In this portfolio ClientMagic provides a guide on Salon and Spa business development and gives you keys to running a successful business.

Starting a Salon or Spa

The Salon and Spa Business

The beauty Salon and Spa and spa business has grown rapidly over the past decade. Latest extrapolations from U.S. census data place the Salon and Spa and spa service industry at over $35 billion annually. While traditional barbershops, hair Salon and Spas and nail Salon and Spas have experienced moderate growth, high end beauty Salon and Spas and day spas have seen significant spikes of revenue in recent years.

Starting a Salon or Spa

A basic hair Salon and Spa can be started with light to moderate capitalization. More full service beauty Salon and Spas and day spas may require more funding to get started. The first step in starting a Salon and Spa or spa business is to define the extent of services and products that will be offered. Here are some of the most common services and products offered and available in ClientMagic:

Hair Salon and Spa Products:

• Shampoos
• Conditioners
• Extra Hair treatment
• Pre-styling products
• Hair styling products
• Hair finishes
• Tanning and massage oils and cremes
• Brushes and hair tools

Skin Care, Nail and Beauty Products:

• Face skin care products
• Body skin care products
• Makeup
• Makeup tools
• Nail polish products
• Nail finish products
• Nail tools
• Perfumes
• Bed and bath products

Salon and Spa Start Up Requirements

The amount of capital needed to start a Salon and Spa or spa business will vary depending on the type of services you will offer, the Salon and Spa and spa equipment requires basic fixtures and administrative equipment, the opening inventory of products you will offer, and deposits for rent and utilities.

Salon and Spa Location

Location, location, location! For most Salon and Spas choosing a location will be one of the most important elements that will lead you down the path to building a successful business. Ultimately your ability to provide excellent service with high customer satisfaction will be the key to your success. But having a good location will set you up to expose your business to new customers. If you are considering starting a small one or two chair Salon and Spa, or home massage, you may be able to do so with a 300-500 square foot room in your home, but you must also pay attention to commercial/residential zoning restrictions. For most Salon and Spas you will require 1000-2000 square feet or more. Finding a location with parking available and a lot of daily foot traffic and car traffic, is optimal. Strip malls and shopping malls are good because of the large amount of foot traffic. A smaller place will save you rent in the beginning, with the possibility for expansion as your business grows. That is a plus. Retail square footage, but in larger metropolitan areas, rent may run as high as $2.50 per square foot or even more in premium big city areas.

Building Improvements, Fixtures and Design

Depending on how recently the business location was built, and how well it has been kept, you may need to spend hundreds, to several thousand dollars to improve the building and utilities. If you are offering shampoos and conditioning, you will probably need to install plumbing for washing basins. Costs of building improvements aside, you should probably set aside between $500 and $3000 for the interior layout and design, flooring, painting, window fixtures, indoor and outdoor signage and general decorations.

Salon and Spa Equipment

The equipment you need to buy depends on the services you will offer. We offer links to assist you with your equipment search. www.clientmagic.net/equipment

Administrative Equipment

In addition to the specific Salon and Spa equipment you will need some basic but fundamental administrative equipment. You will need at least one cash register and computer with the proper Salon and Spa software, phones, basic office supplies, desks, and furniture as appropriate.

Keys to Running a Successful Salon and/or Spa

Salon and Spa Customer Service and Satisfaction is the Key

The success of your Salon and Spa will be directly linked to your ability to satisfy your customers. There is no better way to retain existing customers than to have them leave happy on every visit. Word-of-mouth can be an extremely effective form of organically marketing your Salon and Spa. Customer service always starts with a courteous and professionally trained staff. Efficiency with using the right software is crucial.

Create a Comfortable, Clean and Safe Atmosphere for your Salon and Spa

When customers enter your Salon and Spa to check in they should be presented with an environment that is clean, safe, comfortable and relaxing. Salon and Spa customers expect cleanliness. Make sure the floors are swept in between customers. Make sure towels, trimmers and other equipment are washed and fresh for new customers. Install comfortable couches and furniture in waiting areas. Offer magazines and/or coffee table books for reading. Anything you can do to make your Salon and Spa or spa more comfortable and relaxing will help retain customers and gain new ones.

Salon and Spa Convenience

One of the advantages to opening a more full service beauty Salon and Spa is that it will be more convenient to your customers. If you offer hair, nail, beauty and spa services, and then you present a one-stop solution for all your customers beauty needs. A client can schedule several services in one visit, rather than having to go to several establishments at different times. You are able to track this feature in ClientMagic. Also, offering a selection of Salon and Spa products to your clients is a convenience for them, and generates revenue for you.

Your Salon and Spa Marketing

Marketing is Crucial

Every Salon and Spa owner understands how important retaining customers is by having a quality staff that ensures customer satisfaction on each and every visit. But retaining your customer base is not enough if you wish to grow your business. You must market to new customers!

Salon and Spa Marketing and Development

Most likely you have done some basic marketing for your Salon and Spa. Keep in mind these key elements:

• Create a compelling name for your Salon and Spa
• Create a logo and color scheme
• Create a slogan
• Display attractive signage
• Create and promote a website with these features
• Promote you website through email marketing
• Promote your website through organic search engine optimization
• Increase your Salon and Spa base through regular advertising methods
• Direct mail advertising for your Salon and Spa
• Yellow page advertising
• Radio or TV advertising
• Develop an Incentive System for your customers to refer a friend or family member
• Donate gift cards to charity organizations

 Extend Marketing of your Salon and Spa, Salon and Spa Branding

Branding your Salon and Spa is an important part of your Salon and Spa business development for long term success. So what does branding mean? Branding is the visual, emotional, and rational image associated with your Salon and Spa. Branding is communicating your businesses attributes and qualities, and creating a simple association of those qualities in the minds of your potential customers. By creating a slogan that communicates the qualities of your Salon and Spa would be a way of branding. The name of your Salon and Spa is the first step. The purpose of having people remember the brand name and have positive associations with that is to make their selection easier and enhances the value and satisfaction they will get at your Salon and Spa.

 Salon and Spa Efficiency

 By developing an efficient running Salon and Spa you create availability for your customers

Here at ClientMagic we pride ourselves on helping you develop a successful and efficient Salon and Spa with software that is easy to use and provides up-to-date technology and features that meets customers’ needs. Some of these important features include: 

• Tanning bed control integration
• Check in time comparison
• International currency
• Screen logging
• Text messaging
• Exporting of client data
• Appointment waiting
• Auto-backup
• Security compliance
• Picture storage and POP-UP
• Inventory barcode scanning
• Check in and out reports
• Automated billing
• Appointment change via cell phone

Running a successful Salon and Spa today invokes multiple strategies. Here at ClientMagic our goal is to help you fine tune your Salon and Spa into a strong industry leader for years to come. Call us today for a consultation to bettering your business at 800-583-3786; our staff is looking forward to assisting with your future.