New Salon, old man needs help!

[mje]

Hello everyone.

Firstly I am a man :zzz:, not trained at all in hairdressing and mostly bald, so of no use to any of you, but I would be obliged if yopu could help me.

( if this is in wrong forum can a mod please move it? Thanks)

I own a lock up shop and my tenant has indicated they do not wish to continue with a new lease - fair enough.

In the current climate re letting will be difficult.

My daughter is NVQ level 2 hairdresser ( excuse me if I have described this inaccuratly) and has a basic qualification with "nails" - she has found it all but impossible to get work in hair salon....which is why she ended up in nail salon, but is very poorly treated / paid.

So, I was wondering about fitting out my shop as a hair dressers / nail salon for her and a friend who is employed in a salon to work from (plus another if advisable / affordable)

I think we can do it for about £12K, ft out, renovation and equipment.

I have spoken to the girls and of course they are very keen, but I do worry, that my daughter is a little too inexperienced ( the other girl less so.

All I am trying to do is give them a chance to do what they were trained to do. It seems such a tradgedy to me to spend 3 years at training school and not be able to get a job at the end of it. My shop is worth £550 a month rent, the rates are £170 a month, all I personally want from this is to cover those two expenses,plus other running costs, the girls would be employed by me, there are two other salons in the High Street, although this dosnt bother me as they always look very busy and our costs are fairly minimal per week.

I am an experienced businessman (retail) so not a fool, or dreamer, but hairdressing is alien to me ( I read your forum alot:lol I would love to give them and anyone else a chance to earn a living doing what they love, but same time dont want to fall flat on my face!

£1,000 a week gross takings would cover it all and give two full time and one PT a decent wage, that dosnt seem a huge amount when broken down to a daily figure....although I have no idea what a salon expects to gross per week?

What do you think?

 

[minky]

Hi, and welcome to salon geek , hmm I am assuming your Daughter is quite young then ? if so... there may be a few teething problems
like experience in solving clients problems ect.. and charging the right prices for their services , over spend with buying stock , this will need monitoring properly as she probably won't need as much as she thinks
the same goes for equipment,
but for a small salon maybe you could help with this ,

Everything your Daughter would need to know is taught on Level three,
so your Daughter could perhaps carry on with level three as well this year too ,
She may say she is ready and wants this shop , but is she ready ? and does she want all this responsiblity ?
she wont be able to go out like she used too and have fun , or have a few drinks as she will have to be up in the mornings and weekends too as fridays and saturdays are always busy

there is the salon lay out to consider which is very important to plan it out properly ,

here are a few suggestions but I don't know how big your shop is ;

it may be a good idea to decorate a couple of rooms if you can and rent them out to a beauty therapist and perhaps a permanent make up artist ?
this will help cover your costs and take a bit of pressure off your Daughter
finding all the rent at first,

it will also introduce clients for the hairdressing and nails too

it is easier to start off fresh with a new salon, rather than take over an older existing one,
and your Daughter being young can attract a young and fashionable clientele
but... she will need to be ahead of the game with her hairdessing skills , and nail skills ect ...
she needs plenty of Advanced training in cutting and colouring ect hair up

even a barber course would be great advantage (unless perhaps you might be interested in doing this youself) because seriously.. male clients will always pop in for a hair cut if they see another male around ,

or if you rented out a small but separate barber bar,
would you consider having a small but separate barber section?
this would help give it a good start too ,

Lighing is very important , if it looks gloomy from the front window or dark in the shop , it will go unnoticed and look very unwelcoming so keep it light and airy and welcoming, sort of feng shui

there is one thing I would say to think through ...do you think she is able to take on such a big responsibility as it will clip her wings being so young

you see my Dad found me a rented shop when I was barely 18 and I felt I should have said thanks but no thanks Dad !..
but because he helped me through my apprenticship financially I felt I couldn't really say no to him,

Looking back I never felt ready to shoulder a business , as deep down as I had never travelled or went on a young carefree holidays like all my mates were doing , I felt so trapped , It was so very demanding and being so very young trying to find the weekly rent for the shop and bills ect...

