The wedding business is beautiful in every way: you always work in a festive atmosphere and the income is pleasing. How to open a business and succeed in it, we will talk in this issue.
First of all, you need to think over the strategy of your business: what will be its specialization, do you plan to create a network of salons in the future, what initial capital do you have.
Next, you need to solve the issue of rent. You should not spend money on a room on the ground floor of a central shopping complex: firstly, it’s expensive, and secondly, it’s unlikely that being located in the center you can attract more customers, all the same, the wedding dress is not jeans - they are followed purposefully, but they don’t buy just because the item is liked. It’s also not worth it to clog into the basement on the outskirts of the city - for most brides it is very important. so that not only the celebration itself, but also the preparation for it, and first of all the purchase of a wedding dress, takes place in a hidden atmosphere and beautiful surroundings. On average, rental prices range from $ 50-100 in the center to $ 20 per 1 sq. M in the periphery of Rostov.
As for the area of the room, for the first time you will have enough room of 40-50 sq.m, and 30-40 sq.m will have to be reserved for a trading room where dresses will be displayed, it is also worth thinking about a separate office or, if the area does not allow, at least about a separate corner where you will talk with your customers and conclude an agreement.
Next, you need to determine exactly what goods and services will be provided in the salon. Will you be exclusively engaged in the sale and rental of wedding dresses, or are you also interested in tailoring dresses to order? For the first time, 20-30 models are enough for you (do not immediately buy expensive outfits, start with an inexpensive classic for $ 200-300 per dress), usually the sale margin is 100-200%, for a dress sewn to order 200-300%, but sometimes it even reaches 450% (this depends on the location and the level of the salon), for a dress rented for the first time they usually charge 70% of its cost, in the second 50%, then for each next rental you can save 10% or set dress for sale at a discounted price. As you can see, the profitability of this business is quite decent at the initial stage, and a month the salon of wedding dresses will bring an income of $ 1-2 thousand.
It is worth paying attention to the peculiarities of the wedding business, the main of which, according to most owners of such salons, is its seasonality. The wedding peak occurs in the warmer months, and often in the winter period what is managed to earn in the summer leaves for rent. Therefore, it is best to time the opening of the salon at the beginning of the season, and in winter you can take orders for sewing ordinary clothes. Also, a good solution to the seasonality problem is the sale of evening dresses, which remain in demand all year round.
Despite the fact that in this business you are not facing a lot of competition, as, for example, among stores selling clothes stamped with one factory, you should still think about how your salon will differ from others. Such a promotion as a bouquet or jewelry as a gift for a dress, wedding cake, hairdresser, limousine rental at a discount is very good - there are many options here, and all of them will allow you to attract a client to your salon.
The number of staff will depend on the magnitude of your salon and the variety of services provided, sellers - consultants (salary 10-15 thousand rubles) are needed for sale, a dressmaker is for individual tailoring, fitting and restoration of dresses (here the salary can vary from 15 to 40, and even more than thousand rubles, and what to do: if you want the customer to be always satisfied, you can’t do without first-class specialists, who in turn require first-class fees), in addition, you will need equipment: sewing and you a sewing machine, an overlock, a steam generator, tools for artificial flowers, which will cost you $ 5-7 thousand. You can conclude an agreement on sewing dresses with an atelier, but still it is not so reliable and convenient: the atelier will not be able to work directly with your client, but it means he will not be able to understand and realize his every wish. Well, if you decide that your salon will take a turnkey wedding, i.e. If you are engaged in complex preparations for the celebration, you will have to hire a considerable number of workers: a florist, make-up artist, designer, host, etc. Although this option is suitable only for those entrepreneurs who have sufficient initial capital and are preparing to open a salon of a very high level. If the funds do not allow, it is better to start with a small number of services, otherwise you run the risk of wasting all your money, and in the end the business may burn out.
Naturally, the key to any prosperous business is good advertising, of course, there is nothing better than the recommendations of your former customers, but because while these cannot be, it is worth thinking about its other types. It will be great if, by the time you open the salon, you will have your own website on the Internet, where dresses will be clearly presented, and all services will be described in detail - most girls start looking for a wedding dress by browsing the collections on the Internet. Place colorful advertisements in wedding magazines, which are also very popular among future brides. But advertising in the subway, on stands and signs will not bring much result, because her interaction with potential customers will be small.
Do not forget about the beautiful interior design, as already mentioned, it is very important for future newlyweds to constantly be in a festive atmosphere, which means soft lighting, flowers, cozy sofas or armchairs, a cup of hot coffee, politely presented by a polite seller and beautifully laid out magazines on a small table in many times increase your chances of winning a customer. Also do not forget about the large mirror and a separate fitting room.
In general, it will take at least $ 15 thousand to open a salon, apart from small expenses, such a business can pay off in a year, if you make every effort to do this. So if you are full of confidence, professionalism and have sufficient capital - go for it and you will certainly achieve great success in this beautiful business.
Skachikhina Elena
Source: Southern Capital-Rostov
* The article is more than 8 years old. May contain outdated data