2. The Opportunities
There are three ways you can make your mark on the hair industry. You can open a franchise hair salon or spa, in which you pay money upfront for the privilege of opening that salon using someone else’s established name (which gives you an instant reputation) and its resources (like advertising campaigns).
You can buy an established salon from someone who is retiring from the business, has tired of the business, or has damaged the business and forced it into bankruptcy (all three happen every day). A third option is to establish your own salon using your own money, your own ingenuity and your own optimism that hard work and talent will win out.
To begin with, you must consider your hours of operation carefully so you can accommodate the maximum number of clients during the business day. You undoubtedly already know that the beauty business isn’t a 9-to-5 kind of industry.
Salons are now open seven days a week and on some public holidays. What has driven this demand has been the proliferation of two – income couples who manage the demands of raising a family while juggling careers and managing their own personal business.
So while it wasn’t so long ago that people wouldn’t even consider getting a haircut on Sunday, salon hours on Sunday are now a must (even if on an abbreviated schedule). Even day spas are open on Sundays, since this may be the only time during the week that a busy career mom can get away for some personal pampering.
Typically, hair salons in metropolitan areas are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, in busy urban areas salons are open on Sunday and some even on a Monday. By design, Sunday and holiday hours often are the same as those of local retailers like malls and department stores. Lunch hours and Saturdays tend to be the busiest times for salons.
You might also need to have special hours to accommodate special needs. For example, if you do a lot of wedding work, you’ll probably have to be open earlier on Saturday mornings, say at 8 a.m., for the brides who have to get to church for a 10 a.m. service.