Considering The Suite Life? Read This.
Considering the suite life? From rental agreements to payment processing plans, there’s a lot to keep in mind as a business owner. Keep reading for six tips that will help you find suite success!
First, your rental agreement should include these four hot topics, especially if you choose to rent in an established salon. Judiffier Pearson breaks it down in her best-selling book, To Rent or Not To Rent.
1. KEYS. Although a salon owner is not required to give booth renters keys, there should be a section of your lease agreement that specifies hours of operation in the salon, if you don’t have 24-hour access. You should be allowed to set your own schedule for any hours within the set range of operation. Make sure you have this in writing for legal reasons. If an owner or landlord chances the hours of operation, this disrupts your flow of business.
2. RETAIL. Booth renters have the right to retail their own salon products without interference from the owner/landlord. Because booth renters have their own clientele, the salon owner/landlord should not be soliciting sales from the renters’ clientele. In your lease agreement, if it’s your decision to retail exclusively to your clients, be sure to include language that permits you to do so and protects your business.
3. WALK-IN CUSTOMERS. Walk-ins can be a sticky situation in a traditional booth rental salon, if a system is not set up and enforced properly. There are many ways to distribute walk-ins, such as a rotation or creating a walk-in menu, so clients can view services, pricing and even photos of work offered by the available renters to make their own decision. The most proactive way to build clientele is not to depend on walk-ins, but to market your services. Depending on walk-ins is a lazy, hit-or-miss way to build your business. Put yourself out there and perform services that generate word of mouth referrals.
4. WHAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN RENT? In a traditional booth rental set-up, renters should have: a reception/waiting area, work station, chair(s), mirror, storage cabinet, shampoo bowl and hair dryer access, electrical outlets, and phone jacks, if necessary. Some salon owners may decide to offer access to a laundry room and break room. Renters should be responsible for their own “non-structural” items such as towels, business cards, marketing, products and any other supplies used to provide services.
BONUS: Two tips from Suite Success author Ryan Weeden. His book can help you make 6 figures as a suite renter! Here are two major things you need to make your suite a success. Buy Ryan’s book in the BTC Shop!
5. WEBSITE. Besides a strong social media presence, you need a website that breaks down your services and pricing. There are a lot of services for hosting and website creation, so consider the pros and cons of each. Ryan recommends the following:
- Domain hosting: godaddy.com and 1and1.com
- Web creation: wix.com and squarespace.com
- Advanced features: wordpress.org
6. PAYMENTS. The need for large, bulky card processing machines is a thing of the past—now, most payments can be taken on your smartphone. Ryan recommends you consider whether you want to be charged a flat percentage or varied rates depending on your clients’ credit card brands. Try square.com or paypal.com, or investigate the options your bank offers.
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