Sugar Salon

With any business you do need tools that will help you become a successful business. In this article, I will go over some example of tools that help you become successful.

Scenario 1 - Construction Company. If you own your own construction company there are quite a few items that you need. For example, you will need your tools, such as the basics like hammers, nails, screwdrivers, and much more. You would also need a truck for your company to haul your tools. Depending on what type of construction that you are doing, you may also need a ladder, or other large tools like a power washer. You also need “office” type items, such as a computer with billing/invoice/proposal type software, a business phone number, a fax machine may be needed, and a cellular phone so you can contact your clients on the go.

Scenario 2 - Tanning Salon. If you are running a tanning salon, there are also quite a few items that you need. Obviously you will need office space, and tanning beds. Depending on how large your office space is, you may need about 5 or 6 tanning beds. Also, tanning salons usually sell tanning lotions and bathing suits as well. Next, you will need a cash register, or possibly two cash registers, a business phone line, possibly a fax machine, and a waiting room area with some chairs. Some tanning salons offer the tanning beds where you stand in them, and get sprayed with the fake tan. This is becoming very popular, and you would probably want to offer this service as well with yours. Continue Reading »

Tags: Tanning Salon Business

Owning you own business is not just about being you own boss or being able to boast at dinner tables that you are self-employed, in fact the first few years of operating and running your own business are an absolute nightmare. The reality is that you should be prepared to go on your first real holiday only after 5 years of starting your own business. Of course there are those who can go on an extended holiday in their first year of business but, believe me, they are few and far between. Being an entrepreneur is hard, but it can be very rewarding

The art of entrepreneurship is as old as mankind itself, people have always traded since time immemorial and there have always been people who are far much better than the rest at aggregating supplies and/or services and selling them at a profit, while at the same time employing people to do various tasks for them.

These types of people have, in the modern world become known as entrepreneurs. I remember at school at age 12, we had a fellow schoolmate who used to bring fizz-pops to school and sell them to us at a ridiculous price and as much as we would complain and call him all sorts of nasty names, he would have absolutely no stock by lunch time. In those days, he had figured out that even though fizz-pops were very popular amongst school children, most of us could never remember to buy the cheaper fizz-pops at the shops on our way to school.

Therefore his success in this little venture was mainly due to the following reasons: Continue Reading »

Tags: Establishing Your Spa

As much as it is very satisfying to be your own boss and employ other people, it is just as satisfying to be able to see the value of your business increase over time. Remember that your business is a commodity that can be bought and sold just like any other commodity and in the same way that people are prepared to buy quality commodities at a premium the same applies to your business. Even if you are not ready to sell your business just yet, you still need to keep close tabs on how much it is worth on the market, if not just to measure how far your business has grown. These are a couple of tips that will help you increase the value of your business without costing you an arm and a leg.

Maintain Proper Financial Records

Make sure that you have a proper financial and administration management process within your business. Ensure that all financial transactions within your business are recorded and that the business has a monthly set of management accounts on record

Register Your Business With Relevant Authorities

Ensure that you are registered with all the relevant authorities that govern your business e.g Taxes, company registrar, annual returns, worker’s compensation fund, levies, health and safety etc

Keep A Clean Bank Record

As difficult as it may seem, especially when you are starting out, you need to maintain a clean record with your bank. Do not issue cheques if there is no money in the account, rather negotiate further credit terms from your creditors. Continue Reading »

Tags: Increase the Value Of Your business

Adding cosmetic procedures is a great way to add services to your existing salon or spa. The only way for any salon or spa to stay in business is to constantly evolve. Adding services that are extensions of the services you currently offer is a good way to get started.

Like any plan to expand, start-up or remain competitive, it should be put to paper. Adding services and otherwise adding diversity to your salon or spa requires a proper business plan, not just a discussion and some notes on a napkin.

The economy can challenge any business that depends on revenue derived from discretionary income. Some existing and prospective salon and spa clients will make the decision to spend less or stop visiting the salon or spa altogether. Adding bundled services that cost a little less, keeps the client’s appearance up, and keeps the client coming back should be developed.

Adding additional salon or spa services can mean bringing in additional equipment that will deliver advanced results without adding an additional staff member.

