What is the article about?

One of the promising areas that can bring stable income, is a business selling cosmetics and perfumes. Despite the unstable economic situation, in Russia the number retail outlets Sales of these products are only increasing.

Why should aspiring businessmen pay attention to this niche? The answer is the possibility of starting your own business with minimal investment, as well as a fairly quick return on the initial investment. Every person needs cosmetic products every day, so such products are in high consumer demand, which ensures quick turnover of funds and constant profits.

The cosmetics market in Russia today

Aspiring entrepreneurs who want to open a cosmetics store from scratch must have a clear understanding of what this business niche is. Domestic cosmetics market in last years began to acquire colossal proportions: if only 7-10 years ago the bulk of trading and manufacturing enterprises While this area accounted for the capital and megacities, today there is a significant increase in their number in large and medium-sized settlements.

The target audience purchases not only organic food products, but also cosmetics made from natural ingredients, and in large volumes, so the choice of a niche for business is obvious. It is also worth noting that great amount merchants sell their goods via the Internet. This fact means that businessmen may not invest money at all in opening real stores and not spend money on their maintenance, while receiving a very significant profit.

Research on the cosmetics and perfumery market suggests that over a third of all products sold are low-quality counterfeits or contraband. Unfortunately, almost all of these goods are sold through online stores, the owners of which knowingly violate consumer rights.

In Russia there are no specialized units that could combat the illegal trafficking of cosmetic (and other) products of dubious origin. Even if law enforcement gets on the trail of the store owner, they are unlikely to be able to prove his guilt; moreover, most Internet businessmen register websites in other countries.

To avoid problems with the law and maintain the company’s impeccable reputation, all cosmetics must be certified. This will also allow you to sell it online using Google and Yandex search engines. Permitting documentation must confirm not only the high quality of the product, but also indicate that it will not cause harm to the health of consumers.

How to open a cosmetics store from scratch?

Let's look at the stages in order.

Business registration

The first step after drawing up a business plan for a cosmetics store will be to register your activities. The best way to do this is to choose the individual entrepreneur form and go through a simple registration procedure at the Federal Tax Service department.

Important: An entrepreneur needs to decide on the choice of taxation system. For a store selling cosmetics, the optimal solution would be UTII, but this format is only suitable for those retail outlets whose area does not exceed 150 m2. If you need to check your tax debt in the future, you can visit the official website of the Federal Tax Service and obtain the necessary information.

When registering your company, you need to select an OKVED code. The following are suitable for this:

• 52.33 – “ Retail cosmetic and perfumery products";
• 52.33.1 – “Retail trade in cosmetics and perfumery products, except soap”;
• 52.33.2 – “Retail trade in toilet and laundry soap.”

After registration, you will need to obtain a number of permits to open and operate your store. To do this, the entrepreneur needs to contact Rospotrebnadzor, the fire inspectorate and the SES. In addition, you need to open a bank account. The cost of registering an individual entrepreneur is 800 rubles. Taking into account the payment of state duty, the costs will be about 2.5 thousand rubles. If you plan to create a large store, it is recommended to register the enterprise as an LLC. In this case, you need to spend 4 thousand rubles on registration and 10 thousand on the authorized capital of the company. The total cost will be at least 20 thousand rubles.

Selection of premises

The next stage of organizing a business is choosing a suitable location for a store selling perfumes and cosmetics. This step is one of the most important, since the location of the outlet affects traffic and profit margins. It is necessary to look for premises that are located in areas with high foot traffic. Areas near:

• densely populated residential areas;
• shopping and entertainment centers;
• markets;
• metro and public transport stops;
• central part of the city.

To successfully sell cosmetics, you need to take care of the proper placement of products at the point of sale. Most entrepreneurs admit typical mistake irrational use of store space. If you do not display products around the perimeter, but concentrate them in one place, visitors simply will not pay attention to them, which will affect sales volumes. Therefore, it is worth learning the basic principles of merchandising. It is important to select a room with high windows so that there is good daylight inside the store and visitors can view the products. A small retail outlet usually has an area of ​​30-50 m². It is also necessary to provide places for the location of:

• sanitary zone;
• staff office space;
• product warehouse.

A good option would be to locate the store next to a beauty salon or massage parlour. This will allow you to earn additional profit daily from the sale of consumables. The room should have an attractive design and exterior. It is also worth taking care of the presence of a bright sign with the organization’s logo and outdoor advertising.

If you turn to a professional designer, he will be able to develop a store interior concept and create comfortable conditions for receiving visitors. Taking into account the repair work and rent costs will be about 200 thousand rubles.

Equipment purchase

What should it be retail store equipment for a cosmetics and perfumery store? There are no uniform requirements for this item, but its quantity will directly depend on the area of ​​the outlet.

To equip a small hall, it is necessary to give preference to closed racks and display cases to minimize the risk of product theft by unscrupulous visitors. A sample list of equipment would look like this:

• vertical glass showcase – 30 thousand rubles;
• hanging shelves - 30 thousand rubles;
• glass counter (2 pcs.) – 40 thousand rubles;
• shelving for a warehouse (5 pcs.) – 20 thousand rubles;
• furniture for staff – 25 thousand rubles;
• cash register – 10 thousand rubles.

Total costs for the purchase of equipment will amount to 155 thousand rubles. New businessmen should know that suppliers of cosmetic products are interested in increasing sales and quality distribution. Therefore, most of them provide their partners with shelves, display cases and other equipment.

Formation of assortment

In order for a cosmetics store to bring tangible profits, you need to competently formulate an assortment, as well as find suppliers who will offer favorable terms of cooperation. How to determine exactly the products that sell best? First of all, you need to understand what the target audience of the store will be, to which the assortment will be oriented. It is also worth visiting similar retail outlets and analyzing their work. You cannot save on purchasing goods and buy uncertified ones. This will be discovered sooner or later, and the store will suffer heavy losses, since a substantial fine is provided for this offense.

An entrepreneur can choose products from Russian and foreign manufacturers, who are required to submit permits for all goods. First of all, you should pay attention to well-known brands, because buyers know them. At the same time, both expensive cosmetics and perfumes and goods from the economy segment are in good demand.

We must not forget that the city already has a sufficient number of competitor stores. For this reason, it is necessary to create a unique experience for customers trade proposal. A businessman should try to find a manufacturer of unique products that are poorly represented (ideally, absent) from other sellers. To increase sales, the windows must include such products as body care and personal hygiene products, as well as all kinds of Consumables(manicure accessories, washcloths, toothbrushes, cotton swabs and pads, etc.).

Recruiting staff

As a rule, neat girls are attracted to a store selling perfumes and cosmetics as sales assistants. They must know the product range well and be able to sell it. To motivate staff, many entrepreneurs set a rate and charge a percentage of sales to employees. Also, the payment may be fixed. Employees must be engaged in displaying products and putting order on the shelves.

For a small retail outlet, it is enough to hire two salespeople who will work in shifts. Please note that most stores are open daily, so the schedule should be coordinated with the staff. To work you will need to hire:

• seller (2 people) – 30 thousand rubles;
• cleaning lady - 10 thousand rubles;
• administrator - 20 rubles;
• accountant - 15 thousand rubles.

Monthly expenses for wages store employees will amount to 75 thousand rubles. The duties of director and administrator can be performed by the entrepreneur himself. In addition, you can entrust accounting to remote workers, which will reduce costs.

Conducting an advertising campaign

One of the main issues of conducting own business is to attract a large number of buyers. In order for people to enjoy visiting a retail outlet, it is necessary to adhere to reasonable pricing policy and also have a big product range.

