Mastering how to manage a nail salon business in Nigeria is essential for salon owners or managers.

A successful nail salon has several phases critical to its long-term success. The first step is starting the business. If you’re reading this post, it means you’ve done that, bringing us to the next step, which entails managing it efficiently to stay profitable. 

The highly competitive nature of the nail salon business, coupled with the current economic downturn, can make it challenging to thrive or stay in business. However, strategies and management tools can help you stand out and be profitable.  

In this article, I’ll show you how to run a nail salon business in Nigeria, providing practical tips, relevant trends, and an all-in-one management technology.

Here’s how to manage a nail salon business:

How to manage a nail salon business (8 practical tips)

1. Establish a management structure

Start by setting up the basic guidelines — including policies and procedures — for running your salon’s daily operations. The guideline will ensure your business keeps running smoothly even in your absence. It should cover punctuality, tidiness, ethics, core values, targets, and complaint resolution. 

Be clear about the salon’s objectives and what you expect from staff so you can build a sustainable business operation and healthy work environment that’s focused on fostering professionalism, efficiency, and excellent customer service.

2. Promote your business

Start marketing your nail salon to attract target customers as soon as you launch. Ideally, you should already have a handful of clients covering your overhead before officially setting up shop. 

Customers are the backbone of any business, including nail salon. But you have to find them first or give them a way to reach you to acquire them. Take advantage of online and offline channels to market your business. 

Do the following: 

• Install signboards. Put up a signboard in front of your salon and banners around your area to let your potential know you’re open. 
• Print flyers. Distribute eye-catching flyers to prospective customers and leave some at busy city centres like malls, supermarkets, pharmacies, etc. 
• Create an online presence. Set up accounts on relevant social media (e.g., Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn) and run ads. Create a website if you have the budget. Post regularly, showcasing your services, pricing, discounts, location, and contact information. Set up and optimise your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business). 
• Attend local events. Trade fairs and exhibitions can be a great way to showcase your nail salon business to potential customers and boost your brand presence.
• Partner with local businesses. Collaborate with other brands, such as spas and hotels, to offer their customers nail care services at discounted prices. 

3. Increase customer retention

First, you promote your business to attract customers. Then, you satisfy them to keep them. 

Generally, it costs more to acquire customers than to keep them. Even a little increase in customer retention can drive up our revenue significantly. The cost-effective thing to do is to focus your business resources more on retaining customers. 

You can turn first-timers into loyal customers using two effective techniques: excellent customer service and loyalty programs. 

I. Provide excellent customer service

As soon as a customer walks through your door or reaches out to you through any of your marketing channels, commit to making their experience seamless and enjoyable. 

Insist on professionalism from your staff, especially your nail technicians. Besides being polite and helpful to customers, they should also be good at what they do. In addition to becoming loyal to your brand, a satisfied customer is a potential word-of-mouth evangelist. 

Splice’s customer management feature can help you and your staff keep up with client information, simplifying exceptional service delivery.

[Splice customer management image]

Also, train your staff to handle complaints and conflict. Invest in your salon aesthetics and make your establishment conducive. Keep a clean and tidy environment. 

II. Create loyalty programs

According to the 2024 Beyond Beauty report, 67.4% of Nigerian beauty customers says they will choose a salon or spa because of its rewards program, regardless of the specifics of the offer.

Reward your customers for their patronage to encourage them to keep coming back. Offer them perks like discounts on products for every customer they refer, a free service after a set number of visits, or cashback after spending a certain amount.

Splice can help you create and manage your loyalty program, automating the whole process to reduce errors and make it more effective.

4. Stay on top of your finances

Is your salon profitable month after month? Are you accounting for every Naira? Do you have money tied down? 

These are some critical questions your business must answer daily. Your answers will determine whether you’re struggling or thriving. 

