What, when, how and why - Open a Salon

[dizzydupe]

I thought I'd start a new thread on the Why's etc of opening a salon. So to all you brave souls out there that have made the decision and for those thinking about it, here are some questions I thought of which would be helpful in the thought process:
1. When u started out did u already have a solid client base?
2. Were you previously mobile, working from home or someone else? Why did you want to move up to your own Salon?
3. Did you intend to have add-on services or did you do it some way thru to supplement the nails side?
4. Did u do market research of some sort to determine sales or was it based on a wing and a prayer?
5. Are you hands on yourself and how experienced were you personally when opening?
6. What other skills did you have - financial, managerial, previous salon experience?
7. What was the most stressful part of the whole process?
8. Did you under estimate start up costs?
9. What would you do differently?
10. Has it all been worth it?
Sorry its a bit windy but it might help everyone who's thinking about taking this step including myself! There's nothing better than learning from others.
Thanks
Liz

 

[ginger]

good idea this thread, as you know i am thinking of going out there on my own one day or going into a franchise. i think it would be great to get some tips ideas and general advise from people who have already taken the plunge! xx

 

[Sassy Hassy]

I don't have my own salon, I rented space in the hairdressers I am at, I now rent the first floor, have 2 nail stations, a beauty room and a room for permanent makeup
1. When u started out did u already have a solid client base?
Yes

2. Were you previously mobile, working from home or someone else? Why did you want to move up to your own Salon?
I mainly worked from home, but did some mobile work to, lost most of my mobile clients as they liked the convenience of the mobile service. My business was taking over my house and I wanted to seperate my business and personal life - used to get phone calls at 10pm on a Sunday night from people asking to change theri appointments, my children didn't have freedom of movement in their own house etc

3. Did you intend to have add-on services or did you do it some way thru to supplement the nails side?
Started with just nails, but with the move upstairs have branched out into other areas to vary my day, and offer a wider choice to my clients - I now have Kelly who is a p/t nail tech and beauty therapist.

4. Did u do market research of some sort to determine sales or was it based on a wing and a prayer?
I did a five year business plan, which up until now I had pretty well achieved but business has been its slowest for nearly 2 years so I'm having to review my marketing plan. I wanted a more visual presence in the market place.

5. Are you hands on yourself and how experienced were you personally when opening?
I had been a nail tech for 3 years (1 year in a salon and 2 from home).

6. What other skills did you have - financial, managerial, previous salon experience?
I had managed a Ford Fleet Sales Dept and had to do annual budgets, maintain budget forecasts, gained marketing skills, generate my own client base. I also came from a sound admin background so new how to use a pc so design all my own stationery. I worked for Thomson Directories for 3 months (that's what got me into nails, too stressful and wanted to get out of the rat race) but learned one hell of a lot about advertising and marketing. I had also worked in a nail salon.
I'm a great listener and so when clients said they had had bad experiences from other places I would listen, take note and made sure I didn't do the same.
7. What was the most stressful part of the whole process?
Staring at a diary full of blanks (which is what is happening again since October started, although biz is picking up again now). Not having a regular pay check at the end of the month and so had to completely revise my personal budgetting.
8. Did you under estimate start up costs?
No, my business plan, and profit and loss forecasts covered everything, in fact I over budgetted.
9. What would you do differently?
Get my own premises - which is my next step - rather than rent space. Buy things as and when I needed them rather than thinking that looks good I'll have that and then never use it!!
10. Has it all been worth it?
Most definitely. Now my children are all but grown up I can now dedicate more time and energy back into the business. The nail industry is one of the best to be in, I can honestly say that since doing nails I have NEVER got up in the morning and not wanted to got to work. I love my job.
[/QUOTE]

 

[pinkshell_nails]

Hi there,

This is a good idea, i wish i had read something like this before i started up-!