I myself think now I was far to young to handle all that responsibility and I had to hire and fire people too which I hated doing,
I must have been mad,
It was hard and I worried so much too,
as I was just left on my own to get on with it,
and while all my mates were off elswhere having a fab time abroad
my young carefree days were gone , filled up with a business instead , and all the headaches that went with it ,
I made an ok wage and others did too I rented hair dyers and second hand equipment,
but being a teenager , I never had a clue on price lists and no one to help me,
this is where things can go wrong , but you ccould help your daughter here,
plus I never had that much hairdressing experience at the time either , I was fresh from NVQ2 too
I was teen and it wasn't right for me at that age , but that was me ,

It May be dfferent for your Daughter I really don't know,

:hug: hth a bit minky

 

[mje]

Thank you very much for such a detailed and honest reply - appreciated.

She is 20, which is young but our family have been in retail for 30 years and she has experience with the public working with us (and we all know what the public are like!) I feel she, with support would cope with that side of it, as you say long hours, that I don't know?, but given the current state of things I think she and her friend who is 22 and has working experience are clever enough to realise that an opportunity such as this is a once in a lifetime thing?

They would'nt be left to just get on with it, my wife would act as receptionist / manager / trouble shooter and my own business is literally 40 yards away so I am always available if required. I would also be in sole charge of purchasing and the book-keeping side of it all.

I feel we will probably give this a go, I have thought about it for months now. We are going to use the REM planning service if we go ahead and the shop does have a very good position in between two banks and a chemist, also it has a very large floor to ceiling window, so making it light and attractive should not be an issue. The salon would appear to belong to the girls,and I would give them free access to do what they want as long as when I look over the road somebody has wet hair! But the reality is that the would both be employed by myself.

Pricing? - again I have no idea, but guess the more experienced girl will have some input and local salons do have prices displayed in the window and they are all much the same.

One advantage the business would have, especially while finding its feet is that as I own the shop, "rent" is not a issue if the money is not there...and I cant see me evicting myself..lol - That said I do at some point need the income, but it is not like I am leasing the shop in the proper way.

It is big enough (700sq feet) to add an extra room or two and this is a very good idea, thanks again.

mje

 

[The Pink Orange]

Hi, Just thought I'd say good luck! go for it! I noticed that you were going to use REM...they have fantastic furniture however I would have a look what else is on offer too, As this could bring start-up costs down. Depending on the 'look' you go for you could try DIR, also local boutique furniture shops have some great pieces of furniture, mirrors and lighting.

You could also try contacting the princes trust who run free business advice courses that maybe your daughter could go on...they cover marketing and advertising which i found really helpful and also accounts which I realise you will be doing to begin with but I'm sure she will take over at some point!

I think its a great opportunity for your daughter and friend, good luck again! keep us posted!

 

[mje]

but I'm sure she will take over at some point!

Ha, you must know her then, I think you have a very good point there and thanks for the other info.

 

[scottydolly]

i think if she isnt going to do her nvq three, u shud invest in her first by gettin her to go on a advanced cutting course and more importantly a colour correction course. . . i cant stress that enough, the colour correction is where you can make or break a salons reputation.
also try and go for a product range that is different from other salons near by, retail as you know can be lucrative, also try and have a different treatment of some kind. something the other salons near by dont cater for, whether it be a type of straightening treatment, a conditioning treatment that is unheard of but promises results. . .

finally, good luck, stick together and i hope it all goes swimingly. . . do u think ur daughter would take offence if u advertised for a seniour stylist? sum1 who could possibly guide the way for the first year or so? x

 

[minky]

Hi, Yor Daughter is really lucky to have a great family and a Dad like you, and with all the help and support she will be recieving from you and your Wife,
I think she will do well as she is enthusiastic and wants this too,

plus if you have any hair or salon questions you can alaways pop in here

Lots of suppliers have VAT free days so if you are planning to buy new furniture it a good ieda to find out when they are ,
you could register with them now and ask them to put you on their mailing list so you will get notice of their offers and VAT free days

the only thing I would say again is...perhaps she should still invest in more advanced training in before the salon opens ,
( as she will need this knowledge to draw upon )

Colour correction would be good and advanced cutting ect , Wella in manchester have free one day colour product udate courses
and Salons Direct or Sallys do loads of private one day advanced courses in Wella colour correction barbering ect.. and they are not too expensive ,
just ask for a training brochure in your local store ,

heres a link Salons Direct: Professional hairdressing supplies, beauty products, salon furniture and equipment at wholesale prices!

good luck with everything let us know how it progresses minky

 

[mje]

do u think ur daughter would take offence if u advertised for a seniour stylist? sum1 who could possibly guide the way for the first year or so?

