How To Start A Successful Nail Salon Business

The cosmetics and personal beauty industry is booming and predicted to continue to grow over the next few years so if opening a nail salon business is where your passion lies, now is a good time to make your dreams a reality.

Follow the below mentioned points:

1. Business Plan

As with any business, you need to ensure that it is a viable proposition before you jump in feet first and find yourself struggling, either due to lack of funds or a poorly thought out strategy.

The first step is to write your business plan – set out your vision, and mission, define your objectives, and finances, assess your competition and determine what you will do to make your business a success.

If you need to get a bank loan or support from an investor to get your business started, you will need a business plan with solid and evidence-based figures to support your application so it is well worth spending the time on getting this step right before trying to proceed any further.

2. Legalities

Opening a nail salon business isn’t as easy as renting a vacant storefront, putting a few chairs in, and pulling customers in from the street. There are some key legal issues that you will need to address before you can open to the public.

Business laws vary depending on what state you live in so it is best to check with your local State department which rules apply based on your location. For example, if you are based in New York, you must be over the age of 18 to open a nail salon and comply with new wage bond requirements or take out liability insurance.

You will require a business license, will need to register for business taxes and apply for a building code compliance certification. You will also need to display your health inspection certification in a prominent position where it is fully visible to your customers and you and any staff that you hire will need to keep your cosmetologist licenses on hand at all times.

However, you will also need to understand, make provision for and comply with regulations on sanitation and the management of hazardous chemicals.

3. Marketing

Once your funding and legal compliance is fully in order and you have secured a suitable premises, you can open to the public, but to get customers through the door, you will need to get marketing.

Your business plan will have identified who your ideal consumer base are, so by understanding the type of people that you are trying to attract, you can target your marketing strategy to appeal to them.

It is sensible to make full use of the technology available to you – advertising on social media will catch peoples’ attention and if you are based in a mall or other busy retail district, digital signs for nail salons are an innovative and effective way of showcasing your designs, displaying your prices or advertising your loyalty programs.

4. Continuous Improvement

Once you are open and have a stable client base, it is sensible to consider ways of continually improving your offering, not only to go above and beyond for your existing customers, but to attract new ones and build your reputation.

You can also improve your service offering by implementing tools and software aimed at reducing your overheads and time spent on the management side of the business, allowing you more face time with your customers.

Sensible investments for nail salon owners include scheduling software which will be helpful to manage appointments and organize staff rotas and publishing software which is helpful if you wish to design your own business cards, gift cards or to create exciting posts to promote your business through social media marketing.

Unless you have hired an accountant to manage your books, you would be wise to invest in good accounting software to ensure that you are able to accurately and efficiently record your earnings, outgoings and file your taxes.

Always remember, when planning any financial investments, they must deliver value. They should either save you time or money to be worthwhile and if they don’t, you should carefully consider why you wish to invest.

Additionals:

• How To Get Funding For Your Business?
• Five Things To Consider For Your Ecommerce Business Launch
• A Guide To The Business Market In Virginia And How To Enter It
• 5 Best Cities To Start A Business: Find The Right Place For Your Venture