I wish I had known then what I know now!
The intent of this lens is to help someone who is trying to open their own salon or small business. I will share information about the process that we went through and hopefull provide some great resources so the process is a bit smoother for you!
This is a lens in progress. It is not 100% complete yet but it is on it's way. Let me know if you want to see any aspect in particular!
This is a lens in progress. It is not 100% complete yet but it is on it's way. Let me know if you want to see any aspect in particular!
First, some great reading choices
or refresh your plan
The Wall Street Journal. Complete Small Business Guidebook by Colleen DeBaise
Because starting a small business is not only a hu more...2 points
Small Business Management: Launching and Growing Entrepreneurial Ventures (with Printed Access Card) by Justin G. Longenecker, J. William Petty, Leslie E. Palich, Carlos W. Moore
Realize your dreams of small business success with more...1 point
Small Business For Dummies by Eric Tyson, Jim Schell
Want to start the small business of your dreams? Want more...1 point
Small Business Kit for Dummies by Richard D. Harroch
Millions of Americans own their own businesses, an more...1 point
Small Business Start-Up Kit by Peri Pakroo J.D.
The best step-by-step guide to starting a business more...1 point
Find a place
So we looked at a couple of different places. We finally decided on a salon that the owner was ready to retire. She ended up being the owner of the building and now she is the landlord. We sat down with her and negotiated a lease with her for a 3 year committment with an option to renew for 3 more years and to have first right of refusal to buy the building if it went on sale.The salon had been in business for 27 years so it was a bit outdated. We had our work cut out for us.
Tear it all down!
So we can build it back up!
The following are some random pictures of the tear-down and build out of the space. It took about 30 days total with a few bumps in between. We got a brick through the front door and someone stole all of our tools! Eventually the police caught the guy. A drug addict who liked breaking into salons and small businesses with cash on hand. (we accept cc only!)It was so rewarding to create our own space. It was a collaboration between Matthew, my sister Bonnie Jordan and I with our construction consultant Carlos & Pater!
These things are critical!
2. Write up your company / ownership agreement with a lawyer. Remember a good lawyer will meet with you and give you recomendations / consulation without paying him first.
3. Get a great accountant. Ask them a ton of questions before you do anything.
4. Trust them and do what they say. They know a lot about their business just like you know a lot about yours!
We use and recommend B&B Financial Consulting
What's your experience opening your business?
Share something you learned with us!
Let us know what challenges you had. Or do you have a question about opening a salon or small business? There are so many resources here we can all make our businesses even better!
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Diana
Apr 18, 2012 @ 8:58 am | delete
- Salon build out - Do I need to hire a GC & an architect? I'm on a limited budget & don't want to do anything elaborate. My husband is very handy can he do any of the work? The plumbing? How can I save money? Help please! I will be located in Coral Springs, Florida.
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Hairdresser007
Apr 25, 2012 @ 11:35 pm | delete
- sorry for the delay! We were in Germany & Paris for a week. We were lucky enough to find a great guy who worked as the GC & the contractor. He had guys who did a lot of work too. Of course, we helped out with the demo. Do not cut corners especially with electrical or plumbing. As these are so important to our daily work, you want to do it right. Also, make sure you get your permits so you are covered. In the long run you will be happy you did it right.
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Athf
Jan 29, 2012 @ 11:42 pm | delete
- This is really cool.
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jwncoexists
Nov 9, 2011 @ 7:59 am | delete
- Great lens, and it is wonderful to read an entrepreneurial success story! Finding and keeping good people is always a challenge.
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kimark421
Jun 28, 2011 @ 6:10 am | delete
- Good lens. It is a huge challenge to start a business from the ground up, and I wish you continued success in the future.
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Salon Blog
So the first thing I did once we worked out our business plan was to start a blog. You can see it at www.matthewraysalon.blogspot.com . The next thing I did was to create a website. I used sitebuilder on yahoo. It was very affordable. But not so easy. So recently I was able to change the format to a new better version. Check it out I hope you like it!www.matthewraysalon.com
As we all know from Squidoo, the more web presence you have and the more points for people to link back to your site the better! So, from learning about squidblog I started to look at word press and decided to do a blog in their format as well. It has a different feel to it and seems to have a lot more options than blogger does. I think this is definitely the choice for those who know a little bit about blogging.
Please take a look and leave a comment!
www.matthewraysalon.com/blog/
Want to find out about how to get more traffic to your blog / lens?
Blog Ping
Music we play in our salon
| Track | Artist | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common People | William Shatner | Has Been (Arranged By Ben Folds) | |
| The Boss | Diana Ross | Number 1's: Diana Ross & The Supremes | |
| Earth Intruders | Björk | Volta | |
| Disturbia | Rihanna | Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded | |
| Intervention | Arcade Fire | Neon Bible |
Now that it is built we had to start getting the word out
Any press is good press
The big thing for business is getting people to find out about your services and products.Here is our latest press. Click on the picture to read the e magazine. She the list on pg 58-58
You can also add a press page to your website. Here is our example. www.matthewraysalon.com/press
US Weekly
Check out Matthew Holman's post work out hair tips in the February Issue of US Weekly magazine! Social Media
Make sure you learn all about what you can do to reach out on the internet.
Please like our Facebook page!
www.facebook.com/pages/Matthew-Ray-Salon
Please like our Facebook page!
www.facebook.com/pages/Matthew-Ray-Salon
More Press
The Artisan Magazine Summer 2010
A great article about what it is like to work in the hair and make up room for Days of Our Lives. Great press for Matthew Holman, salon owner!These types of articles etc really help to raise awareness of your business and you want to put them everywhere you can- your website, squidoo page, facebook page, etc.
People Magazine
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