Entrepreneurs are an essential part of our economy, and we agree. Today, people in all fields are finding ways to go on their own, get out of the office, and be their bosses. If you’re a hairdresser, this might be easier for you to do on your own than you think. You can set up your salon in your own home. Here’s how to start your home salon.
Do’s for salons at home
• Do run your home-based salon like you would any other business. Be professional, know your stuff, and think like a business owner. Even though the new company will be run out of your home, that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be as professional as if it were in a storefront.
• Make sure you do all the necessary checks before you start seeing clients. Check with your home insurance company to see if you are covered to let anyone into your home. Also, don’t forget to tell your mortgage company what you want to do. They may ask for proof of insurance to ensure you are covered in case something terrible happens. You should also tell your landlord about your business plans if you rent. They would be just as responsible as you if something happened to a client on your property.
• Tell the local government about your plans to open a salon in your home. You might have to apply to change the way your property is used. This could mean you will have to pay business rates from now on. You also need to tell HMRC so that you can pay taxes and National Insurance. If you hire an accountant, they can help you with this.
• Limit your working hours. Clients will come and go from your home every day or every week. If you have a family, you might want to ensure your clients know when you work and when you’re open. Working from home allows you to work around other obligations, so think about this before you open your doors.
• If you don’t want to let people into your whole house, consider getting a separate bathroom for your clients. But if you can’t avoid it, ensure that all the areas where customers will walk are clean and tidy.
• Plan your business’s launch and launch strategy. These will help you see where the company is going and how it can grow. As a home-based business, you won’t have the advantage of a storefront so it will take more work to market the company. Consider getting a website with a “welcome offer” for people who visit for the first time.
Don’ts for a home-based salon
• Don’t be afraid to follow through! You’ve wanted to do this for as long as you can remember, and now you can open your salon in your own home. Take the chance because you won’t know if it will work until you try.
• Don’t just move the furniture in the spare bedroom to one side and cram all of your business stuff in there. Make your treatment room where clients can come to relax. It needs to feel like a client’s home away from home, but it also needs to look and feel like a treatment room on the high street. You want people to pay for your service, so give them the best experience possible by providing them with a relaxing, calm, and professional place to be.
• Don’t let clients dictate your terms. No-shows and last-minute cancellations have hurt many salons; the same is true for a home beauty salon or hair salon.
• Don’t forget about the trends in your industry. Even though they aren’t in a busy business setting, spas and salons that are run from home still need to keep up with the latest trends. You should work hard to learn new skills and update lists of treatments and services to keep up with these changes. Potential customers already have many options, so give them a reason to come to your home-based salon instead of a bigger one nearby.
• Don’t rely only on paper documents! Even if you run a salon or spa out of your home, you still need to consider your client’s needs and wants. This includes marketing, products, styles, and more. It can be hard to keep track of all of this information for each client and know when their last patch test was and if they have any medical conditions that might affect treatments.
Every successful business has to start somewhere. After all, keeping your costs low is wise until your business is big enough to handle more overhead. A home salon is a great place to begin.
