Business: Developing a Business Plan

by Linda Ennis, Beauty Academy

Whether you’re starting a multi-national corporation or small venture from your own home, it’s always important to compose a business plan. In doing so, you can visualise and organise the direction of your salon, establishing the aims, ethos and goals you wish to achieve.

But where exactly do you start? What makes an effective business plan? What structure should the plan take? What information and factors should be included within the plan?

The Business Idea

Will your business be…. a hair & beauty salon, a make up bar, a therapeutic spa, a high end technologically advanced salon, a mobile business, a nail bar…this is the first thing you need to decide on and you need to be very clear about what it is that you are offering your clients.

Offering

What exactly are the services and/or products that you wish to offer your clients? What are the costs of these?

Brand Vision

Is your brand highly professional, a fun & flirty business, all about creativity, a personal retreat for clients, a one stop shop, service at your door step?  Consider the feel of your brand and once you have a clear picture of this then you can choose the following:  Name, Logo, Colour Theme and Décor Style.  You will also need to consider your brand values within this and your vision for your brand.

Premises

Where will it be located, what amenities are around it, what facilities does it have such as heating systems, security systems, phone lines etc, is it accessible for clients, is there parking? How much are the rent and rates?

Set up and running costs? 

You will need to write a detailed plan of all costs considering all of the following:

Set Up Costs	Running Costs
Equipment Costs	Heat
Product Purchases, Linens etc	Light
Furnishings and Decor	Telephone
Computer & Printer Costs	Security
Software Purchases	Ongoing Printing
Solicitor	Advertising
Deposit on Leasing of new building	Ongoing Purchases
Website Development	Wages both your own and staff
Initial Printing Costs	Accountancy & Book Keeping
Any plumbing, painting, electrical, carpentry work needed on premises	Rent
Signage	Rates
Office Supplies, Bags etc	Insurance
	Website ongoing support
	Ongoing software subscriptions
	Waste disposal
	Bank fees
	Bank loans if applicable
	Uniforms

Once you have deciphered what the business will cost to set up and your annual approximate running fees now you will need to work on your Sales Projections so that you can estimate whether your turnover is capable of meeting your overheads and what your possible profit margins can be. 

Sales Projections

To do this you will need to assess how many hours your salon is open, then how many clients you and/or your team can see in the hour.  Work out roughly what your average customer would spend on treatments per hour and on products.  Multiply the average spend with the amount of hours it is possible to treat your client.  This is the maximum turnover per week in your new business.  Now you should imagine your business running at less than its full capacity, when could you expect downtime?  Then set your target to a realistic goal with the aim to improving this annually.  When you look at this figure can you manage to pay your overheads and give yourself a wage?

Team

Consider your team and how many hours you need them to work and what qualifications they will need.  Then assess what the going rate is and their cost to your company.

Funding

is it possible to get funding to support your new venture, if not how will you acquire the money needed to set up your new business?  If you are seeking loan approval then you will be required to submit your business plan in great detail to the lenders.

Clients

Assess who your clients will be and which is the best way to advertise or connect with them. 

Competitors

Take a look at your competitors brands and offering and see what you can do differently or better, how can you set yourself apart. How will you have the competitive edge?

Social Media Platforms and Blogging

What social media platforms will you use and can you blog or vlog about your business.  Who will be responsible for the upkeep of this?  If it has to be outsourced this cost will need to be considered in your business plan.

Public Relations

Again, will you hire someone to do this for you which may be expensive or will you manage this yourself.  How will you raise your own and your company’s profile to get yourself and your business noticed?

Advertising & Marketing

Consider which methods of advertising you will use and the very varied cost of each e.g. traditional advertising such as papers, magazines, radio or more recent methods such as google adwords, facebook advertising or mailchimp. You may use direct response (phone), sponsorship marketing or many salon now request testimonials/reviews.

Sales Processes

You must implement some processes of how you will get to your customers….will you phone them on down time, send out text messages about offers, will you visit local businesses and schools to promote your business locally or have events in the salon? 

Marketing Calendar 

You will need to plan your year in advance to take into consideration peak times such as Christmas, New Year, Valentines, Grad/Deb Season, Wedding Season, Halloween and similar to see what promotions you could run and how you will reach your audience. It is imperative when opening a business that you think it through thoroughly to ensure the best start to your business, a clear focus and better profitability and success!