The pros and cons of owning your own salon

The pros and cons of owning a salon are numerous. The decision to open your own salon should not be made too quickly, as there are many things to consider beforehand. To turn owning a salon into a successful, profitable freelance hairdressing business, you'll have to use lots of excellent planning and strategy.

One advantage of owning your own salon is that you get to make all the choices yourself. You get to choose who the employees are. You get to choose what the salon's atmosphere will be. You get to decide what type of clientele the salon will cater to. You get to decide what prices will be charged and what services and products will be provided. You get to set the working hours for yourself and your employees. You get to choose how the business is marketed or advertised. You get to select what image the salon and its employees will project. You also get to choose the salon's location.

However, those very advantages can be what cause all the disadvantages too! Whether you consider them to be disadvantages or not largely depend on how well you like handling large amounts of responsibility. You'll have to ensure you and all your employees are obeying every one of the hairdressing laws and regulations, especially the health and safety rules. You must also ensure all your employees are properly qualified and willing to perform the work.

You have to hassle with hiring and firing employees, and dealing with any problems that arise from being an employer. You have to be responsible for everything that goes on in the salon. You especially have to take responsibility for any mistakes that you and your employees make.

You have to ensure there are no product defects or recalls, and oversee the ordering of all the necessary supplies and equipment. You have to be responsible for paying the proper taxes, and all the salon's creditors. You are the one responsible for making sure the right image is projected and that the business is marketed properly. You are the one that has to ensure the salon is adequately insured. You are the one who has to select the right accountant, bookkeeper, and solicitor to handle the salons financial and legal affairs.

The entire success or failure of the business is solely reliant upon the decisions you make throughout the daily operations of the business. If you make the wrong decisions, many other people may suffer the consequences. Many salon owners recommend that a hairdresser gains experience through mobile hairdressing or some other type of freelance small business ownership before opening your own salon.