Business Overview:

If you’re looking for an exciting business that lets you meet interesting people and provide a fun service, consider opening a tanning salon. Tanning salons typically have tanning beds that provide customers a summer tan all year long. If you’re unsure of how to start a tanning salon business, it’s a good idea to visit a few salons around town and see how they operate. You may need to travel out of town to get good information from salon owners as they will not be in direct competition with your new business. Make note of what types of equipment they have, how much they charge, what other services they offer, etc. Next it’s important that you draft a business plan to help answer all the questions you have about how to open a tanning salon. This document will help you determine whether or not you want to invest in a franchise or start out on your own. A franchise will likely come with equipment, branding and marketing but it will be more expensive and it will not provide as much freedom in operation as you’ll find if you start a business from the ground up. Research the different tanning options as tanning beds are not the only choice. These days many people are concerned with possible skin damage caused by the bulbs in these beds. Spray-on tans are gaining in popularity because they are quick, easy and much safer than tanning beds. But it’s important you offer as many options as you can afford so you can attract a variety of clientele. When looking for a location, be sure it’s large enough to have a few private rooms, a back office and a reception area up front. You can start with just one bed and as business picks up, you can add more. If you’re not ready to rent storefront space just yet, see if you can put a tanning bed or two in local fitness centers or weight loss centers. In addition to tanning beds and spray-tan equipment, you’ll also need to have towels, goggles, chairs and cleaning spray available in each room. Other accessories like sunscreen, sunglasses and t-shirts can be for sale up front. You’ll find with this business idea that the start-up investment can be high but after you purchase your equipment, your overhead will be relatively low and your profits will be high. You will need to perform regular maintenance on your machines including replacing bulbs, but those costs can be built into your tanning prices. When determining pricing, you should offer one-time prices as well as membership prices. For example, a customer can tan one time for $10 USD or they can tan 4 times a month for $20 USD. You can also offer unlimited tanning options. Pricing should be different for tanning beds and spray-on machines – higher for the spray-on tan because you’ll need to replace the spray periodically. Running a tanning salon business is a fun and easy way to own your own business and provide a service that many people will pay top dollar for.

A Day in the Life of a Tanning Salon Business Owner:

You will arrive before your salon opens and make sure each room is clean and tidy and, if you have a spray machine, it is stocked and ready to go. You will spend your day greeting customers and keeping your salon neat. If you have a staff to handle the administrative duties, you can focus on marketing your business.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be individuals looking for a clean and friendly place to get a tan.

What You Need to Start:

• Tanning salon business plan
• Storefront
• Insurance
• Tanning bed(s)
• Spray-on tanning machine(s)
• Towels
• Goggles
• Other items for sale (sunscreen, sunglasses, etc.)
• Staff (optional)
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• A tanning salon is a fun atmosphere.
• After your initial investment, the overhead is low.
• Franchises are available to help you get started.
• You can start out working with fitness centers.
• You don’t need any experience to start this business.

The Bad:

• The start-up investment is high.
• Competition is high; you will need to set your business apart to attract customers.

Resources:

• Association of Responsible Tanning Salons
• Indoor Tanning Association
• Tanning Salon and Indoor Tanning Bed News Organization
• Wikipedia on Tanning Beds

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Business Overview:

If you are tech savvy and looking for a way to put your skills to use by offering a much needed service, find out how to start a cell phone repair business. These days everyone has a cell phone from middle-schoolers to senior citizens. And with the advent of the smart phone, these devices do not just make and receive phone calls. They are literally tiny computers capable of doing everything a full-sized computer can do. This makes them very popular; it also makes them very expensive. And the more expensive an item is to buy, the more expensive it typically is to fix when something breaks. Having to deal with cell phone companies can be a nightmare. They are usually unable or unwilling to repair your phone, or if they can repair it, it will cost you and it will take weeks to get it back. This is why a cell phone repair business is one of the best business ideas out there today. More and more of these independent shops (not affiliated with a cell phone provider) are popping up but there is plenty of room in this market for a technically inclined entrepreneur to start a repair business. But before you get going, you need to decide the scale of your business. There are franchises available that will help you get started but the start-up investment will be upwards of $25,000 USD so it’s important that you have financing lined up if you decide to go this route. Franchises are a good option because of all the support they come with. Some offer in-store technical support personnel for a certain period of time when you open your store and then they offer live tech support on an ongoing basis. They can also offer repair certification and management recommendations, help you establish relationships with parts distributors, and offer marketing assistance. However, it’s possible to set up your store out of your own home office if you’re looking to start your business with just a few thousand dollars (USD). If you decide on this option, it’s important that your home is zoned for business and your home “storefront” is easy to get to through an outside door. You don’t want customers traipsing through your kitchen to get to your office in the back of the house. A third option is to add on repair services to your existing cell phone or computer repair business. You can add value to your home business by offering repairs “while you wait” or even delivery services. Your customers will not want to be without their phones for very long so keep in mind, the faster your repairs, the higher you can charge. Once your shop is set up, advertise your new business with flyers in coffee shops, on college campuses, in parks and anywhere that gets a lot of foot traffic.

A Day in the Life of a Cell Phone Repair Business Owner:

If you operate your business from your home office, you will need to have your shop neat and tidy and open your store at the appointed time. You will spend your day greeting customers and making repairs. If you operate a storefront business, you will likely have a small staff that handles some of the workload, be it administrative or repair work. As the business owner, you will spend your day ensuring excellent customer service and looking for ways to further market your business.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be individuals in need of fast, high-quality cell phone repairs.

What You Need to Start:

• Training in cell phone repair or a franchise business
• Storefront or home office
• Repair tools
• Cell phone parts
• Staff (optional)
• Website
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• Running this business from a home office requires a relatively low start-up investment.
• Franchises are available to help you get started if you’re looking for a full-scale storefront business.
• You can hire experienced cell phone repair technicians to work for you.
• If you offer fast, high-quality repairs, you can charge top dollar as long as it’s less than the phone company would charge for the same repair.
• You are likely to see referral business from satisfied customers.

The Bad:

• The start-up investment if purchasing a franchise is high.
• It can take some time to get your first few customers.

Resources:

• The Wireless Association
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Maintenance and Repair Workers
• Wikipedia on Smartphones

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