Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Underhill  You hear that complaint anytime a new salon comes to a market. Single salon or chain. If your salon is not of the highest standard in product and service that is marketed based on todays consumer you will not be able to compete with any salon that is structured to succeed. Typically when a chain comes to town only one location is likely to be in your actual market that extends to a 3 mile radius. Salons outside of your specific target market can't hurt you.
Trust me when I tell you that most operators are their own worst enemy.
Salon owners that are not willing to change their situation should go out of business. That is exactly what is happening. There will always be a place in this industry for new or existing tanning salon owners to be very successful. This is true for chains or single salon owners. |
Steve, when your personal butt is on the line, then you can tell us what its like to face competition. You can be the best salon on the planet; if a new salon moves into your area, you will lose 20-25% of your gross revenue in the 1st year, no matter what. Then you have to decide whether to take out another loan or dig into your savings to try to either improve or hang on for another year. When this multi-million dollar national competition starts dropping the $18.88 and $9.99 a month bombs on you, month after month, its hard to get comfortable with throwing more money at an industry that is shrinking and competition that you know can outlast you and will not go away.