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How To Start A Hair And Beauty Salon Business: 7 Beauty Parlour Setup Tips

05Aug2011
How To Start A Hair And Beauty Salon Business: 7 Beauty Parlour Setup Tips
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Whether you’re a trained beautician or are simply interested in setting up a business, running a hair and beauty salon business or a beauty parlour at home can be a rewarding enterprise.

In this article, we offer some tips for beauty therapists to set up and run a hair and beauty salon successfully, provided you follow a few simple rules.

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7 Steps To A Successful Hair & Beauty Salon Business

Want to start your own hair and beauty salon business? If you’re planning to own and operate a beauty parlour, there are a number of important factors you may want to take into consideration.

1. Beautician Training And Experience

The most important factor is your beautician training, knowledge and experience. While a large number of women who wish to open their own hair and beauty salons have a love for beauty and fashion, not all do.

If you haven’t worked for a beauty salon before or if you haven’t attended beauty school or even just taken a beautician course, you may want to think about doing so before you start your business.

Yes, there’s a good chance that you’ll end up hiring your own workers and they can have most of the knowledge, but you need to have some knowledge about the beauty industry and the running of the business if you want to succeed.

2. Beauty Salon Business Preparation & Planning

As in any other business, planning is a big part of what can make your hair and beauty salon a sustainable success. Some of the questions you need to ask yourself are:

  • What beauty salon name will you choose?

Hopefully, you’ve got a beauty salon name already, but if you don’t, type in the name you want into the Namecheap Domain Name Generator.

This free online tool has a Beast Mode that lets you search thousands of domain names in the blink of an eye, filter and prioritize the results you want to see, and even inspire you with new ideas.

Once you’ve found and purchased the domain name you like, you can check with an accountant to see if the business name is available. If not, ask them to provide a variant of the business name to register your business.

Your beauty salon name doesn’t have to be the same as your business name, but it’s best if your domain name matches your salon name as it will help you create a strong brand.

Beauty Salon Business

  • Do you want a home salon or a professional beauty salon?

One important factor in planning your hair and beauty salon business is your entrepreneurial vision.  Your target audience and clientele will change depending on how small or big you want to go.

Do you want to start out with a small beauty parlour or home beauty salon? Or do you want to start a professional beauty salon with your own storefront location?

If you’d prefer to start your hair and beauty salon as a traditional storefront business, and not one that is home-based, you’ll want to examine all available locations and carefully choose the best one for your beauty parlour.

If you have an existing property that can be converted into a hair and beauty salon, there’s nothing like it. If you don’t, you’ll have to look around for space you can rent.

Be sure to choose a location for your hair and beauty salon that can accommodate you and all of your space needs, as well as one that does not have a lot of competition nearby.

How much space you’ll need will be answered by the next few questions. You need to know this well before you begin setting up your professional beauty salon.

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  • What beauty salon services are you going to offer?

When many people think of hair and beauty salons, the first thing that pops into their mind is hair cuts.  Haircare is a service offered by almost all hair and beauty salons.

Haircare services often include hair cuts, trimming, shampooing, dyeing, highlighting and more. Many beauty salons also specialize in doing “up-dos,” or other elegant hairstyles and makeup for events like weddings.

Skincare and nail care treatments are some other popular beauty salon services, including facials, waxing, manicures, and pedicures. Beauty salons and spas are like traditional beauty salons, but they also offer spa treatments and have a spa-like setting.

Common beauty treatments offered at a beauty salon and spa include massages, reflexology, aromatherapy, acupuncture, body wraps, and much more.

Some beauty and hair salon services can be clubbed together and performed in the same physical space, while others require dedicated areas. For instance, you won’t need a separate area for a kid’s hair salon.

Also, decide whether your beauty and hair salon business will cater just to women or be unisex. If you want a unisex salon, will separate physical areas be needed for a men’s hair salon and female customers or can you use the same place for all?

