Negative publicity, recession and less volume. (The elephant in the room)

[The Spook]

Originally Posted by Good_Guy

Thanks for the great feedback. Do you mind elaborating a bit? Are you suggesting your salon numbers are much higher or lower? Can you 'ball park' your sales to help understand your comment a little better? Also, how long have you been in the industry? Have you seen a decline in sales and/or customer volume since 2008?

Our numbers are much lower, <$100k. I opened the salon after buying equipment from someone else in 2009. Business has remained fairly constant since we opened, but that "constant" is well below what I need to be making. I work ~70 hours a week, 7 days a week, for free. If there was a semi-painless way out, I'd take it. Hope keeps me going (for now; quickly dwindling), and fear of prison keeps me from arson.

I had no industry experience when opening the place in 2009, which was a mistake, but it's something I have to deal with as I can't take back my choices.

Originally Posted by markee88

Spook?? Did red light help increase revenue??

Yeah, enough to make it worthwhile for us, however, I don't expect to be offering it by this time next year due to the FDA.

[Good_Guy]

Thanks for the great feedback. Do you mind elaborating a bit? Are you suggesting your salon numbers are much higher or lower? Can you 'ball park' your sales to help understand your comment a little better? Also, how long have you been in the industry? Have you seen a decline in sales and/or customer volume since 2008?

markee88,

Just in case you missed my post earlier as it was covered up right away by the ongoing conversation, I wanted to re-post this question to you. (read the quote above)

[markee88]

Well they were doing around 110,000 a year in 2008-2010 then the owner i bought it from dropped it to 64,000 in one year but like i said it was run into the ground by her and this year we are trending about the same maybe a little more

[Lady Twilight]

I contribute the high numbers to a few things. I managed tanning salons while in college, have a degree in advertising and work for a few years in outbound sales positions for large corporate companies. I also have an amazing staff who truly care about the business. I work about 20 hours a week but constantly pop in to make sure everything is running smoothly. We don't do eft's (shocker I know) and run specials monthly, not sales, but focus on specific packages and have amazing customer service. I truly love being in this business and can only imagine how great it could have been if I had opened in the early 2000's..would have been in high school though so that wasn't really an option lol. Thought I'd give my feedback to show that there can be a positive and profitable way to make it in this industry.

[Good_Guy]

Originally Posted by Lady Twilight

I contribute the high numbers to a few things. I managed tanning salons while in college, have a degree in advertising and work for a few years in outbound sales positions for large corporate companies. I also have an amazing staff who truly care about the business. I work about 20 hours a week but constantly pop in to make sure everything is running smoothly. We don't do eft's (shocker I know) and run specials monthly, not sales, but focus on specific packages and have amazing customer service. I truly love being in this business and can only imagine how great it could have been if I had opened in the early 2000's..would have been in high school though so that wasn't really an option lol. Thought I'd give my feedback to show that there can be a positive and profitable way to make it in this industry.

Thanks for the feedback Lady Twilight. I may be wrong but I would suggest that your example is in the Great Sales category. You should be very proud of what you are doing. It would be interesting to know more about your location but that isn't the objective of this thread.

Any other owners willing to share their thoughts on sales volume, customer volume, before and/or after 2008 would be great. Also, feedback on negative publicity would also be good.

[gravesmc]

Originally Posted by The Spook

Our numbers are much lower, <$100k. I opened the salon after buying equipment from someone else in 2009. Business has remained fairly constant since we opened, but that "constant" is well below what I need to be making. I work ~70 hours a week, 7 days a week, for free. If there was a semi-painless way out, I'd take it. Hope keeps me going (for now; quickly dwindling), and fear of prison keeps me from arson.

I had no industry experience when opening the place in 2009, which was a mistake, but it's something I have to deal with as I can't take back my choices.



Yeah, enough to make it worthwhile for us, however, I don't expect to be offering it by this time next year due to the FDA.

Spook, you described my salon and situation to a TEE. I have been in business for 1 year (opened at the end of March last year, missing out on alot of the busy season) I have 8 UV, 1 red light, and Mystic HD unit. Have made $70,000 for the 1st year, work all 7 days with 1 employee working only mon-thurs from 7-9pm. Haven't paid myself 1 dime. Burn out big time now as the busy season is slowing quickly. Today, I have made $26.43 in the 6 1/2 hours I have been here. Yesterday I couldn't quit crying, and told my clients I have allergies.
I stay cheery for the customers when they are here. You have a sence of humor I can tell from your posts and a great smile. Giving great customer service is the best we can do sometimes.

I would do anything to have a job with a 401K, vacation, and weekends off like I used to. I live in Iowa, and tornado season is here Shoot, wouldn't that just be too bad if I was blown away ?

[Bondgirl]

They always say Canadians are nicer, apparently their thread is too LOL... i put this in the other one...GOODGUY thanks for bringing up this great question

LOBO77 - I agree with many of your assessment. I think a lot of the breakdown in good salon versus average salon is in equipment as well. Without HP (an other high end models) a small salon's chances of hitting high averages of $25,000 per tanning bed per year are impossible. I also think that at a time when we are waiting on your 3 steps to occur (don't hold your breath) it is difficult to invest in expanding any small business but ride out the storm as best you can.