We have already talked about the importance of proper store location. The more potential buyers learn about a new point of sale of cosmetics, the faster it will bring a stable profit. It's worth contacting advertising agency and order the distribution of leaflets and flyers in the area where the store is located. It is also necessary to create thematic communities on social networks, where subscribers will learn about your activities, upcoming discounts, promotions and assortment updates.

About 20 thousand rubles should be allocated for an advertising campaign. Buyers will spread information about the new store among themselves. Availability of discounts for regular customers, sales in pre-holiday days, the ability to pay for goods in cash and using a terminal, free packaging of purchases will attract many people and reach a good level of earnings.

Business plan for a cosmetics store

To find out the amount of initial investment and possible profit, you need to draw up a business plan for a cosmetics store. In many ways, start-up costs will depend on the size of the outlet, quantity and type of goods, suppliers and others. important factors.

Let's calculate the one-time investments required to open a business. These will include:

• business registration – 2.5 thousand rubles;
• design and renovation of premises - 150 thousand rubles;
• advertising campaign – 20 thousand rubles;
• trade equipment – ​​155 thousand rubles;
• purchase of goods – 150 thousand rubles;
• other expenses - 30 thousand rubles.

Total - the amount of initial costs will be 557.5 thousand rubles. You also need to calculate your required monthly expenses. These include:

• rental of premises – 50 thousand rubles;
• utility bills - 15 thousand rubles;
• taxes – 20 thousand rubles;
• employee salary – 75 thousand rubles;
• additional expenses - 15 thousand rubles.

The total monthly costs are 175 thousand rubles. How to determine the possible profit of a retail outlet? It is quite difficult to answer this question, since the markup, depending on the type of product, can vary between 30-90%. If we take the average performance indicators of cosmetics and perfume stores, then their profitability is about 15-20%. At the same time, return on investment can be achieved after 12-18 months of work.

Let's assume that the revenue for 1 working day will be 10-12 thousand rubles. This means that in a month of operation the store will bring in 300-360 thousand rubles. From this amount you need to subtract 175 thousand mandatory payments, resulting in a profit of 125-185 thousand rubles. It is also worth considering that on average you need to set aside about 40 thousand rubles from your earnings to purchase goods for the store, so the estimated net income will be 85-145 thousand rubles per month.

How to sell cosmetics online?

Today Global network opens up unlimited business opportunities for entrepreneurs. You can successfully sell clothes and cosmetics online famous brands, accessories and any consumer goods. What are the advantages of this type of activity? First of all, it should be noted that the startup costs will be significantly lower.

If you draw up a business plan for an online cosmetics store, you will see that you do not need to pay salaries to employees, make repairs or buy retail equipment. The main expense item will be the purchase of a website, its promotion using various advertising channels and payment of taxes. To run a store on the Internet, it is enough to register an individual entrepreneur.

As for suppliers, you can consider the option of working with dropshipping. To briefly describe such a scheme, the entrepreneur will be required to present a range of products on his website, attract the target audience, and the partner company, whose goods will be sold in the store, will pay a certain percentage of each transaction. The businessman also does not have to deliver the goods to the customers, since the seller takes on these obligations. If you find suppliers and purchase cosmetics yourself, you need to carefully study the needs of your target audience.

• contextual ads in search engines;
• targeted advertising;
• e-mail newsletter;
• posts in your own community.

Important: do not forget that on the Internet, as in real life, word of mouth works, so it is extremely important to provide your customers with only high-quality and certified products.

15% is the part of income that women are willing to spend monthly on purchasing cosmetics. Some of them are ready to save on entertainment, clothing and food in order to spend this money on cosmetics. In this business plan you will learn how to open a cosmetics store with minimal investment. We will carry out a detailed calculation and tell you where you can save money and achieve maximum business profitability.

Difficulties in business

When starting a cosmetics store, you may encounter some difficulties that will ruin your business in a few months.

The first thing you will encounter are competitors:

• Large stores
• Small shops
• Hypermarkets with a cosmetics and perfume department
• Online stores

The cosmetics and perfumery market cannot be called new. Major players such as L'Etoile and Rive Gauche have long understood how to attract customers, what range to provide and how to work with their employees. Smaller players are also not asleep and have occupied all the most advantageous places in shopping centers.

Also, if you want to open a natural cosmetics store or some other store, then you will have to compete with hypermarkets, since very often they have departments that sell these products.

In addition to regular offline competitors, you will also have to fight with online stores that sell their products cheaper, as they save on the number of employees, rent and utilities.

In addition to problems with competitors, other risks await you:

• The owner of the premises can increase the cost of rent
• Suppliers may increase the cost of goods
• Difficulty attracting clients
• Due to the crisis, the purchasing power of customers may decrease and they simply will not have the money to buy your product
• Incorrectly selected assortment that no one buys

As well as standard problems for any business:

• Business registration
• Recruitment
• Employee training and motivation
• Supplier search
• Selecting a location
• Repair

You must clearly understand that opening your own cosmetics store is a very difficult matter, which requires you to invest a large amount of your time, effort and money. There are options to make your life a little easier, namely, cooperate with some kind of franchise that will help you at every stage, or create an online store, then you can save a lot of money. First, let's talk about how to open a cosmetics store from scratch, and then we will tell you about franchises and online stores.

Business registration

The first stage of our cosmetics store business plan that you must overcome will be business registration. You can register as an individual entrepreneur or LLC. For large stores you can choose LLC, and for small individual entrepreneurs.

If the area of ​​the premises is no more than 150 sq.m., then we recommend choosing the UTII taxation system. It will be the most profitable option for you.

OKVED codes for a cosmetics store will be as follows:

• 52.33 – “Retail trade in cosmetics and perfumes”;
• 52.33.1 – “Retail trade in cosmetics and perfumery products, except soap”;
• 52.33.2 – “Retail trade in toilet and laundry soap”;

If you are going to sell your products via the Internet, you will also need the following code:

• 47.91.1 - “Retail postal (parcel) trade services.”

As for accounting in this case, you can save money by hiring a full-time accountant. You can do your bookkeeping yourself, but if you don't have the time, hiring a third-party accountant is a great option.

Before starting a business, you will need to go through the following list:

• Open a bank account
• Obtain permission from Rospotrebnadzor
• Obtain permission from the fire inspectorate
• And get permission from the SES

If you choose an individual entrepreneur, then in total at this stage you will have to spend 3,000 rubles, for those who chose an LLC, the amount of costs will be slightly more than 20,000 rubles.

Selecting a location

The second thing we need to do to open a cosmetics store is to find a suitable premises. In offline business, this stage is the most important, since the location of the store directly affects the daily number of visitors and, accordingly, profit.

Like any other business, it is most profitable to locate a cosmetics store where there are more people. For example:

• Shopping centers
• Close to metro or stops
• Densely populated neighborhoods
• City center

Most of the target audience of cosmetics and perfume stores are women. Therefore, if you know some places in the city where there are a lot of them, an excellent option would be to open there. For example, girls often visit beauty salons. It makes sense to open next to such a salon, then you will earn money not only from visitors, but also from the employees of this salon, who buy consumables every week.

There are no important requirements for choosing premises for cosmetics stores. Typically, a small room measuring 45 sq.m. is suitable for such needs. where most of it goes to the shopping area and the smaller part goes to the bathroom and warehouse.

It will be a huge plus if large windows are inserted into the walls. The interior of the store and its assortment will attract customers from the street, and pleasant sunlight will fall on those already inside.

