Module 1 Know your customer and market 4 hAnalyse
Every sound business in beauty begins with one clear customer and one clear problem. In São Paulo and the wider state, demand is real but crowded, so a small, well-described customer group wins before a broad one.
- In beauty: Ask about skin, hair type, and time; keep client cards.
- Write the customer in one sentence: a client. Add the place, the moment of need and what they use today.
- List five rivals or substitutes within reach. For each, record price, strength, weakness and how people reach it.
- Interview at least eight real customers with open questions. Record exact words, not your summary.
- Count the market in units: how many treatments could one area buy in a month? Use two public sources and your own count, then take the lower figure.
- Choose one first segment and say why the others wait.
Worked example. Weak: 'Everyone needs a hair, skin or nail service.' Strong: 'Our first customer is a client within 8 km of the centre, who today pays R$ 165 per treatment and complains about delay. We target 132 treatments a month by month three.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: ten customers are interviewed for beauty. Seven say price, two say speed, one says trust. Question: which first message do you write, and which interview record backs it? Model answer: lead with the treatment price and speed promise, keep trust proof as the second line, and cite the seven price answers by date.
Activity. Write the one-sentence customer, a five-row rival table and eight interview records. Share them with a peer for a challenge round.
Standard to meet. Define a specific customer, build a rival table with prices, and trace every claim to an interview or a source.
Module 2 Rules, registration and data duties in Brazil 4 hUnderstand
Brazil asks every trader to be visible and accountable. Know which register, tax regime and sector rules apply before the first sale, and check each against the current official text.
- In beauty: Salons need health surveillance rules, licensed products and trained staff.
- Choose a legal form: micro-entrepreneur (MEI) only if your activity appears on the official MEI list, or a company registered with a CNPJ. Regulated activities need their sector authorisation first. Check the current limits and lists on the official portal.
- Learn the tax regime that fits your size and write down which taxes you will collect and pay, and when.
- Find the sector rules for beauty: licences, inspections, professional registers. List each with the office that issues it and the renewal date.
- Personal data of customers falls under Brazil's data protection law (LGPD). Collect only what you need, say why, keep it safe, and name who answers questions.
- Consumer law gives buyers clear rights on information, returns and complaints. Put your terms in plain Portuguese.
Worked example. Checklist for a new beauty trader: 1) legal form (CNPJ, or MEI only if your activity is on the official list); 2) city operating licence; 3) sector licence or register; 4) tax set-up; 5) privacy notice; 6) written terms. Each has an owner and a date.
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a neighbour says registration can wait until the first R$ 750 of sales. Question: what do you do? Model answer: do not delay; write the compliance table first, confirm the register, tax and sector licence with the official office, and start only where the table shows no open blocker.
Activity. Build your own six-line compliance table for your first location. Mark what is done, what is pending and who confirms it.
Standard to meet. Cite an official source for every line, assume nothing, and date every pending item. Local law always wins over this course.
Module 3 Design the offer 4 hCreate
An offer states what the customer gets, how well, by when and at what price. For a hair, skin or nail service, the offer must make the quality visible and the next step easy.
- In beauty: Menu of treatments, times, prices and aftercare advice.
- Describe the core offer in three lines: what is delivered (a hair, skin or nail service), the standard it meets, and the time it takes.
- Add one proof for each promise: a sample, a test result, a guarantee or a customer record.
- Price from cost upward and from customer value downward, then pick a price inside both.
- Write a simple one-page terms sheet: what is included, what is extra, how to cancel.
- Create two options at most, so choice stays easy.
Worked example. Offer: 'A hair, skin or nail service, delivered within agreed time, checked against a written standard, price R$ 150 per treatment. Proof: a dated record the customer can check and sign. Changes or cancellation by written agreement before work begins.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a customer asks for a discount from R$ 150 to R$ 135 per treatment. Question: decide with numbers. Model answer: contribution falls from R$ 105 to R$ 90 per treatment; offer an extra of value (for example faster service) before cutting price, and accept only if the lower contribution still clears break-even.
Longer notes. Interview ten regular clients and write their top three complaints, such as frizz, short time or sensitive skin. Turn your three strongest services into named packages and describe what each one includes in one line. Time every step with a clock, weigh the product used and add gloves, towels and disposable items. Place your own hour on the sheet, then compare it with prices of two salons nearby. Print a menu showing price, duration and aftercare. Offer one package to five clients for two weeks and note what they ask to change. Confirm with the local health office which hygiene registration your treatment room needs before the first paying client.
