How to Start a Nail Business in South Africa
A nail business can be very lucrative when done right, this is a guide on how to start a nail business in South Africa.
This market is not going anywhere in the near future, there will always be a demand for nail technicians. The barriers to entry for this business are low, which means you will face a lot of competition and have to work harder to stand out.
Get experience
You can’t afford to start this business with no experience, you will do a terrible job and your customers will never come back. Fortunately, this is something I have personally observed. Most inexperienced nail technicians do a terrible job; the nails fall off in just 2 days and they are not even beautiful.
This is one area where you can’t afford to learn from your customers, most of them won’t come back no matter how cheap it is. They prefer to go to someone who charges more but does a good job.
Make sure you first work in a beauty salon as a nail technician before starting your own business. Unfortunately, you can also gain experience by teaching yourself; you will have to practice with your friends and make sure they know it. Even your friends won’t want to pay for terrible work.
It is better not to charge them, you can spend some money on supplies, but treat it as paying for education. Most people don’t like bad nails and you just don’t want to put yourself in that position.
Obtain operating premises
It is not necessary to have a commercial operating location; You can totally work from home. Most people who are just starting out choose this option; working from home. This lowers your overall costs but puts you at a marketing disadvantage.
It is always better to have a nail salon, which is located in a busy area, it will make it easier to get clients. You’ll probably get enough clients to at least cover your rent, and clients will be willing to pay more for your services.
Foot traffic is very important, imagining that 100 people pass directly by your beauty salon every day, you should have at least 3 to 5 clients. Others will definitely notice your salon and make a mental note to visit one day or just drop by when they need their nails done.
Rent in the CBD can range from R7,000 to R13,000. It is better to have enough money to pay rent for at least 3 months.
Register your business
You have to register your business; especially if you plan to have operating premises. You can get away with operating an unregistered business if you are working from home. A registered business makes it easier to have a business account; making it easy to track your business finances.
It currently costs R125 to register your business through the CIPC.
Market your business
This is going to be the hardest part; most nail technicians struggle to get clients. Getting clients is so difficult that you might think about giving up. Having operating premises in a good location should give you enough customers to cover your rent at a minimum.
If you don’t have operating facilities, you will have to market your business using other means. Digital marketing works best for this business, open social media pages and postpaid ads as well. Have Instagram and Facebook pages where you post your beautiful work and post ads to reach your target market.
Conclusion
This was a guide on how to start a nail business in South Africa. Do you have any ideas or questions? Comment below.
