By Priya Shetty

Further to our article, “Top Tips for Women Looking Out for A Franchise in India”, we will be bringing forth a series of real-life stories of women entrepreneurs who are solving problems. 

We asked some of our favourite Indian women entrepreneurs to share their own journey of entrepreneurship with us. We hope that these stories will inspire other Indian men and women to start their dream entrepreneurial journey in 2020. 

The industry in focus, this time, is the Beauty Salon Industry. 

According to analysts, the organised segment of the Salon industry is expected to grow at a much higher rate of 40% compared to the unorganised segment which is expected to grow at a rate less than 20%. This enriches numerous opportunities for entrepreneurs looking to start a salon franchise business in India. 

What’s driving the growth in the salon industry?

• Increasing purchasing power of the Indian middle class
• Availability of global product brands
• A growing awareness of grooming among men
• Rapid increase in urban population
• Favourable demographic age profile
• Increase in spending on lifestyle needs

What could stand in the way of this growth?

• A lack of skilled hair stylists
• Difficulty in scaling an unorganized system
• Lack of financing and bank funding
• High attrition rates of staff

How successful salons are differentiating?

• Strong Brand name that offers unique value propositions to its customers and parners
• Presence of a training academy to overcome shortage of skilled and trained talent
• Right Location and targeting the right people
• Service that aims to provide an experience to the customer rather than just a haircut

We asked Shweta Sada, Partner, VOLT-The Luxury Style Bar (a luxury salon brand) on how she started the luxury chain and how she is able to overcome the several obstacles that came her way in her entrepreneurial journey.

How did it all start?

“This happened while I was doing Market Strategy for another established Brand in Chennai. I absolutely loved the idea and technology that’s involved to groom your Skin & Hair. The minute I completed my assignment with them, I plunged into mine. I have not looked back ever since”

 

Why Beauty Salon Business?

“Beauty Business is the second biggest business in the world. And everyone these days uses Salons & Services as a part of their regular chores. So why not?” 

 

What is Unique about Volt?

“We planned it with one notion that we will not have a salon space but an experience for everyone who steps into the VOLT zone. For which we had to be best at what we do! We ensure every employee goes through an intricate training process and is capable of bringing out the best of VOLT standards. And this attracted a lot of celebrities, niche people from the society. And we treat every single one who walks into VOLT as a celebrity and also ensure they walk out feeling the same.”

 

How did you overcome the hurdles that came your way?

“It is our constant endeavour to bring in new technology and we do a lot of R&D before we choose a brand in our salon. So that comes with a lot of time and effort. And we consider it as a challenge more than a hurdle or obstacle. We clearly don’t endorse products or services that are available in every salon or just because it is commercially successful. We are very clear about using only what works!” 

“And maybe that’s the secret of our success story too. People love us because whatever we suggest works best for their hair & skin.”

Volt is frequented by some of the top names from the fashion and showbiz industry and is inviting entrepreneurs who are looking to start a salon franchise business to take up a VOLT Luxury Salon franchise. 

Wrapping Up

We believe that when a woman becomes financially independent, she helps uplift her family, her community and beyond. By bringing forth stories of these powerful women, who never gave up on their dreams, we hope every woman who reads this, will be inspired to start her own journey to financial freedom.