Business requirements for a proper nail salon

Aside from the usual licenses and insurance policies, it’s important to follow a number of nail salon requirements in order to run a proper business. Do you work well with your team, take safety precautions and plan ahead? Without these essentials, your nail business isn’t going to make it!

Teamwork makes the dream work

One of the most essential nail salon requirements you should be following is to work with your team (that is - unless you rent chairs), but as a team. If your staff are disorganised, not listening to your requests, leaving early or simply underperforming, then your business isn’t properly run in the least. Although you’re the boss, you should also take into account what your staff have to say - are they satisfied with their salaries, working hours and the overall atmosphere in your salon? If there is an issue that needs to be addressed, instead of building walls, build bridges with your team and get over them together.

If the problem concerns salary, you may want to consider implementing a commissions-based payment method, changing how you distribute tips. If those options don’t work, then raising your team’s hourly pay would be your best bet - however, employees demanding higher pay must also work harder to show that they deserve it. Staff working hours may also be dealt with in a similar manner. If your employees are independent enough, let them decide amongst one another who wants which shift. If you create staff work schedules, then obviously you’re going to be more lenient about working hours for your hard-working employees. And most importantly, you need to have a friendly environment in your salon. Clients want to come in to relax while you work on their nails and it is hard to do that when you or your staff members are arguing. Your employees should report to you if they have any problems, and it is your responsibility to help them. Failing to do so will result in fewer bookings and employees eventually quitting.

Safety precautions

You might not take it into consideration, but your business can be an unsafe environment if you don’t follow proper sanitary and nail salon ventilation requirements. You and your team are constantly exposed to biological and chemical hazards if you don’t sanitise your workstations and tools and if there is no proper ventilation. Biological hazards in your nail salon usually come in the form of acute bacterial infections and fungi, which are spread by dirty foot basins, unsanitised tools and workstations. In order to prevent a biological outbreak in your nail salon, you should take your time to clean your work area thoroughly after each client, as well as invest in disposable gloves, face masks, a nail dust vacuum and an autoclave.

Chemical hazards on the other hand (pun intended) are often caused by overexposure to harsh chemicals and a lack of clean airflow. However, these hazards are more likely to affect your staff rather than clients, as they’re exposed to them for most of the day. Harsh chemicals such as toluene, acetone, butyl acetate and others can be found in your nail polishes, primers and glue removers may cause any number of side effects, ranging from mild cases of nausea and irritation of the eyes to breathing problems and even cancer. To help reduce the risk of these side effects, installing a professional-grade air filtration system is your best bet.

A thought-out business plan

One of the most vital requirements for your nail business is to have a plan for every aspect of how you run your business. You need to know how to react when an employee goes on sick leave, when you experience a slow season, have an influx of no-shows or need to instantaneously launch a marketing campaign. It's a must for you to know how to prevent certain situations from occurring and how to deal with them once they’ve occurred. Some situations, such as a slow season are almost never preventable - however, with the right approach, you’ll be able to mitigate your losses. One tool that many nail technicians turn to is Booksy. This nail salon and solo business software is ideal for dealing with the most important aspects of your business, including staff management, sales and treatment statistics reporting, appointment booking, sending automated appointment reminders and much more.

In order to have a properly-run nail business, you need to fulfil these nail salon requirements. Without good teamwork, safety measures being taken and a well-thought-out plan for growing and managing your business, you’re going to be faced with client and staff loss, fines and a salon that is falling apart.