Not at all, I maybe came across wrong when I described it as her salon, because it would be far from that. She is aware that at some point in the future it may well be hers but from day one she will be employed by me!

I know only too well the value of experience, and is an avenue I feel I will follow - thankyou.

 

[jotommo]

hey,
graet idea and nice for you to think of your daughter, i would agree with scotty dolly and get some courses booked , your local SALLY supplies will help you, defo the colour correction and advanced cutting.... you wouldn't believe some of the hair i have seen by other salons that claim they know what they are doing but........
it is totally what sets you aside from the rest, knowing your trade inside out!!! experience is always a bonus but if you prove yourself as a great stylist your rep will speak for you, and the barbers idea form minky is also a defo! in my salon if we have a quite day in the ladies i can garentee the gents side will still be booming, and as the only overheads you have in there are wages it's great,
i had my own gents salon for 4 years and it was the easiest money i ever made (although i will say i was too young, 20 - 24 plus being a young mum) i intend to do it all again when i have enjoyed my son for e while longer,
best of luck to you both xx

 

[mje]

Well, at last we are done.

Cost £22,000 not £12,000 :irked:

Thanks to all for their help.

 

[bombini]

WOW !

All I can say is that she is a lucky, lucky girl to have a dad like you.

Best of luck with everything although im sure you won't need it.

 

[loubylou]

The salon is stunning, really beautiful, the best of luck with it all :hug:

 

[Lisa111]

It looks amazing! Good luck and I'm sure it will all go well

 

[seedee]

hi how is your daughter gettin on?
is the salon paying its way?
the salon is stunning

 

[amyloutay]

do you want a second daughter?! lol
salon looks great, hows it all going?

 

[mje]

Thanks for the kind comments.

Ashleigh has been doing alright with some extra training over the last six months, whislt the other two staff have come to us from other salons, so I feel we have the right people on board.

Today was first day the doors were open, we will advertise and promote an opening in 10 days or so, I just want to make sure everything and eveyone is working properly first.

We had six "walk in jobs" today, 4 cut and blow drys and two "tints" I think you call it! So a few pounds in the till at the end of the day. :lol: Also a few appointments made for next week, which I find encouraging as I had no idea what to expect.

I wandered in and out a couple of times and I was very impressed with the way the girls presented themsleves and spoke to people, and I can't ask for more than that at this point in time.

Had to have "words" about a mobile phone in the work area, but that was sorted and understood with out issue, and all thre girls smoke, which drives me nuts, but it is what it is and so long as the house rules are respected, we will get on just fine.

Looking forward to Monday.

 

[minky]

Well hello there , you have been busy lol , its looking fab , when I saw this latest post with the photos it made me beam , :biggrin: I can see it cost a bit more than anticipated but....your Daughter and Wife must be well pleased , they have excellent taste and it shows, as it looks classy and very well presented , plus it looks very welcoming too , well done, I do hope business builds up nicely for you all
Ps..
if you ever need a fabulous salon website Ruth Mills on here specializes in them they are very good and very reasonable too,

thanks for putting up those photos , some fab photography too :hug: x minky

 

[kimi1101]

Do you think if i asked my dad nicely he would give my salon a refit? It looks amazing.

When I first started, the area im in doesnt have a salon like mine, they cater for the older client, some offer cuts fro £6...that sort of salon. When I opened, I think everyone had been watching me buzzing about getting it ready so we had so many people come in to get their hair done, prob just for a nosey!!!! But just work hard to keep these clients. Get people talking about your salon!!!!!


Very proud of all the work you have put in, keep us all posted cos I'm exicted about this one! X

 

[marioned]

It looks stunning! Good luck.

 

[-sophisticutz-]

your salon looks stunning and I wish you good luck! I did think 12k was a bit ambitious for a salon fit out