You might want to open a beauty salon for plenty of reasons. For one, it can be very lucrative. The beauty industry in the United States accounts for $57 billion in sales annually and employs $2.3 million people. Plus, working with people and making them look their best can be fun and rewarding.
Opening a salon is not just a matter of buying a chair and some scissors and getting to work. To open legally and put yourself in a good position for success, you must take certain steps leading up to your launch. Even if you have a lineup of people willing to use your services, that does not mean it’s sustainable. Here’s how to open a salon in Tennessee and make it a success.
Have a Plan
You should always start with a plan that begins with where you are, where you want to go, and how you will get there. You need to plan out your revenues and expenses to control your finances as you grow your business. You also need a marketing strategy to lay out how you will get people in the door. If you are starting small with a chair in your home but want to build to have your own salon, then you need a plan to keep you on track to do it. Otherwise, you are operating blindly without a clear path forward.
Get Certified
You might not realize it, but cutting hair and providing other beauty services requires a license. You have to be able to provide quality services safely and healthily. In Tennessee, you must show that you have completed at least 1500 hours of education before you can open a salon. You must also pass a state-sponsored cosmetology exam before being licensed. Failure to get the proper license could lead to your salon shutting down quickly. At best, you will face fines and other legal repercussions.
Get Insurance
You might think a salon is a relatively safe business to run, but there are always risks. You will need to have Tennessee business insurance to protect your assets. For example, if someone slips some water on the floor, you could be held liable. General liability insurance will protect you from legal costs or any damages awarded against you. You should also have commercial property insurance to protect against extreme weather damage, vandalism, and other hazards to your business’ property.
Find a Location
Like most new salon owners, you probably work for someone else and are looking to strike out on your own. When you finally decide to take the plunge, you’ll need to do as much as you can to retain all of your clients to keep the revenue coming in. When you look for a location for your new salon business, then try to find something close to where you already work.
Proximity is important because you want to make your clients as easy as possible. Ideally, you can stay close but still move to a more central location if you aren’t located there already. Parking is important, as clients won’t have to walk long distances with their fresh new hairdos. If you are going to take walk-ins, you will also want a location where you get a lot of foot traffic or are visible to busy streets.
Hiring Staff
If you have employees or other professionals fill seats in your salon, you need to be strategic with your choices. You can’t just have anyone in your salon. Even if they are renting space and don’t actually work for you, they will still be seen by clients as representing your business. So whether it’s staff or renters, be patient. Make sure you hire for skill, but also consider personality and customer service abilities. That way, you will have friendly faces to greet clients and a positive vibe at all times.
Marketing
Let’s face it, your salon can’t succeed if you don’t have a line of clients coming through the door. So you have to get the word out quickly to hit the ground running. The most important step to getting your salon off to a good start is contacting all your existing clients. Let them know you are opening your place and would love to continue having them as clients. If you’ve built good relationships, you will have a large percentage go with you. While some may not, you can always ask the ones you are to recommend their friends and family.
Otherwise, you will have to bring in clients you haven’t worked with. Social media is a great way to market a salon. The reason for this is that it is a local business. You can target ads to people who live in your area. Search engine optimization (SEO) can help get your website to the first page of search rankings. This is important because people looking for a haircut or style will most likely search for the service they want and the city they want. Ideally, you want your business to show up on the list when they do.
Be Careful About Your Spending
If you start to get revenue rolling in, you’ll be tempted to invest in the newest equipment or something else that you think will help your business. You might be right, but when starting, you should be careful about scaling up. Yes, growth means you will need to make some changes, but you should be methodical about it. Several pitfalls can befall you if you scale up too quickly. A quick drop in revenue can spell big problems if you are not fully established. Make sure you are on a secure footing before you make drastic changes.
Opening a salon is a great option if you have the skills and talent and are looking to work for yourself. You can make more money, but you will also have more risk. Taking the above steps can minimize your risk and focus on making your business the most successful.