smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

You may want to consider brushing up your own hairdressing skills, as techniques and styles may have changed considerably while you have been out of the workplace. The Hairdressing & Beauty Industry Authority (HABIA - 01302-380000) recommend that you take NVQ Level 4 in Hairdressing, which would allow you to revive your hairdressing skills while also giving you the management knowledge and expertise to set up your own salon. You might be able to get a Career Development Loan from your bank which would cover up to 80% of the course fees - and you wouldnâ™t need to start repaying it until you have completed a course.

An alternative to setting up a salon, which is a lower risk for you and would allow you to get your business going without setting up an infrastructure, would be to become a mobile hairdresser. The number is increasing strongly as more and more customers, who are very busy, like to have a hairdresser come to their home or place of work. This would allow you to get back into the workplace without needing to find a retail outlet. Once you have got some experience and built up a clientele, you could consider setting up a salon at that point. If you want to go straight ahead to a salon you must work out a proper business plan, as you will probably need a chunk of money to start yourself off.

You would perhaps need to check up with the Health and Safety people whether there are particular regulations which you need to follow, as you use both chemicals and scissors. You should also consider getting public liability insurance to protect your customers.