How Much Does it Cost to Open a Salon

Your dream of opening a successful salon is about to come true! You've studied hard, trained, saved, and now, the time has come. There is a price tag though, uncover the upfront and hidden costs involved in starting your salon.

Opening the doors to a salon requires a solid business structure and smart investments. Know what to expect, and you can avoid both financial and legal surprises.

In this SalonCA article, you will discover the real costs of opening a salon, what should be included in your budget, and the legal requirements involved in its successful beginning.

Hair Salon Opening Expenses List

Part of opening a successful hair salon or barbershop is the understanding of the expenses involved. The following are standard expenses that new salons will need to consider and plan for in their budget:

Cosmetology Licensing - To open a salon, you must be a licensed cosmetologist. The cost of getting a cosmetology license from a reputable school can range between $10,000 and $20,000.

Rent - Location and square footage will determine the rent for a salon. Expect to see a range from $1,800 to $5,000 per month or more.

Renovations - It is highly unlikely to walk into the perfect setup for your salon. Improvements, installations, or renovations may cost from $5,000 to $15,000.

Stations, Chairs, and Mirrors - For a 5 station setup, new salon furniture and wall units will run anywhere from $5,500 to $7,500 or more depending on brand and quality.

Equipment - A single shampoo and dryer station can range from $1,000 to $2,000. Go here for barber equipment salonca.com/barber.html and here for salon equipment salonca.com/salon.html

Product Inventory - A three month supply of products for use and retail can range from $5,000 to $10,000.

Website and Social Media - Invest in a professional website which includes a listing of your services, profiles of your stylists, your business information, and a system for scheduling appointments. Your website should also be linked to the social media platforms you use to promote specials, events, and advertising new styles or skill sets. Custom website design ranges from $3,000 to $10,000.

Marketing - Flyers, banners, and promotional products for a grand opening can run from $500 to $1,500 or more depending on quantity, quality, and size.

Cash-On-Hand - When your salon opens its doors, your POS will need a cash reserve. Typically, $500 to $1,000 cash is kept on-hand to make change or used for impromptu or emergency purchases.

From $32,300 to $72,000 is what you may spend by the time you are licensed, have a great location, furnish, equip, stock your salon, and market its opening.

Legal Requirements for a Beauty Salon

As with all businesses, federal, state, and sometimes municipal registration or licensing is required to operate legally. The following are examples of the permits and legal requirements you should fulfill before opening your salon.

• Federal EIN (Employer Identification Number)
• Business Operation License
• Certificate of Occupancy
• State Cosmetology License
• License to Sell Retail
• Building Permit
• Fire Department Permit
• *Insurance (theft, damage, and liability)

As each state and municipality may have different requirements, you can visit their websites for specific instructions, or visit https://library.municode.com and search “salon” for your applicable state and municipal codes.

Each license or permit will typically require a fee, and that fee will vary depending on the state and municipality you choose to open your salon in.

*The cost for insurance will depend on the types of coverage you wish to purchase, and the amount of the deductible you choose.

You must form an Incorporation, Partnership, Sole Proprietorship, or a Limited Liability Company, etc. Depending on your business structure, there will be tax and legal requirements for your business. Consult and decide with your attorney and/or accountant which structure will be best suited for your salon.

Open the Doors to a Successful Salon

After so much preparation and hard work, the time will arrive to open your salon. Know what to expect and avoid financial surprises by preparing for the process.

Having read this article, you are now able to understand better the cost of opening a salon, know what should be included in your opening budget, and which legal requirements must be met.

Knowing what to expect during the opening phases of a salon eliminates the majority of financial and legal surprises. This benefit allows you to focus on bringing in talented licensed stylists, attracting new clients, and making your dream a reality.

Sources:

https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/launch-your-business/apply-licenses-and-permits
https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/apply-for-an-employer-identification-number-ein-online
http://www.business.lacity.org/starter-kits/beauty-salon

Promote Your Salon or Barber Shop Using Social Media

If your salon or barber shop’s marketing campaign is not including the use of social media, you are missing out on revenue and increasing both your new and returning clients.

