"How to open your own business"

[Triumph]

So, I'm going to ask you dingleberry's a question since most of you seem to have your stuff together and are pretty smart.

I want to open my own business.

Here is some background on me....

I am married, one little girl and I just finished nursing school(focker), and my wife and I recently moved in with my in-laws to help her out, my father in-law has medical issues. As of the first of the year we have no bills other than our car payment and the little bit of money we give my in-laws to help with the bills. Our main goal was to save all of the money my wife and I make for about 4-5 years. then my mother in law would sell her house and we would all get a nicer house together(me, the wife, the kids, and my mother in law).


So here is the thing, I have always thought it would be awesome to open a small business, nothing big just something to make some money, build up some equity, then in maybe 10 years or so, it might be something that made really good money.

I figured since the wife and I basically have no bills and good money coming in , tha this might be a good time to start trying to do something.

So, here is my idea.....

One of the things I hate, is going to get my haircut. I hate the whole process, it just seems to me that whole thing is geared toward chicks.

I thought a neat idea would be to open an upscale place for guys to get their
haircut in the Oklahoma City area. Now, I didn't use the word barbershop, because when I picture this place in my head I see big leather chairs, plasma T.V.s and a really well put together place.

I thought it would be good to have a mix of hawt chicks(duh) and some old guys who where friendly and you could get along with all dressed in professional dress, the men with ties and and the women very professional looking. We would offer men type haircuts, shaves, hot towel treatments, all using the high end men grooming products.

I also thought we could sell high end mens stuff, shaving creams, those really nice razors and other mens products.

It may be a stupid idea, and I have no idea even where to start, but any opinions, comments would be very much apprectiated.

[Okla-homey]

"Nappy Cuts!"...totally not-funny if you haven't seem Barbershop II.

[olevetonahill]

If ,as you say you dont have a "clue" as where to start .
then DONT

[OUinFLA]

http://www.mhrw.com/Resourses/flowbee3.gif

[Cam]

If ,as you say you dont have a "clue" as where to start .
then DONT
I second that.

[TopDaugIn2000]

isn't there already a place geared towards guys??? "Sports cuts" or something like that. TV's with games on and such.
Just sayin

[Sooner Born Sooner Bred]

isn't there already a place geared towards guys??? "Sports cuts" or something like that. TV's with games on and such.
Just sayinYes. It's called SportClips

http://www.sportclips.com/

[Okla-homey]

As a fellow "clueless about small business start-up person," I do know that if you need cash to open it, the bank is going to require some kind of business plan. If they don't think its decent, you probably won't get the loan. I'd say you're going to need to do a lot of homework first. You might start by taking a small business course at some college or university close to where you live.

The only other thing I'd add is all the small business owners I've ever known have been unanimous in saying they worked harder and longer than they did when they worked for the man. Make sure you're willing to commit seven days a week 15 or 16 hours a day for the first several years if necessary.

[SoonerBorn68]

Remember one thing. Inventory costs $. My wife and I wanted to start our own business, one that would have high profitability with a small investment. (I am the only one who works (:rolleyes:) & my wife takes care of our three kids.) We decided to open a kettle corn business because A) the start up costs were low/profitability high & B) we could do a little traveling during the summer months.

Anyway, it took me about a years worth of research and talking to other vendors about the biz to get it going. We were successful, but found out that too many factors could cause a bad outting, ie, weather, placement, etc.. We never thought it would be a full time gig, but we wanted to make the most of it. Anyone want to buy a slightly used kettle corn popper? :D

My advice to you is to be patient & do some research before you take the plunge. PM me if you'd like me to send a link to a booklet I created on how I got into the kettle corn biz.

[GottaHavePride]

*** Oh, and I second the idea, do a LOt of research before jumping into that. You having no experience makes #1 vital.

It's not a bad idea, it just might be harder to pull off than you think, and require a huge initial investment. If you're not really that concerned about the initial money for the place, then here are my thoughts:

1. You'll need at least one certified master barber(or hairdresser, whatever) on board with your concept to help hire and train the staff.

2. If you're going to do the old-school barbershop shave thing, use straight razors. Potentially deadly but an awesome shave, and hella impressive if done well. Not to mention the huge savings on your end. Low rate of equipment replacement with proper maintenance (razors and shaving brushes last for years) and even high-quality shaving soap could probably be had in bulk for really cheap. For reference, check out http://www.shavingcream.com/ and http://www.classicshaving.com/Home.html

Both are great sites.