Beauty Salon And Spa

  • How many trained beauticians will you need?

Decide whether it’s just you, to begin with, or whether you need to hire other trained beauticians for the salon. Having staff on board automatically increases the space you’ll need to accommodate people, plus more equipment, and different décor.

Having more staff also means you need to plan for beautician training and uniforms. Don’t forget to factor in restroom facilities for your physical space as well. Hiring staff also means higher expenses in terms of space and salaries.

  • Do you plan to start a beauty shop?

If you plan to retail beauty products and have a beauty shop as part of your beauty parlour, you’ll need to factor in extra storage space to store and display beauty products and set up promotional material.

Remember that some cities may have municipal regulations requiring you to register with them and/or get separate clearances for setting up a hair and beauty salon and beauty shop, so be sure to check on this well before you start.

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  • How much startup capital will you need?

Startup capital is another factor that you should take into consideration when running your own hair and beauty salon.  Most businesses have startup costs, but it can be expensive to get a beauty salon up and running.

Before you start your hair and beauty salon or beauty parlour, you need to calculate how much it is going to cost. Also take into consideration recurring expenses such as salaries, rent, and beauty salon supplies.

Beauty salon equipment can get fairly costly but there is financing assistance available in the form of a Govt loan for beauty parlour from institutions such as Bharat Mahila Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce and a number of other banks.

Before you approach investors or a bank for a small business loan, ensure that you create a stellar beauty salon business plan, a sound financial plan, and a winning go-to-market strategy.

These business tools will help you pitch to investors, and position your service to stand out in crowded markets.

  • Do you know how to run a business?

Most beauty salon owners know nothing about running their own business. It’s a good idea to take the time and learn how to successfully start and run your own company.

Hire an accountant who will help you set up a registered business entity in India and keep you updated about the laws and best practices concerning small businesses. Ask them to help you figure out what beauty and hair salon prices will help you stay profitable.

Beauty Parlour Tips

3. Beauty Parlour Shop Design

Once you decide on your services and number of staff and have space that you can effectively convert to a hair and beauty salon, make a list of what physical changes need to be made to the area, and start working on it.

Your beauty parlour interior design will set the ambience for your brand new hair and beauty salon business and will either attract or repel customers. Choose beauty salon colour schemes that are attractive and inviting.

Coming up with home beauty salon design ideas is very different from beauty parlour shop design. Things you’ll need to consider when visualising your space on paper, apart from sofas, tables, and chairs, are power points, water points, lighting, and windows.

You don’t necessarily have to stick to a particular theme, but having one can help your clients identify with and be pleased by the overall ambience.

Check out some unique and creative small beauty salon design ideas, beauty parlour shop images, hair salon set-up ideas, and small beauty salon decorating ideas on our Beauty Parlour Interior Pinterest Board.

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4. Hair And Beauty Salon Furniture & Equipment

In addition to beauty salon space, you’ll need to purchase beauty salon furniture, hair salon furniture, and beauty salon equipment.

It’s always best to buy equipment that’s of the highest quality you can afford. You need to look at beauty salon equipment as an investment that both pays for itself and brings in profits for you in the long run.

Of course, you can always lease beauty salon equipment instead of buying outright, so look into what suits your budget best.

What kind of equipment you purchase depends on the kind of salon services you plan on offering and the availability of staff to perform them.

You may need a receptionist’s desk, hair care stations, nail care products, salon hair products, hair salon supplies, and beauty salon supplies, depending on the kind of salon services you plan to offer.

You’ll need a computer to be organized, and if purchasing a new one outright doesn’t fit well into your budget, go second-hand, or have your personal laptop computer serve its time at your salon.

You will also require hair salon software or beauty salon software that allows you to manage every aspect of your beauty business, including scheduling appointments, staff, stock, sales, reporting and more.

There are many options for beauty salon software that will help you automate all these tasks You can also use accounting software like Cloud-based QuickBooks to manage your small business accounting needs or hire a CA to do it for you.

