Oh, before I forget, you may also want to read this post.

I live in Tampa also (in Wesley Chapel, actually, but I deal with a lot of owners in Tampa), and I can tell you, it’s an incredibly oversaturated market, so it won’t be easy. They are literally drowning in competition. Some areas (Armenia and Waters, for example) are so densely packed with salons there is one in every strip all the way down the street. (That’s not an exaggeration. Drive around and keep your eyes open and you’ll be blown away by just how freaking many there are.) If you were in a less fierce area, I’d recommend spending a year getting educated on legal compliance and compensation and then starting small with a 1,000 or 1,200 sqft unit, but in Tampa? I seriously can’t recommend that. Areas around Tampa are better, though. For example, the New Tampa area doesn’t have much in the way of competition. However, staffing remains a huge challenge here, despite the high number of licensees. So, I wouldn’t recommend anyone attempt ownership unless they’re established and technically competent, so they can a.) step in if they lose staff, and b.) train people themselves.

Hi Tina do you recommend that someone open a nail salon? I’m currently wanting to open one and is this a good profitable business I live in Tampa fla and if I decide to go forward I will be a owner I just don’t know how to break down the pay where the employees are happy and I still cover overhead & make a profit ?

The answer is to stop being competitive with your prices, and start being competitive in the quality of service you offer. We can’t afford to operate at a loss, and since our services are “luxuries,” only people who can afford to pay what they’re worth should be enjoying them. Bargain customers are customers who aren’t worth having, in my experience.

You are absolutely right, and a lot of professionals falsely believed that “more clients=more money,” but often, that isn’t the case–especially when pricing isn’t set to properly cover overhead expenses. One of the things Jaime and I teach in our “Salon Fail” workshop is that “busy” does not mean “successful.” “Smart” and “hard” aren’t mutually exclusive–they’re mutually necessary to be successful in this business.