Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: Starting a business
• Part 2 of 3: Room Design and Hiring Hairdressers
• Part 3 of 3: Managing a Hair Salon

A well-run hairdressing salon can be a profitable business, no matter what the state of the economy is. People are always willing to pay for services they cannot replicate well at home, and hairstyles are at the top of that list. Running a hairdresser is different from just being a hairdresser. You need to register a business, hire staff, attract customers and provide them with good quality services. Read on to learn the basics of starting your own beauty salon.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Starting a business

1. 1 Consider opening a salon from scratch or buying a ready-made one. Starting a hair salon from scratch is a great option if you want a tricky task, but if you want to take less risk, you should buy a ready-made salon. Here is a short list of options:
   • Start a business with a new brand: you need to find a good place, come up with a name, attract customers and start a business without an established clientele loyal to a well-known brand.
   • Open a salon on a franchise basis: choose a network of beauty salons of a brand established in the market and open a new outlet. You must adhere to the principles of the company so that you have less freedom in making business decisions, but you will benefit from operating under a well-known brand name.
   • Buy a Turnkey Salon: If you know a hairdresser whose owners are willing to sell it, buy it and take over. You don't need to look for a new location or purchase equipment. However, it is important to know the reasons the owner is selling their business to make sure you are getting a good deal.
   • Open a salon with job rental: these days, beauty salons are very popular, which rent jobs to hairdressers, and hairdressers themselves bring the equipment they need and bring clients.
2. 2 Study the competition. Pick a few already successful hairdressing salons that have the same target group of clients as yours and analyze what makes them successful and what they fail at. Come there as a client and feel what your visitors will expect from you and how you can provide them with the expected service. You can bring their solutions to your business as well. Give up what doesn't work and focus on what will make you successful.
3. 3 Take care of the official side of your enterprise. The requirements for small businesses are not very different from one legislation to another. For more information on how to legally open your own hairdresser, visit the tax office or check out the Business Council website. Here are some points you may encounter:
   • Obtaining a license. To legally start your business, you may need a permit from the city where you live. Check your local Administration or Small and Medium Business Administration website to find out how and where you can obtain a license. You will need to fill out all the required paperwork and pay the costs associated with purchasing a license.
4. 4 Get a TIN (Tax Identification Number). This is the most important point when starting a small business. You will use this number when paying taxes.
   • Make a business plan. This is a plan that describes all aspects of how you plan to run your business, what your costs will be, and what your competitors look like. You may need this plan to get a loan or license.
   • Find ways to finance your business by taking out a loan or paying from your own funds. Do your research to determine how much money you need to start a business and grow it further. Consider rent, equipment cost, and product cost.
5. 5 Rent a room. Your barber shop should be in a convenient, busy location, close to other shops that suit your occupation (for example, boutiques, cafes, and other places that attract the clientele you need). Look for a place with good parking and a pleasant exterior.
   • Make sure the room has all the communications you need for sinks and other equipment. You may need to invest more money in renovations.
   • Talk to other local entrepreneurs about the difficulties they encountered in this place, weigh the pros and cons before signing a lease.
6. 6 Purchase equipment. You can buy new equipment or look for used equipment in another salon. Make sure everything works well and matches what you are looking for. Make a list of the items you need and plan your budget accordingly.
   • Calculate how many jobs you need. How many shells should there be? How many chairs and tables?
   • The tools you use must be top notch. If you buy used ones, make sure they are in working order so you can create the trendiest hairstyles with them.
   • Decide what products you will be using. Using branded products will attract customers to you, but the best products can be very expensive.

