businessoption

APJ 44

No less than 10 years ago a home-based beauty business was

considered as a hobby business. Typically, it involved a mother who

could not afford to go out for a full-time job because of family

commitments, but still needed to support the family with some

financial assistance. Her clients were predominantly friends and

neighbours and she would average 8-10 appointments a week –

hardly a serious business model. However, all this is changing.

Since the global economic downturn many businesses, including

beauty businesses, have struggled with commercial rental increases,

changing IR laws and the more conservative spending habits of

consumers at large. At the end of their leases many salons have

chosen to downsize and work from home. From our feedback with

product suppliers the home-based business is starting to shape up as a

popular business model, with several business owners investing in a

separate entrance of the business to their home, while also investing in

layout and designs that resemble a truly professional business

environment.

With such an undertaking the business will need to function with

appropriate treatment, financial, operational and marketing systems

so that it can survive and grow as a business. As most home-based

businesses cannot rely on foot traffic to attract new clients they need to

identify, formulate and implement an appropriate marketing and

advertising plan that looks professional, but is designed to suit their

specific circumstances. This can sometimes be overwhelming, but

now there is help at hand.

Skin Naturelle is a franchising business model that has been

formulated to specifically support and meet the needs of the home-

based beauty business. Skin Naturelle is the brainchild of qualified

beauty therapist and business entrepreneur Lisa Chelsom who, having

identified a gap in this market, invested meticulously in designing a

business franchise model specifically for this business sector. Here

we speak to Lisa about how this all came about and what the franchise

offers potential investors.

In my younger years I worked for four years with McDonald's.

This allowed me to experience the advantages of a franchise business

model at its very best. From the outset I was impressed, so I learnt

how the systems worked and the benefit and value of establishing

APJ 1: Lisa, tell us what led you to get involved with

franchising a home-based beauty business?

Lisa:

Franchising the

Lisa Chelsom of Skin Naturelle

Home-Based Business

business systems that ensured uniformity of standards and made treatment, financial and marketing policies, procedures and system as

maintaining those standards easy to follow and duplicate. I then well as training, so you can just walk in and start your business. On the

went on to train as a beauty therapist and when I graduated I worked other hand if you already have a business in place, but want to upgrade

for two years as an employee and later as a business owner with the everything and bring it up to a new level you may choose to purchase

support of business coaches. However, I never forgot what I had some elements of the franchise only. We can customise the systems to

learnt at McDonald's and realised that this industry could also whatever our clients need.

greatly benefit from franchising, as many of the salons I observed

lacked appropriate business systems to help streamline their

operations at every level.

Many home-based businesses often feel isolated and

overwhelmed as the dynamics of this business model is very different to

a business in, say, a shopping centre. The Skin Naturelle franchise

offers them numerous advantages:Before developing this business model I did quite a bit of Where all the mistakes have been research to identify specific industry needs so that I could put

identified and policies and procedures are set up to safeguard the together a franchise system that addressed the various individual business from such errors. We have worked with a franchise expert needs of home-based businesses. As a result Skin Naturelle was to ensure fool-proof, fine-tuned and easy to implement operational developed to suit a variety of individual needs. systems at all levels of the business

who wants to set up business and work for You are in business with someone

herself, but has a limited budget who can give you expert guidance and support at any time

who has amazing skills in delivering Our training is not just for the treatments, but has limited experience or skills in stepping out into business, we also train you in advanced technologies and protocols her own business to deliver high income-earning treatments

who no longer wants to pay rent To keep you up to date with new skills and wishes to transition to a home-based business, but has a vision developmentto grow the business with plans to expand to the next level That will start making

who is working long hours within a you money straight away.poorly run business with inadequate management and

organisational structure and feels over-extended, underappreciated

and finally wishes to step out on her own.

Our franchise system offers you options we can set up absolutely

everything for you – furniture, equipment, products, operations,

APJ 3: What advantages does your franchise model offer a

business?

Lisa:APJ 2: Who would your franchise model suit and are there

levels and options to choose from? Give us examples?

Lisa: Proven business model –

Here are some

examples:

a. The graduate – You are no longer on your own –

b. The excellent therapist – Training in advanced procedures –

c. The current business owner – On-going training –

Proven business and marketing strategies – d. The abused employee –

If you believe we can be of help to you regardless of what State

you are in please contact Lisa Chelsom, Skin Naturelle,

Ph: 07 3824 6406 Email: skinnaturelle@optusnet.com.au

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