Variations in the spa business make it an interesting possible venture for a person looking to go into business for themselves. A spa can be a day spa, a resort type spa, a hot tub distributor and a spa attached to a hotel. The spa can include hair care, massage, nail care and body care. Your interest and the money you have available will be factors in choosing which business you should pursue. The Internet is an excellent source for finding what kind of businesses are for sale and where they are located. A potential buyer can also check out this same question with solid business brokers. By doing this, the buyer can quickly get a feel for what is available and the capital needed to complete the sale.
The other way to get into the business is to start a brand new business. This will cost somewhere near what you would pay for a similar type of spa business, except for the value of their existing clientele. The advantage to the existing business purchase versus the brand new start-up is the existing customer base and the immediate cash flow. There are many types of spa businesses and the cost of the one you would like to own will depend on the type you choose. A resort type spa for example will probably cost far more than a day spa or a distributor of spas. The services that you offer will also show up in the cost of the spa. Service usually means the need for employees to provide the service. Employees have an on going monthly cost that does not go away whether you are busy or not. Other services may be equipment dependent and therefore you have the equipment cost and the maintenance expense.
Spa
A distributorship will have its own unique costs and expenses. A show room is almost mandatory to run the business correctly. You cannot sell spas without demonstrating them. This will entail a building set up to do just this and a different set of employees to pull off this type of business. Salesmen and people persons are going to be important factors in all of these businesses. Solid sales people are a necessity in selling spas to the public. This is a luxury item, not a necessity of life.
Which spa business is for you and how to find them
As stated above the Internet is a great way to start looking for businesses that are up for sale. This will give you a good idea of the difficulty in finding one that is in the area of the spa business that catches your fancy. These listings will also let you know if there are businesses in your local. Talk with spa owners and business brokers to get an idea of the opportunities that are available in the spa business. Visit day spas and resort spas to see how they are run and the services they offer to their clients. Ask them if they know of any businesses for sale. You never know where you will get a solid lead. The business broker will have answers for some of your questions and will know where to find the answers he does not know off of the top of his head. An experienced broker may have already helped with the sale of the type of spa business that you are favoring. This part of the discovery process is like being a good detective. Let the facts and the leads get you where you can see the answers to your growing question list. Spending the needed time on this part of business buying will help in many ways. You will become better versed on what is available and the prices that different businesses command. You will also soon discover whether you can buy an existing business or have to start one from the ground up. This will help to determine the money needed and how you can come up with the purchase price or start-up price.
I have the money or I can get it
You have to be able to say the above in order to buy an existing business or start one up. The cost in this niche business will depend on the selected area of the spa business. Once you have selected the spa business you wish to own, then you must find one for sale or start one up. Both of these will have prices that you can afford or can get financing for. Raising the total price may take some creative financing on your part. The current owner may be willing to accept terms to enable the purchase. Other areas that may loan you the money you need are the bank, relatives, loan from a business lender and a loan on assets you own.
One way or another you will need to come up with the total price. If the current owner is involved, be prepared to pay a premium for the business. Most owners have a cash price and a higher terms price. The problem with this is can you afford the business and still have enough capital to run the business. If the answer is yes, then all is okay. If this is not the case, maybe the potential buyer may need to pass for the time being. Knowing when to pass by an opportunity may be just as important as making the decision to buy.
Maybe in this business, you can select a less costly avenue to get into the spa business. You have several ways to go and if one road is closed then there may be another way to go. The point of this is do not strap yourself financially to buy a business and make success more difficult or impossible to obtain. A buyer must make realistic judgments. Viewing these decisions through rose-colored glasses can be a serious error.
Conclusions
The multi-faceted spa world offers several types of businesses to consider owning and running. Some take a large capital commitment and some are far more reasonable in their money requirement. The choice is yours based on your interest and the money you can bring to the table.
An area not previously mentioned is the franchise spa company. This area should be looked at as a possibility. There are some advantages to being connected to a spa company with a nationwide reputation and advertising campaign.
Financing in this business category is not much different than what is needed in other business purchases or start-up cost. Some versions are capital intensive and some do not take anywhere the same money commitment. Finding the right business for you in the correct segment of the industry will take study and comparing the chances of a successful ownership.
The suggestion is to talk with business brokers to see what they have for sale and the money needed to make the purchase. They are a great source of good information and current trends or developments. The experience they have and the sources they can call upon will be of help in getting answers to your questions. Knowing answers will help you make far better decisions and thoughtful changes in your plans.
How to Start a Spa Business
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Henthorn is president of Spiral Marketers, a marketing firm which includes a number of partnerships that range from cutting-edge software development, business and personal improvement coaching, online e-commerce businesses, and more.
He was formerly was president and principal broker of a resort / commercial real estate brokerage in Honolulu which specialized in representing sellers in transactions up to MM.
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