Also, before opening, you need to take care of the renovation and interior. If your budget does not allow you to hire a professional designer and make some interesting design, then you need to try to do everything minimalist but beautiful. The interior should create a comfortable atmosphere in the room and not strain clients.

In total, simple repairs will cost you 200,000 rubles, and monthly rental of the premises will cost approximately 40,000 rubles.

Necessary equipment

Once the premises have been selected, it is necessary to purchase equipment. No one will give you a clear list of what equipment you need to buy for a cosmetics store. The exact list of equipment depends on the interior design concept. Some people need to buy wooden display cases, some need glass ones.
It is worth noting that closed display cases will reduce the number of thefts in your store, but they have one major disadvantage. Potential buyers will not be able to twirl and touch the product in their hands, and this can lead to a decrease in sales.

Particular attention should be paid to lighting. When testing samples, visitors should see all shades undistorted. Also, you need to place a large number of mirrors

If you have a very small space in the room, then there is no need to fill it with shelving and display cases. There is no need to turn the store into a warehouse, since a huge number of illiterately arranged goods will not lead to an increase in sales. The best option will reduce the assortment and concentrate on selling the most popular goods.

By purchasing used equipment you can save a lot of money. The most important thing is that it looks fresh and doesn’t make customers feel like the store is a thousand years old.

List Example necessary equipment you can see below.

Range

Some entrepreneurs want to open a Thai, Korean or Belarusian cosmetics store. You may well sell cosmetics from manufacturers of a specific country, but you should not focus on this Special attention. For example, if you name the store “Korean Cosmetics”, make a huge sign with this name, design the website, banners, and interior in Korean style and in the end no one will buy cosmetics from you - it will be a complete failure. To change an assortment that is not in demand, you will have to change everything and start from the very beginning.

You will spend approximately 400,000 rubles on your first purchase, but until your store is operational, you will not have data that you can analyze. You will not be able to know exactly which products will sell and which will not. Therefore, before making your first purchase, it is important to analyze the market and determine which products and manufacturers are in demand and which are not. If for some reason you are not able to independently analyze the market, competitors, websites, forums and social networks in order to understand what is in demand now, then we recommend hiring a specialist who will do this for you.

The first batch of goods should not be too large. There is no point in buying 100 pieces of one lipstick when you don’t even know whether it will sell or not. The best option would be to purchase a small batch and in the future buy additional goods that are selling well, and accordingly, not buy additional ones that are not selling.

The assortment should look like this:

• Cheap goods - 50%
• Average cost - 30%
• Expensive goods - 20%

The percentage will depend on many factors, including the size of the city's population, the location of the store, the economic situation in the country and other factors.

Product categories:

• Makeup (lipstick, mascara, powder, etc.)
• Skin care
• Body care
• Cosmetics for adult women
• Cosmetics for men
• Perfumery

There is an option to purchase directly from manufacturers, but then you will not be able to boast a diverse assortment and the target audience of your cosmetics store will become much smaller.

The purchase of the first batch of goods will look something like this:

In addition to the cosmetics and perfumes themselves, we can sell various accessories, this way you can increase your profits. Accessories should be selected based on the audience that visits you. For example, young girls can be offered handbags, bracelets, simple jewelry, glasses, etc. At the very beginning, we recommend concentrating on specialized products, that is, cosmetics and perfumes, and later, when the business is established, you can add some new products.

Merchandising

If this is your first business plan for a cosmetics and perfumery store, and before that you have never been involved in any business, then you need to study the science of arranging goods on shelves.

It seems that there is nothing complicated in this, but nevertheless large companies Every year, huge amounts of money are invested in research to determine what arrangement of goods will lead to highest profit. In our case, we do not yet have huge funds for research and the object of study itself, but nevertheless, several rules are worth studying:

• Products should be arranged in some logical order; they can be sorted by brand, purpose, or something else.
• The same type of product should only be in one location. For example, all the lipstick that is in the store is on a specific shelf. There's no point in putting 10 lipsticks on the other side of the store. The only exception in this case can be showcases where discounted goods are located.
• The buyer should have a feeling of a clear system. Namely, all goods must stand exactly on one straight line. If a product is bought, then something else should immediately take its place.
• Products that are located at eye or hand level are purchased unconsciously. The buyer himself does not know exactly what he wants and chooses what is easier for him to get. Therefore, goods sold at a discount, or if the product is about to expire and needs to be sold urgently, must be placed at eye or hand level.

Staff

To open small store professional cosmetics, you will need a small staff. As mentioned earlier, we hire accountants outsourced, but it’s worth saving on the administrator at first. Until the business organization is perfected, you can perform the role of administrator yourself.

The most important employees of a cosmetics store are sales consultants. As a rule, these are young girls of pleasant appearance who understand cosmetics. To begin with, it is enough to hire only two salespeople with wages 20,000 rub. To motivate them to help customers more, you can pay a percentage of each sale.

For sellers, it is worth coming up with a strict dress code that they must adhere to. It could be some kind of dresses, T-shirts, shirts or trousers. Since this is a cosmetics store, the dress code can make it a mandatory requirement that girls wear bright makeup.

Of course, no business can do without a cleaning lady. If things go really badly and you don’t have an extra 10,000 rubles. to pay for her work, then you can take over her responsibilities.

In total, we will have to spend approximately 50,000 rubles. to pay employees every month.

Attracting clients

The final stage in creating a cosmetics store will be attracting customers. The store itself, built in a good location, will attract potential buyers, but in order to have more of them, you need a little work.

The most important thing to do is to buy a large illuminated sign that will be located above the doors to the store. This is especially important if the entrance to the room is on the street. In the winter season it gets dark and bright very early glowing sign will attract your attention in the dark.

Also, standard methods of attracting clients include distributing flyers and placing advertisements on banners.

An excellent way to attract attention is the Internet. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to create your own website or at least communities on social networks where you will post news about your store.

A good option would be to advertise in urban communities or on city websites. Most importantly, advertising must be original and attract attention. For example, simply the information that a new cosmetics store has opened on Pobeda Street 6 is unlikely to interest anyone. People need to be hooked with something, for example, a banal 25% discount.

To turn a casual visitor to your store into a regular customer, you can offer loyalty programs. For example, upon your first purchase, you issue a discount card for the buyer and the discount amount will increase with each new purchase.

You can see the marketing plan in the table below.

How much does it cost to open a cosmetics store?

As a result, the initial costs will be 916,000 rubles, and monthly expenses will be 94,000 rubles.

Revenues and payback

In this paragraph we will figure out whether it is profitable to open a cosmetics store or not? It is impossible to answer this question precisely, since the success of your store will be influenced by a huge number of factors: location, competitors, cost of goods, economic situation in the country, trends and much more.

When opening a cosmetics and perfumery store, you should focus on the following calculations: the store’s daily income is 9,000 rubles, monthly income 279,000 rubles, from here we subtract monthly expenses and get a net profit of 185,000 rubles. Also, we need to replenish the store with a new assortment, which means that we will have to invest approximately 85,000 rubles on the purchase of new goods, as a result, the real net profit will be equal to 100,000 rubles.

Income per month— 279.000rub
Net profit— 100.000rub
Payback- 10 months

Franchise of a cosmetics and perfumery store

Previously, we promised to tell you about creating a franchise cosmetics store. It should be borne in mind that by contacting a franchise throughout the entire period of work, you will encounter positive and negative sides. Therefore, you must be prepared for this.

Let's start with the positive aspects:

The downside is that you will have to share the profits and you will have to coordinate all the changes that you want to make in your store. This means that you won’t be able to just change your employees’ uniforms or put them up for sale. new product such as handbags and bracelets.

