10-02-2005, 01:26 PM | #41 (permalink) |
Registered User Join Date: Nov 19 2002 Location: worldwide Age: 53
Posts: 145
Rep Power: 22 | TanDeSoleil, Regardless of your plan or new partner your 3 bed salon would fail. Obviously, you are **** bent on opening a tanning salon. If you are doing so with a pipe dream of making money or not losing money you are living in a dream world. You will fail, every salon owner who has participated on this thread is in total agreement - why can't you see this? Your initial question stated that your are in a "gated community" - typically gated neighborhoods are upscale areas, not blue collar low income areas. This is why you everyone's responses included upscale references. My suggestion is this - let your Aveda friend do her own buildout and buy her own tanning beds. This is the only way the business could possiblly succeed. Her tanning beds would be an ancillary service to the hair salon. This shouldn't be a problem since she is "loaded". The hair salon should be able to carry the tanning, not vice versa. The tanning can not exist financially without the hair salon's income due to the seasonality of tanning. |
10-02-2005, 01:29 PM | #42 (permalink) |
Join Date: Sep 25 2005
Posts: 56
Rep Power: 0 | Mikeytan I know I sound dense, but I want to exhaust all options before I decide not to sign the dotted line. What I have concluded from everyone, is that 3 beds won't work. Do you think I could survive off 5 beds in a 4800 pop, deciding that I ditch the salon side? Note that this a residential community only. |
10-02-2005, 01:53 PM | #43 (permalink) |
Join Date: Sep 25 2005
Posts: 56
Rep Power: 0 | RDJK--Ouch! Just got off the phone with my husband and he thinks we ditch the beds(keep maybe one) and open more hair stations(no booth rentals). We want to open a business that will serve the needs of this community. I was going to open a healthfood store and someone beat me to it. Same with a fitness center. If a tanning bed bs opens up here and makes it, I will die!! I chose tanning bc I saw low maintenance and easy to hire someone to run it for me, but when you start talking salon, major work. I have to make a decision before Monday. Stress!! As much as I hate to read it, you guys may have helped me make a big mistake. |
10-02-2005, 02:40 PM | #45 (permalink) |
Join Date: Oct 1 2005
Posts: 13
Rep Power: 0 | I've lived my life one step ahead (but in reality one step behind). Several of my "ideas" are on the streets but not by me. I know nothing about the business compared to all the folks offering advice. I do know though about business in general and seeking lost opportunities. I think you have heard the cons about openning this shop, but I sense you are looking for support. If you're husband (as you describe) has a good job and is making all you need monetarily, then what do you have to lose? Can he repay the $80K you're talking about borrowing? If he can, then you have nothing to lose from my perspective. If he is supportive of your idea and has the ability (and more importantly the willingness) to repay the loan, then why not go for it. I do question your hairdresser contact. If she's so wildly successful, then why would she want to open a shop with you. Is she going to work it, or is she going to staff it with "unknown" hairdressers. I like your tanning suites, as after I tan I'd like to relax, but from a courtesy perspective I've always departed quickly so the bed was open for the next client (often there's no one waiting, but I feel obligated to "hurry" up. A suite, with a Tanning Bed, Hot Tub, Massage table and a lounge chair would be ideal. As a client I'd willingly pay $100 for two hours to relax - a 20-minute tan, a relaxing 20 minutes in a hot tub, a 45 minute massage, and a 35 minute lounge period would be fantanstic. Today so many people are so busy, but are willing to pay to relax. Since a massage cost $60/hr around here. I figure you'd have to pay the person doing the massage (can't spell massuuusseee) around $40 for the 45 minute massage and that would leave you $55 per session for you. Since hot tubs are about the same price as tanning beds, $55 is a pretty good rate for use of both during the 2 hour period. I may be crazy, but I spent nearly 4 years in Europe and I got real spoiled on the "spa experience." If you want to do it and your husband can afford it, then I say go for it. If you "lose" then you learned a lot but had a good run at it. Just make sure you're husband understands he may have to work a bit harder to pay off the loan if it doesn't work out. |
