Setting up a salon?
Have you gone past these points!

1. Are you sure you want to do this?

Opening a salon is not a Childs play. Once you commit to it then there is no looking back. As a salon owner you are not only fulfilling your wish but making so many other people a part of your dream. Giving employment opportunities to your staff, providing business to your vendors, providing service to your clients. Therefore once you decide on this remember you are impacting a lot of other lives too. Therefore, it's important to be aware of the fact that it won't always be a bed of roses, you may have days of joys, mixed with days of stress. There will be overflow & even underflows at times. You must know it needs patience & also some skills to make your way through. Therefore, if you are passionate enough & ready to commit to everything that it brings along with itself. Then congratulations, you have taken your first step ahead to be a salon owner.

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2. Have you done your market research well?

We can't stress enough on the importance of planning. One day you decide to open a salon & the next day you become a salon owner? No, it doesn't work like that. A lot of thought, planning & preparation goes into it. Important decisions are to be made. It can get confusing as there's many points one has to look into. Therefore, doing a complete research is the best bet. Topics like place, staff, service, products, pricing, competition, target audience, etc. are few key points you have to research about. All this will help you decide what & how you want your salon to be. The results from these analyses will help you answer all your questions & help you decide & build on better solutions for your decisions related to important decisions of the salon.

 

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3. Is your plan ready?

Once you have done the research & understood the market, now is the time to get into action - prepare a plan & execute. Plan on every important area that you will have to deal with. A few topics include - branding, customer base, place set up, team, legal formalities, finance, time frame, etc. In this third step of yours, make a decision (at least vague)in your head.  For example related to staff - have a thought about what kind of team you want to build? Who you want to include, how will you hire? etc.

Similarly, for other critical departments (mentioned above) answer to such similar important questions.

Also, there are other points as well that you have to keep in mind like - finding your niche, licensing, permits, documentation, plan B, etc., keep all these points too in your plan.

 

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4. Finalize your stuff. Make your purchases.

Once you have designed all your ideas. It's now time to put them to action. Get your idea into action. Start with finalizing your brand. Finalize your location, build your team, get the staff on board. Finalize with all the categories that were planned till now. From paper now is the time to get it to reality. It is important to keep a checklist of all the important things.

Every choice has its own advantage. You decide & finalize in this very step. Remember your actions may depend on various factors. To name a few - capacity, capability, future growth prospect, scalability, financial budget, etc. 

Topics to finalize on -

Brand - name, logo, sign, color, idea, mission.

Location - do you want to rent it, buy it, choose a main area or a place away from the crowd. 

Design & ambience - colorful, monotone, muted, smell, lighting, sound, etc.

Team - do you want to hire the best, experienced, fresher, full time, part time, manager, do it on your own, do you need an auditor, marketing manager, etc.

Furniture & Equipment - from chairs & tables to desks & appliances. To rent, purchase, or get second hand stuff. Also includes fridge, oven, kettle, coffee machine, etc.

Tools - nail service, hair spa, hair service tools, facial tools, etc.

Products - professional, dealers, sales. etc.

Suppliers - beauty products, pantry, refreshments, tools, cleaning products, etc.

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5. Build your team. 

A team is what can break or make your dream, your business successful. But firstly, lets begin with finding clarity on the fact - Are you going to be an employee too or just the owner? 

Next, a lot of different kinds of people holding expertise in different categories are needed. Not just knowledgeable one, but also creative one, passionate ones, and smart ones. You will have to find a balance. You need a manager who will take care of everything and make sure the daily activities run smoothly. Stylists, beauticians, who shall provide the salon services.

Assistants who shall help with minor work like hair washing, keeping the tools clean, available, etc. Aestheticians, electrologists, massage therapists, etc. if you want to provide these services too. Also, housekeeping staff who shall maintain cleanliness & take care of the salon maintenance. Here you also have to work on the payroll - the salary & wages, the benefits you want to provide them,

 

6. Another important point.

The next step is to also look into these little little different areas of important categories.

So topics may include about the waiting area, snacks for the guests & clients & staff. Do we need a reception? Some modes of entertainment like tv, magazines, etc. Do we provide the service of car parking, smoking areas, etc..

All these may not seem so important to set up a salon, but to build your salon & make a difference, it surely is important.

 

7. Advertising team

In today's time when the world has gone all digital, having or maintaining a  team who promotes & advertise your business & salon is quite crucial. Now it's all about advertising, make sure you have a marketing team who can build your website, build customer relationships, maintain client databases, market campaigns, work promotional activities, maintain the social media pages, keep interacting continuously with the outside world & showcase the salon work too. You have to be seen if you want to grow your business.

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8. Technology or no technology?

Do you want to automate a lot of service? Having management software for maintaining attendance, building data, maintaining financial records, track stock availability, track staff performance, save appointments, automate pay rolls - all this will simplify the process & give information correctly. But it will surely cost a lot of money too.

It is up to you if you want to work manually or go all digital or balance between the two. There's no right or wrong to this. Get deep into technology, use it in the beginning or leverage it slowly - you just have to see what works the best for you.