#4 of 6 Important Questions: When?

If you haven’t read the opening article to this 6-part series, please see 6 Important Questions to ask yourself before opening a business. Part 4 in this series is: When?

• When will you open?
• When are your hours of operation?
• When will you take time off?
• When will you do backend paperwork and tasks, like taxes?

When will you open? What time of year will you choose for the initial opening? Will it coincide, for instance, with skin cancer awareness week or some other promotional time period? Will you open at the beginning of a calendar year, like January 2nd? Whenever you decide will be your opening, I have one (obvious) caveat: Don’t open until you are ready to open! (No matter what.)

When are your hours of operation? When will you be open day to day? What are your store hours? Tuesday - Saturday, off Sunday and Monday? Nine to five? Are there late-in-the-day hours available for those who work until 5pm or 6pm? This may adjust after you get started based on what your clients' needs are. Office workers need later appointments. Moms can come during the day when their kids are in school or in child care.

When will you take time off? Daily—during what hours? Lunchtime? Off hours so people can come see you during their lunch hour? Weekly—what days will you have off? Many salons are closed on Mondays, will you be open and take another day off during the week? Will you work on Sundays? Monthly and annually, will you take vacations? I am not saying you won’t be able to take vacations, but remember: when you aren’t there to give facials, you also aren’t there to make money. Vacations out of town cost money. You can do the math. Get those clients in to see you and start making money!

When will you do backend paperwork and tasks, like taxes? Schedule time to do these types of tasks. It’s all part of running a business and you’ll need time to get paperwork done. Don’t skip thinking about this step. 

The next article in this 6-part series is #5 of 6 Important Questions: How?