Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephen Underhill  You have always dreamed of owning your own tanning salon and you have finally made the decision open one. You have done lots of research and you have some great ideas of what will make your salon better than the other salons in your area. You have spent a great deal of time on the forums getting bits and pieces of additional ideas. However you are just not sure how to put all of the pieces together. You purchase a business plan program and spend weeks writing a business plan. You find some locations that you like and finally decide on the one you like. It’s time to negotiate a lease so you are back on the forums asking for advice. Now without having the knowledge or experience to negotiate your best deal you enter into a lease. Now you are ready to build your salon but you are not sure of where to start. You have a good idea of how you want your salon to look so you start getting bids. You have never built a salon so each time you talk to a contractor you are changing what you want. You settle on a contractor. During the build-out many situations come up that where never discussed and the cost keeps going up. There are things that you forgot or did not realize needed to be done. You may or may not have enough AC or electrical. The store is finally completed.
While the store was being built you come back to the forums to get help with deciding on the best equipment and possible mix. You also need help with pricing and maybe ask for another salon owner’s employee training manual. You are not sure what kind of specials to open with or why you have structured your pricing the way you have. Much of your knowledge and information came from other struggling salon owners that came to the forums for assistance. You open your store and it is not as busy as you had hoped so you come back to the forums looking for answers. There are always salon owners that share advice that started in this business the same way you did. It is a vicious circle and you lay awake at night wondering if you did the right thing opening a tanning salon.
Imagine if there was someone with over a quarter of a decade of successful experience in the tanning industry that after discussing your ideas for your salon could walk you through the entire process of opening a successful salon.
What if your business plan was written for you?
What if the locations that you are interested in where evaluated using proven formulas, to insure that you select the best possible location for your salon?
What if your lease was negotiated for you saving you thousands of dollars over the term of the lease?
What if income and cost of operations projections where made fore you based on your location and proven formulas?
What if your salon was designed for you based on your ideas?
What if a build-out specification list was created for you so that all of your contractors are bidding on the same job and nothing is left out so there will be no surprises later?
What if a cost budget was established for you so you don’t overpay for build-out?
What if a proven successful marketing and pricing program was provided for you?
What if an employee training manual was written specifically for your salon?
What if advertising strategies where provided to you for every season?
What if you opened with the knowledge and confidence to be among the 10% of most profitable salons in the US?
What if the person providing these services was always there to assist you for as long as you own your salon?
What if all of these services where available to you free?
What if you purchased equipment that will lower your electrical consumption by 30%, lower the heat produced by 30% and increase UV out-put by 20%, lowering the cost of opening and operating your salon. |
These are very legitimate concerns. The point is, don't just wing it. Have a very specific plan that has a very successful track record and don't leave anything to chance.