3. You'll probably still want to have a couple of people that are well-versed in all the chick stuff (ok, chick and gay man stuff) like hair coloring and so on. Oh, and sell some of the girly products, too. You'll double your potential clientele if you include women.

[Okla-homey]

Remember one thing. Inventory costs $. My wife and I wanted to start our own business, one that would have high profitability with a small investment. (I am the only one who works (:rolleyes:) & my wife takes care of our three kids.) We decided to open a kettle corn business because A) the start up costs were low/profitability high & B) we could do a little traveling during the summer months.

Anyway, it took me about a years worth of research and talking to other vendors about the biz to get it going. We were successful, but found out that too many factors could cause a bad outting, ie, weather, placement, etc.. We never thought it would be a full time gig, but we wanted to make the most of it. Anyone want to buy a slightly used kettle corn popper? :D

My advice to you is to be patient & do some research before you take the plunge. PM me if you'd like me to send a link to a booklet I created on how I got into the kettle corn biz.

I've said it before, and I still believe, when they die, Kettle Korn operators can tell St Peter they've run a Kettle Korn stand outside during a hot Oklahoma summer and thereby avoid Hell no matter what they may have done in the sin department.:D

[SoonerBorn68]

I've said it before, and I still believe, when they die, Kettle Korn operators can tell St Peter they've run a Kettle Korn stand outside during a hot Oklahoma summer and thereby avoid Hell no matter what they may have done in the sin department.:D

Homey, don't you know it. Back in 2004 we set up at the Moore 4th of July festival. The thermometer was up over 130 in the tent at 7pm.

I literally lost 10lbs that night.

[Mjcpr]

Why do all of you hate Triumph's dream?

If there's not a business of this type in his town, it could work.

[Sooner Born Sooner Bred]

If you are serious about opening a salon/barber shop, I second the idea of having someone on board who does that for a living. I am friends with quite a few ladies who cut hair or do manicures for a living. They say it makes all the difference to work in a salon where the owner is also in the biz. It makes the workflow better if the person deciding where the shampoo bowls and mirrors are going to be will be doing the work themselves.

[GottaHavePride]

Oh, and be sure to alternate the guys and chicks working, so while you're having a congenial old man trim your hair, you can ogle the hot chick working beside him. ;)

[Okla-homey]

Oh, and be sure to alternate the guys and chicks working, so while you're having a congenial old man trim your hair, you can ogle the hot chick working beside him. ;)

and make sure the wimmen haircutters wear tight white tank tops and orange nylon running shorts.:D

[Jimminy Crimson]

isn't there already a place geared towards guys??? "Sports cuts" or something like that. TV's with games on and such.
Just sayin

Sport Clips is white trash.

I think Triumph is thinking of a nice place.

[GottaHavePride]

SportClips is gayer than just biting the bullet and going to a "stylist" to get your hair cut.

[Jimminy Crimson]

SportClips is gayer than just biting the bullet and going to a "stylist" to get your hair cut.

Yeah, cuz the chick a sportsclips is white trash, from what it looks like.

If you go to a stylist, she'll usually be hot and her hoo-ha's will be in your face when shes shampooing you. Unless, youre waiting for your stylist to come out and then this effiminate thing comes and and say "Hiiiiiiiii, I'm Sssebastian! ;)

[Triumph]

Sport Clips is white trash.

I think Triumph is thinking of a nice place.


Exactly!

Here is a link to an article that has some pics that were alot like the decore I was thinking....

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/254802_upscalebarbersxx.html?source=mypi

[soonerscuba]

As a guy who orders product online and gets his hair cut by an accountant out of his house for $50 bucks a pop, I would kill for a high-end, non-spa salon for men. Personally, I love the idea but the only downside to it is that there is simply not the demand in OKC/Norman area. The guy I go to is an accountant because he didn't make the kinda scratch he wanted by charging his price for services. Perhaps you could make the demand though.

[Mjcpr]

You pay $50 for each haircut, scuba?

You either have too much money or too much hair.

[GottaHavePride]

As a guy who orders product online

Where from?

[Mjcpr]

Anyone who calls it "product" either has too much money or too much hair.