Before purchasing a franchise, be sure to read reviews about it. They can be found on the Internet on forums. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to find people who work or have worked with this franchise and find out how things really are there.

There are many other franchises, here we have listed only those that are worth starting the analysis with. It is impossible to say for sure which franchise will be better and which will be worse. They all have pros and cons.

Business plan for an online cosmetics store

We've dealt with the regular store, but there is also the Internet. Business on the Internet is radically different from ordinary offline business. The most important thing in an online cosmetics store is the ability to attract customers. And if a regular store is able to attract customers by the fact that it is located in a convenient location, then on the Internet a large part of the budget is spent on attracting customers. For entrepreneurs who do not have experience creating online stores advertising budget there will be even more, since they will probably make mistakes in creating advertising campaigns leading to waste.

To create a full-fledged online store you will need:

At a minimum you will have to spend 60,100 rubles. to create an online cosmetics store itself, but you will have no customers at all.

Most of the budget will be spent on attracting customers and this amount can be much greater than the cost of creating the online store itself.

Typically, the following methods of attracting customers are distinguished:

Marketing on the Internet is a rather complex activity that requires a lot of experience and funds to test advertising campaigns. Ordinary advertisements no longer attract anyone, and to come up with an unusual and working way to attract customers you will have to spend a lot of money.

An example of an unusual way to attract clients is the purchase of advertising from bloggers on Youtube. Cosmetics is one of the most popular topics on Youtube and it is really possible to find customers for your store there.

How to open an Instagram cosmetics store?

If you don’t have any money to invest, but you want to try yourself in business, then you can try opening an online cosmetics store on Instagram.

To do this, you don’t have to buy a domain or hosting; at first, you don’t even have to register an individual entrepreneur. All you need to do is create an account on Instagram, design it beautifully and advertise it. Every month you can save some amount from your salary, for example 10,000 rubles, and invest it in advertising.

This is a very long and complicated method, but sooner or later you will learn how to buy advertising that attracts your target audience. As experience shows, Instagram stores always develop into full-fledged online stores with 24-hour support service and a large warehouse, or into regular offline stores.

Text by Victoria Tsarenkova

Photo by Inna Ptitsyna

This story is full of entrepreneurial experience with all possible failures, failures and debts. But at the same time - the ability to analyze and learn not only from your own mistakes, but also with the help of other people's knowledge. Alena Aleshkova is a student of the “Path of Dreams” course, who was able to overcome the fear of disappointment and launch new project.

Alena Aleshkova

"KOKOS": about the project

"KOKOS" - stores of original certified Korean cosmetics in Kaliningrad.

The project began in 2016 with a small shelving unit in the basement of a shopping center. Now we have 2 offline stores in Kaliningrad and an online store. There are plans to expand beyond one city.

We purchase the entire range from major dealers in Russia. When choosing which product to bring to the store, we read hundreds of reviews - from our clients, bloggers and people who use Korean cosmetics. We present about 1,500 types of various Korean products.

The first business turned into a lot of problems and almost ended in the collapse of friendship

For a year and a half, each of us earned about 5,000 rubles a month

Problem one - lack of knowledge

Everything somehow didn’t work out. We had neither the knowledge of how to run a business nor the understanding of how to attract clients. I tried to read something on the Internet, but there was little material.

Production was outsourced to another agency, which meant the whole process was always slow. Their manager first processed the request and only then transferred it to production. At best, our order was ready within a day. I still had to call and find out if the products were ready. Then go and pick her up. If they did with the marriage, this cycle repeated again.

I did the product design myself, and it was very lame, and we couldn’t afford a great specialist - we saved money. We generally found our first clients in a guerrilla way - we spammed people on VKontakte. But since we could not offer the service High Quality, then the check for our services was very low. Because of this there was no profit. For a year and a half, each of us earned about 5,000 rubles a month. It was hard, but it was our own fault.

Problem two - friendship interfered

There was no money in business. And against the background of this, problems began with my friend as a partner. The fact is that we did not discuss “on shore” who is responsible for what. We thought that everything would work out just like that - we are such cool friends.

But here our friendship only added fire to the fire of problems. You know the people closest to you with all their shortcomings. It turned out that in business it is precisely the shortcomings that are felt most acutely. This can be compared to hiking in the mountains. I was told that when climbing, for example, Elbrus, all the body’s ailments become aggravated and even things that you didn’t suspect could come out. It's the same in business.

We started arguing a lot. And this ultimately led to us parting ways as partners after a year and a half. But in fact, “like friends” - too. Although we discussed that everything was fine, we continued to communicate, but there was a lot of aggression, quarrels broke out over trifles. As a result, mutual friends forced us to talk to each other. That conversation lasted several hours. School grievances and everything that had been dragging on for years came out. But, fortunately, we expressed everything, found out and are still communicating well.

The employees persuaded me not to close the project: they said that they were ready to sit without a salary

Great clients appeared who brought us high income. But there were few of them, and it was not possible to attract more - then there was not enough knowledge and strength for this. We had a bunch of small orders, and they took up almost all our time and energy. So, we earned 200 rubles on business cards for a minimum batch of 100 pieces. Despite the fact that the work here is a full cycle: discuss it with the customer, agree on it, send the order to the printing house, and when it’s printed, go and pick it up. The average bill ended up being tiny. There wasn't enough money. But you have to pay wages and rent. I also barely had enough to live - only for the bare necessities.

“I can’t do it, we’ll close it,” I announced to the girls a year and a half later. They then persuaded me not to close it. They said that we work so well, they like everything and that they are even ready to sit without a salary, that is, in debt. And we worked like that for another two or three months and closed in 2016.

I subconsciously did not want to earn money. And hence the total lack of money: I did what I liked, but the money didn’t come

OT's motivation is to escape poverty

It was hard for me to let go of this failure. I believed in this cause and was devoted to it for four years, but in the end I couldn’t. A complete loser, I thought to myself. On top of everything else, the project left me with a bunch of debts - about 200,000 rubles, which I am still paying off. Because of all this, I seriously thought about getting a regular job for the rest of my life.

But I can't do that. When I first started this business, I had a desire to achieve freedom and do something of my own. Now I realize: I need to do something, unite people around me, expand the boundaries of my projects, come up with something new and put it into practice. This is my essence, which cannot be taken away. That’s why I didn’t take a hired job just to have money to live on. And she began to analyze.

Money has not been a priority for me all my life; I didn’t like it. At the same time, I wanted to buy myself something expensive and travel. Such a clumsy contradiction sat within me. And suddenly it dawned on me! Remember, in fairy tales, poor people were great, and rich people were despots and tyrants. Brought up on such promises, I subconsciously did not want to make money. And from here this total lack of money grew: I did what I liked, but the money didn’t come.

Gradually my poles changed in this regard. I read blogs successful people. They said that you can make money with your brains and abilities. I learned about success stories: how people created wealth themselves. And I began to understand that there is nothing wrong with wealth. If you are talented, smart, able to develop and strive for something, then you can achieve a comfortable standard of living. But if you are lazy and apathetic, then most likely you will live poorly.

I don't want to say that poor people are bad. There are many good and wonderful ones among them. And I can say about myself that I’m still poor: I still like to buy goods on sale in stores. But I saw that rich people are much more relaxed about everything, they are more eager to improve themselves and help others.

This “poverty” motivation pushed me forward. I am a confident person. Maybe even a little arrogant at times. And when I see what others can do, it means I have to do it too.