Nearly everyone has a cellphone, and most of those phones are connected to at least one social media platform. Ask yourself, why not use this to your advantage?

In this article, the team at Salon Ca outlines innovative, easy, and free ways to build your client base through the use of social media and its advertising platforms.

Hair Styling Videos & Tutorials to Gain Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter Followers

Getting new followers on social media platforms is a process like any other marketing activity. If you are regularly contributing by posting relevant and interesting content, people will naturally gravitate to your page or profile.

Showcase the talent of your team through videos and tutorials. No fancy filming equipment or scripted lines are needed, simply shoot an Instagram photo or video of one of your barbers or stylists doing what they do best.

The video can be a single part of a series or a one time introduction to a new product or style at your salon or barbershop; in addition, the video can be narrated or have no sound at all.

 

A post shared by Sergio Rodriguez (@srfashionstylist) on Jun 29, 2018 at 4:33am PDT

From Instagram, once you’ve sized and chosen a filter for the video, you will have the option to add a descriptive text, add hashtags (more on this later), tag people, and share the video to your Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr accounts.

Hair Salon, Stylists & Barbershop Social Media Marketing & Promotion Ideas

The only limitation to the variation of marketing and promotions is your imagination. Below are some ideas that can boost your salon or barber shop’s image and put more paying customers in your stylist and salonca.com/barber-chairs.html (#barbers see that shameless plug and what we did there).

Client Interviews Become Your Reviews - Along with the great written reviews your clients are giving you on Google and Yelp, ask them for a quick one-on-one interview.

In the interview, they can rave about the service they just got, their favorite stylist, or just what they enjoy. The point is to have real people saying and expressing how they feel to other real people.

When considering a client for an interview, make sure to cover the following:

• Send the client an email with your questions (see the examples below). Or hand them a printed version.
• Only use their name, profession, website, etc. with their expressed and documented consent. See this release form example.
• Allow the client to speak freely about their experience and in response to your questions. This feedback is important for your business.

A great interview formula is to ask some/all of these questions, and combine them as a testimonial:

• What service did you come in for today?
• How was your experience with us?
• Were your expectations met?
• What about our salon? What should people know about us?
• What would you like to say to your stylist?
• Is there anything else you’d like to add?

The above questions are specifically engineered to address the concerns and thoughts of potential customers, thus reducing doubt and instilling trust.

Salon and Barbershop Facebook Live - As your number of followers increases, start having live video sessions.

Monthly, weekly, or daily live videos can help you communicate directly with your followers. Here are a few ideas for your live video:

• Q & A session
• launching a new or exclusive product
• a live tutorial

Remember, during live videos, your followers will be able to communicate with you. This is a fantastic way to keep your “followers”, current, and potential clients engaged and entertained through social conversations and interesting topics.

Using Before & After - In the beauty industry, one of the most powerful tools you have is the end product of your work, and a customers response to it. Posting and sharing before and after images of your clients has the potential to greatly increase your followers and client base.

Using a time-lapse video to capture a person’s transformation allows potential customers to see the process from beginning to end.

The impact of before and after shots is that you are giving someone the opportunity to imagine what they could look like by visiting your shop.

Using Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter Hashtag Trends to Increase Your Followers and Branding

Hashtags are a functional search tool that helps users efficiently discover likeminded people and relevant content. Their purpose is to categorize what has been published and make it readily available to people searching those terms by just clicking the search phrase.

Three ways to apply hashtags is to consider the three categories you can use.

Broad - Hashtags that appeal to a broad range of people generate a high volume of searches. Rising to the top of these searches is harder due to more competition, but provides the potential to attract tons of eyeballs and attention. These hashtags can attract traffic from other states and even other countries.

Some examples are: #Salon #Beauty #Hair #Barber #HairStyle

Narrow - Hashtags that attract specific people and visibility to your business should be more narrow, even geographically specific. Also, some customers know exactly what they want and search specific hair styles or cuts. Simply using the right hashtag puts you directly in front of them when they are looking for a stylist.