If you’re looking to retail beauty products at your salon, choose one beauty or hair salon franchise and stick to it. Becoming a dedicated franchisee of a particular brand can help boost the image of your salon overall.

Online Shop In India

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5. Hair & Beauty Salon Supplies

Before you open your salon, ensure that you have enough of all the essential supplies. What supplies you need to keep in stock depends on the services you plan on offering.

For instance, if you offer services such as waxing, you’ll need to ensure you have enough wax and related supplies at any given point in time.

Shopping for hair and beauty salon supplies can be expensive, but as a beauty salon business owner, you can buy them wholesale and save money.

Manicures and pedicures require specialised tools, and if you’re retailing beauty products, you’ll need to have enough stock as well as storage and display space for them.

This list of hair and beauty salon supplies will help you get started in keeping your salon stocked and ready:

First aid box
Professional scissors for cutting hair
Hairpin Clip
Barbers Combs
• Hair Cutting Cape Apron
• Salon Stylist Apron
• Salon Trolley
• Hot Cold Faucet with Spray
Hairdryers
Cotton wool
Manicure and pedicure set
Toe Separator Foot Pads
Professional Nail Care System
Acetone or Nail Color Remover
Pedicure and Manicure Products
Tweezers
Nail colour set
Soap and Shampoo Dispensers
Hair Colouring Set
Electric Facial Cleaner & Massager
Facial Steamer Machine
Facial cleansing sponges
Relaxing spa music
Bluetooth Speakers
Facial Epilator and Facial Cleansing Brush
Electric Wax Heater and Hot Wax
Hair Removal Wax Strips
Tissues
Salon Towels
UV Sterilizer Tool
• Professional Plastic Sterilizing Tray
Stretch Headbands
Facial Mask Mixing Bowl Set
Makeup Remover
Water Spray Bottle
• Neck Rest for Shampoo
Eco-friendly cleaning products

If you need a business loan to purchase these products, you can avail of a number of government loans and bank loans for Indian women who start a beauty salon.

Many customers are now aware of the harmful effects of chemicals in beauty products. Here are some tips to learn about their concerns for the planet and create a brand for yourself as an eco-friendly, ethical and sustainable beauty salon business.

Today, the businesses that thrive are the ones that care for the planet. Demonstrating that you are a responsible, ethical and sustainable business can help you create a unique brand that responsible customers prefer.

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6. Beauty Salon Marketing Tips

Make sure you spend a part of your budget on marketing your hair and beauty salon business. Hair salon websites or beauty salon websites are not difficult to build and need not be expensive.

In fact, if you have some time and are willing to learn how to set up your own website without a designer, you can save a lot of money.

List your hair and beauty salon on the UrbanCompany Salon At Home App so you can get found by customers who type “beauty salon near me” into Google.

Many of these websites also offer salon at-home services, so if you’re willing to go to customers’ homes for beauty treatments, you should definitely be listed on them.

Because a beauty salon is a local business, you can advertise in the local media, send out flyers in the local neighbourhood, and learn how to use Facebook ads to attract local customers.

Having an irresistible offer on your hair and beauty salon services can be a big draw when it comes to attracting customers.

You should also work on creative and unique beauty salon promotions to distinguish yourself from the competition, especially during the festive and wedding seasons.

Beauty Salon Equipment

7. Sustaining and Growing Your Beauty Salon Business

Sustaining a hair and beauty salon over the long term involves keeping your customers happy so they choose you over your competitors.

Never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth marketing. Customers who enjoy their experience at your hair and beauty salon will share and recommend your business to their family and friends.

You can leverage this word-of-mouth by asking them to post reviews on your Facebook and Google Business pages, as this will help boost your online visibility.

Over a period of time, you need to think about building a brand to distinguish your hair and beauty salon from your competitors and give your customers a reason to choose you over them.

Growing beyond your present scale of operations depends on how successful and profitable your hair and beauty salon promotions and business venture is.

