How to Start a Nail Salon Business

1 Decide what kind of nail salon you would like to open. For instance, will your salon be mobile? Will the nail services be priced and designed for everyone or for only upscale clientele? Will you purchase a salon from someone or build from scratch? How big of a facility will you need, and what other services might you provide aside from nail care?

2 Decide what to name the salon. Check with the Secretary of State to see if the name you want already is registered by someone else. Register your salon name with the Secretary of State if no one else already has selected it. Your registration name also is known as "Doing Business As (DBA). Once you've registered, obtain your Federal Tax ID, register with the State Revenue Agency, and obtain your business permit from the state.

3 Write up a business proposal for the nail salon. Include information such as why your nail salon is needed, what it will cost, how you intend to operate it and how many nail technicians you'll employ.

4 Contact potential donors and funding organizations and use your proposal to obtain monies to cover your startup costs. Take out a loan from a bank or the Small Business Administration if needed.

5 Contact your local authorities and your State Board of Barbers and Cosmetology to find out what other permits and licenses you will need to operate the nail salon. File for those licenses and permits and obtain authorization to run the salon from these organizations. You cannot run a salon without this authorization without risk of shutdown or fines, so adhering to all state board rules and regulations is absolutely imperative.

6 Buy business insurance.

7 Order and install nail salon inventory such as chairs, tables, polishes, brushes, acrylics and dryers.

8 Place advertisements and conduct interviews to fill the nail technician positions for the salon. Hire only applicants that have a nail technician/cosmetology certificate and license, as most states require all nail technicians to have these credentials.

9 Prepare for the inspection of your nail salon that the State Board of Barbers and Cosmetology will conduct. Generally this inspection occurs just prior to the opening of the salon.

10 Advertise the grand opening of the salon. Place ads online or in newspapers, stand on the street and give out free samples of nail products or put up fliers with coupons. Contact anyone you know in the cosmetology/personal care industry who can get the word out, including hair stylists, dermatologists and makeup artists.