Keeping track may not be the most exciting aspect of running your nail studio, but it’s arguably the most important. To ensure you manage your finances efficiently and stay profitable, do the following:

• Focus on profitability. Your goal every month should be to make more money than you spend. Otherwise, you should be worried. 
• Cut costs. Constantly review your expenses and remove or reduce them where necessary. Only buy what you need and hire the number of staff you can comfortably compensate.
• Budget. Stick to a budget and make financial planning a habit. Estimate upcoming expenses at least a quarter ahead and ensure you have enough cash flow to cover them.
• Pay your taxes. Comply with tax obligations at all three levels of government: Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), State Inland Revenue Service (SIRS), and Local Government Revenue Committees (LGRCs). Registered businesses in Nigeria, including your nail salon, must file annual returns to continue operating. Defaulting can attract heavy fines and possible interruptions of your business. 

The Splice reporting feature will help you track your cash flow, offering you a clear picture of where your money is going to and coming from. See the image below:

5. Automate appointment booking

The demands of a nail salon business will have you and your employees attending to the peculiar needs of your customers, leaving no time for many administrative tasks like appointment booking. Thanks to technological advancements, you can now automate appointment booking and reminder sending. 

A salon tool like Splice allows customers to book appointments anytime from anywhere and sends them reminders to help them keep to their appointments without any input from your staff. See image below: 

Splice also handles other administrative tasks, including inventory tracking, customer and staff management, payment processing, salon reporting, and loyalty program management. 

A salon management tool will save precious time for your customers and your salon. 

6. Prioritise staff

Many nail salon businesses neglect their staff while focusing their attention and resources on satisfying customers. It’s counterproductive because customer satisfaction can’t happen without your team. 

Your employees are the lifeline of your business. They will take care of your business if you take care of them. Simple. 

The following are ways you can prioritise your employees: 

• Communicate effectively. Be clear at all times and leave no room for ambiguity. Strive to keep everyone on the same page. 
• Provide training. Most salons train staff at the beginning on salon culture and policies. But you shouldn’t stop there. Provide ongoing training on new technology, the latest trends, and modern techniques. 
• Recognise their achievements. Praising an employee is great, but rewarding them is even better. Perks like employee discounts, bonuses, paid time off, and raises can go a long way. 
• Take care of payroll. Pay well and promptly.

Splice staff management features offer your team an effective way to keep up with their schedules without missing a beat. 

7. Sell nail care products

Besides providing nail care services, you also have the opportunity to make money selling nail care supplies and tools. The combination of both services and products will help you diversify your revenue streams. 

Set up a retail shelf to display your items. By selling products such as nail polishes and lotions and tools like nail files and toe separators, you allow your customers to take home what they enjoy in the salon. 

Moreover, you get the chance to upsell and cross-sell your customers. Encouraging them to get nail polish following a manicure and pedicure session will improve customer satisfaction and boost salon revenue. 

Partner with manufacturers or wholesalers to get products at discounted prices. Ensure products are approved by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). 

8. Keep up relevant beauty trends

The beauty industry is known for its constantly evolving trends. What looks good now can become a meme the following year, and what was chic in 2004 can make a comeback in 2024. It’s the nature of the industry. 

To stay relevant to your customers, business owners or managers like you must keep up with the latest trends and innovations. 

Take the following actions to stay up-to-date:

• Stay active on social media. In addition to marketing your salon, use social media and follow other nail salons — in and outside Nigeria — to learn about new trends, tools, and techniques. Join relevant Facebook groups, WhatsApp Channels, and Instagram broadcast lists. 
• Get industry publications. Buy salon magazines to see what the industry is up to. 
• Subscribe to newsletters. Join the email list of notable nail salon newsletters.
• Attend local events. Go to nail shows, salon cons, expos, and beauty events near and across the country. They’re a great place to learn, network, find new talent, and acquire customers. 

Conclusion

Running a nail salon, like any beauty business, can be challenging. But it can become less tedious with the right strategies and software. Our guide on how to manage a nail salon business will help you keep your salon efficient and profitable. 

As you go on the journey of building your nail salon, let Splice streamline your daily operations.