If the salon’s takings depend mostly on your own column, a buyer is really paying for a job they then have to do, and they will pay much less for it. The less the salon depends on you, the more it is worth.
Buyers ask one question above all others: what happens to the takings when the owner leaves? If the answer is that many clients will follow you or stop coming, the profit they are paying for is at risk, and the price falls to reflect it.
How to tell
- Look at your booking system and work out what share of service takings comes from your own appointments.
- Count how many regular clients have only ever seen you.
- Ask whether the salon could run for a month with you away, with bookings, ordering and staffing all handled.
What to change before you sell
- Introduce your regulars to other stylists or therapists, through shared appointments or holiday cover.
- Gradually reduce your own column and let the team take on new clients.
- Hand over day-to-day management, such as rotas, ordering and the till, to a senior team member.
- Make sure clients book the salon, not your personal number or social account.
A year of doing this is often worth more to your price than anything you could spend on the premises.