In the future, you might want to start offering more services, relocate your salon space, expand to a bigger location, or start a new branch.

Once you’ve built a brand for your hair and beauty salon business, you could even go on to create a beauty and hair salon franchise like Vandana Luthra’s VLCC or Shahnaz Husain.

Whether you’re a trained beautician or are simply interested in setting up a business, running and managing a hair and beauty salon business can be a very profitable venture. I wish you great success with your beauty parlour project!

Also read:

About the author:

Priya Florence Shah is the Group Editor at SHEROES and author of Devi2Diva, an emotional self-care book for women.

Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate or sponsored links. For more information, read our disclosure.

Zero Investment Business

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How To Start A Hair And Beauty Salon Business: 7 Beauty Parlour Setup Tips 1
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Comments 26

  • Download Sheroes Only-Women App
  • Hi I’m Ruby would like to start a spa bussiness in Kolkata Seeking for help as I have no experience in this field

  • Hi, m running a beauty salon (Unisex) in my town . nw I have only town licence which is called trade licence . so, is there required any other licence.

  • Thanks for sharing this amazing article with us. This post is really very informative.
    Thanks!

  • Hi, I m residing in patna and want to establish beauty parlour cum spa in small investment. So how much I have to invest? Where I ‘ll get all beauty products & equipments in cheap rate. Pls help me

    • Pinki, we recommend you contact wholesalers in your market and get the products from them at a discount. For equipment, you might have to take it on EMI or a loan. Or you can purchase them on Amazon at the links above.

  • This is a nice idea and very profitable.

  • Have a premises in Gurgaon and would like a partner in setting up a beauty parlour and gym exclusively for women

  • Hello………. Am Ayo by name, a Nigerian, residing in South-western part of the country. I want to open a unisex saloon and spa hopefully before the the first quarter of this year. I will be very glad if you can be of help so as to have a standard saloon and spa that will stand out the existing ones.

  • Hi, this is uma i want to start my own ladys and children’s beauty parlour in hubli and i want a gourmet permission for my own business and whom tack permission please advise me and please help me thanks and regards uma

  • hi ,

    I want to start a beauty salon and spa , request you to kindly help me the producer, recently working in a company .can i start by rent a shop or i should purchase a shop.

    Please suggest
    Naina

    • It depends on what you can afford. Renting is always a risk as the landlord can ask you to leave even if you have a thriving business. Since beauty parlours are location sensitive, having to leave a location once you have regular clients can destroy your business. If you can afford it, buying is better than renting and is an investment too.

  • HI…
    Thanks for sharing tips for start beauty salon business..
    Superb post. appreciate it for letting me know.

    • For start up a new business, you should open a private limited company registration which helps you to stable your business and provide you a legal existence of your business.

  • Great information for start your business, here is one of the great Professional Services Provider is to help in the registration.

  • You want your clients to enjoy coming in of course, you want someone who knows their way around a head of hair you shouldn’t base your decsision on skills alone. Personality matters,

  • Hi sonali,

    we are happy to help in this. You can hire our experts at Uptra Consultancy Services (http://uptra.in/company-registration-services/) to help you register your company and make sure all financial and legal aspects are dealt with.

  • Hi

    Can gents register and run ladies salon in Bengaluru? Is there any legal hurdle to run this business by gents? Please send me your advice.

  • Hey Sonali

    I can help you in this, 
    Just visit this website https://www.legalraasta.com/private-limited-company-registration/
    This would definitely help you!!!

  • Hey Sonali, 

    Legal registration process is very simple now. I believe that you can get help from vakilsearch.com. They are providing online legal service in India. you can register your company at very reasonable price. &nbsp ;http://www.vakilsearch.com/company-registration

  • Want to open a SPA in Mysore, Karnataka. I would like to know the rules, regulation, formalities to open the same. Do I need license/permit for the SPA.

    Regards and best wishes

    Sonali

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