Ok, here goes.
I was working from home as a nail tech, whilst finishing my level three beauty therapy at college so i had about 2-3 clients per week. That was all the time i had to do nails, what with college, kiddies, and working. All in all i had about 17 clients about 10 of them would have their nails done regular, the others on special occasions. I opened up my salon with my sis-in-law who is a beauty therapist, so we really didnt plan to add on any more services as we offer most of them now anyway, like, waxing,facials,aromatherapy,nail enhancements,nail art, st tropez, smilegems, mani/pedi, indian head just to name a few! We did do market research around other salons in our area, and this is really important. You need to know what others offer, what their prices are, opening times and what their decor was like to enable you to come up with your own ideas. To do this we actually had treatments within other salons, and looked at everything from how we were greeted, the standard of the treatments, little extras, like fruit at the end of the treatment which i thought was a lovely idea.
I was actually in the final month of college for my level 3 beauty when we got our shop, so i only had minimum experience where the beauty was concerned, however i had been qualified for a couple of years as a nail tech, and that is mainly all i do in our salon. I had experience through college doing reception, filing documents, taking calls and ordering, but i didnt have any salon experience, where as my business partner has 10 years beauty experience so we work together. At college we had to do a managerial week so i did learn managerial skills through that.
The most stressful part of opening up was all the work we had to do to the shop prior to opening, and budgeting. We constantly had to count the pennies, and we had so much to do on such a small amount of money!
If i told you how much money we borrowed from the bank to set up, you probably wouldnt believe me! It was'nt as much as you think, and out of that we had to renovate, decorate, buy stock, advertise etc etc. But we were lucky as we had a lot of people who worked free of charge!
I dont think we would have done a single thing differently, it has all worked out really well. You really dont know whether you will be a success or not and it is a big gamble, but you just have to go for it!
It has definately been worth it, the joy of working for yourself is fantastic, it doesnt seem like work at all, if its something you love doing.
A really important thing i would say is always keep a stash of money in your business account, for any times when business isnt the busy, or for emergencies. Through opening up a salon of my own it has enabled me to gain fantastic experience doing nails, and enabled me to become a creative master technician! If anyone is thinking about taking the plunge then i'd definately say go for it!

Michelle

"The Beauty Station"

 

[dizzydupe]

Thanks Michelle and Sarah for sharing your experiences, both very positive ones. You researched and thought through your plans for starting out and they've worked. Interesting point about buying equipment and not using it - I can imagine I'd do that! Well done you! OK, I know there are lots more of you out there, so come on, learning from others is sooo beneficial - good or bad experiences!!
Liz

 

[zaza]

wow what a great thread, i have been mobile for only a few months but know i always want to do this, i would love to open my own salon but will probably give it a few years so i have a good client basis and the experience. so glad this thread came up though cos it has made me want to do it all the more.
thanks
zoe

 

[dazzlingtouch]

Hi,

I have just found this thread and i think it is brilliant. I really want to take the plunge from office work to full time nail tech. There is alot of good information so thought i would bump it back up!!


Love Lisa x x

 

[Sal]

I've also found this thread very informative. For someone like me who is taking their first steps into the nail industry, it gives me confidence to know that with hard work having my own salon or space within a salon is achievable within a few years.

 

[Karren]

Hi Lisa,well done for bumping this one back up hun, i must have missed this first time round and its gonna come in handy now as im starting to look for premises myself.

kx

 

[Karren]

For anyone who missed this thread (like i did the first time !) and wants to contribute - i think this is a great thread and would be very interested in any findings or advice anyone has, who has set up on their own - pro's and cons

Thanks

kx

 

[absolutly fab!]

There was a fab thread some time back in december which had 0ome very construtive advice, sorrY i cant remember who started it. In the process you will allways find someone who will want to offer you something for nothing, and those that will offer you the world and will come up with nothing!!! BEAWARE

 

[Lily]

Hiya,


great thread, i opened my first salon and really outgrew within 12 months thats why i have now moved to bigger premises and its fab!! and all my existing clients have followed me and i have gained loads of new ones too!!!!

I took the plunge and i love it, but be aware of legal costs, they do mount up!!!!!!!!!!

Amanda

 

[RedAdmiral]

I dont own a salon but I did consider it....................

I had originally decided to open my own salon when I moved back to Ireland, I spent the best part of 2003 researching, costing, planning,and pleading family for investments. If they weren't investing then they had to listen to the whole business plan and be objective! My family were not as supportive as I would have liked.

When I actually came over I was here 3 weeks when someone opened up in the town I had planned to be in.........I was down hearted, outraged & envious!!
I realised I didnt have the support or the hard nose that I needed and copped out by getting an office job.

I was asked to work in a tanning shop by the owners brother a couple of months later, I didnt want to but realised that this would be great experience..............and it was!
I'm glad I didnt go full steam ahead as to tell you the truth I'm poorer than I ever thought possible BUT I am sooo happy - the joys of working for yourself!

If you think you can then you can but dont if you have fear in your heart - its as simple as that, some things can only be learnt by experience.

Oh and the buying of things that you like and dont actually need - I am sooo guilty of that (ask my lonely, unused, unsold polish rack!)

Hope this helps

Vannessa

 

[Northern Nails]

this whole thing about being mobile and then owning a salon is bugging me..

Just because you have X amount of clients as a mobile technician doesn't mean that they will automatically still be with you when they have to travel to you.....the whole point and benefit of someone having a mobile nail technician is that the technician goes to the clients house ...this is the service the client want, just because they where there clients when mobile.

if they wanted to go to a salon they would...

i think it is foolish and financially dangerous for anyone who is mobile and has a good clientel to think that these clients will go to there salon.