We spent a lot of time on small orders, but we had to give up everything unnecessary

What my first business failure taught me

First of all, I understood what partnership in business means. How important it is to agree in advance who will have what role, who will be responsible for what, and discuss everyone’s personal goals. The goals should be common, and not when one is “burning” with work, and the second has other interests.

Also, the issue of trust in a partnership is the most important. Perhaps, here he is as acute as in his relationship with his man. Both of you must be both honest and completely trust each other, and not interfere in someone else’s area of ​​responsibility. Without this, nothing will work in business.

We also need to build the business model correctly. Otherwise, everything in the project will suffer. I found out this later when I went to study on the “Path of Dreams” course. This was our mistake - we worked with very small orders, and spent a lot of time on them. But we had to give up them and everything unnecessary.

And I was too inexperienced to run a business. I wanted to build something serious, but I had no knowledge of how to do it. It was not possible to do it well and efficiently. Couldn't manage. Some little things could easily unsettle me. Although I analyzed the problems and tried to come up with something, it didn’t really work.

How I saw the new project

I started thinking about what my new project would be. I took this matter very seriously.

• Firstly, I decided to launch a retail business because I believed that it was easier to implement marketing tricks in retail.

• Secondly, it is important for me to build long-term relationships with customers. To be so cool that a person buys from my store once and starts coming here again and again. Therefore, I immediately focused on products that are in regular demand.

• Thirdly, I also wanted to sell products for women. Men are more practical, it is harder to attract them with their shares. And they don’t leave emotional reviews on social networks. And it’s nice to work with women in this regard. Looking ahead, I will say that today girls constantly write to us that they are delighted with us. Many people say that they buy cosmetics only in our store.

• Fourthly, there was a desire to sell quality product middle price segment. Before this, I worked with people who had very little money. I came across the fact that they are nervous, have difficulty parting with money, and worry about every ruble. This was hard. So now I wanted to work with wealthier clients who were ready to buy such a product.

At that time, Korean cosmetics were in trend, and I paid attention to it and began to study it. The cosmetics market in South Korea is innovative and rapidly developing. They are very careful about quality, since the Korean public is very biased. Even men take care of themselves and look after themselves. And if a company produces a bad cream, it immediately leaves the shelves and never comes back. I myself have used two products, and they helped me a lot. That's why I realized: these things are really cool - you can transport them.

The first store is a gloomy and impenetrable place. I tried to hire sellers, but they didn't stick around.

Start-up investment in a new project. Opening a point

In 2016, I opened a small outlet in a shopping center. It looked like this: a glass shelf with cosmetics on the ground floor, dim light and gray walls around, and practically no people. My mother helped me again with opening a second business - she gave me 150,000 rubles. We agreed that in exchange for this she would be able to not work for 2 years and stay at home under my support.

I invested 100,000 rubles in my first purchase of cosmetics. In general this is very little. Now we have 15 sq. m. in one store. meters, the inventory balance just for “survival” should be 500,000 rubles (in purchase price), and then these will be half-empty shelves. For 50,000 rubles I bought a rack on Avito, paid for 2 months of rent and very minor expenses - for the Internet, lighting in the rack. Without lighting, the rack did not look functional; the “basement” light did not allow one to see the goods.

I developed my account in Instagram and the group in " In contact with" It was through these channels that we were mainly able to attract buyers.

I worked at this point for a whole year. It was hard. And the place itself is gloomy and impenetrable. She worked almost seven days a week. I tried to hire sellers, but they didn’t stick around. The revenue was small - on average about 3,000 rubles per day.

The main mistakes at the start

And here we could not avoid mistakes. I didn’t analyze the market and made my first purchase like an ordinary girl - on emotions. I just liked one site - everything is in beautiful jars, and I ordered this cosmetics. It turned out that the brand is a little expensive for Russia. Yes, and it appeared recently, it has not yet proven itself. As a result, this product sold poorly and for a long time.

Then I bought cosmetics from well-known brands. But here I made a mistake again: I didn’t analyze the assortment to see what people buy more often and more willingly, but chose what I liked the most. As a result, I ordered a lot of products that took up space on the shelves for a long time.

Our favorite men spent the night assembling shelves for cosmetics

The right decision: moving and a new partner

I thought about moving to a “normal place”. Girls who buy expensive products want to enjoy the whole process: come to a cozy place, look, try, hold in their hands. And I had jars and tubes in a rack behind glass. I had to take it out and show it. Agree, this creates a certain tension for the buyer.

A good place in another shopping center, so that it’s both cozy and has a lot of traffic, in the city it was expensive, I couldn’t afford it. Moreover, rent must be paid for two months at once.

The question arose: how to find money to open a store. And then I made one of the significant decisions - to team up with a person who shows interest in related topics. I had a friend Polina. We saw each other once a year at a mutual friend’s birthday. And every time she told me that she wanted to do something of her own. We met again at the end of January 2017. I told her: “I want to open a store.” And she suggested joining forces. Polina liked this idea. She said that she also has savings.

Throughout February we discussed conditions and plans. I was looking for a place. Only in March we agreed with shopping center. I immediately terminated the contract with the landlord from whom I rented a place in the basement. We moved into the new place very quickly, literally in a week. Our beloved men spent the night assembling shelves for cosmetics, although both had to leave for work early in the morning.

And in April 2017, Polina and I opened our first joint store, paying rent for two. In general, the opening (without inventory) cost less than 100,000 rubles. Since all the commercial equipment was made by our men, it cost 3 times less than the market price. For the lease, we agreed to move the “security” payment forward a couple of weeks. By the way, today, to open, for example, a third store (without inventory) it will cost us around 250,000 - 300,000 rubles.

How we rolled out “COCONUT” into the world

Initially we had a test drive joint business. Polina entered the business with an investment of about 100,000 - 150,000 rubles. Some went towards paying rent, and some went towards buying her share of cosmetics. We agreed that we would purchase the assortment separately, each for itself. There will be just a common cash register, and we will take turns working as sellers. I shared with Polina the contacts of suppliers of Korean cosmetics, and we started.

From April to September 2017 we worked like this. I also developed the store’s accounts on Instagram and VKontakte. And Polina showed a gift for purchasing. She assesses demand better than me and ultimately selects the assortment more accurately. And I proposed to unite completely in order to enhance the effect.

We have distributed all responsibilities inside and out. I am responsible for marketing, promotion, personnel management. Polina is involved in purchasing, searching for suppliers, communicating with them and everything related to goods - arrangement on the shelf, price tags.

We also set our own salary. I just read in the book “Business as a Game” from the guys from MosIgra that this is how you can live on your salary and invest the rest in business.

Otherwise, before this, all our money was mixed up. It turned out that you either infringe on yourself in life or in business. Now our net profit goes entirely into development, into expanding the range, opening stores and purchasing equipment for them.

They began to consult with each other on controversial situations. In general, we have no disagreements. There are disputes about how to do it better, but we always come to a consensus.

We thought for a long time about what to name the project. I wanted something Russian, simple, memorable. And at the same time associated with Korean cosmetics. It has a lot of natural ingredients and we wanted to bring that into the name. And then one day - coconut! There’s also a cool play on words here: “COCONUT” - KOREAN COSMETICS.

When Polina and I decided to fully unite, I saw that they had launched the sale of the “Path of Dreams” course. And I’ve been reading the Womenbz portal for about a year now and following its founder, Galia Berdnikova. I dreamed of taking the “Life.Business.Success” course, but I didn’t have the money.

And then I see: “The Path of Dreams” has become an expanded version of the “Life.Business.Success” course. And the price is still the lowest - start of sales, installment plan for 3 months. There was still no money, but I managed as best I could. She even asked me to make the first payment not on fixed time, and 2 days later. I was allowed, for which I am very grateful.

