How to successfully set up a barbershop

Part 1: Where to start?

Congratulations on deciding to start your own salon business. The statistics of the last few years clearly show that the beauty salon sector worldwide is growing and the chances of being in a dynamic growth stage in the near future for a salon business are high. The reason for this is that people generally care more about themselves and their appearance, realizing that it has a direct effect on the success of their careers and personal lives. They also know that they can expect quality and value for money from experts.

Start with a business plan

The first step in making your salon business a reality is to come up with a well thought out and researched business plan. It is the most important element to start a new business. In your plan, you should describe your entire business idea, vision, plans and strategies, although you should be flexible for any future ‘surprises’. Not only is it necessary for the successful launch of your salon, but another use of a plan, besides knowing what action to take and why, is its usefulness when it comes to getting investors, bank loans, and also advice from other experienced people. . . It also gives you the opportunity to think carefully about your finances and plan accordingly. Remember that those who start a business with a solid economic strategy have a better chance of success than those who have a great idea, product or patented invention.

Research your competition

Do your best to accurately discern the action and practices of your competition. It pays to choose a group of salons that are already successful and have a similar target group of clients as yours, and then see what makes them successful or where they lack. Carry out a field investigation. Visit as a client and get an idea of ​​what your client will expect and how you will be able to deliver the services. You can then cleverly adapt these solutions to your business. Drop what doesn’t work and adapt what might work for you.

Create a brand, not just a brand name

Your brand is often the first point of contact your potential customers will have with your business. It is an extension of your living room and should sum up your entire business, mirroring it and evoking some sort of emotional response. In a world awash with brands, you need to create one for your living room that is memorable and stands out. Once again, here’s another example where the research will pay off. Take a look at other salon businesses and their brands. What do you like or dislike about them? Which type of name creates a strong impression and which does not and why? What name works as a whole with the brand of the salon and reinforces it? A good tip is to keep it short and easy to pronounce.

Your opening hours and customer service

The hairdressing industry is less and less often placed in the rigid framework of the typical 9 to 5 workday. Salons are becoming more flexible. Some operate until the night and others even throughout the weekend. You should keep in mind that fighting for clients often requires a more flexible work schedule and makes your salon more accessible to their needs. Many people require salons to be open after regular business hours, because that’s when they have events to attend and need to look their best. Perhaps you can consider offering this service on an advance booking only basis and adding an additional charge, or you can rotate your staff so that your salon is open during times when it normally wouldn’t be.

Staff

The most vital part of any business is the people. Even the smallest contact your employees have with a customer reflects positively or negatively on your business – your image and your bottom line. For this reason, it’s important that you hire the best people you can afford right now and invest in their skills, especially their people skills. Many hairdressers offer products and services of similar quality, but the few exceptional salons that stand out not only meet clients’ requirements, but exceed them. Therefore, training your employees in customer service can help you leave the competition behind, and if you make the customer feel very, very special and well cared for, they will probably become a repeat and loyal customer. In many cases, it makes good business sense to hire an experienced manager who can manage your staff and salon on a day-to-day basis.

Part 2: What’s Next?

In the first part, we go through the basics of starting your own salon; here we will continue to explore the building blocks of your salon business.

What’s on your salon service menu?

Think carefully about the quantity and quality of the services and products you plan to offer. Do you intend for your salon to offer a full service (for example, including facials, body treatments, and nail care) or is it limited to just hair? Do you plan to be environmentally friendly and offer only green products and practices? Do you intend to make it accessible to all, or do you want to offer premium services and products to affluent, discerning customers who are willing to pay more for a more luxurious, spa-like experience?

organize your finances

After thinking about the previous point, you will be able to devise a financial strategy to meet the needs of your business. Defining the scope of services and products in your business plan means you should already have a detailed list of everything you intend to include.

Depending on the route you choose (basic to full service/luxury salon) and the size of the entire project, you will need around $10,000 up to $100,000 to start operations. You could spend anywhere from $2,000 to $30,000 on salon equipment alone, and you should have at least three months of working capital at your disposal at the start of your business.

Rent, Rent, Rent

Think about what kind of customers you are looking to attract and then think: where are they? If you’re one of those salons that employs a well-known ‘barber to the stars’, you won’t have to worry as much about location as people will flock to you. If you don’t have a well-established reputation in the business and a long list of loyal customers, you’ll need to think about strategically locating your business in a high-profile, busy area with easy access from all parts of the city. Ideally, a place with the kind of customers you want to attract on a regular basis. For example, shopping centers are usually a safe bet, since your clients will be able to do their shopping before or after their appointment in your salon.

Design

Salon design is one of the aspects of building your business that should be of the utmost importance to you. You could have a great business, wonderful staff and service, but before your customers experience this, they will either be attracted to the look of your salon or not. You’ll obviously want to get new customers by word of mouth, but you can win them over by providing a great outside store and such a fantastic interior environment that they can’t help but walk in and want to stay.

design

No matter what type of design you choose, it should be professional looking and efficient in design. Depending on the type of your operations, you may need anywhere from 500 to 2,000 square feet of space. The salon desk is often the center of the salon around which all operations are based, so placing it in the right area is key – ideally near the entrance to provide a warm and professional welcome when your clients enter.

Marketing and Management

In this industry the best channel of communication is, of course, word of mouth. Before marketing comes customer service. As mentioned in part 1, great staff who take care of their customers and create a warm and welcoming environment with quality service will definitely lead to satisfaction and ultimately word of mouth marketing.

In addition to the typical marketing strategies that include advertising, nowadays, any self-respecting company must also have a web page with information that includes products and services, prices, contact information, special promotions, a description of the company itself and its employees, etc. The Internet has become an important means of transmitting information about companies and their services. It is noteworthy that social networks such as Facebook or Twitter, which if used correctly, could make your business much more profitable.

There are also a number of computer applications to manage salon operations including Neohair.com, Shortcuts, Rosa, Envision, HairMax and Active Body. Most of them have similar functions: customer visit management, personnel, finance, inventory and purchases. Some of them, like Salongenious elite, provide more opportunities to remind clients of their appointments via SMS messages or save photos of your clients’ hairstyles. Within the management of the salon, it is worth mentioning the Internet application NeoHair.com, which in addition to all the elements mentioned above, also works as a contact with clients by sending them messages on Facebook and Twitter.

legal matters

Finally, think about all the paperwork you’ll need to do to get your business off the ground. Instead of inundating yourself with more work, it would be better to entrust this side of your business to professionals and outsource their help.

Lawyer: will deal with all legal matters related to economic activity, such as required permits and licenses.

Accountant: Don’t try to do your accounting alone. It is a complex task that requires an expert to handle it efficiently. It’s better to turn tax problems over to someone who can do it much faster and more efficiently than we can.

Insurance: paying insurance is essential. In the event of equipment damage, fire, theft, or if a client simply slips and falls, your salon needs the backing of a good insurance plan.

Since the beginning of time, human beings have always sought beauty. If you are interested in providing a service to give it to him, he is in the right business. Hair is probably one of the biggest factors affecting how people feel about themselves, and helping them achieve beautiful hair or a whole new look can be a very satisfying business. With the tips above, you should be well on your way to starting your own profitable salon business.