Consider speaking with a consultant
“If you don’t really have a lot of experience, my advice to anyone starting out and going into a business is to find a consultant to work with. There are lots of pitfalls, so you’ve got to get it right.,” Lorraine Fletcher of Atelier Salon and Spa advises. “If you go through the Hairdressers’ Journal, there are lots to choose from. You should find a consultant who’s qualified in setting up in this industry because they’ll have the contacts, they’ll know where to go and they’ll know the best deals you can get.”
Don’t allow yourself to be bullied by advertising agencies:
“The best form of advertising I ever did was business breakfast networking – which every local authority has,” Kim Ford, of BABTAC, says. “Most local press will negotiate an advert plus editorial too, if you invite a journalist from the paper down. But be aware: in this business, advertising agencies are very aggressive. In my first year of business I wasted £11,000 on advertising. I was bullied into it. You don’t realise you’re being bullied, but they’re very aggressive sales people.”
Don’t be afraid to delegate administrative and book-keeping work:
“If you can employ the services of someone you trust to look after the books for you and to be quite clear about your job role, then that would be very good from the start,” Kim advises. “I learned in the early stages of my business that I’m a great therapist, but I didn’t really understand the accountancy side. And the best thing I did was take on an expert in all of that to guide me.”