Thinking about running your own spa or beauty salon? It can be daunting, especially as there are so many other shops out there with fiercely loyal customers. Nevertheless, there are ways to cut through the crowd and establish your presence. It is not going to be easy and it might take some time, but with exclusivity and consistency your shop can become a favourite.
The modern salon business is a good opportunity to attain financial independence and there have been stories of beauty professionals who have become millionaires in the process. Without much ado, here are some tips on how to make it in the industry.
- Create your niche
The industry is so standardised, to be successful, a salon must develop unique selling propositions (USP). This means you must have a distinctive factor that sets you apart from other players in the industry. No matter how attractive your ads are, if you are offering nothing “extra” or different, your store is just like the next store. So identify a service you are especially good at, and make it special.
- Use Exclusive Products
Just like creating your own niche, your products have to be exclusive. Surely every other salon in your vicinity will be offering popular brands like L’Oréal, Pantene Pro, Purelogy, and so on. Even though brands try to convince us their products are different, we know better. If you want a real salon-exclusive range of products, try organic salons for their hair colour, care and salon treatments.
- Get Insured
This cannot be emphasised enough. Given the number of risks likely to occur in salons, getting beauty salon insurance is a smart way to protect your investment. Even if you take all the necessary precautions, accidents do happen. A client might take an allergic reaction to your products, or you could suffer accidental damage to your property or equipment. Without insurance to soften the blow, mishaps like this could spell disaster for your business.
- Include Marketing in your Operating Strategy
If you don’t tell people about your business how will they know? Forget the saying “If you build it, they will come”. In the hair salon business, there are too many players in the market to simply wait for your customers to notice you. Organise a proper marketing communications plan. There are many cost-efficient ways to promote your business – for example, social media is inundated with ready customers, and free to use.
- Focus on your Ethos rather than Image
Image is not everything. Your customers will feel more endeared to you when you develop a strong ethos – your own set of values, culture and objectives for the salon. These principles will help you build a loyal customer base who will be happy to refer your business to their friends.