When it comes to making a viable career choice, we’re spoilt for choice in the modern age. This not only applies to the types of career available but also the typical methodology associated with working and generating income.
This is borne out by the figures, with more than 1.5 million people now working as self-employed individuals in the UK alone. This number includes people from a diverse range of industries, including creative services, cab driving, and mobile hairdressing.
Interestingly, hairdressers are among the happiest workers in the current climate, citing that they feel a personal connection with their customers, that they are making other people happy and free as some of the reasons why.
Like any other business, however, setting up on your own as a hairdresser has its challenges and so with that in mind here are some top tips for how to go about it.
Static or mobile – a key consideration
One of the first things to consider if you are a hairdresser who is looking to set up on your own is whether you will operate from a salon or if you will visit clients in their homes.
There are pros and cons to each of these options, for example, a mobile hairdresser has very few overheads and so the potential for profit can be better. On the other hand, setting up a salon will offer you the opportunity to employ other stylists and scale the business more easily, should you want to.
If you decide to go along the salon route, then finding suitable business premises will be one of the first major tasks. What is key here, as with searching for any property, is location. You need to find a premise that is easy for clients to get to, where there is parking nearby and that has the potential for walk-in customers as well as those who make appointments in advance – particularly important if you are setting up a barbershop.
Seek out specialist suppliers
When it comes to kitting the shop out for business, seek out specialist suppliers such as Capital Hair and Beauty and forge a relationship with them. In the first instance, this will mean you get your supplies wholesale, plus you will rest assured that your supplier is reliable and carries all the brands that you rely on to deliver a premium service to your clients. Building business relationships is of paramount importance and so start as you mean to go on.
Offer a range of services to your clients
You should also be thinking about the range of services that you can offer. For example, many hairdressers make a large proportion of their yearly profits by offering wedding packages or by having a stylist that specialises in dealing with children. The wider the range of services you can offer the better on the understanding that they are all high quality and you are not over-stretching yourself or the business.