How to Start a Successful Nail Business in the UK

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The nail industry was one of the fastest growing in the United Kingdom last year, so if you’re thinking about starting your own nail business you’re not alone.

In this comprehensive guide, we’re going to look at how to start a nail business in the UK, what you’ll need to get going and the essential considerations you need to make in order to be successful.

Why start a nail business?

As we’ve mentioned already, the nail salon industry is growing rapidly in the UK, generating £277.4million in 2023, so there’s a big market you can take advantage of.

Apart from the potential revenues available, there’s also a great sense of freedom that comes with being your own boss. From setting your own hours to getting to keep everything you make (the Tax Man notwithstanding), there are so many benefits of being self-employed.

Do you need any qualifications?

You don’t require any official qualifications to start a nail business. However, if you intend to carry out some of the services yourself we’d recommend completing a proper nail course first. The best qualification to start with would be a Level 2 or Level 3 certificate in nail technology or nail treatment.

You’ll be able to find nail courses in your local college, although there may be some entry requirements, such as a certain number of GCSEs or previous beauty qualifications.

Note that, although you don’t need a qualification to start a nail business in the UK, you will need to obtain a licence from the local authority.

How much does it cost to open a nail business in the UK?

The cost of opening a nail business in the UK will depend a lot on whether you’re going to be offering mobile services (i.e. you drive to your client’s homes), operating out of your own home or opening a salon.

The cost of leasing a property and paying for all of the overheads that come with it, such as council tax, as well as energy, water and gas bills, will be by far the biggest expense. Where you live in the UK will be a big factor in exactly how much you can expect to pay for your premises.

However, there are a few costs you’ll have to bear regardless of whether you want to open a salon or not. 

First of all, you’ll need to obtain a license from the local authority, which can range from between £250 to £450.  Note that this license has to be renewed every year.

You’ll also need insurance for your business to cover a client filing a claim against you for personal injury or damage to their property. You can purchase specific nail technician insurance through some providers, although any public liability and professional indemnity policy could be sufficient. Always make sure you check what’s included in an insurance policy before taking it out to make sure you’re fully covered.

You’re also going to need to invest in supplies and salon equipment if you’re opening a physical premises. Expect to pay around £5,000 initially.

Find out more about how much it costs to start a business here.

Setting up your nail business

Once you’ve decided to set up your own nail business there are some essential steps to consider first.

Which type of nail business should you set up?

You have three options for your nail business:

1. opening a traditional nail salon
2. starting a mobile nail service or
3. a home-based business.

Each business model presents unique challenges.

The biggest hurdle to opening a salon is the upfront cost, ongoing overheads and effort required to get the business off the ground.

A mobile nail service is more agile and lower cost than a salon, but you’ll need to be able to drive, own a vehicle large enough to transport all of your equipment and supplies, and have to adapt to every client’s specific home environment.

Delivering services from your own home is the cheapest option, but if you live somewhere that’s hard to get it’ll be harder to find new clients. You’ll also need to make sure your home is a suitable environment for doing the work. 

Developing a business plan

Developing a detailed business plan is probably the single most important step, but something so many new business owners often overlook.

Your business plan will help to show whether or not you have viable commercial potential, that you’re going to use your money correctly, and will support you with trying to raise money and apply for loans. 

The format of your business plan isn’t as important as the content. It should include clearly stated business goals, financial projections and costs of every element of the business. The business plan should also include how you’re going to market the business, the pricing model you’re going to adopt (which needs to be tied to your revenue goals and costs) and how you’re going to operate.

.Find out more about creating a plan for a startup business here.

How much should you charge for nail services?

The amount you choose to charge for various nail services and products depends on two things:

1. You need to be able to cover your overheads and supply costs
2. You need to be competitive for the local area

Striking a balance between these two is tricky, but essential. Charge too little and you won’t have a profitable business. Charge too much and your clients will go elsewhere.

Another factor will be your nail technician experience. If you’re just starting out you won’t be able to charge as much as someone with decades of experience and hundreds of online reviews.

See below for example price ranges of some of the most popular nail services:

• Basic manicure: £15-30
• French manicure: £19-30
• Gel manicure: £23-35
• Pedicure: £19-30
• Acrylic nails: £30-45
• Nail art: £5-12 per nail

What equipment do you need to start a nail business?

If you’re opening a nail salon there’s going to be a lot more equipment required than if you’re starting a mobile or home-based business.

Your main expenses will be furniture like manicure desks and lamps, pedicure chairs and pedicure technician stools, as well as general furniture like a reception desk, waiting area chairs or sofas, and laundry equipment to name just a few.

If you’re operating from your own home you’ll still need a lot of the manicure and pedicure furniture, but what about for mobile nail services? In addition to all of the nail supplies such as polish and gels, nail brushes and other tools, you’re going to need a sturdy and portable nail table and a nail lamp.

