How to open a nail salon

Bellacures luxury nail salon franchise, a growing franchise boasting seven locations in California and Texas, launched in 2006 to much fanfare. Recognizing the nail care market was promising due to its strong growth starting back in 2009, the franchise was developed to fill a void in the marketplace for relaxing manicures in a stylish, serene and clean setting.

As an affordable luxury, manicures have increasingly become a weekly necessity to many women and men, resulting in the opening of approximately 200,000 nail salons in the Unites States in 2010 alone.

Opening a nail salon is one of the most rewarding businesses but it is no small task and requires many steps.  Here is a basic breakdown:

DO IT YOURSELF

DO IT WITH BELLACURES

Start up plan

Develop a solid business plan, including marketing strategy, financial forecasts and budgets, operation systems, service offerings and products, competitive analysis, supply usage and management, inventory process, point of sales process, management and training, and pricing (to list the most basic categories).

 

Start up plan

We've figured it out for you! We will hand you the tools and systems you need to take action. This includes: local marketing activities, a build out plan for your location, vendors and supplies, inventory management, menu of services and marketing materials, customer acquisition, hiring and training staff, retaining staff, ongoing maintenance and growth for your key performance metrics (to cover the most basic categories).

Budget and Financing

Estimate what costs you will incur opening your salon and set a budget for each expenditure. Things to consider will be: how much operating cash you will need each month and when you will break even with your operating costs, as well as how much it will cost to open your salon doors. Will you obtain financing or will you finance it yourself?

Budget and Financing

We will give you a financial pro forma to work off and guide you through the process. All the budgets and expenses have a range of costs and we will help you understand how to keep your expenses down in the beginning. We will develop a break-even point and goal together and teach you how to reach your key performance metrics.

Licensing and permits

Research what requirements are valid in your city and state for permitting and licensing.

Licensing and permits

We will give you a list of licenses and permits you will be required to obtain in your area.

Real estate site selection

Find a broker and research locations that you might want your salon to be in. Research what factors are important to you and to your business. Negotiate your lease contract and sign a lease on a space.

 

Real estate site selection

We will help guide you through this process, teaching you what factors you will need to consider and benchmark them against our existing salons. We love data, and will provide you with as much data about your location as possible. We will also approve your location before you are able to sign a lease contract.

Business set up

Obtain counsel from your accountant and attorney on what items you need to fulfill to get your business entity set up.

Business set up

We will provide you with a list of what you need to do to get your business entity set up.

Furniture, fixtures and equipment

Research and develop a design for your salon. What fixtures and furniture will you place in the salon? What will be most efficient and create the atmosphere you are looking for at the same time? Source vendors where you will purchase your furniture and fixtures. Decide what equipment you will need to run the salon. Source vendors for equipment.

Furniture, fixtures and equipment

We will provide you with a list of everything you need, how many you need, and when you will need them. We can place the initial order for your furniture and fixtures for you as well.


POS and technology systems

Research what systems will work for your operation and what you will need to get the best reporting, accuracy and functionality.


POS and technology systems

We will provide you with a list of systems and set up the system for your location with your location's data and information. We will train you on how to use the systems and give you best practices on staying on top of your reporting and cash flow.

Interviewing, hiring and training

Determine the best channels for your recruiting process. What positions will you hire for and what characteristics are you looking for in each position? How will you train your staff and what steps will you use to manage and retain your new hires?


Interviewing, hiring and training

We will provide you with all the information, techniques and best practices in the interview process, the recruitment process, training, retention and management. You will ultimately decide which management style you want to adapt and we will provide you with enough information for you to make an educated decision on your management practices.

Grand opening and ongoing marketing

Develop a grand opening plan and decide how you will gain your initial customers. Create an ongoing marketing plan for continuous customer acquisition.




Grand opening and ongoing marketing

We will develop a custom plan for your location on what the grand opening should look and feel like and what will have the most impact in the community. Our PR team will help your location gain momentum through editorial reviews and press coverage. We will outline best practices for your specific location on marketing to give you a variety of choices and ways to gain new customers on an ongoing basis.

Customer service

What will your customer service practices look like and how will customers be handled in each scenario?



Customer service

We will give you a guide on best practices in customer service and how each scenario should be handled. We will also be available on call to help you and your new staff with any needs around this issue until your entire team gets savvy at their customer service and management techniques.

Day to day operational systems

Running your day-to-day operations can be overwhelming if you don't have a system. Some things to consider to develop your own system will be: time management, opening and closing procedures, supply orders, supply par levels on hand, inventory management, organizing your business tasks, organizing administrative matters and bookkeeping.

Day to day operational systems

We will provide you with checklists for every part of your day, week, month and quarterly responsibilities. You will have clear direction on how to operate efficiently and manage your time well so that you remain 'on' your business and not 'in' your business. We will teach you how to be a salon operator and how to keep yourself and your team accountable.

Creative and design

The world is yours. You will have an opportunity to develop how you want your customer to feel when they walk into your salon. You can design the space, the interaction and be as creative as you would like in developing a look, feel and atmosphere. You will need to consider how the look and feel of the store translates to your marketing materials, graphic design, website, business cards, menus, marketing language, logo and maybe even mobile app. You have creative range to start from scratch and develop each part.

Creative and design

We will provide you with templates on exactly what feelings and experience we want the customer to have. We will teach you how to think like our core customer and what needs to be done to accomplish customer loyalty. The Bellacures brand has a look, feel, design and all the marketing materials already established. Our graphic design team will help you come up with location specific marketing materials and all your location's advertising and marketing materials will need approval before they go to print.

 

If opening a brand new salon is not an option, many people prefer to invest in a franchise when wanting to open a nail salon.  As a Bellacures franchisee you will be supported along the way by a brand that is established and well known for its high-standards and amazing customer service.

This information is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. It is for information purposes only. Currently, the following states regulate the offer and sale of franchises: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. If you are a resident of one of these states, we will not offer you a franchise unless and until we have complied with applicable pre-sale registration and disclosure requirements in your jurisdiction.