Today I want to take an opportunity to share some context about my new upcoming launch in London. The inspiration, concept, strategy, and blueprint for the next 3-6 months at best.

#1 What inspired you to start this project?

Like with most projects, having the raw inspiration is not enough. It's not enough to have motivation or passion. It's not enough to work on something that gives you no measuring line.

These kind of projects do require context. They do require for you to understand where the knowledge is actually applied.

This is not always the same as reading and researching what others do. You don't necessarily learn to do and build great things by emulating a step-by-step process.

But of course there are many other ways to get there which might look to others as illusive. That's the nature of launching a new project -- weather it's a studio, a training program, or a marketing campaign.

#2 What is the story behind doing this?

I still remember the moment when the idea first came to mind.

To most of my friends it might look like an intuition or stroke of genius but the reality was simple. I was sitting on my chair the other day reflecting on past conversations I had with friends, colleges, and parents. Many of those became lose ends that I could never follow up. But some became seeds that I could feed into with curiosity.

Then I remembered my friend who is a hairdresser talking to me about the next chapter of her life:

"See yea Michael I'm only going to tell you this because you have a business mindset. Before when someone asked me what I want to do in the future I didn't know what to say. I've never planned that far ahead in my life. But now I think I want to open a hair and beauty centre under my hairdressing business. The ones where you have the styling chairs, the nail stations, the dressing rooms and pop-up stores all in one place"

The key thing here is that something about the way I approach business and life influenced her into sharing this idea with me. She wasn't just writing wishes. She was sowing seeds that will help validate her idea.

The next day I came up with an operating model that will allow her (and other stylists) to take in client bookings at scale in a clean, professional space without getting buried by overhead and contractual entanglements.

#3 How does the project work?

Before we talk about how everything works, we need to know why the concept exists and who is it for. This includes the overall aesthetic, profile, tone and message for the brand:

• Studio aesthetic. White walls, clean lines, nothing superflous. Feel more like a personal appointment than a salon.

• Target persona. Established stylists with an existing client book. They're leaving a big salon to go independent.

• Voice and tone. Understated luxury. No trend-chasing. This is a space serious professionals use when they outgrow a high-street salon. Confident, Quiet, Premium.

The end goal for any operation is to make money. This starts with having a careful understanding of where the margins need to be before we start chasing growth.

In the case of operating a hair and beauty studio, services can run on a daily, weekly, and monthly chair or station rental model:

• 2 chairs available. Wash basin, CCTV, and private kitchenette all included.

• Weekly rate. £150-£250 per chair for part-time stylists.

• Monthly rate. £450-£600 per chair for committed professionals.

My 6-Month Roadmap

• Month 1. Anchor 3-4 stylists through personal networks and media. This includes targeted stylist communities and other industry contacts.

• Month 2. No launch. No press release. Just open. Clients are found through referral and quiet excellence -- the opening is private by design.

• Month 3-4*. Let the stylists do the marketing. Reach out to 3-4 nearby wellness businesses for referral relationships.

• Month 5-6. When capacity is full, raise rates by 15%-20%. Begin scoping in a separate space. Prepare a waiting list -- even if it has one person on it -- for when new space becomes available.