What is a salon manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted Expert

R. Scott Hengen

A salon manager oversees the daily operations of a hair or beauty salon. They manage staff, schedule appointments, answer complaints, and ensure that the salon is well-maintained. A salon manager also handles inventory, orders supplies, and manages finances such as billing and payroll. The role requires strong organization, attention to detail, and communication. A successful salon manager has a passion for the beauty industry and a commitment to customer service.

What general advice would you give to a Salon Manager?

R. Scott Hengen

Technical Theatre Faculty/Production Coordinator, Montgomery College

Your studies and time in school are a good base and support for your production in the industry. As you begin, please consider that you will still be learning and, even though you have learned the essentials, you will be asked to apply your skills and experience in new ways and in a more competitive and practical atmosphere. Deadlines must be met, and the economy of time and effort will be crucial. Work hard, but try to keep a balance between time in the industry and your home life.

ScoreSalon ManagerUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $43,893

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.6

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.47%

Asian 6.30%

Black or African American 6.11%

Hispanic or Latino 14.95%

Unknown 4.33%

White 67.85%

Gender

female 87.84%

male 12.16%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress Level

9.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.2

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

3.6

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Salon Manager?

Pros

Opportunity to build a loyal clientele
Chance to lead and train a team of stylists
Flexible scheduling and potential for work-life balance
Consistent demand for services in the beauty industry
Opportunity to build relationships with vendors and suppliers

Cons

High stress and pressure to meet financial targets
Difficulties with managing employee conflicts and performance issues
Potential for dealing with unhappy customers or difficult situations
High competition within the industry
Potential for legal or regulatory issues

Key steps to become a salon manager

Explore salon manager education requirements

Most common salon manager degrees

Bachelor's

34.2 %

Associate

27.1 %

High School Diploma

19.7 %

Start to develop specific salon manager skills

Skills	Percentages
PET	58.10%
Cosmetology	6.00%
Clips	5.73%
GRASS	4.49%
Retail Products	3.75%

Complete relevant salon manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New salon managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a salon manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real salon manager resumes.

Research salon manager duties and responsibilities

Manage salon operations including advertising, administration, managing stylists.
Manage biweekly payroll, and daily tip payouts.
Create utilities to automate generation of Java code for SNMP data GUI interface from MIBs.
Maintain a very strong clientele as a hair stylist, makeup artist and esthetician while managing the salon.

Prepare your salon manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your salon manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a salon manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Salon Manager Resume templates

Build a professional Salon Manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Salon Manager resume.

Apply for salon manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a salon manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do salon managers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Salon Manager reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019

Pros

People Busy Money Busy and variety in a job Solving problems

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019

Cons

Internal politics and human resources