Running a Business on a Shoestring

Running any business can be very stressful to say the least. Yes, we all want it to make money, yet we want it so that people come into your business.  What will make your business stand out more then the next.

First of all, location, location, location. Those are the first three ways.  Next you need to make sure, that it is in great demand, not something that is going to be just a phase.  Also see how many other businesses of the same are around you.

You want to give the people what they want. A great price and a great product. That is a start. Have a great staff and a great atmosphere for them to come to.  Ask yourself, why should people love to come here? 

Starting a business of my own 15 years ago, I started out with,”Just Haircuts.”  It started out as a two person shop and ended up to be a 5 person shop, with only 450sq. feet to work in. It was very tight, yet I call it cozy. The price was $5.00 for a haircut. Unheard of at that time and this time too.

We had lines out the door, people waiting for 2 hours, just to get a $5.00 haircut.  Other shops around me were $12.00 and up.  While we were getting the volume and working nonstop, the other shops were not busy and sitting for most of the day, but getting $12.00 a cut.  They just didn’t seem to get the concept.

Some moved on and tried to open their own shops, yet wanting to charge more. They just didn’t seem to get the volume that I had. They saw the people and the money and wanted to get greedy, so they had charged more.

Today I moved to a larger shop and incorporated perms and color, still the lowest price in town.  Yes, I did raise my prices for haircuts to $6.00 a cut.  I also figured that some don’t like to go into a place with the smell of chemicals, so I opened a barbershop, to please them all.

Give people what they want and they will will feed you. Be greedy and you will be hungry.