Extra worked example. A studio sells a treatment at R$ 150. Products, gloves and laundry cost R$ 45, so each treatment leaves R$ 105, which is 70 percent of the price. Fixed costs of R$ 7.000 a month for rent, the receptionist and energy are covered after 67 treatments, since R$ 7.000 divided by R$ 105 is 66,7. With 220 treatments in a month, sales are R$ 33.000, contribution is R$ 23.100 and profit is R$ 16.100. Weighing the facial cream jar each week tests the R$ 45 of products.
Activity. Write the offer card, the proof list and the terms sheet. Test them with three customers and note every point where they hesitated.
Standard to meet. Check that promise, proof and price are consistent, fit the terms on one page, and record three customer reactions.
Module 4 Run the work step by step 5 hApply
Good operations make results repeatable. For beauty, write each step so a new person could follow it on their first day, and measure each step.
- In beauty: Sanitise tools between clients, patch test where needed.
- Map the process from first contact to paid and closed. Typical stages: enquiry, quote, preparation, delivery of the treatment, check, payment, follow-up.
- Name the key resource at each stage: clean tools and a client record. Note what happens if it is missing.
- Write a one-page standard procedure per stage: who, what, tool, time, record.
- Choose three measures: speed, quality (errors per 100) and customer rating. Review them every week.
- Fix the cause of a defect, not the symptom. Ask 'why' five times and record the answer.
Worked example. Stage record: 'Prepare. Owner: lead. Time: 30 min. Tool: checklist. Record: signed sheet. Defect found on 1 of 55 treatments last week; cause: missing check on clean tools and a client record; fix: add check at start, review next Friday.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: of 220 treatments last month, 13 had a defect traced to clean tools and a client record. Question: what is the defect rate and what is your first action? Model answer: about 6 defects per 100; stop the cause (add a check at the start), correct affected customers, log the cause, and re-measure next week.
Activity. Draw the process map and write procedures for the two riskiest stages. Run each once and time it.
Standard to meet. Write procedures a stranger can follow, record weekly numbers for each measure, and trace one defect to a root cause.
Module 5 Safety, quality and risk 4 hEvaluate
The most serious risk in this field is a skin reaction or a spread of infection. A calm, written risk routine protects people first and the business second.
- In beauty: Allergic reactions and infection need records and protocol.
- List ten things that could go wrong. Score each for how likely (1 to 5) and how serious (1 to 5). Multiply and sort.
- For the top five, choose a control: remove the hazard, replace it, guard it, train people, or use protective gear, in that order of preference.
- Write who does what in an emergency, and rehearse it once a quarter.
- Keep an incident and near-miss log. Near-misses are free lessons.
- Check that insurance and legal duties match the risk you actually carry.
Worked example. Risk row: 'Hazard: a skin reaction or a spread of infection. Likelihood 3, severity 5, score 15. Control: written check before each treatment, trained staff, log sheet. Owner: site lead. Review monthly.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a near-miss occurs: a skin reaction or a spread of infection nearly happened but no one was hurt. Question: what do you do in the next 24 hours? Model answer: make safe, record the event, ask the five whys, add or tighten one control, brief the team, and set a review date; near-misses count as lessons, not blame.
Activity. Build a ten-row risk register and a one-page emergency plan. Run a ten-minute drill with a peer and note two improvements.
Standard to meet. Rank controls by preference for the top risks, run the drill, and start the log. Where a regulation applies, follow the official rule.
Module 6 People, skills and service 4 hApply
People deliver the promise. Define roles, train to a standard and give feedback in the open.
- In beauty: Train for consultation and safe products.
- Write a role card for each person: purpose, five tasks, the standard for each, and who to ask for help.
- Train by showing, doing with support, then doing alone with a check. Record sign-off per task.
- Set service rules for answering customers: reply times, tone, how to apologise and fix.
- Hold a ten-minute team check each day: yesterday's problem, today's plan, one risk.
- Build a growth path: what a new person can do in week 1, month 3 and month 12.
Worked example. Training record: 'Task: process a complaint. Shown 2 May; done with support 4 May; done alone 8 May, checked: apology, fix, follow-up call. Signed by lead.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: a new hire completes training but a customer complaint shows a skipped step. Question: whose gap is it? Model answer: first the system: check the role card, the training sign-off and the checklist; then coach the person and fix the document so the step cannot be skipped.
Longer notes. Write a three-part routine for every visit: welcome with a drink, consultation with two questions, and a closing that explains aftercare. Watch each candidate work on a real model before hiring, and score cut, color or polish, speed and cleanliness. Boil or sterilize tools, sign the cleaning checklist after each client and keep the sheets for inspection. Leave ten idle minutes between appointments so delays do not pile up. Send a reminder message the day before. Meet each professional monthly to review rebooking and complaints. Before hiring, ask the health office about sterilizer checks and a labor adviser about how helpers are paid.