Part 2 of 3: Room Design and Hiring Hairdressers

1. 1 Create a relaxing atmosphere. The furnishings of the hairdresser are very important to the clients.A haircut is a gift that everyone is looking for, so the overall atmosphere should be uplifting and rejuvenating. If your room is dirty and inhospitable, clients will look for another hairdresser.
   • Decide on a color scheme and decorations. Paint the walls fresh, light colors and decorate with delicate paintings or other fun items.
   • Invest in high quality mirrors and lighting for a cleaner, brighter environment.
2. 2 Find experienced hairdressers. Decide how many hairdressers you need, then ask around or post open positions. Make sure the people you intend to hire have completed hairdressing courses and have work experience. Review their recommendations and assign them a probationary period before hiring full-time jobs.
   • Decide if you want hairdressers to bring their clients to you. If so, ask them questions about their customer base.
   • Hire people who have the special skills you're looking for, like dyeing your hair or getting kids' haircuts.
3. 3 Make your list of services. Each salon has its own list. Adapt yours to current fashion trends and the skills that your hairdressers own. In addition to the usual haircut for women, men or children, you can suggest the following:
   • Dyeing
   • Curling and straightening hair
   • Specialty services (weddings, split-end treatments, etc.)
   • Consider adding spa services such as manicure, skin and facial treatments, or massage
4. 4 Calculate the prices. Decide at what prices you will provide services and whether you want to rank the cost based on the experience of the hairdresser. For example, you might charge more if the haircut is done by a professional rather than a beginner. When setting prices, consider the following:
   • The cost of labor and materials. If you offer first-class services and expensive beauty products, you should charge a higher price than if you have inexpensive barbers working for you.
   • Competitive price. Look at how other salons are evaluating their services and try to establish competitive prices, but at the same time you make a profit.
5. 5 Decide how to organize your work schedule. There are computer applications for organizing the work of the salon, for example, Neohair.com, Shortcuts, Rosy, Envision and Hair Max. Most of them have similar functions: management of customer visits, personnel, inventory and purchasing. Some of them, for example, Salongenious, provide more options for reminding customers about your establishment via SMS, or for saving photos of the resulting hairstyles of your visitors.

Part 3 of 3: Managing a Hair Salon

1. 1 Decide on opening hours and service delivery policies. Hairdressing is less and less focused on typical 9 to 5 working hours. Salons are becoming more flexible. Some work in the evenings and some even on weekends. You have to remember that successful clientele often depends on flexible working hours, making your barber shop more accessible to people.
   • Many people want the hairdresser to be open after the end of the normal working day, as only during this time do people have the time and opportunity to improve their appearance. Consider offering this service by appointment only and charging extra money for it, or you can schedule your hairdressers so that someone will take turns at the salon all the time.
   • The most vital part of any enterprise is people. Many hairdressing salons offer roughly the same quality of service, but some exceptional salons not only fully satisfy their customers, but often even exceed their expectations.So training your employees to work with clients will help you leave the competition behind, and if you make the client feel very, very special, they are more likely to become a regular, loyal customer. In most cases, it makes sense to hire an experienced receptionist who will manage the salon and staff on a full-time basis.
2. 2 Advertise your hair salon. When the salon is ready to open, it's time to start attracting customers. Tell your friends and family about it, post ads around town, advertise in your local newspaper, magazine, or blog. Also consider these promotional steps to promote your salon:
   • Tell about yourself on social networks Facebook and Twitter. Create a Facebook page with information about your business and keep it updated with news and information about special offers.
   • Offer to provide a service to a local celebrity so that she can then notify everyone about it.
   • Encourage customers to write their reviews, as many people pay attention to reviews before visiting the establishment.
3. 3 Make yourself an internet site. If you have a sleek, modern website for your business, you can build trust with your customers before they even cross the threshold of your barber shop. Hire a web developer to create a nice and user-friendly website, insert your website link on your Facebook page and ads.
   • Include a list of services with detailed descriptions.
   • Post high quality color photos.
4. 4 Keep your equipment clean and up to date. Your amenities must comply with sanitary standards and the latest trends of our time. In addition to sanitizing the tools you use, remember to keep floors and mirrors clean. Paint and update furniture to keep your salon looking chic and modern.
5. 5 Ensure customers come back to you. Offer the latest and new clients will come back to you all the time, but in order for them to come back to you again and again, you have to get great hairstyles every time they come to you. There is nothing worse for a business than giving a client a bad haircut or poor paint job, as they will most likely write you a bad review and tell their friends about it.
   • Respond to complaints quickly. Even if you do your job perfectly, there will still be unhappy customers. It's better for your business to offer them a free service or damages than to show them the door.
   • To make a profit, constantly improve. As you get more experience, you can raise your prices and hire the best hairdressers.