During this period, everything came together so well in time that our “COCONUT” began to grow.

First we try it ourselves. We all have different type skin, and we can evaluate the product from different angles

The task is to get ahead of competitors

An important decision that we made during my training: at all costs to be ahead of our competitors - cosmetics sellers. And for this we need the best assortment, and we need to present it in the store so that the buyer understands what and why.

We have greatly expanded the assortment and installed new shelving in the store. By the way, when we choose a product to order, we spend a tremendous amount of time searching for what we need. Read reviews from our bloggers. We look and analyze which brands are already popular in Russia and are often mentioned. Most often we order samples if they are available. First we try it ourselves - me, Polina, the sellers. We all have different skin types and can appreciate a product from different angles. And if everyone doesn’t like it, we won’t buy this product anymore.

We have written mini-instructions for each product on the price tags. The idea is that a person can come and choose for himself. Many buyers do not want to communicate with a consultant. Some people don’t want to take tubes and jars off the shelves. And all information in Russian is indicated on the back of the package. Some brands write in detail and clearly, while others write general phrases, so it’s not really clear what kind of product they are.

Our price tags look something like this: “face cream with snail, suitable for oily and combination skin,” and below that, “smoothes wrinkles, removes pigmentation, heals acne.”

Polina and I read hundreds of reviews on the Internet for each product. We took feedback from our customers on each product. It turned out that the translation on the label does not always correspond to how the product behaves on human skin. Often the label says “suitable for all skin types.” At the same time, the reviews show that this product is not suitable for people with dry skin; they complain.

The fact is that manufacturers write the compositions and main components of the products, but their effect depends on the ratio of the components added to the composition. In addition, the skin of Koreans is different from ours - it is denser and more elastic. Hence there may be some inconsistencies between the description and the result. We identified all this and indicated real information on the price tags.

Clients write to us: “What an honest Instagram you have.”

We don’t just sell - we carefully advise

As I already said, I wanted to build a business where I would build long-term and pleasant relationships with clients as friends. In our instructions for sellers, in the first paragraph it is written: “A client is a friend, and you should not advise him what you would not advise a friend, just to sell it at a higher price.”

There is a wonderful book - “Korean Beauty Secrets” by Charlotte Cho. It tells about all the intricacies of care accepted in Korea, it is in our stores, and sellers regularly use it in their work. We are also selling this book - it is not only educational, but also interesting and autobiographical.

In general, Koreans have a rather complex care system - it can have from 5 to 10 steps. We try to present this information in an accessible way and not to frighten buyers. We explain that the main thing for us is to cleanse the skin, prepare it with tonic for applying the cream and then apply the cream. And everything else is additional. It depends on the needs of the client. We select a mask for the night, a product for the skin around the eyes or under the main cream when there are problems.

We also started writing on Instagram about the care and features of the products: not only their advantages, but also their disadvantages, if we know about them. Many clients wrote: “What an honest Instagram you have.”

Gifts for clients and other promotions

We have a new trick - we give gifts regular customers. We have a ladder of success hanging in our stores. These are stepped shelves: on the first there is a gift for a purchase of 500 rubles, then from 1000 rubles, and so on up to 5000 rubles. The gifts are good. First is a sheet mask. And when you purchase 5,000, we give away funds that retail for 1,500 rubles. We buy them from the supplier using shares. But the person is pleased.

This approach also increases the check. Our consultants say: “You don’t have 100 rubles to get a better gift.” And a person can gain not 100, but 500 rubles. This also happens.

Also, various actions began to be practiced. The offer worked well for us for two months - a 30% discount on the third product in the receipt. Buyers almost always take a third remedy. We also have a promotion: buy a face cream and get a 30% discount on toner. This leads the person to use the full range of care. This is important for us not only because of sales, but also so that the buyer feels changes in better side.

For people who are afraid to try something, we offer products for 100–200 rubles. These are miniatures of products or masks. They are just enough for a few uses to understand whether the product is suitable or not. Sometimes we give samples when we see that a person is interested.

Earn 30,000 rubles in a week

There was an assignment in the “Path of Dreams” course that really excited me. It’s called “From Words to Actions,” but to myself I dubbed it “Make Money or Die.” Its essence is to earn 30,000 rubles in a week. Challenge yourself and execute.

At first I wondered what I should do. Then I decided that we could test our unique selling proposition. Simply put, this is the COCONUT feature, which is why customers trust us. We understand all the intricacies so carefully and in detail, analyze many aspects, that we can confidently position ourselves as professionals in the selection of Korean cosmetics.

I wrote a post on Instagram: “Leave a request for a selection of complete Korean care for this winter. I will try to offer 3 options in 3 price categories in 3 hours! Then we will discuss - we can change something and choose our ideal set of Korean products.”

About 30 applications came in. I analyzed each one in detail and answered everyone. As a result, we earned 27 thousand in two or three days. People ordered a consultation, and then came to the store and told the sellers what exactly they needed. Someone ordered delivery. Since then, we constantly write on social networks that we are consulting.

We made a widget on VKontakte. A person enters our group and immediately sees a post offering a free consultation.

He presses the button “I want a consultation!” - and a message window immediately opens with the text: “Hello) If you have questions, write to us.”

Previously, we were simply asked whether a product exists or not, or which is better. And now they ask you to choose care depending on your skin or if there is any problem.

How to deal with negativity

It seems to me that we work well with negativity. Cases are different.

• So, one girl bought a mega-popular “grout” for pores. It costs 1300 rubles, that is, not little. And for some it works great. And she posted that this is a terrible thing that they sell in our store. I wrote to her: “It’s a pity that it didn’t suit you. There are really controversial reviews on it.” It turned out that the girl bought it without consultation. We just talked to her, and that was enough. Later she even asked us for advice on care.

• Another girl bought a brightening face cream - these are often used in Korea. It instantly whitens the face, but it emphasized all the flaking on the girl’s face. She writes: “Nightmare! The consultant advised me. I asked for the coolest thing." And we were just making testers. I answered her: “It’s a pity that it didn’t suit you. The cream is good. But we just need a tester for it. If you want, we will exchange it for another cream that suits you better.” The girl wrote: “Thank you, I won’t change anything. I’m just pleased that you answered me like that.”

• Recently a girl wrote to me on Instagram: “I bought a serum with vitamin C from you, but my whole skin is burning from it. I want to use it and don’t know what to do.” I asked her if she had sensitive skin. It turned out that the girl did not tell the consultant about this. Then I asked what other means she had. After her answer, she suggested: “Let’s not use this serum or other cleanser for at least two or three weeks - it’s also aggressive. Most likely, your skin is still recovering from winter. Then you will slowly begin to use these means one by one.”

We hire staff from our subscribers

We hired our first salespeople from our immediate environment. Polina’s mother and my best friend, who was my partner in my first business, work for us. She is our best consultant, her daily income is the largest. We even joke that she somehow performs shamanism or does secret mailings during her shifts. This is how interesting life can turn out. And Polina’s mother is an accountant by training, and we recently handed over all our accounting things to her.

Although we are doing well, I do not recommend hiring people from your immediate environment. Relatives and friends may not take such work seriously; there is no chain of command. Disagreements may still arise and the relationship will deteriorate.

When we opened the second store, we hired employees through our social networks. Fortunately, we now have 11,000 followers on Instagram. As soon as you post an ad, a lot of resumes come in at once - wonderful girls who buy cosmetics from us and love our store. It is important for us that the seller is imbued with our values, knows how to take care of himself, loves our store, and does not just come to work.