[Harry Beanbag]

Beer. You have to add beer to the plan. The place I get my ears lowered hands out free beer and wine. Apparently if you give it away you don't need a liquor license.

[Okla-homey]

As a guy who orders product online and gets his hair cut by an accountant out of his house for $50 bucks a pop, I would kill for a high-end, non-spa salon for men. Personally, I love the idea but the only downside to it is that there is simply not the demand in OKC/Norman area. The guy I go to is an accountant because he didn't make the kinda scratch he wanted by charging his price for services. Perhaps you could make the demand though.

That's kinda what I was thinking. Seems to me to make this a go, you'd need a pretty well-heeled customer base and a lot of them. I would think only OKC and Tulsa here in OK would be large enough to support it. I'm thinking of this as a rule of thumb for virtually any hedonistic economic endeavor: if your town has a place you can buy a new Rolls-Royce and at least ten "Starbucks" there would prolly be enough customer base.

Finally, I bet a large ghey population will help, as ghey men seem to be willing to spend more on their hair and all the associated goops, gels and "product" for its maintenance.

[85Sooner]

So, I'm going to ask you dingleberry's a question since most of you seem to have your stuff together and are pretty smart.

I want to open my own business.

Here is some background on me....

I am married, one little girl and I just finished nursing school(focker), and my wife and I recently moved in with my in-laws to help her out, my father in-law has medical issues. As of the first of the year we have no bills other than our car payment and the little bit of money we give my in-laws to help with the bills. Our main goal was to save all of the money my wife and I make for about 4-5 years. then my mother in law would sell her house and we would all get a nicer house together(me, the wife, the kids, and my mother in law).


So here is the thing, I have always thought it would be awesome to open a small business, nothing big just something to make some money, build up some equity, then in maybe 10 years or so, it might be something that made really good money.

I figured since the wife and I basically have no bills and good money coming in , tha this might be a good time to start trying to do something.

So, here is my idea.....

One of the things I hate, is going to get my haircut. I hate the whole process, it just seems to me that whole thing is geared toward chicks.

I thought a neat idea would be to open an upscale place for guys to get their
haircut in the Oklahoma City area. Now, I didn't use the word barbershop, because when I picture this place in my head I see big leather chairs, plasma T.V.s and a really well put together place.

I thought it would be good to have a mix of hawt chicks(duh) and some old guys who where friendly and you could get along with all dressed in professional dress, the men with ties and and the women very professional looking. We would offer men type haircuts, shaves, hot towel treatments, all using the high end men grooming products.

I also thought we could sell high end mens stuff, shaving creams, those really nice razors and other mens products.

It may be a stupid idea, and I have no idea even where to start, but any opinions, comments would be very much apprectiated.


IF your trying to get into that business, I know this sounds strange, because I have been doing research in that very area. I have been advised that socializing is a major part of the business. Salons generally generate alot of their income by selling care products. Getting those products is not easy and requires alot of wining and dining and smoozing at social gatherings. Don't worry not trying to do what you are doing but rather doing somthing a bit different.

[jk the sooner fan]

i go to sportclips, and there are no "whitetrash" women in there.....i have short hair and refuse to pay over 20 bucks to somebody to give me what amounts to a 5 minute trim......i've tried all of the other sportclips competitors (super cuts, etc), and the best cut i've gotten is at the sportsclips just down the road from the house.....

[Okla-homey]

IF your trying to get into that business, I know this sounds strange, because I have been doing research in that very area. I have been advised that socializing is a major part of the business. Salons generally generate alot of their income by selling care products. Getting those products is not easy and requires alot of wining and dining and smoozing at social gatherings. Don't worry not trying to do what you are doing but rather doing somthing a bit different.

Makes sense, you can't buy a lot of that goop and high-dollar shampoo made from butterfly hearts and berries from 500 year-old shrubs from a South American rain forest -- or whatever, at the Wal-marts. Mrs Homey uses this stuff made by "aveda" and has buys it at some store in one of the malls around here. Me? I still use the stuff mama used to wash my head with when I was a baby made by Johnson&Johnson. 2.98 at Wally-world:D

[Okla-homey]

5 minute trim

:D

[jk the sooner fan]

yeah i knew somebody would pick up on that

i guess being used to paying very little for a haircut, paying over 20 is just offensive.....

