J Hollywood Salon
As seen in the previous blogs of this series, having your own salon is not an easy feat. Starting from owning or renting your space, to finding the right people you can hire as employees, to offering the best services possible, it is definitely not a simple task.
Owning a professional-looking salon that offers great services and quality products is very expensive! If you are reading this article then chances are you have already spent large amounts of money trying to start your business or improve yours.
The most difficult part about running a successful hair salons is marketing. You will need to spend lots of money advertising to get new clients. Many things must be marketed such as brochures, flyers, social media posts, advertisements, etc.
Luckily for you, we have made creating a marketing plan easier by breaking down all the different ways you can market a hair studio.
Salon services
A lot of people don’t know what salon services exist or offer them, which is why they stay in expensive salons that only do their hair really well.
There are many other things you can get done at a salon that aren’t necessarily considered ‘hair related’. For example, facials, waxing, nail treatments and tanning, massage, ear, nose and throat (ENT) checks, pedicures and foot care, lip fills and shape changes, and more!
Most major city centres have a variety of quality budget-salon options for all these things and beyond. They will usually let you try before buying to see if it works for you and your hairstyle/lifestyle.
Some may even be able to tailor products used for their special needs.
Hair treatments
A popular way to take care of hair is by doing something called a scalp massage or dry scalp massages. This can be done with either your own products or those provided by the salon!
Scalp massages work to increase blood circulation in the scalp, which helps get rid of dead skin and stimulates growth of new hairs.
Many salons offer various types of scalp massages depending on what treatment you want to do on your hair. Some examples are pomegrate (for strength) and acai berry mask (for softness and shine). Both require special supplies that most people already have at home - cream and berries, respectively.
Nail stations
When you get to a new nail station, there is usually one of two ways to begin painting your nails. You can use either regular or gel polish. Which one you choose really depends on what type of look you want to achieve for your nail painted!
If you are looking to create very natural looking nails that match the rest of your skin tone, then using regular clear polish is the way to go. These days, most people have normal, everyday color-treated nails so choosing this style nail paint is much more common.
However, if you like more dramatic, fashion inspired nails, using gel polish is the way to do it! The term ‘gel’ comes from gelatin, which is a protein found in water. Like liquid glue, gel nails contain gel powder mixed with an alcohol solvent. This allows them to set and be dried without drying out completely.
Many professional manicurists only use gels because they give longer lasting effects and better shape retention than regular polishes. However, not every person has used a gel before so there is no rule saying you must! They are quite expensive due to the cost of the gel powder and additional products needed to take care of it.
Makeup stations
Having a makeup station in your salon is a nice way to add some extra oomph for services you offer. A makeup station is an area that has all of the products needed to do professional level makeovers. This includes brushes, gels, primers, foundations, concealers, bronzer, blush, eye shadows and lusciously rich lip colors and finishes.
Most professionals have their own collection of products they use throughout the day, so buying them all individually can be expensive! By having your own station, you get to keep what brands work for you and use them in the most efficient manner possible.
Some people also organize their stations by product type or category (for example, primer, bronzer, etc.) making it quick and easy to find what tool you need. There are many ways to design yours, but one good rule of thumb is to not outgrow your station.
Shopping tips
Whilst trying to find your inner-beauty soul is amazing, giving yourself some pep talks about how you look good or telling yourself that you’ll feel better when you get dressed can be a bit tricky at times.
That is why it is important to learn some basic shopping tricks. You will eventually reach a stage where you can tell if something is expensively priced or not!
Many people gain inspiration from fashion so there are lots of resources available to take note of. Check out style blogs, watch fashion shows, read fashion magazines - the possibilities are endless.
General styles and trends seem to come and go, so staying up to date will help you keep looking fashionable.
Tips for first time clients
As with any new relationship, there will be times when you feel like quitting. You may even try to cancel your services or go another route as a client. These things can be totally normal!
It is very common to feel nervous about being able to meet our personal goals and dreams due to fear of failure. We often start believing that we are not good enough and therefore stop trying in order to not fail.
This does not work in the long run though because failing is what helps us grow. Failing means someone else got their hopes up so they could look better than us! I know it sounds crazy but it is true!
I have failed many times over the years and each time I learn something new. My self-confidence grows as do my skills.
Ask for what you want
As mentioned before, asking for things is totally okay! It does not make you a pushover or a lowballer if you ask for something. In fact, it can be one of your best strategies to win over someone and to gain their trust.
If you are ever feeling uncomfortable or don’t know what to say, just say “hi” and then ask about something that seems casual and friendly.
I would even go as far as saying this is an easy way to get through our initial meeting. By letting them talk about themselves, we learn more about who they are and form some kind of connection.
But I will also add that unless you are really into the same thing, maybe have done it before, and you both seem to enjoy it together, there is no need to ask for anything specific.
Dresses not dresses
This is probably one of the most annoying fashion trends that people get wrong. Most people seem to think that wearing dress clothes means you have to wear a tight, flashy dress or a shirt with long pants.
Dress clothing comes in many forms; gowns, shirts, and sweatshirts are all considered dress clothing. A lot of people forget that!
Stuff like jeans and a sweater is also considered dress clothing because it’s easy to put together and can be dressed up or down depending on the look you want to achieve.
Thongs, skirts, and leather shoes are definitely not dress clothing. All three of these things are totally appropriate for work, but they are not professional looking. If you ever see someone in a thong or skirt at work, chances are they cannot function as a professional due to lack of confidence or respect. (And let’s not even talk about leather shoes.