The autonomy and freedom that comes with owning a business can be desirable to most people. It can be a dream to work in a space where you can make significant decisions such as choosing your work schedule, what products your business will carry, and how to decorate your workplace according to your style and what you think will attract customers.

For example, owning a salon is a profitable venture that can offer business owners the flexibility of their dreams. Listed below are five ways prospective salon owners can turn their dreams into a reality.

Take care of the necessary paperwork.

Your business can’t be official until you acquire the required salon and sales tax licensure and file a name trade registration. After meeting the legal requirements for opening your salon, you can decide what hair services you’ll perform, your salon hours, and what prices you will charge.

Open your salon in an ideal location.

Research the area, the competition, the market, and relevant demographic information about clientele before starting a salon business. The best option for prospective salon owners is to open up a shop close to where identified target clients live. An ideal location is one that’s convenient for you and your customers. Opening a business near the city’s major intersections, popular retail areas, shopping centers, and amenities can make a salon more easily accessible for clients.

Create a customer-friendly environment.

Designing and furnishing a shop can be an exciting aspect of salon ownership. It gives salon owners the opportunity to create a space reflective of their personality and the services they intend to provide. Choose a name for your salon and furnish it with the best hair salon equipment. Purchasing necessities like salon chairs, dryers and dryer chairs, shampoo bowls, shampoo chairs, mirrors, hair styling tools, and other salon equipment and from a reputable brand such as Keller International provides salons with next-level, durable furniture and tools that enable owners and stylists to be creative and serve clients.

Artwork, speakers and music, a television, and other finishing touches can create a welcoming atmosphere for customers, which is crucial, as excellent customer experiences drive repeat business.

Equip your salon with practical technology.

With business ownership comes many responsibilities, such as handling marketing and branding, hiring and training staff, managing the appointment book, and making decisions regarding cash flow. Consider utilizing a business technology app or software solutions that optimize the significant operations of your salon. The right technology solution can enable salon owners and their staff to efficiently accept bookings, manage clients, track client history, accept payments, and complete analysis and reports. Utilizing the right systems can help you and your team work smarter and not harder.

For instance, robust software, like those offered by Workboard, enables companies to manage their OKR’s—objectives and key results—can help salons in the early stages set and manage achievable goals and create workflows. Objectives are qualitative goals a business owner hopes to achieve with their company, and key results are quantitative metrics that indicate how well a company progresses toward its business goals. Establishing objectives helps business owners and organizations make plans for the business’ success, guiding every team member in the same direction. Key results, such as employee engagement or growth, tell organizations if the team is doing well or if it needs a shift in focus.

Pick the best of the best products.

As the boss, you’ll decide what products will be on the shelves. The products you use can affect the way you build your salon culture. Consider identifying and consulting a local sales rep who can help you choose products that enable you and the stylists you hire to do high-quality hair coloring, cutting, extension installation, and other forms of styling and hair care.