Opening a children's hair salon from scratch is a great idea for getting not only profit, but also pleasure. Kids also want to be well-groomed and beautifully cut. But often children, especially small ones, are afraid of hairdressers, they are capricious and behave very unpredictably.
That is why not many people think about what it takes to open a children's hairdresser, considering this specificity problematic. After all, a children's hairdresser must not only be able to cut hair, but also get along with children, be able to keep busy and calm a demanding client. A children's salon should be special in everything; this is the only way it will be appreciated by adult clients and small visitors.
Business Features
Is it profitable to open a children's hairdresser? It is worth considering the fact that parents mostly take their children to get their hair cut on weekends, since weekdays are filled with other chores. Therefore, there is a high probability that the hairdressing salon will not be busy every day, which will undoubtedly affect the profitability of the business.
To eliminate the possibility of downtime for the hairdresser, it is necessary to open an establishment where young children and teenagers will get haircuts. This solution will increase the salon’s attendance, and, therefore, increase its profitability. In the future, it is possible to expand the activity to a kind of children's beauty salon and introduce additional services, for example, children's manicure.
Trimmed
The first hairdressing salon “Podstrigulya” was opened in 2013 in the city of Ukhta, in the Komi Republic. This company provides hairdressing services for the whole family, including the little ones.
After the conclusion of the contract, the partner is provided with consulting support. Marketing assistance is also provided. Depending on the chosen franchise package, representatives of the parent company can come and open a branch in the city where the partner lives.
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Salon services
Children's hairdressing services will be designed for the age category from 1 to 14 years. The range of offers should include not only classic, but also fashionable haircuts for girls and boys. Also quite popular are children's manicure services and preparing a child for a celebration: hairstyle, makeup, tattoo. To get maximum profit, you can supplement the list of services with offers for parents.
Chub-Chik
Hairdressing salon "Chub-Chik" has been operating since 2009. The establishment is relevant not only for children, but also for their parents. Almost all popular types of hairdressing services are provided here.
After purchasing a franchise, the parent company provides advice on all operational issues. Recommendations are given on the selection of premises, and a design project for the salon is developed individually. Business equipment is purchased from trusted suppliers at discounted prices. The parent company also provides advice on employee selection. The branch is advertised on social networks and on the company’s main website. Employees undergo training under the supervision of representatives of the franchisor. Legal, accounting and technical support is provided.
Required number of employees: from three to twelve people. Required area: from thirty-five to one hundred and twenty square meters.
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Premises requirements
There are several suitable options for children's salon premises:
- store area with goods for children;
- shopping and entertainment complex;
- separate room.
When opening a hairdressing salon in a shopping center, you should choose a place away from the general noise so that the child can feel calm and nothing will distract him from the haircut process. This option, such as a separate room, is more suitable for residential areas of the city, but at the same time, the level of qualification of the craftsmen in the salon must be high. The area of the room must be calculated taking into account 5 sq.m. for one work chair, of which there must be at least three. Also in the hairdressing salon you need to equip a bathroom, organize a dressing room, and a waiting area. On average, the salon area should be at least 25 sq.m.
Children's hair salon franchises
Despite the slow growth rate of the children's hairdressing salon market in Russia, there are prerequisites for their popularity. The consumer demands of Russians are growing, and parents are beginning to choose a hairdresser for their children more pickily. For many children, visiting a hairdresser is stressful: when they find themselves in an unusual environment, the kids begin to get scared, act up and interfere with the hairdresser’s work. In addition, even the most obedient children are not able to remain still for long - they spin and fidget in the chair, which affects the quality of the streak. Taking into account such peculiarities of behavior of young visitors to hairdressing salons, not every hairdresser will agree to serve them.
Children's hairdressers skillfully play on this imperfection of universal salons. When children come to a specialized children's institution, they think about anything - just not about scissors, combs and other threatening-looking tools. Nothing here gives away the appearance of a hairdresser - the chairs are made in the shape of cars, motorcycles and other interesting devices, the walls of the hall are painted in bright colors, the hairdressers wear funny aprons, and cartoons are broadcast on large plasma TV screens. In short, the kids' attention is occupied with anything - just not the haircut procedure. A special word should be said about the hairdressers - cutting children's hair requires them, first of all, to have the skills of a psychologist, and only then - traditional hairdressing skills, so employees of children's hairdressing salons know how to divert the attention of their little client in time and calm him down if he suddenly begins to act up.
