Small Business Brief

Hair & Salon

How to Turn Your Hair Salon Into a Profitable Business That Thrives


So, you’ve got a hair salon and you just can’t get it up to speed. You’re doing well, but not great!

Now, due to the current events, you especially might be out of business.

It is best to use this time to reframe and develop a new strategy to turn your hair salon into a profitable business that thrives.

Keep reading to discover some ways for creating a hair salon experience that makes others want to come back again and again.

More Clients = More Practice = More Money

One would think that this is a simple thing to achieve, but it really isn’t – unless you know what you are doing.

Most hair salons refer to word of mouth and street traffic. There’s nothing wrong with that, but a real business strategy requires that approach from all angles.

Employ the Use of Marketing

As mentioned earlier, most hair salons don’t market their business well. Having an Instagram page alone doesn’t do the job anymore. 

A thriving hair salon that wants to grow and expand or even franchise should consider employing the use of local and global marketing strategies. 

Learn how to use new technologies to your advantage. Branch out on all social media channels for building a following and sense of community. Connect local marketing channels for expanded reach (flyers, banners, events, etc).

Your hair salon might be small, but the idea doesn’t have to market that way.

Referral, Referrals, Referrals

Local businesses require advantageous thinking. Allow each customer to feel welcomed each time that they come. Create a referral system that allows and encourages invitations to their family and friends. 

Offer in-store experiences, free products to go, and consultations, as well as any other pragmatic approach to get them in the door.

Niche or Branch Out

Your hair salon is a brand. Brands have identities. Determine the identity of your brand, find out who you are tailoring your business to, and act accordingly.

If you are aiming to be a child salon, do kid cuts and make it playful and inviting. Let the parents relax in chic and the kids to play in colors. 

If you want to cover all of your bases, separate the rooms for each clientele and make it a personal experience. Alternatively, just leave it all wide-open to generate the local community vibe with no constraints.

If you want to see an example of an amazing niche, eco friendly hair salon, check out Inscape.

Upselling Works

You know when you go on Amazon and you get suggested that great deal for an accessory that fits well with your purchase? Well, that’s upselling! These companies have elaborate algorithms to make these work, but you don’t have to do the same to make it work. 

If you have a willing customer within your salon, upselling becomes easy. Spend very little, but earn a lot.

Don’t try to push bad products and unnecessary items on the customer, however, or it will backfire. If they came in for a buzz cut, don’t sell them a hairbrush.

Tailor the upsell to the customer. Create hair care packages, but be mindful. Perfect a short pitch for a new service or product, get them interested, and sell it.

Advancing Is Important

Just like your customers grow and advance in life, so should you. You don’t want to be that same hair salon for 30 years!

Changing your services, products, and interior creates a sense of movement and a sense of life. New employees with specialized skills develop the format of a growing business, not a depreciating one. 

Do some research, find out what increases value, and find out what decreases it. Act accordingly. Excited clients = paying customers.

Tailor to Desire and Need

Client feedback should be the first identifier of how well you are doing. In most cases, you’ll overhear a little gossip from the nearby chair or you’ll simply ask them for feedback.

Usually, people are stringent from saying bad things to your face, so there are some better ways to get feedback. 

Use online forms to get reviews and email follow-ups. Place a box in-salon with a prize for participating. Sometimes all you need is one person to get an idea, so don’t go overboard collecting reviews from the whole neighborhood.

If You’re Worth More, Charge More

Usually, people think that your prices should decrease over time, but that’s just outright dumb.

A business is meant to grow, so should your prices. If you are offering luxury and new service, charge accordingly. However, if you provide a subpar experience with dull scissors, you might as well do it for free. 

The higher the price, the more likely people will think you as a luxury service. The idea of luxury costs more than luxury itself. People are less willing to downplay a service they got if they paid more for it.

Research the price bubble for your target market, but don’t go overboard. Offer the service equal to or exceeding the value.

Your Team Is Important

Your business is your staff and team behind the project. They are the ones who create the entire experience for your customers. They sell the products and they cut the hair.

A stagnant team is a stagnant business. If you want your business to grow, help your team to grow, even if that means they will move on to something else in life.

Happy people are hard-working people. Competitive pay, benefits, tax deductions, self-scheduling, and client locking are surefire ways to secure a successful team. 

However, you have to exceed the standards. Keep a personal relationship with each member of the team.

Recognize their potential, cultivate it, reward it – their loyalty is your success.

A Hair Salon Done Right

Now that you have a decent understanding of creating a hair salon that is successful, exciting, and advancing, you are well on your way to transforming yours. 

Stick to these principles, stay to true to the customer and staff, and look far into the future. Play the game of life with the concept of never-ending time. 

You are here to win, so don’t be mediocre! Be great, be stylish, and be the perfect cut of hair you want your customers to leave with.

If you want to learn more about beauty or fashion, check out the other posts on our website! 



Next



Previous