Some examples are: #SacramentoSalon #GarysBarberShop #Fade #Pompadour #Bob #Balayage

Trending - Keep an eye on trending topics and their hashtags. Even if the trending hashtag is not relevant to hair necessarily, you can still use it. Trending hashtags have the potential to bring extraordinary traffic to your page or profile given they are being searched and seen worldwide.

Social media is about connecting people, and doesn't always have to be about your profession or business. When you have a unique perspective or valuable contribution, use the hashtag and share your content, perspective, or stories.

Social Media - How to Build Salon Clientele Fast

Once you’ve gotten used to posting and using social media, promote your business and use the social platforms for their advertising and direct-response capabilities. Below are several ways to use social media to further engage your clientele:

• Offer discounts or add-ons when a customer follows your page.
• Post a promo code with a deadline offering a discount or a free gift.
• Send direct or private messages to your clients on special occasions (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.).
• Tag your clients in videos and pictures of them, or ones you believe they will like.
• Reference (and tag) your clients in videos. Make them a part of the activity.
• Add the “follow us on...” verbiage to your website, online and printed media.

However you go about using social media platforms, it should be well organized and consistent. Always work to have fun with the content, engage your clients, and contribute to the community.

With consistency and interesting content, new clients and followers will find, connect with you, and subsequently see your work. Likewise, your existing clients will enjoy, engage, and refer their friends and family to you.

Social media is one of the most powerful platforms for entrepreneurs, barbers, and hairdressers. As with everything, the market evolves, so join today and take advantage of the great opportunity while it lasts.

This article appeared first on https://salonca.com/blog/promote-your-salon-barber-shop-social-media/

5 Salon Retail Sales Tips for Increased Revenue

At some point, increasing revenue is a priority for every business. For a salon owner, an often overlooked opportunity to add to their bottom line is through selling exclusive product lines in store.

In a salon the hairdressers, stylists, and barbers are the front line of the company and gateway to achieving your increased revenue sales goals. As their product knowledge, trust, and relationship with clients grows, so should sales.

The team at Salon CA has carefully selected 5 retail sales tips to help salon professionals turn simple conversations into trust, and that trust into increased revenue.

Salon Retail Sales Tips

Selling a line of products is much more than having good prices and visual appeal (although this does help in the long run).

At the least, champions of sales are likable and earn their customer’s trust. Their ability to generate sales stem from their skill in understanding the needs of their customers, and procuring a strong sense of desire for a respective product.

Next, they effectively demonstrate how purchasing this product will produce the desired outcome, and how much better the customer will feel once they look better.

The following tips are designed to transform your need to “Sell, Sell, Sell” into an altogether different and conversational interaction.

Identifying and Fulfilling a Need - The majority of purchases (everywhere) are made when the desire for a product or its results are present. Such desire is based on a perceived or real need, either of which can lead to a purchase.

The dynamics of sales in a hair salon is no different; become aware and in tune with customers ultimate emotional or aesthetic goals. As you are teasing, spritzing, and cutting, you are also examining. Is the hair dry and brittle? Is there an increase in dandruff? Is something happening that the customer desires to fix?

Then, more importantly, do you have the knowledge and/or proof that your product is the solution they need?

Through your work and the ensuing conversation, make sure they are aware that there is a solution they have never tried.

NOTE: Ask about known allergies. The last thing you want is to use or sell a product that will create a problem or cause an unfavorable reaction.

Stop Selling and Start Educating - It’s easy to talk about a product and its features. In fact, you could go on and on about how it does this and transforms that, but talk is cheap unless what you are saying directly and emotionally appeals to the customer.

The shampoo station is the perfect opportunity to begin a conversation while educating your client in an entertaining and nonthreatening way. “These products are all made with organic non-toxic ingredients”, “This shampoo cleanses the scalp as it lathers and won’t leave a residue that makes your hair appear oily.” or “This conditioner prevents brittle hair and unsightly split ends.”

