Should I go with one or multiple specialisations?

You’ve probably been down this road before - you look at all of your certifications and you ask yourself: “Should I take my business down a different route?” Say you’re a salon owner, who has been in the industry for years - doing hair has been your pride and joy for quite some time, but there are days when you just want to try something new.

Now you’re stuck in a fork in the road - you can’t decide if you want to bring new specialisations into the salon or continue going down the same road you’ve been on, but with different approaches. So how do you choose?

Sticking to what you do best

No matter if you’ve been doing hair, nails or massages for what may seem like ages - there are days when you feel your work has become monotonous. So much so that you’re feeling confident enough to do foils with your eyes closed. And that’s where you begin to see the benefits of sticking to what you do best.

You’re a pro at what you do, with years of experience in your specialisation, but you want to bring in more clients. Create social media ads, promoting your salon and presenting yourself as an expert in the field, and not some novice stylist. You feel comfortable with what you do, and sometimes staying in your comfort zone can save you a ton of stress! To reduce monotony at your workplace, introduce new treatment ideas by scouring through social media and looking at what’s trending in the industry. Anything from seasonal balayage colours to themed updos would make a lovely addition to your menu!

Although you may enjoy staying in your comfort zone, there can be downsides to sticking to one specialisation, such as:

working extra hard to stand out from the competition who offer a variety of unique treatments
keeping a limited service menu
an increase in salon hoppers (clients who go from one business to another)

Become a jack of all trades!

This has happened to almost every business owner - you’re going through a slow period and look through your salon window, only to see the business across the street crazy busy. Now you’ve caught it - busy envy. For many salons, this is when they start to look for new ideas for their business. You’ve been doing hair for a few years, but now you’ve decided to try something new - and that’s great!

By being open to new ideas, you reach out to a wider range of clients. Hair treatments are great, but why not try permanent makeup? Or offer a variety of nail services? You not only attract more clients, but your business has something more to offer. But is it really all that great?

Sure, a salon which offers a smorgasbord of treatment options caters to a larger audience than single-specialisation businesses, but it also comes with minuses, like:

additional education for some staff members
working extra hard to make sure each treatment is up to par with client expectations
too many treatment ideas to handle
losing your identity - are you a salon, spa, or beauty clinic?
harming your image - a business that offers everything sounds too good to be true

Why not both?

So, you’ve looked at both paths and it seems as though none of them quite fits your salon. You want to continue doing what you do, but you’re looking to bring new energy to your salon at the same time. So why not take a bit of both ideas?

Your salon only offers hair services, so why not provide treatments that go hand in hand with one another? Consider looking into nail technology courses for yourself, or hire a certified nail tech. Unlike other beauty specialisations, nail treatments require a small work station, an LED or UV light, magnifying lamp and polish of course - nothing too fancy. If you have an extra room or station, you should take this into consideration! A client can be relaxing in a head full of foils - so why not get a manicure in the meantime? You can expect to bring in an extra profit as well as pamper your clients even more!

Tip: Nail technology courses may take from 3 to 9 months, depending on which school you sign up with. Only after successfully completing your course and gaining an accredited diploma certificate, can you work with clients.

Here’s another idea - you want to include something totally out of the box at your business. You provide out-of-this-world balayages, ombres and sombres and clients feel super relaxed when you wash their hair. So much so that they mentioned that you should do head massages! You’ve researched what’s needed to become a massage therapist and you’ve decided to become one! With your certification in hand, you’re ready to get cracking (pun intended)! You have a separate room prepared for massages, but you need an additional booking calendar for room availability.

Luckily, Booksy has this taken care of. There's a section dedicated to resources management that lets you keep appointments for your massage room under control, completely avoiding double bookings. As for your new treatment options, you should pay close attention to their popularity. Regularly check your Booksy's Reports section to make sure massage treatment sales are doing well!

Deciding which path to take for your salon is all up to you. However, with Booksy, you’ll know exactly if it was the right move! Stay connected with your business!