The Perfect Fit Out
As my Nanna always said, “Only ugly people say looks aren’t important”, which is a strange thing for a woman sprouting long course white hairs from her chin to say, but that’s not the point.
The point is no matter how much you wish you could be judged by the content of your heart rather than the content of your bra; we live in a superficial world where people make up their minds about things within a few seconds of looking at them. So who can blame you for wanting your salon to look hotter than Chris Hemsworth six pack (don’t pretend you haven’t noticed it!), when looks do matter so much?
The look and feel of your salon sends a lot of messages to clientele; as the old saying goes, “A picture paints a thousand words”. A salon filled with wooden artifacts, earthy tones, oil burners, bamboo and stone features sends a different message and attracts a different market to that of a black white and silver minimalist fit out.
Before you go burning through your bank account buying the exact same furnishings as seen in Palazzo Versace, or gold plating all the basins, check out this handy guide to getting it right!
Budget
It’s tempting for some to buy nothing but the best of the best to create their dream salon, but before you break the bank, you need to ask yourself, “Is it going to be worth it?”
If you’re in a small salon which simply cannot service hundreds of clientele a week, you shouldn’t pay out huge amounts on a fit out. You’ll never make your money back and you won’t cover the cost of the fit out on your salon sale price should you choose to sell one day.
To avoid losing money, you should make a salon price list (if you don’t have one already). Then assess how many team members you’ll have working and the potential forecasted income of the salon. Be realistic about how long you’re willing to work in arrears to recoup the money spent on fit out. Work out how much you’d get for the salon if you sold it the day after fit out was complete. A clear knowledge of these figures will give you an indication of how much you really can afford to spend on salon beautification.
Always aim to spend less than your budget.
Fit outs are notorious for blowing out beyond your budget. If you aim to spend only 75% of your total budget, in a scenario where something ends up costing more than originally quoted or anticipated, you’re not left penniless, or with a half finished job.
Don’t be a bargain basement Betty!
The flipside of blowing the budget is going too cheap. Quite often cheap items look nasty, don’t last, and in the end make your salon unattractive to high end clientele. Buy the best gear you can reasonably afford without blowing the budget. Seriously, you’ll thank me later! I shall now point out why through a parable…
My best buddy and I went shoe shopping. I spent $120 on a really comfy pair of black flatties which would go with just about every outfit I ever wear to work. She told me I was crazy for spending so much on shoes, “After all, you’ll just wear ‘em out and chuck ‘em out”, she said. She bought a pair of similar looking $20 cheapies from a big discount chain and laughed at me for ‘wasting money’.
Three weeks later she wanted to go shoe shopping again because the cheapies she bought had broken. In fact, when my shoes eventually did die three years later, we realised in the time my $120 shoes lasted, she had purchased nine pairs of cheapie shoes to replace the original black flatties. Her grand total? Just over $200.
The moral of the story: cheaper in the short term does not always equal cheaper in the long term.
Secrets of Attraction
Research your salon suburb’s target demographic, and match the fit out to their tastes. Sure, it’s important you like the look and feel of the place, but it’s a million times more important that your target market love it.
A young funky demographic will be attracted by a different look and feel than one which will appeal to the Polo set.
It’s also vital you don’t send mixed messages. Don’t bother trying to be everything to everyone – you’ll send yourself mad or broke or both! Ask any politician; it’s impossible to please all the people all the time.
If you’re going for earth friendly, natural, and fresh, then stick with it! 100% commitment to the theme will result in a far more impressive finished ‘picture’ than a mish mash of modern, earthy, colourful, young, conservative, avant garde, kitsch and antiques.
Having a clear theme will also make it easier to create branding and marketing campaigns later down the track and in the end will send a more understandable message to the market.
The Architecture of Desire
Always consult an architect before undertaking any major works. It will save you time and heartache down the track and ensure that your fit out is of a high quality.
A good architect who understands salons will also give you a design that is ergonomic and efficient to work in, making the work environment a real pleasure once it is completed and increasing the efficiency of your team.
Work closely with your architect to focus on things such as client flow through the salon, the efficiency of the workplaces such as basin areas and colour stations, storage for stock, technology and towels etc.
Also check that you have all of the relevant council approvals to undertake the work. This will ensure that the tradesmen you have hired have clear directions and no excuses to make anything up as they go along!
“You must be onsite practically all the time. I was the project manager and I was very hands on, I did jack-hammering and all sorts of things.
I was at the salon before the tradesmen got there in the morning and I left a long time after they left for the day.
I would leave the site one day a week to work elsewhere and that was the only time things went wrong. If you are there they can ask you questions but if you are not there then they try and do things themselves and get it wrong. That is when you have trouble. So have someone onsite all the time or you will end up with a nightmare.”
Susan Coleman of ICON head, Albion Qld.
Be a Control Freak
I’m giving you permission to be a control freak – just this once!
Dealing with trades people can be quite stressful, especially if you are not an expert in each particular trade. But there are a few tips you should know that will help make the fit out process easier.
Have a written contract with all of your trades people which clearly lists your expectations and the obligations of the company doing the fit out for you.
Never pay the full fit out amount until after the job has been completed to your satisfaction. You have a right to withhold a percentage until a certain period after the work has been done to ensure all work lasts and is effective. For example, you can make it part of the contract to withhold 10% of the total charge for 3 months to ensure workmanship. A tradesperson is more likely to accept a term like this on a big job.
Drop in regularly and ask questions to clarify and learn as much as you can about the process. Be present as much as possible or have a project manager who can be around to deal with questions.
If you are responsible for providing any materials for the tradespeople, ensure that you have the materials there well in advance of when you are expecting the work to begin, to avoid any delays.
Regularly check with the architect’s plans to ensure that construction is sticking to the plan.
Budget for and allow time frames at least 25% more than you would like! Carefully consider the order you book tradespeople to do their part of the job. Poorly timed jobs result in damage and repair bills. An example would be to paint the walls before laying any floor covering to avoid paint splash on your new floors.
Consider parking issues and site access. Tradespeople will take up car park spaces and depending on access may be blocking loading zones or streets. Depending on your location you may need to organise parking permits.
Try and get references for tradespeople before hiring them, and ask what other similar jobs they have done before.
Finally, remember not everything always goes to plan. Unexpected problems may come your way during fit out, so stay cool, calm and under control so you may solve the issue. Nothing was ever solved by freaking out during a fit out!
For more information on appraisals and finding the right salon. Contact a salon specialist broker today on 1300 366 521.
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