Being mobile and working in a salon have totally different types of clientel...

 

[angel.tips]

I agree with Mamma totally. It is either one or the other. I am mobile and my clients range from elderly ladies that are not comfortable in a salon environment to mums of young children that would find it impossible to maintain their nails if they had to arrange a salon appointment. In the area that I am in,I have many non standard salons to compete with and being mobile and flexible is a very good tool.

Sorry if I sound negative, that is not my intention and I would love a salon but until the authorities bring in regulations it's not to be.

 

[Northern Nails]

That's right Cathy

There are lots of slaon in my area, so when i qualified i decided to offer somthing different...there are not many mobile's in my area so thats what i did...

I think the secret to success is to be able to offer the client something different... something that isn't flooded in the market.

To be the best..and continually strive to achieve that....

to treat each client as is your business depends on them...at hte end of the day, it actually does!!

Keep upto date with trend and techniques...

Attend a CND course....LOL (or any other)

I am intending to book for the Master's and keep learning

i think nothing should be put down to luck.....but hard graft and you only get out of it what you put in...

If i were to move into a salon i think i would still offer a mobile service to my clients...i don't know?

 

[Nailsinlondon1]

1. When u started out did u already have a solid client base?
I stopped being mobile and became static in a totally different area, so I had to build up from scratch...........hard graft but worth it......

2. Were you previously mobile, working from home or someone else? Why did you want to move up to your own Salon?

1. I choose Salon after mobile for various personal reasons:
2. No chasing after clients or finding they are out when you turn up.....
   [*]Safety aspect for me, my territory, my space, my rules lol..........
   [*]Guarantied perfect set up for doing nails.........Health and safety being the top one ..............
   [*]No pets, no children, no smoking, no eating, no visitors calling, no hang on my hamster needs another carrot...............
   [*]No carting stock and products around the M25.......
   [*]just some of my reasons for going Salon and giving up Mobile.....
   

What mobile did give me was:

1. Experience and good education for running my own business........
2. Great sense of direction and map reading skills........
3. I covered a 20 mile radius in Essex........

3. Did you intend to have add-on services or did you do it some way thru to supplement the nails side?

I only ever have done nails I wouldn't know how to wax a bikini line , if I needed to, or other beauty treatment......All I ever wanted to do was nails, nails and more nails...............I never thought of supplementing my services, never thought I wouldn't earn enough from just doing my nails lol.......I just wanted to be the best in my field and leave the other treatments to the best in their field.........

4. Did u do market research of some sort to determine sales or was it based on a wing and a prayer?

As I went for space renting, the research had already been done lol......City Tanning Shop with lots of people daily through the door......I just had to make them believe that they needed fab nails.......Not as easy as it sounds lol....... I started in the city, before nails where a must have and every day service..........

5. Are you hands on yourself and how experienced were you personally when opening?

Oh yes very hands on, I am the only Nail Technician there, I had 3 years mobile experience behind me......... little did I know, that the real education was yet to come lol.............

Ladies that lunch, PA's in a hurry, Power trip people..........Samantha will know lots about those xxxx

6. What other skills did you have - financial, managerial, previous salon experience?

I can talk the hind legs of a donkey and like a good laugh, that has to be a skill lol........... if not it wants to be....
College Business Course RSA,IT,AAT that helped me in the paper side of things..........

7. What was the most stressful part of the whole process?

Doing my first red varnish, my hands shook so much I thought she was gonna have red knuckles.............
Facing my audience, finding suppliers that didn't leave me in the lurch........

8. Did you under estimate start up costs?

No I actually had some pennies left over......because I could use all my mobile products....opened a business account with the left overs lol..........

9. What would you do differently?
On space renting............... getting a contract immediately.......having proper meetings, their expectations from me and mine from them......take some great legal advise on anything contractual, this is money well spend.... I played it
by ear for a long time and had some sleepless moments...........

10. Has it all been worth it?

Oh heck yes , yes and yes..............I love what I do and looking back, it was the most exciting time of my life, the challenges are still there, but getting over that first year and then actually making money in the second year was the best feeling ever.....But the ride ain't over yet........September 11th was a real eye opener, and the city was in shock and this reflected greatly on a lot of businesses.........it is only just recovering........ a lot of company's moved to lower rented premises, and out of my locality and I lost almost 50% of my business........going from 200 clients on the book to a 100 was a real drop in takings...but a few years down the line............ it's doing brill . So take the rough with the smooth, take your voddy with some orange juice and just do great nails....................

Weigh up the pros and cons for you own unique situation and be guided by that........ What is sauce for the goose could be stuffing for the gander xxxx

 

[*JOANNE*]

wow ruth you are such an inspiration.........i wanna be like you
hugs

 

[absolutly fab!]

what a fantastic thread ruth, well done!