Underhill is correct in that we need to market with the times, however each area of the country is unique in it's own ways and that takes precedence over blanket standard marketing plans.

My salon is in a growing area of a town, however the town is fairly stagnant as far as growth in new employment opportunities and WOW does the job market stink. I cannot give information for a good market study on the numbers prior to 2007, however i can tell you that growth has stopped this year and i see weather as the main culprit currently. We saw 8.5% growth in 2010 and 17% in 2011 (horrible winter, hotter than average summer, excellent marketing); this year i am battling to break even so far with last year and praying for an extremely hot summer so that tanners in my area will be forced inside to tan.

[Bondgirl]

Originally Posted by gravesmc

Spook, you described my salon and situation to a TEE. I have been in business for 1 year (opened at the end of March last year, missing out on alot of the busy season) I have 8 UV, 1 red light, and Mystic HD unit. Have made $70,000 for the 1st year, work all 7 days with 1 employee working only mon-thurs from 7-9pm. Haven't paid myself 1 dime. Burn out big time now as the busy season is slowing quickly. Today, I have made $26.43 in the 6 1/2 hours I have been here. Yesterday I couldn't quit crying, and told my clients I have allergies.
I stay cheery for the customers when they are here. You have a sence of humor I can tell from your posts and a great smile. Giving great customer service is the best we can do sometimes.

I would do anything to have a job with a 401K, vacation, and weekends off like I used to. I live in Iowa, and tornado season is here Shoot, wouldn't that just be too bad if I was blown away ?

Hey you two, i was faced with a reality between my two businesses a few years ago. closed one and focused on the tanning salon. I ran a Tan Till end of year special for $99 (YICKES!) Sold $8,000 in ONE DAY! Focus on being Happy because your customers want to be happy when they tan. You can get FREE packets of lotion from Devoted Creations when you do an event and give those away to anyone who comes in, also offer free tans that day to drive them in. Make it a weekend event if you have to. You have to be drastic to turn a salon around but i think most importantly to us small business owners is our outlook, make is a sunny one!

[Good_Guy]

Originally Posted by gravesmc

Spook, you described my salon and situation to a TEE. I have been in business for 1 year (opened at the end of March last year, missing out on alot of the busy season) I have 8 UV, 1 red light, and Mystic HD unit. Have made $70,000 for the 1st year, work all 7 days with 1 employee working only mon-thurs from 7-9pm. Haven't paid myself 1 dime. Burn out big time now as the busy season is slowing quickly. Today, I have made $26.43 in the 6 1/2 hours I have been here. Yesterday I couldn't quit crying, and told my clients I have allergies.
I stay cheery for the customers when they are here. You have a sence of humor I can tell from your posts and a great smile. Giving great customer service is the best we can do sometimes.

I would do anything to have a job with a 401K, vacation, and weekends off like I used to. I live in Iowa, and tornado season is here Shoot, wouldn't that just be too bad if I was blown away ?

Gravesmc,

I don't know what happened to my reply to you back the same day you posted yours. This second reply will be shorter.

I'm sorry to hear about your struggles. Unfortunately in today’s society staff, customers, friends or just people in general can be jealous of successful entrepreneurs while discounting just how much risk there is involved to get there. A failing business is much worse than being unemployed because you not only don't get money to live on personally but you have to support the business losses which can result in a loss of ones life’s savings... everything. My guess is that you have thought of a billion options to get yourself out of your situation so I doubt I can offer much here. Just try to keep in mind that if it is a business decision you may be better off to take the loss, re-group and move on sooner rather than later. I'm not telling you to throw in the towel but remember what is important in life, make the hard business decisions, pick yourself up and pick the right direction for you.

We were lucky that we had 9 years of great sales before the crazy stuff started happening. However, my point about the change in the industry still appears to be relevant as public perception seems to be changing for the worse. Unfortunately personal entitlements and loss of freedoms appears to really be changing how people think and act. On some levels it is kind of sad.

[gravesmc]

Originally Posted by Good_Guy

Gravesmc,

I don't know what happened to my reply to you back the same day you posted yours. This second reply will be shorter.

I'm sorry to hear about your struggles. Unfortunately in today’s society staff, customers, friends or just people in general can be jealous of successful entrepreneurs while discounting just how much risk there is involved to get there. A failing business is much worse than being unemployed because you not only don't get money to live on personally but you have to support the business losses which can result in a loss of ones life’s savings... everything. My guess is that you have thought of a billion options to get yourself out of your situation so I doubt I can offer much here. Just try to keep in mind that if it is a business decision you may be better off to take the loss, re-group and move on sooner rather than later. I'm not telling you to throw in the towel but remember what is important in life, make the hard business decisions, pick yourself up and pick the right direction for you.

We were lucky that we had 9 years of great sales before the crazy stuff started happening. However, my point about the change in the industry still appears to be relevant as public perception seems to be changing for the worse. Unfortunately personal entitlements and loss of freedoms appears to really be changing how people think and act. On some levels it is kind of sad.

Thank you for your reply. I'm sure many of us thought about the "be your own boss" sence of freedom when opening your own business without realizing how much you are going to work in the business to save on payroll. I try not to look back with regrets too, and things could always be worse. I have at least made enough to pay all the bills without being in the hole at the end of my first year, so I will hang in there