Ask questions and highlight things that pique interest, arouse desire, and raise your client’s awareness. “Touch right here, do you feel the difference on your scalp? or “Doesn’t your hair feel softer we we put that on it?”

In order to educate someone, you must capture their attention, and generate an interest in learning a solution. Intuitive questions serve to engage and increase that interest.

Continue raising awareness to the benefits your client will enjoy by using your products (while you are applying them). And at the end of the appointment, ask “How do you feel about your new look?” The response will likely be positive; in this heightened emotional state lies a powerful opportunity to reinforce the products and steps that caused their transformation.

Starting with the shampoo, line up the products you applied while speaking to the benefits and clear results each product produced.

More often than not, your client will see the result, like it, and want to reproduce it at home. This translates to the sale of one, two, or all of the products used.

Remember, people are heavily inclined to purchase something that solves a problem or creates a better feeling within themselves. Especially, when the solution is right in front of their eyes.

Build Confidence and Trust - As with any relationship, it takes time to build confidence and trust. The relationship between you and your client depends more-so on your ability to listen, observe, and take heed to their pain points.

A great indication that this process has begun is if they contact or return to the salon and request a service appointment with you exclusively.

Then in each of their appointments, every time you are able to identify a problem and solve it, you are building trust. Likewise, every time your client leaves with flawless results, you are gaining their confidence.

However, don't lose sight of the fact that the client is human, and being genuinely interested in them outside of the sale goes a long way to establish an authentic relationship.

Selling is one of your goals, but don't lose sight of the bigger picture and alienate yourself by being too sales focused.

The service you provide enhances their physical appeal, thus resulting in them feeling better about themselves. Purchasing your products is not their goal, but when they discover that using it will accomplish their goal, they will often make the purchase.

Be or Become an Authority on Your Products - If all you can say is “It smells good.” or “it’s our new product.”, it’s time to start increasing your product knowledge. Superficial information no longer carries weigh. There are too many competing options in the market vying for your client's dollars, that have a clear benefit and proof of results.

If you plan to differentiate your product from the ones at the supermarket or dollar store, you need to understand a distinct value or problem your product solves that customers truly care about.

Know the ingredients, how the product works in cold vs. warm water, which ingredient is responsible for the aroma, when and how many times it should be applied, and what other products it works best with.

Since everyone’s objective is to attain or maintain healthy hair, know how and why your products make that a reality.

The company that manufactures or distributes your product line often makes fact sheets, booklets, videos, and training events available to you. Take this opportunity and become an expert on the product line

Extensive competitor product knowledge is another advantage that is sometimes overlooked. This is a costly mistake, but could be one of the most important tools you can have when positioning. It allows you to differentiate your product from the competitor or seemingly functional products readily found in the grocery store.

Consider and contend that you must strongly outweigh the benefits of the often cheaper and more convenient hair and beauty supplies found in the grocery store.

Visual Merchandising and Your Retail Display - There is an art to merchandising products in a way that invites curiosity. The following suggestions are tried and true ways of increasing client interest in your hair products and beauty supplies:

• Keep your retail shelves clean. There should be no dust accumulated on your products either. It gives the impression that no one is buying them.
• Informative signs with the price should stand out. There should be no confusion as to what products cost.
• The “five foot rule” means that nothing should be merchandised above what a five foot tall person can easily reach.
• Eye level products will get the most attention. Your featured or sale items will be more successful when placed here.
• If your product’s packaging is green, the wall behind your product should not be green! Contrasting colors work well, but be careful not to overdo it with a color scheme that diverts attention away from the products.
• Full shelves are always more appealing than empty ones. Neatly stock and keep them full.
• Lighting is another key factor in enhancing the appearance of your product. Your display should be the brightest spot in the reception area. Arrange or install lighting that allows you to not only light up the display, but to create a “spotlight” on featured items.

Best Hair Products, Sales, and Increased Revenue

In order to increase revenue through sales, salon professionals should possess product knowledge and a genuine desire to understand and solve client problems.

Make sure that the products selected for your salon are not only the market’s best, but ones that fit the overall “personality” and demographics that your salon services.

