How to open a beauty salon step by step

Have you finally decided to open your beauty salon and don't know where to start?

Is your mind full of doubts, and are you looking for information to help you set up your business knowing that you are doing it right? 

It is normal for you to be at this point. However, setting up a business from scratch is not an easy path.

That is why today we will help you with a complete step-by-step guide to learning how to open a beauty salon. 

Let us begin…

Decide what type of business you will open; when you want to open an aesthetics and beauty business, you must decide what type it will be.

You have three options: 

•    An aesthetic franchise with proven results, although with limitations in developing your brand and philosophy.
•    Independently, making the decisions yourself based on your previous experience.
•    Creating your business from "0" with the advantages of a franchise, but without giving up your identity and philosophy at any time.

Do a good market study.

Once the type of beauty business has been decided, it is very important to carry out a market study, as a previous step to carrying out a business plan (which we explain in the next point).

With this report, you will know if your venture will be viable.

The market study consists of a business initiative to get an idea about the commercial viability of economic activity. 

Some of the questions answered by a study of this type are:

• Will the business model I'm considering work for my center?
• What audience should I target?
• How much is my audience willing to pay for aesthetic services?
• Can I compete with other businesses in my area?
• How can I differentiate myself from my competitors? 

Answering these questions -and many more- is essential for decision-making when opening a new salon. 

The objective is to obtain data from potential customers, competitors and suppliers.

You will also get a complete x-ray of how the aesthetics sector is doing and how it can affect your future business.

You can collect this data in different ways before opening a beauty center: surveys, interviews, studies, etc.

Then you will have to interpret them and draw conclusions.

What will all this do for you?

Easy.

You will know if you can cover a demand with your business idea. And therefore, you will know if it is viable or not to set up a beauty salon.

Develop a business plan for your beauty salon

A good business plan will help you keep your feet on the ground and keep the budget to set up your center at bay.

Everything will be marked.

Everything will have a reason, and there will be no room for improvisation. 

Not knowing where you are going or changing your mind every week will be very expensive, and financial resources and mental stress.

And this is something you should avoid if you don't want your company to fail before you start.

A beauty salon business plan should reflect how your beauty center's entire business project will be developed.

In it, you will have to demonstrate the viability and profitability of your beauty salon. 

It is about creating a roadmap or guide every entrepreneur must follow when opening her center.

This roadmap will include the following:

•    Characteristic
•    Business model
•    Objectives
•   Your products and services that you are going to sell
•    How much will you charge for the services you offer?
•    Strategies to follow
•    Advertising campaigns to attract customers

And, in general, all those actions that you will have to carry out to achieve a successful and profitable beauty salon.

Also, if you need financing or are looking for a partner to open your center, you must have a well-prepared business plan.

Easy-to-sell services at affordable prices:

• Other Services: manicures, pedicures, waxes etc. 
• Laser hair removal is sold in single sessions
• Body with little equipment and facials the same. 

They are easy to sell, but they do not generate customer loyalty and the profitability per hour of work is greatly reduced. 

TIP: Get in touch with Maven Business Plans to get an exceptional beauty salon business plan for developing a leading business.

Find a location for your beauty salon.

Once everything fits together and you are clear about your business model and its viability, it is time to get down to work with the search for the perfect place.

That space in which you will fulfill all your dreams as an entrepreneur.

Let me tell you one thing.

Finding a location for your center is not as easy as it seems.

In this ideal world, it would be fantastic if the premises were located in the most central area, at street level, with excellent accessibility (free parking, public transport, etc.), at an affordable price, away from the competition and with enough space to develop your activity. 

However, you must be realistic.

We know that, in most cases, this will not be the case.

So, you will have to visit many before deciding to rent a beauty salon that best suits your business idea for your new beauty salon.

Even when you have found it, you will still have a lot of work ahead of you since you will have to:

•    Negotiate the rent.
•    Ensure the opening license is viable because not all premises are valid to set up a beauty center.
•    Study the distribution of the beauty center's plan, considering its functionality and profitability.
•    Make sure that you can adapt the premises to the required regulations.
•    Etc.

Plan the design of your beauty center

Once the premises have been chosen, and its viability for a beauty business has been assured, it will be time to study the distribution plan of the premises.

You will have to achieve a design that is, on the one hand, functional and, on the other, facilitates profitability as much as possible. It must also be consistent with your business model.

To achieve this, you must take into account these four basic points: 

•    The optimal use of space.
•    The number of cabins, types and how they will be distributed.
•    The circulation of both customers and staff in daily activity.
•    Compliance with regulations in anticipation that, if you plan to convert your business into an aesthetic medical center, it can be easily adapted to a license of this type at a reduced cost.