How to Start a Nail Salon

Start a nail salon by following these 10 steps:

1. Plan your Nail Salon
2. Form your Nail Salon into a Legal Entity
3. Register your Nail Salon for Taxes
4. Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
5. Set up Accounting for your Nail Salon
6. Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Nail Salon
7. Get Nail Salon Insurance
8. Define your Nail Salon Brand
9. Create your Nail Salon Website
10. Set up your Business Phone System

There is more to starting a business than just registering it with the state. We have put together this simple guide to starting your nail salon. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.

Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.

STEP 1: Plan your business

A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:

• What are the startup and ongoing costs?
• Who is your target market?
• How much can you charge customers?
• What will you name your business?

Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.

What are the costs involved in opening a nail salon?

Most nail salons are at least 1,000 square feet, and building out a salon typically costs between $75 and $125 per square foot. This comes to a total build-out cost of $75,000 to $125,000 for a 1,000-square-foot salon.

Business owners who are looking to reduce the startup costs for a nail salon may be able to purchase used equipment from a previous salon owner, or even lease space that has previously housed a salon. Finding a location where a salon closed will greatly reduce buildout costs.

Alternatively, business owners might be able to find a location where a property owner will build to suit. In build-to-suit agreements, property owners usually build a facility to the tenant’s specifications, and the tenants agree to a lease.

What are the ongoing expenses for a nail salon?

The ongoing expenses for a nail salon business include supply costs, employee’s wages (whether salaries or commissions), taxes, rent, maintenance on equipment and insurance. Supply costs are usually between 2 and 8 percent of sales.

Who is the target market?

A nail salon business’ ideal customer is someone who cares about their appearance, appreciates fashion and has some discretionary income. Such a person is likely able and willing to spend money to make their nails look good. Most salons’ customers are primarily women, but salons also serve men.

How does a nail salon make money?

A nail salon makes money by charging customers for manicures, pedicures and similar treatments. Some also sell premium nail care products.

How much can you charge customers?

Nail salon businesses offer a number of different nail services. Manicures typically range between $15 and $25, and pedicures are usually between $25 and $45. Other major treatments include:

• Full gel sets ($45 to $75)
• Full acrylic sets ($30 to $60)
• Silk nails ($10 to $15)

Fillers, polishes and repairs are needed between full sets. These kinds of services range from $3 (for some repairs) to $30 (for gel polishes).

How much profit can a nail salon make?

A single nail salon business might bring the owner between $40,000 and $75,000 each year. The business model is easily scalable, though. Some nail salon owners have lots of locations and are millionaires.

How can you make your business more profitable?

A nail salon business can increase its revenue by upselling customers with additional services and selling premium nail care products. Since salons already use high-end products, it’s easy to sell these to customers who want to take better care of their nails at home.

Check out our Nail Salon Business Guide!

What will you name your business?

Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Nail Salon Name Generator

If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.

When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:

• Your state's business records
• Federal and state trademark records
• Social media platforms
• Web domain availability.

It's very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.

STEP 2: Form a legal entity

The most common business structure types are the sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), and corporation.

Establishing a legal business entity such as an LLC or corporation protects you from being held personally liable if your nail salon is sued.

You can form an LLC yourself and pay only the minimal state LLC costs or hire one of the Best LLC Services for a small, additional fee.

STEP 3: Register for taxes

You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.

In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It's really easy and free!

Learn how to get an EIN in our What is an EIN guide or find your existing EIN using our EIN lookup guide.

Small Business Taxes

Depending on which business structure you choose, you might have different options for how your business will be taxed. For example, some LLCs could benefit from being taxed as an S corporation (S corp).

You can learn more about small business taxes in these guides:

• LLC Taxes
• Sole Proprietorship vs LLC
• LLC vs Corporation
• LLC vs S Corp
• How to Start an S Corp
• S Corp vs C Corp

There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.

STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card

Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.

When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.

Additionally, learning how to build business credit can help you get credit cards and other financing in your business's name (instead of yours), better interest rates, higher lines of credit, and more.

Open a business bank account

Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:

• Separates your personal assets from your company's assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
• Makes accounting and tax filing easier.

Open net 30 accounts

Net 30 accounts are used to establish and build business credit as well as increase business cash flow. With a net 30 account, businesses buy goods and repay the full balance within a 30-day term.

NetMany net 30 credit vendors report to the major business credit bureaus (Dun & Bradstreet, Experian Business, and Equifax Business Credit). This is how businesses build business credit so they can qualify for credit cards and other lines of credit.

Get a business credit card

Getting a business credit card helps you:

• Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business' expenses all in one place.
• Build your company's credit history, which can be useful to raise money later on.

STEP 5: Set up business accounting

Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.

Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.

STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses

Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.

State & Local Business Licensing Requirements

Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate a nail salon. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits.

In particular, most states require retail businesses to obtain a seller’s permit. A seller’s permit allows states to record and collect taxes from goods (and sometimes service) sales.

