The Dream of Opening a New Salon - TanToday - Helping Salon Owners, One At A Time, Since 2000!

Stephen Underhill · 13th July 2006, 12:41 PM

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.

missmojorising · 13th July 2006, 12:52 PM

What if --everybody thinks they are smart enough to do this alllll by themselves?

Ezliving_Jim · 13th July 2006, 01:04 PM

What if self-promoting consultants bought advertising banners?

SPAM!

MacDaddy · 13th July 2006, 01:19 PM

It's not the American dream anymore, it's more like a nightmare!

missmojorising · 13th July 2006, 01:33 PM

Rob · 13th July 2006, 01:47 PM

Quote:

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.

Sure sounds like sales pitch from a frachise.

As a distributor, I will assist in all of the above. But I don't do it for them. My goal is to make my customers make money, period!! Not to BS my way around. It is their business, and they are responsible for that business. I can see that " You told me I should make this much money and I am broke. You told me I would be a top 10% salon in the US and I am not. Its all your falt!" Because with as much help as you gave in the begining, they thought it would be easy and that you would fix their f*ck ups.

Not saying you are right or wrong in your ideas, but this is another topic.

Drew · 13th July 2006, 11:33 PM

I will do it better and for less money than Steve. And not sell you on any one distrib. I will point out why I like some beds buy you be the judge and use them yourself, and talk to other owners.

18 years of exp. (steves first years don't count, none of you were in kindergarden) The tanning business was like a garden, just weeds grew first.

Dirty Harry · 14th July 2006, 12:16 AM

I will do all that and more if you book the Presidential Suite in Nashville. You pay for the room and I will fill your head with dreams of being rich and ways to do it.

With 22 years of experience making and losing money in this industry I have a wealth of worthless stories to share. Some funny, some sad, and some unbelievable. Oh and Drews right the first 5 or 6 don't count because we had no competition.

We can kick back drink a bottle or two of Diaka Vodka, take a few hits of the house bong, and fill out as many "business plans" as you desire. You will have as good a chance of making it as anyone because when we are through I will give you an honest opinion about the most important thing there is to know before starting your own business...are you capable of running a business?

That is the biggest question, are you capable. Not do you have the money or have you done you homework. Plenty of people fit those two categories but do not have what it takes to run a business.

christine · 14th July 2006, 12:26 AM

Wait a minute-22 years experience and your bio says you're 37 years old. Did you start bed cleaning when you were 15? You did catch my interest with the hotel room and vodka though.........

Dirty Harry · 14th July 2006, 08:46 AM

Dirty Harry is 37 forever.

Jim Fisher · 14th July 2006, 09:06 AM

LOL

Steve.. You of all people by now know that you have to buy a banner to post something like that

solarmeter® · 14th July 2006, 10:02 AM

Quote:

you have to buy a banner to post something like that

Evidently not.... it's still there and nobody is deleting it.

It wouldn't last 45 seconds on the mean peoples site.

Tommy · 14th July 2006, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stephen Underhill

It’s time to negotiate a lease so you are back on the forums asking for advice... While the store was being built you come back to the forums to get help with deciding on the best equipment and possible mix... 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...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Fisher

Steve.. You of all people by now know that you have to buy a banner to post something like that

Jeez Jim, Is it really OK to question the value of forums and the people that offer help, as long as they buy a banner? No offense, just don't seem "right".
Good Luck.

