you considered that at least being in a hairdressers you will have a steady flow of customers coming into the salon who will see your new venture, and may wish to book in with you. This will save on your advertising costs.

 

[smcconnell1989]

Hi,
I totally understand how you feel, i was exactly the same 6 months ago. I ended up renting a room as i was too scared to commit to a salon incase it didnt work.. even though it's still setting up on your own it didn't seem as scary renting a room. I've been there for nearly 6 months and i have just started to look for a shop premises as it isn't working out where i am. It's not hell but you know when something just isn't right? The hair salon doesn't operate how i do, they just all work so differntly to me and they are soo noisy! And for me, it just never really feels like my business. Even though it is i just feel over powered by the hair salon as it's just me and my little room.

Obv this may be different for lots of people and i'm sure lots of geeks find it works fine but this is my personal experience. I think it depends on where and who with if you get me.

I'm lucky as i have quite a good clientele so will hopefully be able to manage in a salon but if you havn't really got many clients then that is another reason to think about renting room.

Sorry for rambling, hope i've helped a bit x