Salon Business, Ethics, and Shop Management
Structures and compliance
A technician may be an employee (the employer withholds taxes, supplies product, and controls the schedule) or an independent contractor/booth renter (own license, supplies, taxes, and greater control). Misclassification is an enforcement issue: control and financial arrangement decide, not the label on a form. The shop must hold a current Illinois establishment license and display it, and each technician's license must be posted. Carry general and professional liability insurance, keep a written sanitation plan with logs, post required OSHA notices, and keep client records and SDSs accessible.
Money and management
Price services from cost: product cost per service plus time plus overhead plus profit. Track inventory (in date, stored away from light and heat), retail markup, and shrinkage. Appointment books, a clear cancellation policy, and consistent service timing protect revenue. Marketing must be truthful - no claims of curing nail disease, no before-and-after images without consent, no fake reviews. Employee management includes written job descriptions, sanitation training, and documented corrective action.
Ethics
Ethics items favor disclosure, fairness, and the client's interest: do not sell a service the nail cannot support, do not hide a price, do not accept a gift that creates obligation, and do not disparage competitors.
Traps and rule of thumb
Watch for booth renters described as employees (or the reverse), "insurance is optional," and marketing that promises to cure fungus. Rule of thumb: whenever money, a license, or liability is involved, there is paperwork - and if it was not documented, it did not happen.