Extra worked example. A studio books 220 treatments a month, but 30 clients miss without warning and the slot stays empty. At R$ 150 each, those misses cost R$ 4.500 of sales, less R$ 1.350 of products not used, so R$ 3.150 of contribution. After a reminder message one day before and a short waiting list, misses fall to 10 (illustrative counts, not market data). The studio recovers R$ 2.100 a month, or R$ 25.200 in a year. Waiting-list names fill most of the freed slots.
Activity. Write two role cards and a training plan for one new hire. Role-play a hard customer conversation twice and review.
Standard to meet. Write role cards with measurable standards, show the sign-off steps in training, and write the service rules in plain words.
Module 7 Money: cost, price and break-even 5 hAnalyse
A business lives or dies on a few numbers. Know your contribution per unit, your fixed costs and the volume you need.
- In beauty: Time per service decides price; avoid empty slots.
- Contribution per treatment = price minus variable cost. Fixed costs are paid whether you sell or not.
- Break-even units = fixed cost divided by contribution. Plan to pass it by a safe margin.
- Make a 12-month cash plan. Cash timing matters as much as profit: customers may pay late, suppliers may want money first.
- Keep money for business and money for the owner apart.
- Test the plan: what if sales fall by a quarter, or cost rises by a tenth?
Worked example. Worked example, all figures in reais: price R$ 150, variable cost R$ 45, contribution R$ 105 per treatment. Fixed cost R$ 7.000 a month. Break-even = R$ 7.000 / R$ 105 = 66,67, so 67 treatments a month. At 220 treatments a month, profit = R$ 105 x 220 - R$ 7.000 = R$ 16.100. These are teaching figures that belong to this example only; later examples and the case study use their own figures. Use your own.
Second worked scenario. Scenario: sales fall to 165 treatments a month. Question: what is the monthly result? Model answer: R$ 105 x 165 - R$ 7.000 = R$ 10.325; compare with break-even of 67 treatments and decide whether to cut fixed cost or raise volume first. Teaching figures only.
Activity. Build your own table: price, variable cost, contribution, fixed cost, break-even and a downside case at 75% of sales. Show it to a peer or mentor.
Standard to meet. Calculate correctly, give every figure a source or mark it as an assumption, and show a downside case.
Module 8 Grow, measure and renew 4 hEvaluate
Growth should follow proof. Measure, learn, then add; and keep returning to the customer.
- In beauty: Grow with rebooking and packages.
- Pick one growth lever at a time: new customers, a higher repeat rate, a better price, or a new offer.
- Set one measurable target for 90 days, such as 'raise repeat customers from 20% to 30%'.
- Ask each customer how they found you, and record it. Spend more where the record shows results.
- Review monthly: numbers, defects, complaints, cash. Write three decisions each time.
- Plan the renewal of licences, equipment and skills a year ahead.
Worked example. 90-day plan: 'Lever: repeat customers. Action: follow-up call after every treatment. Target: repeat rate from 20% to 30%. Check: weekly count. Review date: day 45 and day 90.'
Second worked scenario. Scenario: you can add 44 treatments a month by one of two levers: a follow-up call to past customers or a price rise of R$ 15 to R$ 165. Question: how do you choose? Model answer: test the cheaper reversible lever first (the call), measure for 30 days, and only then try the price change, so you can tell which one worked.
Longer notes. Open a client card with date, service, product used and the next suggested visit. Each week, list the clients who passed forty-five days without returning and send them a friendly message. Ask each happy client to bring one friend and thank both with a small sample. Rank services by profit per hour and give the top ones the best slots. Photograph results with written permission and post them on a fixed schedule. Review four numbers monthly: new clients, returning clients, average ticket and cancellations. Change one thing at a time. Get written permission before posting any client photo, and keep the client cards where only your team can read them.
Extra worked example. A studio does 220 treatments a month at R$ 150, with R$ 45 of variable cost and R$ 7.000 of fixed cost, so profit is R$ 16.100. Weekly reminders bring more clients back, and volume rises by an assumed 20 treatments (a worked-example figure, not market data), to 240. Sales become R$ 36.000 and profit R$ 18.200, a gain of R$ 2.100 a month. Over a year the gain is R$ 25.200. The forty-five-day return list, printed every Monday, shows whether those 20 extra visits are real.
Activity. Write a 90-day plan with one target, three actions and a review date. Present it in five minutes and take questions.
Standard to meet. Set a measurable, dated target, break the actions down small enough to start this week, and put the review date in the calendar.