Of course, the price tag in children's hairdressing salons is not much higher than the price tag in universal salons: a haircut with a machine will be 350-500 rubles, a haircut for boys - 500-700, and for girls - 600-800. Also, the range of such establishments may include (from 450 rubles), curly hair cutting, festive hairstyles, children's makeup, manicure and face painting.
Most chains of children's hairdressing salons operating in Russia are expanding through franchise cooperation. For entrepreneurs, buying a franchise is an opportunity to start a business “from a low start”, armed with the support of a well-known brand and its experience. By purchasing a franchise package for a children's hairdresser, a businessman, as a rule, receives:
— the right to use the brand and its technologies;
— assistance in selecting premises, design project of the establishment in 3D format, assistance in purchasing designer furniture for a hairdressing salon;
— assistance at the stage of starting a business;
— advertising support, layouts of promotional materials, provision of a website on the domain of the parent company, provision of software;
— training for franchisees (the basics of doing business) and their technicians (children’s haircut techniques, psychology of working with children), consultations on legal, tax, organizational and other issues.
Franchise development
The minimum starting investment in opening a franchise children's hairdressing salon is about 250-440 thousand rubles (these figures are indicated in the Chub-Chik and Podstrigulya networks in their franchise offers). The average investment amount is about 740 thousand rubles. However, in practice, real investments, taking into account the renovation of the premises and the purchase of equipment, turn into 1.5-2 million rubles. The stated return on investment ranges from 8 months to one and a half years.
Equipment and tools for children's hairdressing salons, as well as hypoallergenic children's cosmetics, due to their specificity, become quite significant expense items. For a children's room you will need designer chairs with pneumatic lifts, children's sinks, plasma panels for broadcasting cartoons, hangers, stylized scissors, combs, hair dryers, etc. One of the advantages of cooperation with the franchisor is that it provides contacts of proven and conscientious suppliers, and also allows your franchisee can enjoy corporate discounts and make purchases at favorable wholesale prices.
Another major expense when opening a children's hairdresser will be rent. Due to the specificity of the format, such establishments should be located in places with high traffic - as a rule, in shopping centers, near toy stores, children's clothing stores and other places of attraction for potential customers.
The amount of the initial payment for using a franchise of a network of children's hairdressing salons varies from 90 thousand rubles (“Fun Comb”) to 350 thousand rubles (“Chub-Chik”). The average lump sum contribution is about 160 thousand rubles. Royalties vary from 3 thousand to 25 thousand rubles. Some networks set a fixed royalty, others express it as a certain percentage of profits, but at the same time set upper or lower thresholds for payments. Thus, the Vobrazhulya network requests a royalty in the amount of 4% of profits, but not less than 3 thousand and not more than 12 thousand rubles. The highest royalty for the Chub-Chik chain is 25 thousand rubles.
One of the largest Russian chains of children's hairdressing salons is, whose network of branches and representative offices includes more than 50 establishments. In addition to the main hairdressing salons, there are also various beauty master classes for mothers and daughters, glitter tattoo application (temporary tattoo based on sparkles), children's face painting, etc.
Another large network, practically the leader of the Russian market for children's hairdressing salons, is the Voobrazhulya brand, which has more than 70 representative offices in Russia and Kazakhstan. The range, among other things, also includes children's makeup, children's manicure and eco-manicure - a procedure that involves the use of a special harmless varnish.
In order to increase the number of potential clients, some chains of children's hairdressing salons position themselves not as exclusively children's, but as family establishments. Young clients, as a rule, do not come to the hairdresser alone, and... While the children are in the hands of experienced hairdressers, the waiting parents may very likely want to put their hair in order themselves. Chains such as “Kesha is good!”, “Kudryashka”, “Chub-Chik” and Podstriulya emphasize family visits to the hairdresser.” The price tags in establishments of this format are comparable to the price tags of regular hairdressing salons, however, some procedures accompanied by an unpleasant odor and fumes (for example, some types of coloring or perm) have to be excluded from the range due to the fact that they can harm young visitors.
