Tips to help you choose the best hairdresser

You must have visited salons that started and within no time, they closed down. Anyone who starts a new business has an uphill task to survive in this competitive business. Almost every commercial building and every market has a salon; some of very high standards.

One of the reasons salons fail is competition from similar business. Unexpected rising business cost, high staff turn overs, poor planning, mismanagement and a host of other problems also contribute.

Thus to stand out above the rest and avoid premature closure, turn your wrongs into rights.

• Cash reserves: To ensure your salon business survives, have adequate cash reserve that can cushion you for at least six months until you start making your own money. Anticipate your cash flow adequately. If your business is new, few suppliers will want to give you products on credit. This means you need to have a constant basket of money.

• Understand clearly what your clients love including their buying habits.

• Price your products and services correctly. There is no way you will be the cheapest and the best. You are either or.

• Anticipate and react to competition, technology and any other changes in the market. However busy you get, do not look the other way while things around you are changing, otherwise, you will find yourself in trouble.

• Never imagine you can do everything yourself. Start delegating some duties to trusted employees.

• Hire professional accountants, business managers and legal experts to assist in the proper management of your salon. You can never be an expert in every field, and your time will only stretch so far. It can be a bit hard to pay the professional fees as you start but it is worth it in the long run.

• Do not just start a salon for the sake of it. Owning a salon is a business and should thus be run like one. Ensure you learn about business management. You can only manage a team if you manage yourself. Learn some basics of finance, accounting and marketing to keep you grounded and help you make the right business decisions. It will also help in developing a team that shares your goals and visions.

• No client wants to come to a salon where there are new hairdressers every day. You should identify and prevent the causes of staff turnover in your salon. Ensure the conditions in your salon foster loyalty in staff.

• Customer service should be your first priority, so go an extra mile in this, make sure all your clients’ needs are met. Offer tea, coffee, wine or water and chocolate. The waiting area should be comfortable and the environment relaxed. Make your clients feel pampered. Your waiting room should be the kind of space one would want to wait for an hour. The general salon ambience should be inspired since the atmosphere is as important as the service. Pay attention to lighting, furniture, colour, and design. Everything in the salon should look clean, purposeful, and true to your aesthetic.

• Create a strong client base by calling and asking for feedback about the service you offered customers. You can also offer incentives including special deals for repeat clients.

• Have a presence in social media and pay attention to reviews online, complaints from clients and ask them outright what you could do better.

• Do not just start a salon because you found a location. Your location must be convenient. Have access to parking if you are in a town centre, and ensure the location is one that is easily accessible and the clients can easily find the salon even in the busiest malls.

• Your business hours should be convenient and consistent. The salon should be open when your clients have free time. Always be willing to stay open whenever necessary. If there is a client with special needs, plan for their stylist to set up a separate schedule to cater to them.

• Make your clients feel special and appreciated by being warm and friendly.