How to Start Your Own Beauty Salon Franchise

Interested in starting your own beauty salon franchise? If you’re overwhelmed with the sheer volume of information, don’t let this put you off. We’ve compiled a simple article for you to follow, giving you all the information you need in order to successfully start your franchising journey within the beauty sector.

Beauty services and salon franchises are currently booming in the UK. The UK’s beauty industry was worth £27 billion in 2020 [Retail Gazette], and with a particular boom in customers occurring since the end of regular lockdowns, the industry is very much on the road to recovery. Therefore, investing in a beauty salon franchise is a savvy financial move in 2022. Find out how to start a business in this fast-paced industry below. 

What does a beauty salon business do?

Beauty salons, quite simply, help people take care of their appearance by offering services ranging from nail-cutting and body hair removal to skincare and aromatherapy. Since the end of the last lockdown in April 2021, beauty salons reported a 432% increase in bookings across the country [PolicyBee], so it’s the perfect time to become a franchisee. Some day-to-day responsibilities you’ll face when working in the hair and beauty sector include: 

• Maintaining high-quality and reliable standards and services
• Meticulously maintaining staff records such as salaries, commissions and absences
• Staying aware of ever-shifting beauty trends and requests
• Running recruitment drives and maintaining a trusted team of staff
• Running marketing activities, including via social media

Why consider running a beauty salon franchise?

The UK beauty sector is one of the largest in the world, so the financial benefits of running your own business in this sector speak for themselves. The franchisee model also has a proven track record of helping businesses become successful, allowing you constant access to training and support as and when you need these things. Some specific advantages of making a career change with a beauty salon franchise include:

• Innovation within the beauty world will continue to drive customer demand
• Beauty salon franchises are so popular that they’re easy to market
• You’ll have the opportunity to specialise in many different areas/find the investment best suited to you and your skills
• There are a wide range of affordable investment opportunities available
• You’ll enjoy a versatile, dynamic and exciting working life
• You’ll have plenty of room to grow and expand your franchise business over time

How to start a beauty salon franchise 

1. Do your research and find your place in the beauty market

With so many specialisms and niche fields of focus to consider, being aware of the full scope of beauty treatments and services is important before you decide your place in the market. Maybe you’d like to help customers maintain healthy, glowing skin? Or perhaps you’re interested in boosting the popularity of a particular massage technique? It’s up to you, but you’ll need to research the market before you make that choice. 

2. Consider costs

Finding a true financial match is essential to starting a thriving beauty business, and from the initial investment cost to the running costs, you’ll need to be sure that the beauty franchise networks you’re considering are within your financial reach. The right beauty salon franchise for you is, to put it simply, one that you afford to run effectively - before and after your business reaches profitability.

3. Do your due diligence 

The franchise agreement is legally binding, and you should not ever sign on the dotted line before you’ve done your due diligence to the fullest possible extent. This means reviewing the FDD, getting a legal professional to look over the agreement, assessing the opportunity in full and speaking extensively with your franchisor and existing franchisees within the network. It means getting answers to all of your questions, from “when will I recoup my initial investment?” to “what level of marketing assistance will I be provided with?”. Leave no stone unturned.

Beauty salon franchise opportunities 

1. Laser Clinics

Laser Clinics is the world’s largest provider of laser hair removal and non-invasive skin treatments, and the franchise is 100% capitalising on the rapidly growing cosmetic injectables market. As a franchisee, you’d benefit from a unique 50/50 partnership deal.

• Becoming a Laser Clinics franchisee: You don’t need previous industry experience, but you will need to be enthusiastic about all things beauty and cosmetic injections. You should pair this enthusiasm with the drive to succeed and the ambition to grow.
• How much you need to invest: You’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £80,000, with a total investment cost of £200,000. 
• What you get for your investment: You’ll have access to excellent equipment at low prices. You’ll be assisted with your specialist property search, supported with your business plan and fundraising, and provided with training for your clinic staff.

2. Guinot 

Guinot is not just one of the world’s biggest beauty product suppliers; the franchise is also at the forefront of organic innovation within the industry. Guinot prides itself on producing and selling strong, effective products with the help of top-quality professionals and developers. 

• Becoming a Guinot franchisee: Experience in the beauty product sales field isn’t necessary, but candidates must be very much willing to learn and develop this knowledge, and must also have enough working capital to support the investment.
• How much you need to invest: You’ll need to make a minimum initial investment of £87,000, with a total investment cost of £125,000.
• What you get for your investment: You’ll be provided with extensive training and support, including a one-week induction and a two-day shadowing programme. Guinot will also help you launch your franchise, providing a wealth of comprehensive advice.

Why not become a franchisee with a beauty salon business? 

If you’re more certain than ever, after diving into this article and finding out more, that you’d love to become a beauty salon franchisee and start your franchise ownership journey, stay on Point Franchise. Continue your pre-investment research, discovering the five biggest advantages of running a beauty salon franchise, the current state of the beauty, hair and cosmetics sector and more.