So you’ve always wanted to own and operate your own salon but have no experience with cutting or coloring hair and no cosmetology license?
No worries. Cherry Blow Dry Bar, a new chain of specialty hair salons based in Australia, is now growing in the U.S. And lack of skill or experience in the haircare industry is not a problem. In fact, it may even be an asset.
The company helps operate a chain of blow dry salons which has already opened locations in New York, NY, and in Tallahassee, FL. The business is the brainchild of Founder Nathan Cuneen - and is a considerable departure from most hair salons.
First, the franchise focuses on a very specific niche. Customers visit blow dry bars for a shampoo, rinse and blow dried styling, all in about 30 minutes for a flat $35. No coloring or cutting involved like at other salons.
Second, Cherry Blow Dry also offers added ambiance including an open concept where customers sit along a champagne bar and socialize with one another and all of the stylists.
Here’s a conceptual glimpse at the inside layout of one of franchises for a better sense of the atmosphere:
The franchise is now also expanding into Germany, the U.K, and parts of South America.
While all of the stylists have cosmetology certifications, as is required under U.S. law, Cuneen requires no such experience for franchise owners. In fact, his team will even work with those owners who cannot be present at the business regularly. He has systems in place to help with things like marketing and accounting.
Cuneen said in a phone interview with Small Business Trends:
“Of all our franchises in Australia and New Zealand, only one is owned by a hair stylist.â€
He believes business owners shouldn’t need to be present at their business 12 hours per day, running all of the day-to-day operations. He calls it the owner-investor model, and he said it’s one of the main reasons why his business has reached the success it has:
“If you work in the industry your business is in, you’re likely going to be there 12 to 15 hours a day and it could be stressful for you. So you’re less likely to have time to focus on the actual business. So they don’t work on things like marketing, promotion, and motivating their team.â€
Cuneen and his team are currently working on securing other franchises in the U.S. and have about 30 others in the works throughout the country. But he has lofty goals of 250 to 300 new stores worldwide within the next 5 years. Interested parties can apply at the company’s website.
Images: Cherry Blow Dry Bar