In addition, certain local licensing or regulatory requirements may apply. For more information about local licenses and permits:

• Check with your town, city or county clerk’s office
• Get assistance from one of the local associations listed in US Small Business Associations directory of local business resources

Nail salons are regularly inspected by local health departments. Standards that must be met during inspections vary accordingly. Here is an article about one salon owner’s inspection experience.

Music Licensing

In order to play music in a business setting, permission must be acquired from the composer or license holder. Typically, it is possible to obtain a “blanket” license allowing a businesses to play music owned by a large catalog of artists and recording studios. Such licenses can be obtained from Performance Rights Organizations, such as ASCAP or BMI.

• Learn more about music licensing requirements

Certificate of Occupancy

A nail salon is generally run out of a small retail location. Businesses operating out of a physical location typically require a Certificate of Occupancy (CO). A CO confirms that all building codes, zoning laws and government regulations have been met.

• If you plan to lease a retail location:
• It is generally the landlord’s responsibility to obtain a CO.
• Before leasing, confirm that your landlord has or can obtain a valid CO that is applicable to a nail salon.
• After a major renovation, a new CO often needs to be issued. If your place of business will be renovated before opening, it is recommended to include language in your lease agreement stating that lease payments will not commence until a valid CO is issued.

• If you plan to purchase or build a nail salon:
• You will be responsible for obtaining a valid CO from a local government authority.
• Review all building codes and zoning requirements for your business’ location to ensure your nail salon business will be in compliance and able to obtain a CO.

STEP 7: Get business insurance

Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.

There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.

Learn more about General Liability Insurance.

Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers' Compensation Coverage.

STEP 8: Define your brand

Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.

If you aren't feeling confident about designing your small business logo, then check out our Design Guides for Beginners, we'll give you helpful tips and advice for creating the best unique logo for your business.

If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.

How to promote & market a nail salon

Because nail salons primarily serve a local area, marketing efforts should focus on reaching residents and workers in the nearby community. Discounted services are one way to get customers in the door initially, but this strategy may only attract one-time customers who are looking for a bargain.

Another way to get customers in is by partnering with another local business, such as a DJ or new caterer, to host a little party. Customers may be willing to pay for a treatment during a special event that includes music and light refreshments.

One of the best ways to consistently grow a nail salon’s business is through word-of-mouth advertising. For this reason, it’s important to provide excellent service so that people will mention your salon to friends and family. Encouraging customers to leave online reviews can also help draw people to the salon.

How to keep customers coming back

Nail salons can develop loyal customers by consistently providing excellent service and following proper hygiene protocols. Offering loyalty cards that give customers a free treatment after a certain number of services is a way to keep customers coming back more frequently.

STEP 9: Create your business website

After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.

While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.

Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:

• All legitimate businesses have websites - full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
• Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
• Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.

Using our website building guides, the process will be simple and painless and shouldn’t take you any longer than 2-3 hours to complete.

Other popular website builders are: WordPress, WIX, Weebly, Squarespace, and Shopify.

STEP 10: Set up your business phone system

Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.

There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2023 to find the best phone service for your small business.

Start a Nail Salon in your State

Is this Business Right For You?

The ideal nail salon owner is someone who appreciates fashion and beauty. In addition, a nail salon owner must be personable and friendly, as providing customers with a comfortable, pleasant atmosphere assures that they will return in the future and increases the chance that they will recommend your salon to those in their social sphere. It is very helpful for business owners to either possess prior business knowledge/experience or the willingness to educate themselves about business practices. 

What happens during a typical day at a nail salon?

A nail salon business owner may spend a portion of their time providing services for customers, which involves:

• Scheduling appointments for customers
• Giving customers manicures, pedicures and other treatments
• Restocking supplies as they’re used
• Cleaning equipment between customers

Most salons, however, employ nail technicians who also perform these tasks. Having technicians gives business owners time to focus on other tasks, such as:

• Forecasting sales and scheduling technicians as appropriate
• Recruiting and training new technicians as needed
• Managing all technicians employed by the salon
• Marketing and growing the business
• Ordering supplies as they’re used
• Overseeing the operations of the nail salon

Even when performing tasks like these, owners still have chances to (and should) connect with customers. Many of these behind-the-scenes activities are still done within the salon, so owners regularly see their salon’s customers. Talking with customers both builds connections with them and helps owners know their salon better.

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful nail salon?

A nail salon business owner should be knowledgeable in nail care and treatments. There are many courses available for nail technicians that cover topics such as infections, infection control, pedicures, manicures and nail art. The New York Institute of Beauty offers one program, but there are schools throughout the country. The Professional Beauty Association also offers courses. How to Start a Nail Salon Business is a useful book for those who don’t want to take a class.

What is the growth potential for a nail salon?

A nail salon business can be as small as a single location, or it can be as large as a national chain. Successful salons sometimes open multiple locations within a single city or geographic region.