Polina and I try to keep the team charged, striving to work and develop. Just before March 8, we expanded the team and invited everyone to the sushi bar. We talked, got to know each other, and Polina and I gave everyone massage certificates.

We also have a general chat on VKontakte. We write there about problems - someone inappropriate came and spoiled the mood. Or the girls brag - “I sold 8,000 to one person.” This creates its own atmosphere, everyone becomes closer.

Hiring an assistant and how it solved our problems

During the “Path of Dreams” course, several lessons in a row had the same idea: hire an assistant so as not to bury yourself in a routine. But Polina did not agree for a long time - the day before we took out a loan to significantly increase the range of goods.

I proved to her: “If we hire an assistant, you won’t spend days making price tags, or stand in traffic jams for two hours to pick up our huge orders. Development suffers greatly from this. And there is no personal time left.” In the end, Polina agreed, and we hired an assistant.

It was just in time. Polina had just left for the mountains for 3 weeks, and at that time we found retail space. There was an urgent need to open a second store. And take it to another level. In the end it turned out much nicer than the first one. But I couldn’t have done it without an assistant. For two weeks I already worked 12–13 hours without days off. Plus I was constantly in touch with Polina, and these chats on the phone and the Internet also take a lot of time.

I allowed myself to earn more, not be ashamed of it and at the same time respect my man

Harmony and balance in life

In general, traveling gives me energy. When there is no opportunity, I just need to go into nature with my man, walk the dog. Or watch a movie, read a book. It helps to unwind when you and your loved one ride on his motorcycle. I can order a spa for two at a hotel just to relax. Previously, I could not afford such a relaxing holiday.

“The Dream Path” had a very good lesson about relationships. There Galia talked about her personal relationships. This topic has always interested me. And what Galia said helped me reconsider my views.

She wrote that she earns much more than her man. At the same time, he provides for her and all her needs for food and shelter. But she has her own whims, and she spends money on them - travel, a luxurious apartment. At the same time, the man remains a man.

I have a similar situation. I am already developing in business, and my man is just starting his journey. There are financial difficulties. Previously, I could also offer to pay for a vacation somewhere, but I felt uncomfortable, and I might not have presented it in the right way. And now everything is harmonious. I allowed myself to earn more, not be ashamed of it and at the same time respect my man.

Previously it was: “as if I will no longer find where to spend my money.” And now you do what’s more comfortable, not what’s cheaper

It was on the “Path of Dreams” that everything fell into place for me. By completing tasks step by step, you understand what is happening in your business and why. You begin to see what he should be like. Understand your values ​​and accept right decisions. For example, we decided that we would never sell fakes - analogues of well-known brands, although there was an opportunity that would bring good money due to the markup. But these are not our values. Money is important to us, but the benefits that our business brings to people are also important. “The Dream Path” helped lay a strong foundation and give me self-confidence.

All new knowledge was reflected in monetary indicators in the most remarkable way. You can’t imagine how cool it is to feel like you’re taking a taxi rather than a bus simply because it’s more convenient. And you park in paid parking lots, instead of trying to find a free space in free parking lots in the middle of the day. It seems like little things, but before for me it was like “as if I won’t find where to spend my money anymore.” And now you do what is more comfortable, and not what is cheaper.

I don’t know when we will stop developing “KOKOS”. Polina is also a big workaholic and has the same principles. When we started, I had a little more experience with everything. Now we are almost at the same level in this regard. And it’s very comfortable to work when you and your partner are at the same level of development and have common goals.

Anastasia Osipova

Bsadsensedinamick

The sale of Korean cosmetics became relevant as a business 2 years ago, immediately after suppliers entered the world market. The project instantly gained popularity in Russia, which is why today competition in this area is quite high. To create your own store you will need about 700–900 thousand rubles. You can create an online store on Instagram, spending several times less money. The payback period for a business depends on many factors, but on average it is 1–2 years.

Relevance of the business idea

Korean manufacturers entered the European market 2-3 years ago, but in Russia cosmetics gained popularity relatively recently - just a year ago. Demand for products was created by bloggers on Instagram.

Today, online stores have gained popularity, but there are practically no real retail outlets. Therefore, the business of selling Korean cosmetics, when proper organization, will bring income from 500 thousand rubles.

How to start a business selling Korean cosmetics

Like any project, a retail business is built according to patterns, without which it will be impossible to open a Korean cosmetics store from scratch. Only consistent execution of the algorithm will allow you to create an enterprise with a good monthly turnover. We'll tell you how to start selling Korean cosmetics and achieve a positive balance.

Search for a cosmetics supplier from South Korea

Business with Korean products is so relevant that over the past 8 months, about a hundred intermediary companies have appeared, ready to resell cosmetics to Russian small wholesalers directly from Korean factories. This is an excellent option for small companies, since difficulties with the language barrier and customs regulations can significantly increase costs. For large businessmen, it will be more profitable to establish contact with Korean manufacturers to avoid intermediary markups.

There are three options for finding a supplier:

1. Independent exit. The most difficult method, requires compliance with certain rules business etiquette. Koreans prefer to have third parties introduce future customers to them.
2. Work through intermediaries. Eg, non-profit organization KOTRA was created to establish commercial relations between Korean and Russian business. The company selects suppliers interested in cooperation with Russia, organizes exhibitions, meetings and negotiations, and accompanies clients at all stages.
3. Visiting business exhibitions with the participation of Korean suppliers. Many events are created specifically to build ties between the two countries. Delegations of Korean manufacturers to Russia are often organized to strengthen business relations.

How to choose products for the store

Korean manufacturers specialize in skin care and decorative cosmetics, so each supplier offers a huge range of products. The products combine a high-tech composition, reasonable price and a wide selection (after all, we all have different skin types). It is difficult to name the number of existing brands and brands, so choosing the first batch of goods for the store will not be easy.

During selection, several factors must be taken into account:

1. Preference should be given to products created on the basis of extracts, oils, extracts and essences. For example, a powder created to mattify skin unevenness, thanks to its medicinal composition, moisturizes the epidermis and nourishes it with beneficial microelements.
2. Before purchasing, you should study all the nuances of the goods, whether advanced technologies are used and whether tests are carried out on animals.
3. In Korean cosmetics, buyers are attracted by a unique composition, the active component of which can be snake venom, snail mucus, volcano ash, green tea, aloe concentrate, and shark oil.
4. The product has rightfully earned the highest safety rating due to its first-class quality.

The selection is made based on existing demand. It is necessary to carefully study the consumer market; famous beauty bloggers who actively promote Korean cosmetics on their profiles will be a great help in this regard. Can be carried out competitive analysis online stores and identify which items are in great demand based on the number of likes, comments and orders.

It is necessary to select products based on the needs of customers, their skin type and purposes of use. Displaying creams, masks and other products only for oily or dry skin is unprofitable.

When to purchase goods

Korean cosmetics are products with a long shelf life, but with proper storage. It is better to start purchasing when the activity has already been formalized. The delivery time for goods depends on the chosen carrier, on average 7–21 days.

After ordering the first batch, you can select premises for the future store, purchase equipment and hire staff.

Drawing up a business plan

Before moving on to the main stages of opening your own store, you need to write it down on paper: draw up a business plan, taking into account all the nuances. Without it, it is impossible to create a profitable project.

Competitor analysis

Today the competition is high. But year after year, competition ensures best offer product and we are talking here not only about the product, but also about the store itself.

When determining the concept of your own store, you can learn from the experience of a competitor, study the website, Instagram page or visit his store. Any business must have its own idea or feature. Therefore, market analysis is an important step on the path to profit.

