\ If your dream is to work in fashion and creativity, but the most humble one, linked to ordinary people, the neighborhood, the country, then there is always the possibility to give vent to your artistic skills by opening a modern and professional hairdressing salon . Like? Read on to find out.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
There are some questions that many interested in the hairstyle sector (including the customers themselves when they go out after cutting their hair) are often asked, such as the possible earnings of a hairdresser and whether this is a generally profitable activity.
We add these questions in our series of articles on entrepreneurial activities, dedicating an article to the opening of a hairdressing salon and why this beauty and beauty business is still today and always a very interesting prospect.
About 190,000 people in our country work in the hairdressing sector, and ISTAT has estimated 92 thousand salons scattered throughout the national territory. This is a very interesting figure, especially when compared to the 34 thousand (therefore one third of our) salons in the United Kingdom and the 58 thousand in France. But the proportions change looking at the employed: in the 34,000 English salons 245,000 people work , and 160,000 in the French salons, which despite being less absolute than the Italian ones looking at the proportions the percentage is higher.
Costs also change: the average expenditure in salons is € 24 in Italy, 41 in France, 48 in the United Kingdom. But what does all this mean? It is a very important and significant datum of the “usual” reality of medium-small businesses in Italy: in fact, most of the salons are made up of small shops where a owner works with the help of one or two apprentices, and not in all cases.
This anticipates not exactly positive or optimistic conclusions regarding the job prospects and above all of earnings, unless those who work in the sector can understand that a very clear change in the way of seeing and understanding the hairdressing profession is needed.
SOME SMALL REVOLUTIONS
Generally, those interested in opening a salon must study in the schools of beauticians and hairdressers, obtain the necessary professional qualification, work for a period as a trainee in a salon and then once they have learned the right theoretical notions and above all practical experience, opens the his personal shop.
In Italy, the procedure has always been this and so it has always worked, and not only for the hairdresser but in general for each artisan sector: the system has always remained standing, even despite the crisis, and therefore it can be considered valid.
However, this does not mean that there have been no changes. In fact, especially since the end of the nineties there have been many changes, from the economic crisis and consequent increase in unemployment, to the liberalization of commercial licenses and, above all, to the advent of the internet.
These are all aspects that have changed the lives of citizens and also those who make hairdressers. The liberalization of licenses has meant that anyone could open a salon without respecting the minimum distances foreseen before, while the economic crisis has emptied many stores and lowered rental prices. Furthermore, those who lost their permanent jobs saw the need to open their own business.
The almost sudden increase in saloons has seen stores that lower their price lists to maintain the presence of customers, also following the low-cost salons usually run by Asians and Orientals; and the arrival of the internet, which helped to lower the perception of the professionalism of a hairstylist’s service.
All this has seen the collapse of the traditional model referred to above, worsening a situation that without a change in the business model will only worsen.
OPEN A HAIR SALON TODAY
Having clarified these aspects, which are long but very important, the real question is whether it is actually convenient to open a hairdressing salon. The answer is yes, but only on condition that the entrepreneur intends to manage it as a company, and that therefore you agree to go back to the books, to attend marketing and business courses, starting from a small shop in constant growth arriving to manage a specialized salon aimed at a very specific target and which envisages not “at most an apprentice”, but more collaborators, perhaps with different specializations (male cut; tint and discoloration; youth cuts etc.).
The important thing is, therefore, that it has entrepreneurial management. It will certainly be a demanding, tiring operation, which will require a lot of work and study, as well as years of sacrifices that will see most of the profits constantly being re-invested in the company. But trust it is worth it.
But if you want to open a salon without doing all this, the advice is to be extremely prepared and updated, but not to open a salon identical to the other ninety thousand that are in our country: rather look for a successful salon and be hired as gods professionals.
You will not earn less, in fact usually a good and trained hairdresser, highly qualified in a large salon has higher earnings than any owner of ” Hairstyles from …” , doing less overall hours and also having much less responsibility on him.
Bear in mind, however, that over the years only these types of hairdressing salons will survive: highly specialized salons; the low cost salons managed by the Orientals; the big salons that work like businesses.
Especially because today’s clientele is much more demanding, and is destined to be even more demanding, going to choose salons that best meet their tastes and needs. Those who don’t want to spend a lot will go to low-cost salons; those who have special needs are willing to spend more and turn to specialized salons; the others, instead, will go to the hyper-organized salons that see both young apprentices and established professionals, and which also sell specific maintenance products and treatments.
And of course the average receipt will have a higher value, bringing our country to the levels of France and the United Kingdom. As entrepreneurs and owners of hairdressing salons you must always keep in mind that people do not spend little because they have limited availability or because they do not want to spend. They spend little because very often they have a very low perception of quality of service.
And above all because there are still a minority of those salons that also sell specific maintenance products, those that are not found in the supermarket, so to speak.
TO CONCLUDE
All that has been said up to now also applies to those who already own their own hairdressing shop, and therefore can take these tips to revolutionize their business by offering maybe something that does not exist in their city.
Obviously we are not talking about metropolises such as Milan, Florence and Rome, in which especially the large halls have already existed for some time. We particularly turn to small cities, less economically important where the choice to focus on something new and more modern could certainly prove to be spot on.
In addition, Italy really needs owners, especially young entrepreneurs, in view of a market that over time will close hairdressers “the old way”, with classic and never innovative cuts, and with the owner definitely not updated.
