5 Mistakes Salon Owners Make

If you’re the proud owner of a beauty salon, listen up! Building a business is tough, and while mistakes are par for the course, most stumbles are completely avoidable with a little bit of professional prep. Whether you’re a complete beginner with big dreams or a pro who needs to boost her bottom line, put the five mistake below on your avoid list to take your business to the next level.

1. Investing Too Much Money into Expensive Products and Services
On the one hand, you want the best of the best for your clients. On the other, you don’t want to narrow your profit margins by spending too much of your monthly income on overpriced professional brands. In the beauty industry, image and reputation are everything, but it’s important to find the right balance between the brands you use and your budget.

2. Missing Out on Lucrative Beauty Treatments
If you’re always in a race to keep up with the latest trends, chances are that your finances are far from where they could be if you kept your focus on true-and-tried treatments. Like you, clients are on a budget, so spending all of your savings on expensive products that won’t have the same universal appeal as affordable salon classics is a bad idea.

3. Becoming a Discount Salon 
It’s true that offering price cuts is a smart way to bring in more revenue, but you don’t want to go overboard. The idea is to make your promotions feel less like cheap discounts and more like exclusive invitations. To find that middle ground, resist the temptation to give out freebies when sales are slow. Instead, keep your existing clients happy and bring in new business with loyalty plans, holiday promotions and referral specials.

4. Ignoring Loyal Clients
Speaking of rewarding your regulars, never isolate your customer base with bad or distant service. If it helps, keep client cards on file or in your computer system for recognising returning customers on the spot. Being friendly, suggesting personalised treatments, sharing samples and giving out small gifts are all great ways to thank your clients for their loyalty without spending a fortune.

5. Wasting Time and Money on Ineffective Advertising
While local advertising helps, never underestimate the power of online marketing. Most people now rely on their phones and computers to find their next salon, so you need to have a user-friendly website, updated contact information and social media pages on multiple platforms.