[bigdsooner]

Beer. You have to add beer to the plan. The place I get my ears lowered hands out free beer and wine. Apparently if you give it away you don't need a liquor license.
:eek: , where is this place

[Frozen Sooner]

Some suggestions on services to offer:

Having hot chicks cut hair is a definitely good idea, though it's a little tough to not run afoul of the law if ALL you hire are hot chicks and refuse to hire non-hot chicks that can cut hair.

Booth rent is the way to go, though. Make all your peeps rent from you for a flat monthly rate. Then getting people in the door is THEIR problem, not yours.

Offer waxing/facial/etc services. Guys are using these services in ever-growing numbers these days-especially the guys who are willing/able to spend $30+ on haircuts.

Oh, yeah, pedi/manicures as well.

[jk the sooner fan]

i think some of you are delusional and forgetting how competitive and tough a business this is.....while there is a small percentage of men who will go all out on a haircut, the larger majority of them want a quick cut for a reasonable price

sure you'll have those lonely types looking for a free stare at some hot chicks boobs because they've forgotten you could just get that at hooters, or any strip club

you'd entice a few new customers as a novelty but successful hair care businesses rely on an established customer base......because the walk'ins you get this month, are walking in somewhere else next month

[JohnnyMack]

Something like this perhaps?

http://www.joq.com/

I just searched google for men's spas and this one caught my eye. I'd go there.

Any of you effing hillbillies who haven't given in and gone to a spa are missing out. I'd get a massage everyday if I could afford it.

Whether or not there are enough d00ds in OKC who'd pay the cake to keep this place afloat is of some concern to me however. In Dallas, this would work (if something like it doesn't already exist) in OKC though, I kinda doubt it.

[Oldnslo]

This is the kind of stuff that keeps attorneys in business.

[85Sooner]

What you might do is try to talk to alot of the barbers etc..in the downtown area that cater to the upper income crowd and see if they would want to go in on it thus bringing in a built in clientel. Just a thought.

[soonerscuba]

Where from?

www.bloomorganics.com (http://www.bloomorganics.com) is a good one, kinda limited but they make a good product.

And before I get labeled as a Bruce, some guys like to spend money on golf, others guns, and some on cars. I enjoy spending money on my hair, it is something of a hobby I guess. Plus, I like to smell good, and who doesn't like that?

Also to be a complete hippy, I use organic product, I like the natural texture of my hair and prefer not to put a bunch of chemicals on it.

[GottaHavePride]

Slight variation: if your location is in a high-traffic, high-money area, offer a morning shave for a fairly low price. A guy can walk in and have a barber shave him every day before work. If you start getting regular customers for that, offer to keep a special mug for him with his own preferred brand and/or scent of shave soap. might not hurt to have someone that does shoeshines while people are getting a cut or a shave.

I think that just the fact that there's a successful place doing this sort of thing in Seattle means that this sort of idea can succeed. I don't know if OKC has the right conditions for it, though - Dallas would be a no-brainer. You might try to contact the people running that place in Seattle and ask them what kind of ground work they had o do before they opened, marketing strategies, etc. they might not tell you anything, but they might also be interested in expanding to other areas of the country...

[GottaHavePride]

www.bloomorganics.com (http://www.bloomorganics.com) is a good one, kinda limited but they make a good product.

And before I get labeled as a Bruce, some guys like to spend money on golf, others guns, and some on cars. I enjoy spending money on my hair, it is something of a hobby I guess. Plus, I like to smell good, and who doesn't like that?

Also to be a complete hippy, I use organic product, I like the natural texture of my hair and prefer not to put a bunch of chemicals on it.

Heh. I don't use a ton of stuff on my hair, but I've noticed that if I pay a little more for shampoo & conditioner sort of things, I don't have to use as much and it winds up costing less in the long run. Same reason I've started shaving with an old-fashioned safety razor, brush, and soap. Better shave, and total cost for a month of shaving is under $15 as opposed to $20 for razor cartridges, probably another $10 for a decent can of gel, etc. etc.

[Harry Beanbag]

I'd get a massage everyday if I could afford it.


Well, the happy ending is a little more expensive. :)

[StoopTroup]

Whornspa

http://www.schoolscience.co.uk/content/4/biology/sgm/images/milking.jpg