Family hair salon franchise packages can be sold as separate offers or serve as additions to children's hair salon franchises. Thus, the family network “Chub-Chik” sells three package formats – “Light,. “Standard” and “Premium”, differing in area, number of children’s and adult chairs, as well as the breadth of the range of chairs provided (in addition to hairdressing chairs, they also include a tattoo studio and a manicure room). The “children + adults” format, in contrast to establishments serving exclusively young visitors, involves placement not in walk-through shopping centers, but rather in residential areas.
Underwater rocks
Narrow target audience. Despite the apparent large number, the children's audience is quite limited in size. Even if a hair salon, in order to maximize profits, includes servicing adult visitors in its concept, it still has to remove from the range of services some non-ecological, but in-demand items - highlights, perm, etc.
Competition from regular hairdressers and beauty salons. As a rule, children's hairdressing services are included in the price list of almost any beauty salon, the equipment of which includes chairs with lifts or even just special seat cushions. The level of quality of service in universal salons may be lower than in specialized children's hairdressers, but for many parents this disadvantage is compensated financially - in universal salons the prices for children's haircuts are lower than for adults.
Underdeveloped culture of visiting children's hairdressers. Unlike Western countries, where visiting a children's hairdresser is a unique tradition, in Russia this culture is just beginning to take shape. Many Russian children first get into a hairdresser's chair when they go to school, since for reasons of economy, parents with incomes below average usually give their children haircuts at home.
Difficulties with personnel selection. One of the main criteria for the success of a children's hairdresser is the quality of service, which depends on the master. Such a specialization as a children's hairdresser simply does not exist in Russia, so the process of searching for universal specialists who can not only do their job well, but also get along with children, can be quite lengthy and energy-consuming. Responsible franchisors prefer to hire employees who meet basic requirements and develop them to the required level through training. Seminars and master classes. Taking into account the above, the franchise package for a children's hairdresser must necessarily include staff training.
Small turnover. The monthly profit of children's hairdressing salons is estimated at approximately 100-100 thousand rubles per month. At the same time, the main income comes from regular customers, that is, an established base. Considering the relatively small demand for the services of children's hairdressing salons, it is most advisable to open establishments in the central areas of the city, most often in shopping centers with high traffic. Considering the high rental rates in such places, an inept entrepreneur runs the risk of not recouping the investment.
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Decor
The interior design of a salon for children should be interesting primarily to young visitors. Repair and design work should be carried out taking this principle into account. Children are not known for their perseverance, so they need to be provided with toys and other distractions while they wait. Some owners of children's hairdressing salons keep small animals and birds, which immediately attract the attention of children.
Maneuvers such as candy and showing cartoons are also suitable for calming children. Moreover, personnel must be involved in the distraction process. It’s not enough to just treat a child to candy; you need to earn his favor and trust by smiling and talking on abstract topics.
Children value positive emotions and a kind attitude, so masters should not only be professionals, but also love their little clients. It is important to communicate with the child during the haircut process, tell what the hairdresser will do and how, what tool is needed for what, and so on. In this case, it turns out to create the right trusting atmosphere in which the child’s consciousness relaxes.
In children's hairdressing salons, it is not recommended to place mirrors in front of the chair, as is done in adult salons. This is due to the fact that the baby may be frightened by the sight of the tools. Therefore, it is better to find another place for the mirror, and the parents will appreciate the quality of the haircut.
Decorating the premises is not an item on which you can save money; the interior and the purchase of equipment make up the bulk of the costs when opening a children's hairdresser from scratch.
Documentation and case registration
First of all, let’s find out what documents may be required to open a children’s hairdresser,
to avoid possible problems. To begin with, a businessman registers as an individual entrepreneur or registers the status of a legal entity (JSC or PJSC). It is important to note here that you will have to purchase and register a cash register.
Registration of permits is an inevitable and troublesome stage on the path to opening
You will also need permission from the fire inspectorate and the Sanitary and Epidemiological Service. In case of redevelopment of the premises, it must be agreed upon with regulatory organizations in advance.
Necessary furniture
A children's hair salon requires special furniture. Hairdressing chairs should not violate the concept of the overall interior; they should be light and comfortable. There are many options for choosing hair washes; they can be included with a chair, or they can be sold separately. When asked how much it costs to open a children's hairdresser from scratch, the answer can be unequivocal that it is expensive.