Can you start the business from home?

You can absolutely start a nail business from your own home and there are some important benefits to doing so, particularly if you have young children or other family members at home that you need to care for.

There are some unique challenges though, particularly if you have a smaller property, or if you’re a renter. It can also be harder to stay organised and on track when working from home.

Legal and financial considerations

When you start a nail business you need to make sure you’re doing so legally. 

You’ll need to decide whether to register as a sole trader or a limited company. If you’re entering into business with another person, you’ll have to register as a business partnership.

Registering Your Business

You can find out the differences between the various models of operation on the GOV.UK website, but we’ve summarised what you need for each below:

Sole trader

To register as a sole trader you’ll need:

• a National Insurance (NI) number
• to register for self-assessment with HMRC
• to trade under your own name or choose a business name

Limited company

To set up a limited company you’ll need to:

• have a name and address for the company
• register with Companies House
• have at least one director
• have at least one shareholder
• have articles of association (agreed rules about running the company)
• set up your company for paying Corporation Tax

Business partnerships

To start a business partnership you need to:

• register for self-assessment tax with HMRC
• name your business according to certain rules
• run the business as an individual
• share profits between all partners

Products and services

To be successful as a nail business there are some products and services your clients are going to expect you to offer. 

Nai services fall into two main categories: manicures (hands) and pedicures (feet). You don’t necessarily have to offer both to be successful, but if you want to specialise in one then you’ll need a broader range of treatments to be profitable.

Services for each vary slightly, but generally speaking you’ll probably want to offer nail art, gel manicures and pedicures, and acrylic overlays. 

You could also create specific mani or pedi packages, for example ‘Express’ or ‘Luxury’. You could also consider offering services to children.

Staffing and training

If you’re opening a nail salon then eventually you’ll probably need to hire staff. After all, you won’t be able to cover your overheads by only servicing clients yourself.

Hiring nail technicians

Hiring the right people for your business isn’t easy, and you’ll need to consider several factors such as experience level, your staff budget and the types of services you want to offer. More experienced staff will provide a better service and help to create a stronger reputation but will be more expensive to employ. Less experienced nail technicians (or someone fresh out of college) will be cheaper but might not be able to deliver the level of service you expect.

However, there are some qualities that should be deal-breakers. This is a customer-facing role, which means being polite and respectful of clients and their colleagues is a must.

Work hours and employee management

A nail salon isn’t a 9-to-5 business, and your clients will expect you to be open outside of normal working hours. This takes some planning, and you need to make sure employees aren’t being overworked and that shifts are being allocated fairly.

Effective employee management is also essential to ensure happy staff that stay with the business. Provide regular training and upskilling (particularly for less experienced team members), but also be prepared to increase wages as they improve—otherwise, you’ll lose your best people or they’ll become demotivated.

Marketing and promotion

Setting up your business and buying all of the equipment and supplies is expensive but, arguably, the easiest part of starting a business. The difficult part is actually building a customer base, especially if you don’t have an established reputation in the local area.

Utilising social media

This is a visual industry, and social media is a fantastic marketing channel for promoting your nail business.

Pictures and videos of your amazing nail artwork and other services, short video testimonials provided by your happy customers, and info about promotions or giveaways all make for great social media content.

Instagram is a no-brainer, but you need to think about where your customers are. You’re more likely to reach Gen Z clients on TikTok, while older generations might be on Facebook. Make sure you’re cross-posting for maximum reach - although executing effectively on one channel initially is often better than trying to do several channels poorly.

Local SEO

People who don’t know about your business yet probably won’t be following you on social media, which is why local search engine optimisation (SEO) is essential. Getting this right will ensure you appear when people in your area search for things like ‘nail salon’, ‘mobile nail business’ or ‘nail art’.

This is one of the more complex marketing channels to get right, but the things you have to do from day one are:

• Set up a Google My Business profile
• Make sure your website is clear about the areas you operate in (towns, cities and counties)
• Make sure your business name, address and phone number is consistent across every online platform they appear on
• Ensure you’re asking clients to give you reviews - the more reviews, and the higher ratings you receive, the better your local SEO presence will be

Offering promotions

Building a loyal customer base takes time, but offering promotions can help get customers in the door for the first time.

These special offers still have to make financial sense—you don’t want to start by making a loss—but consider promotions like discounts for first time customers, refer-a-friend programmes or social media competitions. The latter has the added benefit of increasing social media followers and engagement.

Conclusion

Starting a nail business in the UK isn’t easy, and it requires a huge amount of planning and investment—of your time and money—to build something profitable. However, getting to be your own boss and maximising your earnings potential more than makes up for the hard work if you get it right.

By following the advice we’ve outlined in this article, focusing on delivering a quality service and prioritising customer satisfaction, you’ll give yourself every chance of creating a successful nail business in this competitive industry.