HOW TO START A SALON BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

Everyone wants to look good. And looking good cuts across wearing nice dresses, have nice shoes on and almost anything to make you look attractive which of course, importantly includes getting a nice hairstyle or hair cut. Having a nice hair is actually a very important part of looking good and individuals are ready to go extra length to have their preferred styles to complement the way they look. It is this need by individuals to get a nice hair cut or style that brings about the business of opening a salon be it for males or for females.

An Hair salon is just typically a place where hair is made by professionals at a price. Females always need to make a beautiful hair and males always want to get a superb cut. They even go to lengths of wanting to following trends or copying a particular hairstyle they feel would look good on them even though the execution by the stylist would be difficult. Stylists, of course, are individuals who have a very good knowledge about what they are doing and how to get different styles done with ease.

When setting up a business like this, you can either decide to create a salon for female hair or for male hair. Styling of the two is always different at times and the one for ladies might need a long list of steps even before the hair is made while the male just needs a simple cut. Either way, the salon is one of the most visited places anywhere because people always want to get their hair done and it’s almost impossible to not have customers provided you’re well located in a place that has your target market.

Now, styling a hair is not something people are born with. It is actually something that is taught and most good stylists you see today have gone through the learning process to get to where they are today. They didn’t just start making hair just like that. There are even courses studied to become experts and professionals in the field and though this might be an extra advantage, it’s not always neccesary. What is most important is that you know what you’re doing with the hair and you work to acquire the necessary skills that will get you to be an expert at what you do. Also, like it is frequently said, Practice also makes perfect.

Depending on the one you want to start, there are some neccesary equipments that must be available in your salon. Things like dryers, relaxers, clippers, towels and of course, chairs are just some of the things needed. The list still goes and also importantly includes generator set to help solve issues of power outage due to the problem of insufficient power supply in the country. All these and more that will be gotten will hugely depend on the capital available as without it, the implementation of the said project cannot be done. It also determines if you’ll start small and simple or if you’ll have a very big place for the business where even both male and female hairs can be styled.

In the next sub heads, I’ll be discussing the neccesary steps involved in starting up a salon business and also important factors to note if you’re going to have a high chance of reaching your goals and succeeding in the business.

1. RESEARCH

This, as always, is a very important aspect of starting a business. It prepares the mind of the entrepreneur as to what to expect and what it really takes to be successful at the business. It’s no different for starting a salon business. Before venturing into it, take a detailed research about the business, the market and all neccesary things that must be considered before starting and also eventually when sustaining the hair salon business. One advantage from this research is that it gives you an idea of the benefits and also shows you the problems or issues attached to the business. It makes you know what you’re getting yourself into and if you’re cut out for that level of hardwork and commitment. It also lets you know how much time you must dedicate and how well you will need to work in order to achieve results.

The research, in this case, also allows you to realize if you have the skills to run the business and in cases where you’re a beginner, show you ways to develop and acquire the different skills that makes up a salon owner. You cannot just go on and start a business like this without having an idea of what to do. It is always advisable to learn the process of how things are done and also learn as many styles as you can to be versatile enough to attend to customers wants.

The internet can be used for research of this kind. In other cases, words from experts and experienced stylists can be relied on. These individuals have been in the field more and they are most likely the best bet to get concrete information and also idea of risks involved. They know what it takes and they know how failures or losses can affect the business so they get to be real. You also visit salons in your location to see how things are done and also ask take a short survey to get an idea of what customers want when they go to a salon. After research is completed, then a business plan can be written.

2. CREATE A BUDGET AND SOURCE FOR CAPITAL

This stage serves as a pivot for the business. In reality, without money, nothing can really be done. Nothing can be bought and a business cannot even start. First, create a budget for the things you’ll need which would include cost of location, cost of equipment, cost of labor and also some other costs that may arise during the course of the business. The reason for a budget is to help you determine how much you need to get to be able to kick start the business. If you intend to use your savings or personal money, then you can simply use the budget to determine if it’s enough or you’ll need more.

As mentioned, the capital is very important and without it business cannot start. In most cases, entrepreneurs like to start small especially when they have just little money and it’s advisably the best option. Get the most neccesary equipments that will kick-start the business and leave out others for when you have the money. But note that the things you’re leaving out must be not so important things.

3. GET THE SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENTS

This stage depends on the the form you’re going into. For a female beauty salon, some of the things needed include wash hair basin, standing dryer, steamers, mirrors, rollers, hair straightener, chairs, generator, and other regular hair making stuff like brushes, combs, scissors, curling iron, and shampoos. It’s almost quite the same with the male barbing salon except some of the first materials mentioned but with the addition of barbing clippers.

4. EMPLOY WORKERS

This might seem unnecessary especially if you plan on running the business yourself. But when you are running a big shop and you have different equipments in place, you’ll need workers to help you. Employ people who have actual skills related to the business and also make sure they’re individuals who know how to interact with customers well. Most times, salon owners prefer to go for individuals with good personality to work for them and teach them later on how to do things for the business. This goes to show how important it is to treat customers right especially in a business like this.

5. PUBLICIZE AMD MARKET YOUR BUSINESS

This is the last step after registering the business and getting the neccesary license to start your own salon. Most salon owners these days make use of social media to market their business. You can create online presence for your business and also hope that customers help you advertise to their friends. This is very important if you’re looking to get successful at the business.

The salon business is obviously one with lots of benefits for entrepreneurs as it is one of the most popular businesses in the country due to the high demand and need by people to get their hairs to look amazing and attractive. Like I’ve said, it is one of the most visited business locations so if you do your marketing right and have top notch skills, then it will turn out to be a very lucrative venture.