Every salon and spa should have the resources to afford an expansion. Expanding to add additional services and diversification may not mean you need more square footage. If necessary bring in a space planner to make sure you are using your space efficiently. Consider a campaign to reallocate space for the purpose of bringing in additional services. Continue Reading »

Tags: Spa Business

Hair salon furniture is one of the major expense when starting a hair salon business. This is critical in giving a pleasant experience to the customers of your salon. Hair salon furniture includes styling chairs, shampoo chairs, facial steamers, massage table and other items such as rolling carts and cabinets. The furniture can be selected in accordance to interior look of the salon. The salon furniture should be selected to attract customers since properly chosen furniture will give a touch of professionalism to the salon.

Hair Styling Stations
Can be available as single station or space saving setup which can accommodate two, three or even four stylists. Hair styling stations could consist of extension drawers, glass retail shelves, fluorescent lights, coordinating mirrors, and storage cabinet. It may have power strips, holder for curling irons, blow dryer and clipper pockets.

Shampoo Chairs
Used for shampooing hair with a specially designed head rest. A comfortably designed one should be selected for a more positive experience by your customers.

Massage Tables
Used for massaging face as well as head. Head massage is also critical in hair treatment as it increases the blood circulation. It should however be done by trained massage therapist.

Reception Desk
Is also an important piece of furniture that may bring a distinctive appeal to your hair salon. The reception desk is the initial furniture that the customer sees when entering the hair salon Thus, it must let the customer feel the success and excellent grade of services provided by the salon. Continue Reading »

Tags: Hair Salon furniture

If you are like most people today, you are running around in circles looking for more ways to make money.

With having two jobs out of the question, and how can you afford going to school with gas prices so high?

Lets face it, with the cost of living so high today can you afford not to have your own home based business?

You should not have to wake up and rush out of the house to get the kids to school then scurry off to your job, only to listen to your boss complain everyday.

Just imagine all of the money you could save in gas by working at home.

How much stress could you release each day by being your own boss?

Don’t you want to spend more time with your family? You deserve time for you.

When you work at home you do not have to be a slave to money.

That is not what life is about. You should always be able to spend more time doing what makes you happy.

A home based business is easier than you may think. You may not even know anything about how the internet works. You also may not know the first thing about running your own business.

None of that really matters.

There are so many more people willing to share their advice for making money online.

Regular people are becoming millionaires everyday online. Continue Reading »

Tags: Own Business

About 75% of the 22 million small businesses in the U.S. are owned and managed by a single individual. The typical business reflects the solo owner’s values, tastes and personality. Most importantly, the business and its owner are inseparable in the eyes of customers and prospects.

You can turn personal involvement into marketplace advantage by creating a strong, distinct Personal Brand identity.

What is a Personal Brand?

Personal branding represents a powerful personal self promotion and small business strategy. You create a Personal Brand based on your talents, skills and values. This Personal Brand identity becomes the foundation for all your marketing efforts. With a clear marketing identity, you can intentionally shape positive perceptions about you - as the symbol for your company.

Think about brands you use and recognize. Your perceptions about those brands have been shaped by consistent and persistent marketing messages. When your personal experience as a customer confirms those messages, the brand perception becomes reality.

Do you know any small businesses with a strong brand identity?

One of the most powerful small business owners tools is personal branding. Examples of individuals who created strong Personal Brands and developed them into multi-million-dollar enterprises include Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart, Nora Roberts, Stephen Covey, Tiger Woods and Tommy Hilfiger.

However, very few small business owners will use branding to be distinctive from their competitors. You are likely to be aware of a business owner with a strong Personal Brand ONLY if they are active in your market space or network. Most small business owners just don’t know how — and won’t make the effort — to use personal brand reputation building as an effective marketing strategy.

Personal Branding represents one of the most powerful — and under used — small business owners tools!

How can you create a strong Personal Brand?

Follow the five steps to create your Personal Brand identity. The process is adapted from Brand Me, Inc: How To Be Distinctive And Remarkable In What You Do And How You Do It, a guide for small business owners.

Step 1: Define Your Target: Everybody is NOT a potential buyer for what you have to offer. The biggest mistake you can make is being unclear about your target customer. Write a detailed description of the person who is your ideal buyer. Continue Reading »

Tags: Add new tag, finance

In Part 1 I discussed how you can get more clients without expensive advertising by what not to do. And that is not doing general advertising to ‘everyone’, I was talking about getting specific to marketing to people who want massage, and that the secret lies in your own practice.

