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You hear the saying over and over again: be your own boss. Owning your own business is a dream for so many, but how do you achieve this goal? Isn’t it difficult to start your own business? The level of difficulty can certainly depend on your professional branch. But the good news is that as a beauty professional, you have several options to help yourself achieve this goal, as well as people who can help you make your dream a reality.
We sat down with a Las Vegas-based salon owner Amanda Skvorzov, who told us all about her transition from working as a nail technician to owning two My Salon Suite buildings with her husband, where she now helps other beauty professionals achieve the goal of independence. If you’ve been thinking about starting your own business or opening your own salon or spa (or are already thinking about it), Skvorzov’s advice may be just the information and inspiration you need.
Amanda Skvorzov
Ask yourself, “Why?”
Everyone has different reasons for taking the leap into corporate management. Maybe you want more earning opportunities, create your own schedule, or just do things your way. In the case of Skvorzov, what she wanted above all was to explore new horizons. “I was a nail technician for about 14 years and retired for a while to raise my family,” she explains. “I’ve always been that kind of person who pushes themselves to be better than before. And as much as I loved being a nail technician (and I still do), I wanted more and see what else was out there and I felt like the next step would be to be a salon owner.”
Knowing your “why” and outlining your goals can be a powerful motivator to move forward when the going gets tough, and it inevitably will. Write down your reasons and put that list in a place where you can see it each day to move forward.
Seek advice from others
For those looking to rent a parlor suite, Skvorzov recommends “asking or speaking to current members to see how they feel about the facility and how they like it. Word of mouth is the best form of recommendation.”
Ditto for those who want to own a salon or be in a landlord-like position with suites. Looking for ownership options, Skvorzov turned to a family member who owned his own salon. “I racked her brains first about what it was all about: what should I look out for? What are the challenges? She made me want to own a salon suite instead of a traditional salon as I don’t need to have staff.”
One of Skvorzov’s My Salon Suite locations.
Talking to others who have made the transition can help you get a feel for what works best for you and your business style. If leading a team of associates to share in your success sounds rewarding to you, opening a traditional salon may be the way to go. Alternatively, if you don’t want to deal with all of the overhead that comes with a traditional salon and prefer to work alone, hiring a chair or suite may be right for you.
Skvorzov, on the other hand, is a sociable person and enjoys helping other beauty professionals start their own business, so renting out multiple suites as a landlady was the right option for her.
“As women in the industry, we know it’s harder for us because people don’t take us seriously,” she says. “In our industry, most beauty professionals are women. It gives me great pleasure and pride to help other women and entrepreneurs climb this ladder and I know they are not alone. If they are willing to put in the hard work, I will be there to take them up that ladder and help them achieve their dreams.”
The Skvorzovs and two of their members, Kelby and Truman.
Prepare for challenges
With a major project like starting your own business, you have to reckon with the fact that there are pitfalls.
“You will encounter struggles, you will encounter challenges,” says Skvorzov. “Take these challenges as a learning experience, sit back, think about them so the next time a challenge comes up (because there will be many) you can step back and review it first.”
For Skvorzov and her husband, the biggest challenge was securing funding for their first My Salon Suite franchise.
“Since my husband and I were first-time entrepreneurs, the biggest challenge for us was getting a loan,” she explains. “Banks don’t like the novelty because they say you don’t have experience.” But the franchise was willing to help them secure the funding they needed. “They were able to remove all of these obstacles to help us advance our dream with their banking and financing.”
One of Skvorzov’s My Salon Suite locations.
Where there’s a will there’s a way, and sometimes that path leads through other people who are willing to help you achieve your goals. Learning from her own experiences has helped Skvorzov help others, especially those new to the industry. For beauty professionals looking to rent their suites, Skvorzov tries to make starting their business as easy as possible, from the legal side to aspects that reduce upfront costs, like providing the furniture.
“I’ve been where they are,” she says. “We wanted to be able to provide a place where the stylist could walk in with their product and their client and be ready. I want them to come in and feel comfortable knowing that I will provide them with any information they need. Not only everything they need in the facility, but also licenses and insurance and everything they need to run their business legally. I’ve spelled all of this out for her and I’ll be holding her hand along the way to make the transition as easy as possible.”
The interior of featured member Latoya Mincey’s salon suite.
Watch Supply, Demand and the Economy
Right now, especially late in the pandemic era, beauty and grooming professionals are in high demand; an encouraging sign for those looking to start their own business. Good news for nail technicians and hair stylists in particular: ZenBusiness’s top 20 list of the most in-demand business types in the US ranks nail salons and barber shops 8th and 11th, respectively. If you market yourself right, you should see a good chunk of this business coming your way.
Nail salons are the eighth most in-demand business in the United States. Courtesy of ZenBusiness
Barbers are the 11th most sought-after business in the United States. Courtesy of ZenBusiness
Unfortunately, the not-so-good news is that a recession may be looming. Going solo or becoming the boss in your career means you now pay for your own space and set your own prices, and you must expect economic downturns. This doesn’t have to be fatal to your business, but you may have to have some difficult or awkward conversations with your customers about pricing.
This is another area where Skvorzov helps their members. “We try to coach and mentor as much as possible because it affects not only them but their clients as well,” she explains. “They need to be able to get the message across to their customers: ‘As much as I want your prices to stay the same, I need to increase the price of your service so I can offset my product costs.’ It’s a tough conversation, but it’s a little bit easier because everyone is involved, and it’s no surprise.”
take care
Starting your own business takes a lot of time. For most business owners, work doesn’t end just because you’ve gone home for the day, and you should be prepared for the massive amount of time you will put into it. Despite this, it is important that you make time to take care of yourself and make time for your loved ones or yourself will you find yourself burned out and eventually strain your relationships.
“Sometimes it’s hard for me to turn it off because I’m trying to make sure everything is done,” Skvorzov admits, explaining that she’s been struggling to set more boundaries lately. “I put my phone on silent at night. I look at it if it flashes or vibrates… If it’s a number I don’t know, I’ll leave it until the next day.” She always takes calls from her members, but they respect her very well-hours. “It’s the same on weekends,” she adds, “I don’t take appointments on weekends and I don’t take calls on weekends. I reserve that for my family time and my personal time with myself.”
Being a hard worker is an admirable trait, but you won’t be able to do your best work if you’re exhausted all the time. Taking time for yourself is not only good for you, but also for your company and your customers.
Skvorzov and her husband/business partner.
The transition to self-employment is not easy. You should expect to face some challenges from time to time but the journey is so rewarding. Remember to always celebrate your achievements along the way.
“If you’re willing to challenge yourself, if you’re willing to work hard and are willing to make mistakes and learn from them, take that daunting leap because the rewards from it are tremendous,” encourages Skvorzov. “Not just financially, but emotionally. It’s just rewarding to be able to help other people grow their businesses and guide their steps up that ladder. I would like to see more women in management positions.”
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Originally published on Modern Salon