Tom

christine · 14th July 2006, 11:14 AM

Dirty Harry, let me guess, you're not in San Fran either, are you?

phattmatt · 14th July 2006, 12:08 PM

I am guessing dirty Hairy is from the south side of the Chicago tracks

Stephen Underhill · 16th July 2006, 12:27 PM

I requested pricing information for a banner. Until I get that I won't bother to answer the ridiculous responses that have been posted here. Until I get that information my responses can be found on forums that I advertise. I will resume this discussion soon. By the way I did not knock the information that is gained on the forums I only said that it is bits and pieces of information, some coming from qualified people and some coming from people that are here because they need help. I personally would want information from successful people, not people that are still trying to figure out how to be successful. For those of you that claim to want to help, if you know what you are doing you can stand behind your training and be held accountable for the information you share. I do these things for you so it is done correctly. I am not a salon owner that is moonlighting by giving advice, this is what I do and 100% of my time is devoted to getting it right. A salesman that say's he will assist you in doing these things but will not stand behind his information is not someone that you can depend on what they are telling you and their company will not permit it because they don't really want to get involved. I get involved just as deeply as if it where my own salon. I am not standing behind a counter with the information that is gained within the four walls of my salon. I collect and assemble information from all across the US and every situation and have been for 27 years. My sole purpose is to produce successful salon owners.

neon beach · 16th July 2006, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by solarmeter®

Evidently not.... it's still there and nobody is deleting it.

It wouldn't last 45 seconds on the mean peoples site.

Mean peoples site? Which one is that?

neon beach · 16th July 2006, 07:35 PM

http://tantalk.com/tanning-biz-newbi...new-salon.html

Is this the one you mean?

neon beach · 16th July 2006, 07:56 PM

Steve you left out the part about being successful 100% of the time. Tell them that part. Maybe that will make the difference.

Tell you what.

You do the business plan, negotiate the lease, oversee the buildout, put the beds in and get it open. I'll step in and pay you 75% of the net until I get you paid off with 9.75% interest for the life of the deal.

How about it? Are you willing to make the deal with your money?

Brandy · 16th July 2006, 09:44 PM

Geeez people, calm down. If you don't want to read what he has to say, then go to another thread.

13th July 2006, 12:41 PM	#1 (permalink)
Stephen Underhill Veteran Join Date: May 2005 Location: Frisco, TX Posts: 363	The Dream of Opening a New Salon 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. Last edited by Stephen Underhill : 17th July 2006 at 05:26 PM.

13th July 2006, 12:52 PM	#2 (permalink)
missmojorising Hall of Famer Join Date: May 2005 Location: Simplytantexas Posts: 1,645	What if --everybody thinks they are smart enough to do this alllll by themselves? __________________ "Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog: Nobody really enjoys it and the frog generally dies as a result." E.B. White Mojo's Motto; Hire A Professional Consultant.

13th July 2006, 01:04 PM	#3 (permalink)
Ezliving_Jim Arbiter Elegantiarum Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Virtual Reality Posts: 3,939	What if self-promoting consultants bought advertising banners? SPAM! __________________ si vis pacem, para bellum "The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing." -Frank Zappa. "I inhaled frequently. That was the point." - Barack Obama. "Even if we win, we will have just eked out a victory, and we can't govern." - Barack Obama. *sui generis* Last edited by Ezliving_Jim : 13th July 2006 at 01:10 PM.

13th July 2006, 01:33 PM	#5 (permalink)
missmojorising Hall of Famer Join Date: May 2005 Location: Simplytantexas Posts: 1,645	__________________ "Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog: Nobody really enjoys it and the frog generally dies as a result." E.B. White Mojo's Motto; Hire A Professional Consultant.

14th July 2006, 12:16 AM	#8 (permalink)
Dirty Harry All Star Join Date: May 2005 Location: usa Posts: 107	I will do all that and more if you book the Presidential Suite in Nashville. You pay for the room and I will fill your head with dreams of being rich and ways to do it. With 22 years of experience making and losing money in this industry I have a wealth of worthless stories to share. Some funny, some sad, and some unbelievable. Oh and Drews right the first 5 or 6 don't count because we had no competition. We can kick back drink a bottle or two of Diaka Vodka, take a few hits of the house bong, and fill out as many "business plans" as you desire. You will have as good a chance of making it as anyone because when we are through I will give you an honest opinion about the most important thing there is to know before starting your own business...are you capable of running a business? That is the biggest question, are you capable. Not do you have the money or have you done you homework. Plenty of people fit those two categories but do not have what it takes to run a business. Last edited by Dirty Harry : 14th July 2006 at 12:19 AM.

