How to Open a Salon? [A Complete Guide]

Salon Business In India💇🏻

As you drive past the most active street in your town, you’ll notice the common man’s hustle. What you will also realise is something new about the city you thought you knew everything about. Something or the other will make you wonder what if you were in a different line of business. You see the vegetable vendors, the bookshop owners, the artists, the sweetshops, the salons.

The salons fascinate you. You see a different person coming out every hour, a person you didn’t even see going inside the salon. But have you ever wondered, how to open a salon? The salon industry is a rather lucrative one, even though the competition is intense. Nevertheless, if you do everything right, you might just step up your game more than anyone else’s in the league. Whether or not you’re impressed with salons, let’s talk about how you can open one and see if you’re interested.

For any entrepreneur starting their journey in this world which asks you to rigorously struggle, a strong idea is a component that makes or breaks your rate of success. You need to ask yourself, “do I plan on staying committed to this in the long run?” Understand that no business is easy and in a country where there are over 50,000 startups, it’s obvious that not all of them will sustain. How do you then give your salon a unique selling point? What kind of salon is it going to be? Are you going to run one that is unisex or will it only cater to a particular gender? While all of this is important, it isn’t as hard as you think it is. Take one decision at a time.

Steps to follow before starting a Salon Business💇🏻‍♀️

1. Set a budget & Decide a location✅

Before you answer the aforementioned questions, set a budget for yourself, see how much capital and funding can you count on and then ask yourself, “where do I want my salon to be?” Decide the ideal location, one that’ll get you the most of your target audience based on your budget. See if you’re going to purchase the chosen property on location or rent it. Post answering the questions around your target audience, try to conduct surveys, make observations, ask around, talk to someone who you trust in the industry and finalise on the services that will interest your desired clientele and decide on the charges. Understand your competition and market movement. Notice how much is the amount that people usually pay and how can you provide them with the best services around that cost. The fundamentals of marketing tell us that if people are loyal consumers of a particular brand or service, it isn’t as easy to have them shift from what they are habitual to, to something newer.

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2. Interior Designing🛋

Once you have your desired location, it is suggested that you spend some more money and get an interior designer to plan your salon’s look. It is inevitable for consumers to be attracted to a place that has state of the art interior, design and ambience. It not only guarantees a sanitised environment and efficient services but also makes the customers feel relaxed and stress-free. An unhygienic/ unplanned place tends to make every doubt a place from the outside. Get the best equipment in place for your clients to use. It doesn’t matter how professional and experienced your staff is but if you cannot promise a comfortable and safe environment, your clientele is bound to walk away from you.

3. Decide on services & number of employees🔢

Now that you have it all charted out (from the budget to the services and the cost of the services), set a number of employees that you can afford to hire at that very particular point of time. Given that it might take some time for you to fix your spot in the market and get a sense of stability, see that the employees you’re hiring are already aware of the fact that there’s a strong chance that they might not get a salary hike for longer than they think. As a matter of fact, they might just have to work longer hours. See that the employees are loyal and hope that they stick with you through the tough times! However, do not let your emotional quotient become an impediment in your right sense of judgement. Hire quality employees and ensure that they have the suited skill set for the services that you plan on providing. Reward them for their patience when you are in a position to.

4. Try hiring some Interns too!💇🏻‍♂️

Along with full-time employees, make it a point to hire some trainees and interns who can learn from your best staff and put their skills to use in case of emergencies. However, try to not give away unpaid internships because everyone’s time and effort is worth recognition.

5. Marketing📈

Then comes the marketing. Are you going to start off by distributing pamphlets in your salon’s surrounding areas or are you going to indulge in the word of mouth advertising with the help of your near and dear ones? Are you planning on putting out an advertisement in the newspaper or are you comfortable planning a radio advertisement? How often are you going to run these advertisements? These questions should not scare you. Realise that what you do with your startup in the initial stages is what will set your income levels for the long run.

6. Be patient🧘🏻‍♂️

Next, prepare yourself for the crowd to start coming in. Patience is what comes in most handy at this stage. There will be days when not many clients will come to you, but there might just be a day when the best client ever walks in and avails your best and most expensive services. Nonetheless, do not let the marketing slip away. Marketing, advertising and promoting are three necessary things that need to be taking place even when the client is ready for a haircut in the leather chair. Never let people forget how your services are unmatched and show them the value for money that they’ll get at your salon.

7. Seeking Sponsorships is never a bad idea🤝

In the post-pandemic times, when half the world is on a road to the recession, while the success of businesses isn’t guaranteed, it isn’t impossible either. Remember to make judicious use of your resources and do not give up. Keep yourself open to new mergers and collaborations. Seek sponsorships. Mergers, collaborations and sponsorships not only help in getting fundings but again, are a great way of marketing. This is because one already established and stable brand will now be associating with you and this will consequently make those loyal to their brand trust you. Apart from that, you could also introduce discounts and offers of your own. Add some packages to your services. All of these things will make your services accessible and affordable for people from most spheres and professional fields in life.

Just as you saw the hustle in the streets when you started reading this article, it is now your time to start with the same. Do not forget to believe in yourself and make the best use of your contacts. The market in the current status quo is not an easy one to survive in but keep reviving your products and services while coming up with more ideas to broaden your reach. Here’s to hoping that a worthy venture ends up expanding itself all across the world!

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