For many stylists, there will be a time when you’ll consider taking the plunge and exploring salon-life on your own terms, and we totally understand. There will always be pros and cons to both suite rental AND working alongside others in a salon environment, but for those ready to venture out on their own, here are 5 tips for becoming successful as a salon suite stylist.
Shared Responsibilities vs Owner Control
Team work can make the dream work, but some often prefer the control and quiet of working in a small space, alone. This can be great, but also keep in mind that you’ll need to make sure all of the functions of your salon continue to move smoothly. This includes salon booking, laundry, inventory and fielding guest’s messages and calls.
Do This: Have systems in place that can be automated like booking or bill pay. It streamlines your business so you have more time to spend with guests. Need to focus more on cutting your time down per service so you can take more clients? Consider hiring a part of full time assistant.
Commission Vs Full Cost
Finances. Not always the favorite topic of conversation, but one of the most important aspects of salon suite ownership. Keep in mind that although you’ll be making more money, you will also be fully responsible for your expenses. That means paying for booking apps, advertising & marketing, product, color, rent, utilities, insurance, etc. So be sure to factor those items into your expense list.
Do This: Consider hiring an account manager or tax specialist to help you keep your finances in tip-top shape. Not ready to hire anyone? There are so many online tools and apps these days to help make these processes easier and more efficient.
Flexible vs Fixed Schedule
With the freedom to make and schedule your own hours, you won’t have to stick to a rigid schedule like you might have to in a booth rental or salon space. This is great news for those who like to travel, or have more time to work on other projects.
Do This: Be sure to do the math to make sure you are meeting your financial goals and will be able to cover all of your expenses before taking toooo much time off. Salon Suit rental provides flexibility, but it’s important to be responsible and assure all of your expenses will be covered.
Establish Your Goals
From the get-go, before you do anything else – establish your goals. How much do you need to make per month? What is your budget for product? How do you intend to grow your business? What about marketing and advertising? Create a game plan so you aren’t going in blind.
Do This: Try a task manager app for keeping track of goals and other projects. Notion and Trello are both free and perfect for helping you boost productivity, keep track of expenses, organize your thoughts or manage projects.
Create Your Brand
Set yourself apart from other salon suite stylists with memorable branding and social media strategy. Most clients come from referrals or social media, so it’s important to focus your attention on developing a brand that strongly resonates with your target market and helps build customer recognition.
Do This: Find your vibe. Branding doesn’t always have to be expensive, there are so many tools to create your own mood board and branding package. We love tools like Canva for this purpose! It’s also a great tool to create pricing lists, IG posts, and even business cards.
