By John Kasapi | Founder, Salon for Sale
Six weeks.
That’s how long it took us to take one of Brisbane’s well-known, award-winning hair salons from listing to settlement.
And we achieved the full asking price.
Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
It was a fantastic result for the owner. But here’s the part of the story that I think is far more important.
The sale might have taken six weeks, but the preparation started months earlier.
And that preparation made a substantial difference to how the transaction unfolded.
I want to share this one because I regularly speak with salon owners who think the selling process begins when they decide to put their business on the market.
In my experience, that’s often leaving things far too late.
A salon with a reputation worth protecting
I’d known the owner of this particular salon for decades.
It was an established, high-end Brisbane salon with a strong reputation, an excellent team and multiple industry awards.
When the owner decided it was time to move on, I was fortunate enough to be trusted with the sale.
Now, a business like this is a little different from your average salon.
You’re not simply selling some chairs, equipment and a lease.
You’re selling a business that has spent years building its reputation, relationships and place in the industry.
And when somebody has put that much of their life into building something, getting the right outcome matters.
Not just financially.
You want the business to go to someone who understands what they’re buying and has the ability to carry it forward.
We didn’t start by looking for a buyer
The first thing we did was get the business ready.
That meant spending several months working through the financial information, understanding the operation and preparing the documents that a serious buyer would eventually want to examine.
You’d be surprised how much time can be lost during a sale because something seemingly simple hasn’t been organised.
A missing document. An unexplained expense. A question about an employee arrangement. Something in the lease nobody has looked at for years.
Individually, they might not seem like much.
But when a buyer is trying to make a significant financial decision, little uncertainties can quickly become big ones.
For this salon, we wanted to eliminate as much of that uncertainty as possible before we approached the market.
The financial performance was strong, which certainly helped.
But strong numbers are one thing. Being able to present and substantiate those numbers is another.
That’s what we focused on.
The buyer was already in my network
Now here’s where the benefit of an established buyer network really came into play.
I already knew somebody who I thought could be an excellent fit.
He was an experienced salon operator who had purchased several businesses through me previously and was growing a group of high-end salons.
He understood the industry.
He understood how salon businesses operate.
And importantly, he was looking for the sort of opportunity we had.
Rather than spending months trying to attract enquiries from people who may or may not have been capable of purchasing the business, I approached someone who already understood what he wanted.
He liked the opportunity.
He made an offer at the full asking price.
Now, I want to be careful here. I’m not suggesting every salon can achieve a full-price offer immediately, or that every broker will have the right buyer waiting.
That’s not how business sales work.
But I am saying that knowing who is actively buying, what they’re looking for and what they can realistically afford is an enormous advantage.
Especially when the business is properly prepared.
Even a great sale still has its complications
Getting an offer is exciting.
Getting a sale all the way through to settlement is what actually matters.
We still needed to work through due diligence and obtain the necessary landlord approval.
Because the financial information had already been prepared, due diligence progressed relatively smoothly.
The buyer was able to review the business and understand what he was purchasing.
There were fewer surprises and less back-and-forth trying to locate documents.
The lease took a little longer.
Landlord approval added roughly another week or two to the process, largely because of the size of the premises.
It wasn’t a disaster. These things happen.
But it was another reminder that an accepted offer doesn’t mean the sale is finished.
Until the relevant conditions are satisfied and settlement occurs, there’s still work to do.
We kept the process moving.
And approximately six weeks after listing, the sale settled.
What I think made the difference
Looking back, there were three things that worked particularly well.
1. The business was properly prepared
We weren’t asking the buyer to take everything on trust.
There was financial information to review, a clear picture of the operation and an organised process for due diligence.
That helped reduce uncertainty and made it easier for the buyer to proceed.
2. We knew who the likely buyer was
A good buyer isn’t simply someone who’s prepared to make an offer.
They need to understand the business, have the financial capacity to complete the purchase and be comfortable with the responsibilities they’re taking on.
This buyer had experience operating multiple high-end salons.
That made the opportunity a sensible fit for his existing business interests.
3. We stayed involved after the offer
The lease still needed attention.
The buyer still needed to complete due diligence.
There were still details to coordinate before settlement.
It’s easy to celebrate when someone says they’ll buy the business.
I prefer celebrating when the money has changed hands and both parties can move forward.
That’s when the job is done.
What should Brisbane salon owners take from this?
Not every sale will happen in six weeks.
Some salons take longer because of price, buyer demand, profitability, finance, lease conditions or the owner’s circumstances.
Some businesses need substantial work before they’re ready to attract a buyer.
And some are already in excellent shape.
The important thing is understanding where yours sits before deciding how to sell it.
If you’re considering selling your salon in Brisbane, I’d be looking at the financial records, your involvement in the business, the team, the lease and who the business is likely to appeal to.
I’d also think carefully about your timing.
If you’re exhausted and need to leave immediately, you’re negotiating under very different circumstances from someone who has the luxury of preparing for the next six or twelve months.
Preparation gives you more options.
It doesn’t guarantee a higher price, but it can give you a much stronger starting position.
And there’s useful independent advice on this too. Business Queensland recommends allowing as much preparation time as possible before advertising a business for sale, including reviewing profitability, management, assets and lease arrangements.
Your next chapter deserves a proper plan
One of the things I enjoy most about this work is seeing what happens when a sale comes together.
In this case, a long-standing owner achieved a full-price sale and could confidently move into the next chapter.
The buyer added an established, respected salon to his growing business.
A good result for both sides.
But the lesson I hope other owners take away isn’t that every salon should sell in six weeks.
It’s that the work you do before listing can make an enormous difference once the right buyer comes along.
Thinking about selling your Brisbane hair salon?
I’m John Kasapi, founder of Salon for Sale, and I’ve spent years helping owners across Brisbane and Australia navigate the sale of their businesses.
Whether you’re ready to sell now or just exploring your options, I’m happy to have a confidential conversation.
