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Salon Evaluation · $4,500

Buying a salon? Find out what you’re actually buying.

Independent commercial diligence on the salon you’re thinking about buying. Three sections evaluating location and market, operations and lease, and financial posture—built from sixteen years inside the nail and beauty industry. We work for you, behind the scenes. The seller never sees us.

Fee
$4,500 · 50% deposit
Turnaround
14 business days
Engagement
Per target salon
01 · What we evaluate

Three sections. One verdict.

i.

Location & Market Verdict

Whether the salon’s foot traffic, demographics, and competitive position justify what the seller is asking.

  • Foot traffic patterns
  • Demographics and income profile
  • Competitive saturation in the area
  • Signage and visibility
  • Parking
  • Neighbor mix
ii.

Operations & Lease Analysis

What you’re really inheriting beyond the books—the equipment, the team, the customers, the lease, and the relationships.

  • Equipment age and replacement risk
  • Technician roster and retention risk
  • Customer base concentration (top 10% as % of revenue)
  • Supplier relationships
  • Online reputation and review patterns
  • Lease terms and assumability
iii.

Financial Review (Commercial)

A commercial review of the books to find the real revenue, the real margin, and the defensible price range.

  • Revenue trajectory
  • Declared vs. observable cash mix
  • Owner add-backs and real EBITDA range
  • Working capital assessment
  • Debt and obligations
  • Defensible price range based on 2–3× SDE multiples
02 · Scope

What’s in. What’s not.

Included

  • Three-section written diligence report (typically 10–14 pages) on one target salon
  • Risk register and renegotiation talking points
  • Defensible price range based on industry SDE multiples
  • Ownership transition plan and process map
  • One 60-minute debrief call
  • Email questions for 14 days after delivery

Not included

  • Direct contact, communication, or negotiation with the seller, broker, or any third party (we work behind the scenes)
  • CPA-grade Quality of Earnings audit (a CPA handles that on $500K+ deals)
  • Legal opinions on the purchase agreement (your attorney handles)
  • Tax structuring or M&A counsel
  • Operational or marketing support after acquisition (separate engagement)
  • Multiple target salons in one engagement (one target per fee)
03 · How it works

Six steps. About three weeks end-to-end.

  1. Free 30-minute strategy call

    You walk us through the salon you’re considering, what you know, and what you don’t. We tell you whether the evaluation is the right move—or whether you should walk away before paying us anything.

  2. Engagement letter & payment

    One-page letter with scope, fee, and turnaround. Sign electronically, pay $2,250 deposit by ACH or wire. Work begins on receipt; the remaining $2,250 is invoiced on delivery of the diligence report.

    Cancellation: If you cancel before we’ve begun substantive work (typically within two business days of providing intake materials), the deposit is refunded less a $150 administrative fee covering intake and engagement setup. Once we’ve started substantive work, the deposit is non-refundable. Once the diligence report has been delivered, the balance is due regardless of subsequent events.

    Planning a refresh on the acquired space? We offer Design & Drafting as a standalone service—floor plans, MEP coordination, 3D rendering, and permit submission coordination. Pricing custom-quoted per project. Currently available for Louisiana and Texas nail salon projects. Ask during your strategy call.

  3. Document intake from you

    You collect what the seller has provided—P&Ls, lease, equipment lists, customer counts, listing details—and send it to us. We never contact the seller directly. Anything we need that you don’t have, you ask the seller for. We coach you on what to ask.

  4. Diligence & report

    We work through all three sections and produce the diligence report within 14 business days of receiving complete intake. Longer than LOI Strategy because financial review and operational verification take time.

  5. 60-minute debrief call

    We walk through the verdict together. Where we’d push the seller. Where we’d walk. What price we’d defend. What to ask your attorney before signing the purchase agreement.

  6. You decide whether to proceed

    You take the report and the talking points. You negotiate with the seller. Your attorney drafts the purchase agreement. We’re available for follow-up questions for 14 days—but the deal is yours to close.

The seller never sees us. That’s the point.

You walk into negotiations looking like you did your own homework. We work behind the scenes—reviewing the financials, evaluating the location, and verifying the operations—so you negotiate from a position of clarity, not the seller’s pitch. No emails, no calls, no introductions. we do not represent you to the seller in any formal capacity.

Salon Evaluation
$4,500

$2,250 deposit · $2,250 on delivery

14 Business-day turnaround
3 Section evaluation report
60 Minute debrief call
04 · Fit

When this is the right move. And when it isn’t.

This is for you if…

  • You’ve identified a specific salon and have access to its financials and lease. The seller is willing to share basic records.
  • The asking price is $200K–$1M+. Below that, the cost of diligence approaches the cost of the mistake.
  • You’re under 60 days from a decision. Diligence only matters before you sign the purchase agreement.
  • You want an independent perspective. Not the seller’s pitch. Not a broker who represents the seller.
  • This is your first salon acquisition—or your fifth. The risks don’t go away with experience.

This isn’t for you if…

  • You’re “thinking about buying someday.” Take the free strategy call instead.
  • You’ve already signed the purchase agreement. Diligence after closing isn’t diligence—it’s audit. Different work, different fee.
  • The deal is over $500K and the books are messy. You need a CPA-led Quality of Earnings audit, not a commercial review. We’ll tell you on the strategy call and refer you out.
  • You want us to negotiate directly with the seller. We don’t. That’s an attorney or business broker’s role.

Not the right engagement for where you are? Look at the others.

$1,000

Lease Analysis

If you’ve already evaluated the salon and just need a sober second opinion on the lease the seller’s landlord requires you to assume. Strategic business analysis only—no legal review or document drafting.

Learn more →
$3,000

LOI Strategy

If you’re opening a new salon instead of buying an existing one. We provide a strategic LOI term sheet with market-rate terms calibrated to your business. Use it to negotiate directly with the landlord or their broker.

Learn more →
$15,000

Full Engagement

If you want us involved beyond the acquisition—transitioning operations, refreshing marketing, retaining technicians. From close to ongoing.

Learn more →
Custom

Design & Drafting

Design and drafting, layout, MEP coordination, 3D rendering, and permit submission coordination. Add-on service for nail salons in LA & TX.

Learn more →

Start with a free strategy call.

Thirty minutes. No pitch. We’ll tell you whether the evaluation is the right move—or whether the salon you’re looking at is one we’d walk away from.

Book the call
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