10-02-2005, 03:14 PM | #46 (permalink) |
Join Date: Sep 25 2005
Posts: 56
Rep Power: 0 | Yes, that was refreshing tannedout. My idea of a suite was not to the extent that you had in mind, though sign me up if there was one around here. Basically, my salon design is Tuscan with the warm walls, natural fabrics and textures so when they would step into the room, they would have candle light/aromatherapy/comfy chair and a full lenth mirror. Maybe some soft jazz and water in the background. I could even offer some soothing sounds for a private CD player. I was going to use a pocket door for added space. I really love your idea but my 80K budget wouldn't get me very far. In regards to the hairdresser. She is new to this area and her husband is a pilot. He is gone a lot, so she has time on her hands. She doesn't want to own anymore salons due to the stress that comes with employees. She has been really great with trying to be honest with me. She sees that I am not going to make money if I do booth rentals. But yet that is the only way she will work at this point. Wants the freedom to come and go. She hasn't found a salon around here she would even step foot in. She has voluteered to do all the leg work in looking for quality used equipment and she is even talking to carpenters to have things built on site. She doesn't want me to stress like I was when I first started this thread. |
10-02-2005, 03:24 PM | #47 (permalink) |
Join Date: Oct 1 2005
Posts: 13
Rep Power: 0 | Again, check six with the husband and if he's on-board, then go for it. If it makes money... great, if not then hope he can bail you out. Appreciate your futher info on the hairdresser, so if she's got time on her hands and willing to help make this work, then that's a bonues. I like the sounds of your suite, and yes your version is much cheaper than I had envisioned, but still quite nice. Italy was my favorite country in Europe, their people are so alive, so attractive, so thin, so healthy and seemed so "happy" so the Tuscan theme works well with me. Life is short. Good luck. |
10-02-2005, 05:27 PM | #48 (permalink) |
Join Date: Sep 22 2005 Location: Ocean Age: 53
Posts: 123
Rep Power: 19 | Please do not do this. I really appreciate the positive attitude, and I believe in trying anything once. BUT, BUT, BUT, there is a difference in calculated risks and talking yourself into your own idea. I would love to hold an intervention with you, that is what some of us are trying to do here. If you really want to open a salon do it with more than 3 beds and in an area that people actually live. I know I am talking to myself and you have already convinced yourself of every reason that "your situation" is different...and we all just do not understand...but we do and this is a really bad plan. Pick a person on this site that you respect, you said you valued Sunsally's opinion...so let's just say you have a well thought out business plan already written, share it with her. Take a moment and really listen to what someone who has a ton of experience thinks of your model. Pick anyone that has a tanning salon...try this one idea. What do you have to lose? The other way you might loose 80k a lot of time and sacrifice your marriage (money is the number one cause of divorce)...and 20 other things I could come up with. Just take a moment and pick someone to consult with you. |
10-02-2005, 05:35 PM | #49 (permalink) |
Join Date: Nov 30 2000 Location: Ontario Age: 61
Posts: 38,594
Rep Power: 107 | Quote: On 2005-10-01 19:36:00, tanstan wrote: You cannot and will not make $$ with 3 beds. Thanks Statistically only 480 of those in town will or would consider tanning. So what's wrong with 3 units to start with?? |
10-02-2005, 05:40 PM | #50 (permalink) |
Join Date: Sep 25 2005
Posts: 56
Rep Power: 0 | HBT, you are soo sweet. I have listened and I won't go with 3 beds. I wish I could go with 5, but there isn't any room unless I ditch the salon, which I don't think I could make w/o it. If we go with just a salon, we cut our costs a lot but increase the responsibility. That's what I am battling with. I have a great resource in the stylist since she has owned salons herself and both our vision and work ethics are similiar. Maybe if the salon takes off, I can poll for potential tanners and open one later, next door since I have right of refusal in case of expansion, which my landlord thinks the salon will bust at the seams. Maybe I should have 1 bed and make it an upgrade. When you said "where people actually live" What do you mean? More than 4800? |
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