Selling A Nail Salon

Nail salons exist in many major commercial shopping plazas in the South Florida area. Some beauty salons offer both hair and nail services (and other services such as spa treatments), but nail salons specialize in nails. Often, nail salons will have an exclusive right to provide nail treatments within their commercial plaza. Since customers of nail salons consider maintaining and enhancing their nails a ‘must’, nail spas often still thrive in recessionary environments. Nail salons customers also frequently become attached to their local salon by virtue of their relationship with the local nail technicians, the salon’s convenience, and the salon’s pleasant and inviting atmosphere. When selling a nail salon, it is critical to use a local and experienced business broker in order to protect the confidentiality of the sale and avoid business disruption.

Valuing Nail Salons

The typical valuation range of a nail salon is about 2-3 x the adjusted owner benefit of the nail salon. Owners of nail salons may boost their valuation prior to selling by organizing their historical financial records (tax returns or profit and loss reports) in order to prove their income to potential buyers, streamlining operations by automated bookings, and reducing the level of involvement of the owner in the salon. Ensuring the stability and transferability of the customer base and staff members who service clients is of paramount importance in obtaining a maximum price when selling a nail salon. A business broker experienced selling nail salons and other beauty salons must confidentially market the salon to as many possible buyers in order to create a liquid market and attract as many potential buyers as possible.

Owner’s Involvement in Nail Salon

To value a nail salon properly, one must identify and understand the owner’s role. If the owner is active in the business as a nail technician, then those customer sales provided personally by the owner must be adjusted when calculating the owner benefit. Those customers that are serviced personally by the owner may not stay with the salon after the sale. The buyer of the salon would have to pay the seller (or someone else presumably) to service those customers. Thus, at a minimum, any sales generated by the owner’s own clients must be adjusted to reflect the cost that a buyer would incur in servicing those clients.

Role of Nail Technicians

Owners of nail salons typically pay their nail technicians 50% or more of generated sales that they earn. Nail technicians may be paid as either regular W2 payroll workers or as 1099 independent contractors. Of course, it is far more preferable for the owner to pay the nail technicians as 1099 independent contractors, thus saving significant payroll taxes, workman’s compensation costs, and other insurance costs. It is possible for nail technicians to have ‘non-compete’ contractual relationships with the salon, but most nail technicians prefer not to do so. Loyal and hardworking nail technicians with a strong customer following are without doubt a nail salon’s most valuable asset.

Factors Affecting Valuation of Nail Salons

Many factors are relevant when determining where on the valuation range a nail salon will fall.
The most important factor is the customer base of the salon, many of whom are loyal to the nail technicians.
The nail technicians must be willing to work for the new buyer – under the same employment terms – in order for the customer base to be properly retained by the buyer.
Sometimes customers also choose a particular nail salon because of its pleasant atmosphere, stylish decor, or convenient location.
This why a nail salon’s leasehold rights are also a critical factor when determining its proper valuation.
Leasehold rights refer to the right of a commercial tenant to occupy and use leased premises.
The length and quality of the lease (with rent that is preferably 10% or less of sales), the location of the salon (preferably in a highly visible commercial plaza), and the build-out of the space itself all create valuable leasehold rights.
Additionally, the equipment value of the nail salon (chairs, tables, reception area, mirrors, sound system, etc.) also affect a nail salon’s valuation.
Lastly, well established nail salons with a strong social media presence (and good reviews) will have a better brand and hence a higher intangible value.
An owner of a nail salon may improve its valuation is by ensuring that the nail technicians will agree to work for the buyer under similar employment terms.

Example of Selling South Florida Nail Salon

Suzie – a nail technician – has owned and operated Suzie’s Nail Salon for over 20 years and wishes to sell her salon.
Suzie employs 10 nail technicians on a W2 basis whereby Suzie pays the technicians 50% of their generated sales.
Suzie also services customers herself in the salon, and generates about $100K/year in sales from these customers.
Suzie’s business broker determines that without Suzie’s own customers, the salon generates $200K of adjusted owner benefit (based on $1M of total sales).
This is the profit left over after all the nail technicians are paid, the rent is paid (which is $100K/year), and all other supplies, utilities, payroll taxes, and insurance costs are paid.
If one were also to include the sales and profits from Suzie’s own customers, then the salon’s annual owner benefit (to Suzie) is $300K.
The business broker consults with Suzie, and Suzie agrees that in order to effectuate a smooth transition, she will work for the buyer.
Suzie agrees to be paid 50% of her own generated sales.
This will enable the buyer of the salon to keep the entire customer base after the sale, and retain about half of the profit from Suzie’s customers.
While the buyer’s owner benefit from the salon will be less than Suzie’s it will still be $250K.
Suzie’s Nail Salon has a fair-market long term lease with an excellent location, sales and profits have been growing the last few years, and the salon’s nail technicians all are willing to stay and work for the buyer after the sale.
Thus applying a premium multiple of 3 x the annual owner benefit, the business broker confidentially lists the nail salon at $750K (or 3 x the annual owner benefit of $250K that a buyer of the salon will derive).

Nail salons may make excellent investment opportunities for buyers who are nail technicians or for buyers with a passion and drive for the beauty salon industry. Those salons with a strong and growing customer base, valuable leasehold rights, and a a loyal and transferable staff of nail technicians will receive premium valuations.

Give Martin at Five Star Business Brokers of Palm Beach County a call today at 561-827-1181 for a FREE evaluation of your business.