Im New and I am looking for help

**Brandie** · 10-21-2010 11:03 AM

My name is Brandie and i live in Lawnside NJ...im in the process of trying get my hair buisness up and running and I could use some serious help. I would appreciate any advice offered to me. Thank you

**rogercbryan** · 10-21-2010 01:00 PM

hair business???

**DustinHoffman10** · 10-22-2010 06:09 AM

Hello Brandie,
Welcome here!!!!

**lee236** · 10-24-2010 05:15 AM

Hi Brandie,
Can you tell us what problems you are having in your business?
Welcome to the forum. I'm new as well.

**Tunesmith** · 10-24-2010 09:20 AM

Brandie,
What is your busines about? I may be able to give you some direction.
Nan Cassidy

**generationy** · 10-24-2010 01:36 PM

Hey there! Nice to meet another passionate entrepreneur. Good for you! If you need help, tips, suggestions etc. you can try these links:
How to Guides – Young Entrepreneur – Small Business & Entrepreneur Community
Blog – Young Entrepreneur – Small Business & Entrepreneur Community

and post on the YE facebook page at: Young Entrepreneur | Facebook

Wish you the best!

**OffbeatGenius** · 10-24-2010 07:25 PM

Brandie, tell me more about your idea, i'd love to help!...

I am into Marketing & Brand Development

**grnthmb55** · 10-27-2010 09:03 PM

Hi Brandie,

Welcome to the forums. I'm a newbie here too, but I've owned my own business for 5 years now, and while I'm not in the hair business, a lot of the same business concepts will apply. Firstly, I'd suggest naming your business something catchy that begins with a letter near the beginning of the alphabet. "A" names are great because they will get your name near the top of just about any list, and as a result, you will be the first one a potential customer might call.

Once you decide on a name, I'd check out thelogocompany.com. Give them the name of your business, what you do, and for $149 they will design you a logo. Image is everything. If you look like you are something, you will become something. Put your logo on your sign, in your window, etc.

Make sure you pick a good location. High traffic and easy parking access will work in your favor. From what I've observed with hair businesses, proximity to other hair businesses doesn't really make a difference. The barber shop I've been going to for 15+ years is about 150' down the road from another barber shop that has been there forever.

Then you've got to ask yourself... if I were a customer, what would I want? That's basically the driving force behind how I run my business. I try to put myself in my customer's shoes and look at things from their perspective, and mold my business to how I would want things if I were my customer. And from a man's perspective, I can tell you what I like about my barber shop, and why I've been a repeat customer for 15+ years. Firstly, consistency. I can count on my hair coming out the same way every time I go in there. Secondly, speed. I sit in the chair, and 8 minutes later, my hair is cut to perfection. Third, the price is very reasonable. $13 for a men's haircut, and that price has stayed the same for years. Fourth, personalization. My barber probably doesn't know me by name, but she knows my face, and when I sit in the chair, she'll say to me "do you want your usual?" and I'll reply "yes". Then my hair is cut to exactly how I like it, no further questions asked. I'm in there about once every three months, but she knows just how I like it. That feeling that she knows me just makes me feel good, and makes me want to come back.

Basically, your image is what will attract people to you initially. Then, you have to provide a superior service that will make people want to come back. Cleanliness is always a factor with any business... keep your shop neat and tidy. Good luck. Any questions, feel free to email me.

-Dave

**chanson** · 10-28-2010 10:47 AM

Welcome Brandie!
Post your issues more specifically and you are bound ot get some solid feedback!

Dave.. that sounds like a pitch to me bud. lol.

**Cadman** · 11-03-2010 11:35 PM

Hi

Nice meeting you. I don't have much idea about your business.

**Jeffrey.Church** · 11-26-2010 02:00 PM

Hi Brandie,

It's good that you want to be an entrepreneur. Two things to think about:

1. You can starve as an entrepreneur
2. You can become extremely wealthy as an entrepreneur

Obviously most of us prefer the second option. But it takes more than just saying or thinking that you want to be an entrepreneur to become one; especially a successful one. In most every case you have had to put some effort into learning how to be a successful entreprenuer. In most cases successful entrepreneurs failed one or more times before becoming successful. Hopefully you already have experience in the hair business and have seen how to run that kind of business before.

Just doing what you like and trying to make money from it is no guarantee of success. In most cases it leads to option #1 above.

I suggest, if you haven't already, get a job at a hair business and work at that while learning to become an entrepreneur. As you learn the necessary skills you can slowly work yourself out of your job and into your entrepreneurial business full time. Realize this could take years if you try doing it all on your own.

How do you shorten the time to your success and lessen the number of failures? Get mentors. Read business books. Study finances and how money works. Get practice in businesses that already are succeeding. Take a job as a salesman and get trained how do be successful at that. Learn to manage your personal finances in a responsible, profitable manner. There are many ways to get the experience you need. Just wanting to be an entrepreneur is usually not enough.