Transitioning away from traditional sales tactics, to becoming a provider that helps customers solve problems through informed decision making will make your salon unique and trustworthy.

Acquiring a differentiated position and credibility amongst clients creates an environment for repeat sales, referrals, and lifetime customers. This will help you increase the “lifetime value” of each client, which ultimately increases revenues for your salon.

This article appeared first on https://salonca.com/blog/5-salon-retail-sales-tips-increased-revenue/

Popular Hairstyles, Haircuts, and Hair Colors

Whether it's a blunt fringe, short layers, dip-dye or a whole new shade of hair, the new year brings with it the perfect opportunity to test out the most coveted hairstyles and hair trends sported by celebrities, social media and street-style stars.

Never at SalonCA.com have we seen so much diversity in men's and women’s hairstyles. The days of running with the same old haircuts and styles for years have ended. Men and women are willing to try something new each time they visit the barbershop or salon hoping to stand out amongst the crowd.

Male Hairstyles and Haircuts Popular

Messy longer hair looks are in right now. Other styles are long hair all one length, medium length sides (although faded haircuts will still be a popular choice) with more length on top, and plenty of slicked back looks for extra cool.


Photo: damiansbarbershop

Crop haircuts, textured haircuts, spiky haircuts, messy haircuts, tapered haircuts, and mohawk haircuts all stood out this year and look to finish out the year on top.

Female Hairstyles and Haircuts Popular

Ending the year with a new hairstyle may be on your mind. In fact, there's no better way to welcome a new season or year than by sitting down in your stylist's chair and reinventing your look.


Photo: hairbycassiebrunelli

Depending on the shape of your face, some of these may not work well. However, blunt bobs, long super sleek hair with highlights, the high pony, layered, and the hair flip hairstyles have all faired well throughout the year and look to hold out right into 2018.

Trending Hair Colors

2017 may be known as the year platinum made a comeback. Hollywood’s stars have taken us on a ride this year and from the look of things, it’s just the beginning.


Photo: antestradahair

As we wind down 2017 and gear up for the new year, it has been buttery tones of blonde, sexy shades of brown, fantasy colors from pastel to fluorescent pink, and to dark purple.

There are numerous current hair color trends and infinite shades to choose from as our collective star power continues to raise the bar for hairstyles and haircuts.

Barbers, Stylists, and Their Equipment

The speed at which hairstyles, colors and haircuts fade in and out of fashion is at times mind numbing. Celebrities, the internet, and social media have become so pervasive in influencing and spreading the latest styles, that keeping up with it all requires some serious stamina and attention.

Barbers, stylists, and salon owners, tune in to our blog for the latest in hair styles, tools, and trends.

This article appeared first on http://salonca.com/blog/popular-hairstyles-haircuts-hair-colors/

Orlando Bloom emerges from salon after ex Miranda Kerr revealed she used essential oils to get over him

It's not hard to see why an ex might have difficulty getting over him.

Orlando Bloom stepped out of the salon on Friday with a fresh cut and some blonder tips.

It was the first time the 39-year-old was spotted since his ex-wife Miranda Kerr revealed she needed essential oils to deal with the depression of their break-up.

New look: Orlando Bloom stepped out of the salon on Friday with a fresh cut and some blonder tips

The actor looked casual in a navy lapelless suit which could have used an ironing over a plain white tee, which he matched with a comfy pair of sneakers.

His just touched-up newly blonde locks contrasted with his black Ray Bans, as he rocked the slightest hint of a five o'clock shadow.

The Lord Of The Rings star wore a confident smile that screamed model heartbreaker, as he left Andy Lacompte salon in West Hollywood.

Indeed his ex admitted as much this week, crediting the healing power of the oils to help her through the difficult split following three years of marriage.

Read More: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3907710/Orlando-Bloom-emerges-salon-ex-Miranda-Kerr-revealed-used-essential-oils-him.html
Related Article: Summer 2017 Hair Trends + Summer Hair Protection & Repair