It’s easy to see what groups of people want massage therapy by looking at your own business, and by looking at complimentary practices in the community apart from yours.

To get more clients without spending hundreds of dollars have a look at who else in your community might treat people a similar way to you. This means people who are serving others to help with muscle soreness, fatigue and other reasons.

You see it’s not about who you think needs massage, its more about looking at who is looking for massage. So if you make a list of all the practitioners in your local area who treat people to alleviate their muscle problems, then you are onto a good start.

Or, perhaps you do massage that focuses more on stress reduction. So ask yourself who else in my community helps people relax? There might be people such as Yoga Teachers, Hypnotherapists, health products, Naturopaths etc. You must ask yourself if these people have the people who will seek massage therapy. If the answer is yes, then you are more likely to have successful results than if you stuck an ad in the paper and hoped for the best.

Success never, ever comes from hoping. It comes through specific action with good solid planning.

Start today to write down a list of all the people that have the people who also seek massage to help them and their health issues, whether mental or physical. You are seeking the same group of people, and yes, it must be specific.

Good luck to you.

Amy Roberts

www.massagetherapymarketingsuccess.com

Tags: Massage Business

Many times a Massage Therapist will feel as if, in order to get clients, they need to do expensive advertising in the newspaper. When I first stated, I had no money to do advertising with, so I had to find another way to market myself. It took longer, but the clients I got as a result stayed with me for years, and they in turn referred me their friends.

You see marketing yourself to other sources, that’s not newspaper advertising, does take a little longer, and you will need a bit more patience, but if you market yourself to the right areas you’ll get more solid and lasting results. Its not how ‘big’ you advertise, in fact it’s the opposite.

Not having any money to do expensive advertising when I first started was good in this way. It taught me to be creative and as a result I learnt something no college or massage school could ever teach me. I learnt that it was not about exposure to ‘everyone’ it was about exposure to certain groups of people who were looking for massage specifically. And after time, I found out how to find exactly how was looking for massage and how I could market myself to those people. As a result I was busier than I had ever been, had more clients than I imagined I would in one go, and worked more than I had in months, in just one month….that is, after I knew what to do.

You see marketing your practice is not just about ‘getting your message out there’. It’s about getting your message out there to people who want massage. And you can even take it one step further; getting your message out there to people who want your particular type of massage. And the secret of finding this is in your own practise. How fantastic is that!

So the best thing to remember is that it’s not about general advertising, it’s about specific advertising to people who want massage therapy as a treatment/maintenance/prevention/solution. The key is to get into this mindset and work it from there. On part two, I’ll explain more!

Good luck!

Amy Roberts

www.massagetherapysuccess.com

Tags: Massage Business

If you are thinking of opening a massage therapy clinic, you may not get much of an education in business administration from a massage therapy school. Most massage courses spend many hours on the various massage modalities, from aromatherapy massage to Zero balancing, but they often skip over how to get started once you graduate.

What do you know about professional business practices? What is your expertise in bookkeeping, data entry, accounting, marketing, office administration, or human resources? If you plan to be a successful businessperson, these skills should all be part of your repertoire before you open your own massage therapy clinic.

The public’s growing interest in natural health care has tripled the use of massage as a healthcare alternative in the past decade. In fact, the most widespread approach to natural healing in the United States is currently the practice of massage therapy. And, while there is now a wide range of opportunities for massage therapists, most students are less than prepared to take on a real-world massage business after graduating from massage school.

If your goal is to open a massage therapy business, be sure the massage training you receive will include instruction on good business practices. Otherwise, you may be left out in the cold. If your massage course has no business training, why not enroll in a few concentrated business administration classes at your local community college or vocational school? Such a course will help you gain the confidence and professionalism you need to manage a massage therapy business of your own.

Additionally, you must be knowledgeable about the local regulations that apply to massage therapists and massage practices. Specific regulations and licensing requirements can vary greatly from region to region. Some states require the massage therapist to be certified by a national board; some will require massage professionals to attend continuing education classes; some require recertification every year; some will insist that massage professionals gain approval from a peer review board. These are just a few of the regional variations that you will want to be aware of before you begin practicing massage. Continue Reading »

Tags: Massage Business