Wentzel misses this elevated pedicure set-up that she had at her former location.

CINDY WENTZEL, Nails at the Carriage House, Newmanstown, Pa.

What I Did:

I moved my salon into my home and didn’t move my unique pedicure setup — an elevated platform and a Hungarian baby bath — to my new salon because I didn’t want to put holes into the floor. I opted to use another type of pedicure chair, but it’s not ergonomically friendly. My back bothers me now.

What I Would Have Done Differently:

I would have the client sitting higher in relation to where I’m sitting, like the set-up in my former salon, to alleviate the stress on my back. I’m still trying to figure out how to improve my current pedicure set-up to make it more ergonomically friendly.

With Hackett-Belcher's busy schedule as an educator for Nail Tek, a partnership would be the ideal salon ownership arrangement, but she's still trying to find the right person.

KESHA HACKETT-BELCHER, Lavender Nail and Make-up Studio, Oakland, Calif.

What I Did:

I went into business with a business partner who wasn’t a good fit. As the one-year contract ended, I had to make a lot of stressful adjustments as I needed to transition to a different salon.

What I Would Have Done Differently:

I am still optimistic about partnerships, especially because I think it’s a good fit for my lifestyle. But next time I will use my network to find out more about the integrity and reputation of a potential partner, including ensuring the person has a state board cosmetology license (if performing services), a business license, and insurance. I will also set clearer boundaries about who would take the lead on projects such as recruiting, training/orientation, ordering supplies, salon cleaning, and laundry.

Christie (right) wishes she'd hired a professional to design her salon.

VALERIE CHRISTIE, Pampered & Polished Salon Spa, North Pole, Alaska

What I Did:

I ran into a lot of building and design issues by trying to design my salon without professional help. First, I opened my salon doors without enough lighting. Trying to do hair color in the dark is difficult! (When I remodeled, I installed an overkill of lighting to prevent that.) Flooring was another huge problem. I chose laminate wood flooring, which proved to be hard to maintain in such a high-traffic area. I also didn’t realize laminate flooring comes in two finishes; I chose the matte, without realizing I could have chosen glossy. I tried to fix the problem with wax, which just made it worse. I also ran into plumbing problems, which caused three inches of standing water to flood the salon floor. The floor’s seams warped and bowed up, and, since I had just opened, I couldn’t replace the floor right away. I also chose a paint that, while beautiful, couldn’t easily be cleaned. I scrubbed the paint right off the wall trying to clean off marks.

What I Would Have Done Differently:

 I would have hired a professional to design the space for me. Some other design tips I’d pass along are to make sure you allow space for storage, extra electric outlets, phone jacks, and a break room/kitchen area.