One chair will cost about 150-450 dollars, if you buy a unique chair, for example, in the form of a car, then it will be even more expensive - about 2 thousand dollars. In general, the interior and design of the salon for children should help create a warm and joyful atmosphere. Not bright colors, the absence of provocative colors, calm music, living plants - all this will provide the child with a good mood while in the hairdresser and will encourage him to come back again.
Recruitment
Some difficulties may arise when searching for craftsmen. According to the director of the children's hair salon KindersOn, Aigul Saidova: “Choosing staff for a children's hair salon is not an easy task. It's not even that there are few experienced hairdressers. There may be many of them in your city, but most of them already have their own clientele and income without the nuances that are inevitable when working with children.
Little children are known to be very restless. Any way you have to cut them: on the floor, in mom’s arms, and even while running. During the shift, the master gives 100 percent physically and mentally. Therefore, in the first months of work, high turnover is possible. Not every “veteran” of hairdressing is ready for such work. In our case, the master must be not only a professional in his field, but also a kind of psychologist,” the players say.
For the ability to work with children, masters have to pay monthly from 20 to 35 thousand rubles, or depending on the flow of clients. “In children's salons, the client is even more attached to the hairdresser than in ordinary hairdressing salons and is ready to follow him anywhere. In order not to lose an employee, and with him the client base, craftsmen are paid according to the scheme: “salary plus interest.” The so-called “premiums” can amount to up to 50% of the proceeds.
Staff
It is not easy to find a good children's master, given the requirements for his qualifications. A hairdresser must be able to give children a high-quality haircut and at the same time distract them from scary tools. Keeping a child in a chair is not easy, and how the master behaves in such a situation is a very important point. In addition, the master must be universal, be able to do both women's and men's haircuts, and create festive hairstyles. There should be three or four such craftsmen for shift work. This is due to the fact that it is impossible to perform the work of a hairdresser productively for more than five hours.
Along with placing a bright sign, it is effective to use other advertising methods.
You should focus on parents: despite the fact that the target audience is children, adults bring them to the hairdresser. This means that the advertisement will be relevant in places where it can be seen by a large number of people who have children. For example, you can use stores of children's toys, clothing and any other goods for children for advertising. You can distribute flyers in preschools, schools, amusement parks, and so on. Do not exclude the option of advertising on the Internet; here you can also find potential clients. But the main and most effective way of advertising will be positive customer reviews.
You can retain attracted visitors not only with high-quality services, but with special offers in the form of discounts, bonuses for holidays and birthdays. An excellent advertisement would be to hold a competition for parents with the main prize – a free haircut for their beloved child.
Relevance and pitfalls
Hairdressing salons for children are radically different from those that adults go to: special equipment, a special interior that requires additional costs.
A different attitude towards children in modern society is being formed: parents want to dress them fashionably, make them attractive, and set them apart from others. As a target audience, kids are increasingly gaining popularity among entrepreneurs. Let's highlight the advantages of opening a children's hairdresser:
- Interesting business without competition. If an analysis of the market in your city has shown that there are no similar ideas, then the appearance of such an unexpected service will definitely cause a lot of attention and an influx of customers.
- Special masters. Parents who find “their” master for a child will hold on to him more than to a personal one. Your task is to select the right personnel.
- Snap to the center is not required. A residential area is quite suitable for placement; it is better to give preference to new buildings.
Now a little about the disadvantages:
- High costs. Opening a children's hairdresser costs more than an adult one. It's about the equipment, the interior, expensive chairs, the need to buy televisions, arranging a separate corner for waiting and other expenses.
- Long payback period compared to a regular hairdresser (about 3 years). The profitability of this business is incomparable to an ordinary hairdressing salon, since in the future there are no large incomes from coloring, creative coloring, or original haircuts, like in salons for adults. You will have to limit yourself to haircuts, the cost of which usually does not exceed 250-300 rubles, and styling. The only bonus is that you will have no competitors in preparing children for matinees and school balls.
- Limited target audience. Clients' ages range from six months to 15 years. The good news is that the lack of competition will lead all potential clients to you.
As can be seen from the above arguments, there is some risk in opening a children's hairdresser. This is primarily due to its unpredictability. There are several ways out of this situation.
Firstly, you can open not just a hairdresser, but a whole salon for children, where they will do manicures, facials (elimination of teenage acne, scars, blackheads), preparation for performances (for dance, sports groups).