13th July 2006, 01:19 PM	#4 (permalink)
MacDaddy Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Northeast Posts: 2,038	It's not the American dream anymore, it's more like a nightmare!

13th July 2006, 11:33 PM	#7 (permalink)
Drew Hall of Famer Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ca Posts: 2,743	I will do it better and for less money than Steve. And not sell you on any one distrib. I will point out why I like some beds buy you be the judge and use them yourself, and talk to other owners. 18 years of exp. (steves first years don't count, none of you were in kindergarden) The tanning business was like a garden, just weeds grew first.

14th July 2006, 12:26 AM	#9 (permalink)
christine All Star Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: CA Posts: 156	Wait a minute-22 years experience and your bio says you're 37 years old. Did you start bed cleaning when you were 15? You did catch my interest with the hotel room and vodka though.........

14th July 2006, 08:46 AM	#10 (permalink)
Dirty Harry All Star Join Date: May 2005 Location: usa Posts: 107	Dirty Harry is 37 forever.

14th July 2006, 09:06 AM	#11 (permalink)
Jim Fisher Moderator Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 3,398	LOL Steve.. You of all people by now know that you have to buy a banner to post something like that

14th July 2006, 11:14 AM	#14 (permalink)
christine All Star Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: CA Posts: 156	Dirty Harry, let me guess, you're not in San Fran either, are you?

14th July 2006, 12:08 PM	#15 (permalink)
phattmatt Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: entropy Florida Posts: 2,357	I am guessing dirty Hairy is from the south side of the Chicago tracks

16th July 2006, 12:27 PM	#16 (permalink)
Stephen Underhill Veteran Join Date: May 2005 Location: Frisco, TX Posts: 363	I requested pricing information for a banner. Until I get that I won't bother to answer the ridiculous responses that have been posted here. Until I get that information my responses can be found on forums that I advertise. I will resume this discussion soon. By the way I did not knock the information that is gained on the forums I only said that it is bits and pieces of information, some coming from qualified people and some coming from people that are here because they need help. I personally would want information from successful people, not people that are still trying to figure out how to be successful. For those of you that claim to want to help, if you know what you are doing you can stand behind your training and be held accountable for the information you share. I do these things for you so it is done correctly. I am not a salon owner that is moonlighting by giving advice, this is what I do and 100% of my time is devoted to getting it right. A salesman that say's he will assist you in doing these things but will not stand behind his information is not someone that you can depend on what they are telling you and their company will not permit it because they don't really want to get involved. I get involved just as deeply as if it where my own salon. I am not standing behind a counter with the information that is gained within the four walls of my salon. I collect and assemble information from all across the US and every situation and have been for 27 years. My sole purpose is to produce successful salon owners. Last edited by Stephen Underhill : 16th July 2006 at 12:38 PM.

16th July 2006, 07:35 PM	#18 (permalink)
neon beach The Good, The Bad, The Banned Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: North America Posts: 756	http://tantalk.com/tanning-biz-newbi...new-salon.html Is this the one you mean?

16th July 2006, 07:56 PM	#19 (permalink)
neon beach The Good, The Bad, The Banned Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: North America Posts: 756	Steve you left out the part about being successful 100% of the time. Tell them that part. Maybe that will make the difference. Tell you what. You do the business plan, negotiate the lease, oversee the buildout, put the beds in and get it open. I'll step in and pay you 75% of the net until I get you paid off with 9.75% interest for the life of the deal. How about it? Are you willing to make the deal with your money?

16th July 2006, 09:44 PM	#20 (permalink)
Brandy Veteran Join Date: May 2005 Location: My own world Posts: 289	Geeez people, calm down. If you don't want to read what he has to say, then go to another thread. __________________ I wanna be just like you. I figure all I need is a lobotomy and some tights.

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