There are several benefits of having a hair salon in your own home—you have much more flexibility with your schedule, you get to spend one on one time with your clients, the environment is more relaxing, there are less overhead costs, and the pricing is more fair. Because of all of these appealing benefits, people want to start their own hair salon to service their clients.
Today we’ll talk about six steps to get your in-home hair salon started, including getting the right equipment, marketing your salon, sanitizing after each client, maintaining a great salon, and more.
1. Understand the Requirements
Before getting started, you’ll need to do some research on the in-home salon requirements. You’ll need to figure out what your state requirements are, since they differ by state. You can do so by contacting your state’s cosmetology board and asking them. For example, some states require a permanent wall that separates your salon from the rest of your home, as well as a separate entrance to your salon. Another requirement for some states is to have a bathroom available to your clients that is not used by those in your home.
In addition to your license that you received from attending hair school, you will need to obtain business permits, like a DBA (doing business as). You’ll also need a sales tax and use permit to collect taxes on the services you provide. Be sure to contact the Small Business Administration (SBA) for any questions you may have about requirements, licenses, and permits for starting your in-home salon.
2. Gather Your Supplies
This will likely be the most expensive part of starting your own in-home salon. If you’re used to working in a salon, you’re used to the convenience of the salon providing all the supplies at wholesale—like hair color, hair dryers, shears, hair brushes, and so on. You’ll need to get all the supplies for your new venture so that your clients can have everything they need.
You may also need to install a sink in your salon so you can have a comfortable place for your client when you are washing their hair. You may already have a place for a sink that you may just need to transform into a hair washing sink. If you do not want to install a hair washing sink, you can purchase a shampoo basin and tray where you can wash your clients’ hair.
You’ll also need to make sure that you purchase a quality salon chair. You’ll want a good, sturdy chair so that your client doesn’t get injured, and to make sure they’re comfortable. Investing in a great chair will pay off in the long run, so it can last you years and years.
Lastly, if you are going to have long days in your home salon, consider purchasing a comfortable floor mat, often called an anti-fatigue mat. These do a lot to relieve back pain, foot pain, and make your work day more comfortable. You can find mats specifically to work with a salon chair, through beauty suppliers.
3. Create a Business Plan
If you’ve never created your own business before, this may be a difficult step. However, don’t be overwhelmed by creating a business plan. This simply means that you will decide which services you will provide, how much your services will cost, what scheduling software you will use (if any), how your clients will pay you (online service, Venmo, etc.), and more. This is all very important to establish beforehand so you have everything ready and in place when you start having clients.
4. Purchase Insurance
As a trained and licensed professional, you do all you can to make sure that accidents don’t happen. However, as a hairstylist, you face risks every day on the job. Your client can file a lawsuit against you if you bleach her hair and her hair falls out. You could cut your client’s hair too close to their ear and accidentally cut their ear. Whatever the case, you could be held liable to pay hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
To avoid paying these expenses out of your own pocket, Beauty and Bodywork (BBI) offers insurance to beauty professionals like you. Available at the affordable price of $96 per year, you can have general and professional liability coverage for your in-home salon. Contact one of our licensed insurance agents today if you have any questions, or take a look at our website. Check out this blog to read about more benefits of having hairstylist insurance.
5. Market Your In-Home Salon
Marketing your new in-home salon may have its challenges if you are just getting started out. And many, if not all, salons do not allow you to take any salon clients. So, if you’re leaving a salon to do your own thing or are just getting started, you’ll need to get the word out about your in-home salon.
Start with word-of-mouth advertising by telling all your family and friends about your new salon and tell them to pass the word along. You can advertise on your social media accounts, like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Tiktok. You’ve worked hard for your salon, so don’t be afraid to share it so that you can get new clients, and help them look and feel their best!
You can ask your clients for referrals and offer them a discount off their next appointment for doing so. You can also ask your clients to leave reviews online or post on their social media accounts giving you a shoutout, so that you can have more visibility to a broader audience. Positive online reviews make all the difference. Make sure that your business is online and searchable with Google My Business. This will be where some reviews can be left.
Some of your best marketing is just in the way you do your job. If you provide quality services and make sure your clients love their hair, they will want to spread the word about you! This will help create loyal clients that will keep coming back and who will also recommend their family and friends to you.
6. Sanitize Your Salon After Each Client
Now that you’re the owner of your salon, you’ll need to take on a few extra responsibilities. One of these is sanitizing and cleaning your salon. You’ll need to take extra precautions after each client, so that your salon is prepped and ready for the next client. Make sure to sanitize any surface that you or your client may have touched. You can use bleach to clean out the sink or shampoo basin. You’ll also want to make sure that you have swept or vacuumed all of the hair on the floor. Make sure that all of your tools and equipment have been thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, so that your next client feels safe and comfortable.
At the end of each day, make sure you do a deep clean of the entire area of your in-home salon. Prep it for the next day so that it’s ready and clean for the morning.
Get Started!
There you have it! We are so excited for you to be starting your own in-home salon. We hope that you reap the benefits of it. Follow the six steps above and you’re sure to see success. To learn more about Beauty and Bodywork Insurance, take a look here.
