Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1236015
find your dream career! ascpskincare.com/career-toolkits 77 Choosing to open your own spa is like taking a solo flight in an airplane. Yours are the only hands on the controls, and you're free to fly wherever your whims take you. But every flight requires a series of careful steps before the plane ever departs, and going through this checklist can mean the difference between soaring through the clouds or sitting on the runway with your engine sputtering. Follow these simple guidelines to get your new business off the ground in no time. ARE YOU READY FOR TAKEOFF? Before you sit in the captain's seat, ask yourself a few key questions. Do you have the knowledge and experience—both of the spa industry and of general business practices—to run your own spa? Do you have the time, financial resources, and patience to nurture a new business and wait for it to grow? Do you have a sizeable client list that will follow you to a fresh location and provide steady income while you attract new customers? If so, you may be ready to strap yourself in. FIND THE RIGHT SPACE You'll need a long list of assets to open your own spa, and the top consideration is the physical space itself. First, decide how much square footage you require, and then decide whether you want to take over an existing space that can be modified to your needs or build your own from scratch. Keep in mind that finished construction can run $90–$130 per square foot,1 so a light remodel of an existing space will cost far less. Also consider location. While a downtown spot will be more expensive, you'll also have more foot traffic and a larger potential client base, as opposed to a shop in the suburbs where costs are lower but customers might be fewer. DO AN EQUIPMENT CHECK Once you've decided on a space, you'll need to fill it. Buying new equipment allows you to choose exactly what you need, but leasing can save money and offer flexibility in the long run.2 Choosing to hire employees presents you with a new set of options. Training new employees yourself ensures that your staff are all on the same page and following your specific guidelines, but hiring experienced employees instead means less time and money spent on training and the added bonus of your new workers arriving with their own client lists. Remember that you'll need permits, licenses, and insurance for everything under your new roof. Keep in mind too that total start-up costs could exceed $100,000.3 Renting a space in a larger business means working as an independent operator. You set your own hours, prices, and services offered, and obtain your own supplies and possibly your own equipment.