Secondly, you can start not from the idea of a separate premises for providing hairdressing services to children, but from a children’s clothing or toy store. That is, equip a corner for a hairdresser there. Major players in this business note the advantage of this innovation. Customers are attracted to the store, and the average check increases due to regular haircuts and styling.
Thirdly, you can always put all the worries about opening and decorating the premises on the shoulders of the franchisor. Now there are many children's hairdressers offering the purchase of a franchise. In this case, you pay a fixed amount at the start, other people do everything for you, you just need to make regular royalty payments and monitor the operation of the establishment.
Estimated expenses and income
The main investments when opening a hairdressing salon for children are required to design a special interior and purchase the necessary equipment. Taking into account the complexity of the project, designer services and subsequent repairs will cost the owner from 4 to 10 thousand dollars.
Equipment for children's salons has certain differences when compared with the equipment used in conventional hairdressing salons. The cost of a work chair with the ability to adjust the height ranges from 150 to 400 dollars; in addition, it is advisable to purchase a chair for the little ones in the form of a car, its price is over 2 thousand dollars. It is worth noting that the car seat is designed for children under 4 years of age.
You definitely need to buy a large TV and a player to watch cartoons. This will incur a cost of $400-$800. Next you will need a sofa for parents accompanying a child (about $400), a chair for washing (from $400).
It will also be necessary to supply water and all other communications to the premises; such work will increase costs by another thousand dollars. On average, total investments can reach 20 thousand, excluding rental or purchase of selected premises.
Benefits of starting a business
The main advantage of opening a children's salon is the demand for the services offered here. Hairstyle is one of the components of the appearance of adults and children, so the hairdresser will be in demand. Properly organized activities in this area will provide the owner with a stable and high income. The profitability of a business largely depends on the quality of services and the reputation of the establishment.
Results
Any work related to children requires scrupulousness and responsibility. Especially when it comes to a haircut, the process of creating which is not the easiest undertaking for a child. A regular visit to the salon can bring many problems to the baby, his parents and other visitors. This is a powerful argument that makes the business idea of a children’s hairdressing salon promising and profitable.
The step-by-step instructions for organizing a hairdressing salon for children define the main task of locating the establishment so that it is on the path of parents and providing them with the proper level of service. According to statistics, clients of salons for children are in the age category from 3 months to 15 years. Consequently, the target audience is quite wide, which makes it possible to consider a children's hairdressing salon a profitable business.
From production to services
Almost my entire personal and professional life is connected with Yekaterinburg. I come from the small town of Polevsky, located in close proximity to the capital of the Sverdlovsk region. My education is pedagogical - in 1996 I graduated from the Kamensk-Ural Music Pedagogical School. And although I liked working with children, I did not stay in the profession for long. In the 1990s, both music and teaching were poorly paid, and I got married, and our young family needed to somehow get on its feet; our parents did not have the opportunity to sponsor us. So from my youth I got used to relying only on myself.
In 1998, we moved to Tyumen, where I found myself in a large store (SuperStroy, StroyArsenal stores), and in four years I managed to go from a simple cashier to the head of the accounting group of the Tyumen branch of the company. In 2002, I went on maternity leave and never returned to this field.
My husband was the first to start entrepreneurship; he founded the famous brand of children’s hats “Filippok” in Russia. The business was developing well, but it had a pronounced seasonality: in the summer, the demand for hats decreased. I began to look for employment options that would help us compensate for this feature. After returning to Yekaterinburg, I was engaged in regional merchandising of orthopedic mattresses, and in 2009 we had our own lingerie store.
This business was also profitable until the economic crisis of 2014 occurred. Incomes fell, and since we were in a peripheral city, sales became difficult. We were lucky that we managed to sell this business on time. We wanted to invest the money received during the sale into a new business. We were looking for some interesting direction related to children. Firstly, because we already had a children’s project with hats, and secondly, because I myself have always been interested in developing in this area.
That’s how we found the franchise of St. Petersburg hairdressing salons “Imaginary”. At that time, the company had been working on the market for four years, I immediately liked the design and brand, and the competent positioning. Upon detailed study, it became clear that all processes in the company are perfectly organized. And although my husband and I never worked in services (our experience was more in manufacturing), the field seemed interesting and we decided to try it.
Today there are already 85 hairdressing salons in the Vobrazhulya network in 45 cities of Russia and Kazakhstan.