You shouldn’t completely copy sites, pages or blogs, but you can study their functionality and take advantage of some of your competitors’ tricks.

Studying pricing policy

Prices are set based on the store's target audience. Like any cosmetics, Korean products are divided into budget, medium and premium segments. Initially, you can specialize in cheap, affordable products, gradually introducing more expensive products.

The more expensive the product sold, the higher the requirements for store design and quality of customer service.

Studying the target audience

The target audience depends on the location. If women in Moscow are not surprised with a cream that costs several thousand rubles, then for the provinces it will become a luxury item.

90% of the store's target audience consists of women aged 18 to 45 years. Most people do not expect unprecedented results from Korean products, but want to try something new and unique. The remaining buyers are ready to purchase a product with snail mucin for hundreds of dollars, which guarantees a real anti-aging effect.

Budgeting and cost accounting

Initially, you should understand that the income received is not yet an indicator of the profitability of the enterprise, since investments pay off in the first 2-3 years.

Drawing up an estimate is the most important stage. You can create it in an Excel file or Google document. It is necessary to list all costs item by item, even taking into account the costs of purchasing packages for customers.

You must pay expenses for the following items:

• rental of premises;
• purchase of equipment (stands, racks, online cash register);
• consultant salary;
• bonus for creating a website;
• expenses for the purchase of goods;
• advertising costs.

It is important to leave funds for force majeure circumstances (computer breakdown, illiquid goods).

Approximate cost calculation at the start

Approximate cost plan at the start:

*the given data are approximate and cannot be taken into account when drawing up actual cost estimates.

Monthly costs

When calculating the profitability of a business, it is necessary to take into account monthly expenses:

How to open a regular store in your hometown

Business is a labor-intensive process, with many nuances that are important to study before launching a project. Opening a Korean cosmetics store has some peculiarities. For example, the color of the walls in the room determines the amount of profit received, and the location of the product determines the number of items in one receipt. The host city also plays a special role in business. Undoubtedly, opening a Korean cosmetics store in Moscow is several times more difficult than in the outback, since the competition or requirements of the capital's target audience are several times higher.

Selection of premises and equipment

The number of customers and profits depend on the location of the store. Therefore, the premises should be selected with special care.

It is most profitable to open a store in a shopping center, densely populated areas of the city or in the center. Because target audience women are considered, it is worth choosing a room next to a beauty salon, solarium or cosmetology center. In this case, you can get a double benefit: make money not only from ordinary customers, but also from cosmetologists.

Ideally, the room should be at least 30 square meters. m. with a large shopping area, a convenient warehouse and a bathroom.

The next stage is the purchase of equipment. The number of stands, slides and display cases depends on the size and store. The material is selected according to the design; in some cases, wooden equipment will be loaded shopping room, and sometimes a glass showcase will reduce the cost general form room. You shouldn’t load up all the free space; it’s better to reduce the range and concentrate on selling the most popular products.

Don’t forget about good lighting and mirrors, which visually enlarge the space.

Approximate list of equipment for a room of 45 square meters. m.:

• Glass rack – 3–4 pieces.
• Low showcase – 2 pieces.
• Island – 2 pieces.
• Place for cashier + laptop.
• Lighting system.
• Cash machine.
• Signaling.
• Mirrors.
• Air conditioner.
• Shelves and racks for a warehouse.
• Equipment for the toilet.
• Video surveillance system (on request).

Recruitment

A small Korean cosmetics store will require a small staff. Until the business organization is perfected, the owner can also play the role of administrator, cleaner, merchandiser, and storekeeper.

You will only need to hire sales consultants. According to statistics, these are girls under 35 years old with a salary of 20 thousand rubles and a small percentage of sales.

You can place an advertisement looking for an employee on any portal: Avito, Head Hunter, Job.ru, etc. During the interview, it is important to pay special attention to speech, appearance and the ability to present oneself. Before opening a store, you must provide employees with all the information on the products sold and check their knowledge monthly.

Store design

An incomparable advantage of renting a room will be fresh renovation and floor-to-ceiling windows; this design will attract buyers. You can update the flooring, paint on the walls and ceiling yourself. For these purposes, it is better to choose light shades. For contrast, you can add a dark floor or bright paintings.

You can also ask a designer for help, but this is an additional cost.

Placing goods on display windows

The store must have a clear display of goods:

• divide cosmetics by brand;
• distribute it according to its intended purpose.

The first option is not particularly suitable for a store of Korean products; not all brands are recognizable. In this case, it is better to give preference to the second concept, according to which all facial products are in one place, body products in another, and lipsticks and mascaras are located separately, on a convenient island.

All cosmetics should be kept level and replenished in a timely manner. At eye and hand level, it is necessary to place those goods that need to be sold first.

It is important to focus the buyer’s attention on discounts and promotions, so you can allocate a separate stand for such offers.

Online store of Korean cosmetics

Today, Internet platforms are promising direction in the field of sales. At the initial stage, you can sell Korean cosmetics through your profile on Instagram, VK or on your personal website. In Russia, selling on Facebook is not as popular as abroad, so this option should not be considered as the main one.

Next, we will tell you how to create a selling website and open an online store of Korean cosmetics from scratch.

Website creation

A website is an essential aspect of online sales. It can become an additional sales platform if there is a real store. An important condition is a convenient and understandable interface. Light, soft shades in design, font and clear grouping of goods are the key to the profitability of an online store.

Grouping products correctly will be a little more difficult. Ideally, make a division by brand and purpose. Separately, it is necessary to add filters to easily navigate among the variety of products. Sections with promotions and new products are especially popular. They must be placed on home page to attract visitors.

It is important to provide additional information on delivery, payment and ordering in detail so that buyers do not have additional questions.

Turnkey website development will cost 35–50 thousand rubles.

Semantic core and directory tree

The semantic core is the queries by which the user can find an online store. Initially, you need to download Yandex Wordstat Assistant in order to group keywords correctly.

1. Search by brand – “buy brand name”, “facial serum brand name”. Such requests are transferred to branches by brand.
2. Search by purpose – “buy acne ointment”, “buy facial peeling”. They are transferred to catalogs for their intended purpose.
3. Search by type – “buy whitening face mask”, “buy vitamin C serum”. We group them in catalogs by product type.
4. Basic queries will be the anchor for all your semantics.

To finally form a directory tree, it is necessary to create full-fledged semantics and structure. The profitability of the site will depend on how well this stage is completed. It is better to delegate work with website SEO parameters to an experienced specialist.

Filling content

Each product must contain a full description indicating its composition, volume and effect. Product cards can be ordered from experienced copywriters.

It is very important to implement a search filter on the site so that the buyer can find exactly the product that suits him.

The blog is an important part of the site. Articles can be written for specific requests that will help buyers access the online store. Each text needs to be associated with a specific product or brand.

Korean cosmetics store on Instagram

Instagram is the most promising, but most competitive business platform in 2020. To open an online store, you need to create a page and link it to Facebook.

Scheme for creating a business account:

1. It is important to choose a simple and concise profile name. It's better to limit yourself to one word.
2. Write a description. Be sure to fill out the “Name” item by entering “Korean cosmetics store” or “Korean cosmetics”. It is by this request that the user will be able to find an account. It is important to beautifully design the “About Me” section with loud slogans or catchy, selling phrases.
3. Be sure to insert a link to the official website (if available) to increase traffic.
4. Upload logo. You need to create your own, not very bright, but not dim either.
5. Start publishing posts. Instagram values ​​high-quality, bright photographs, so for these purposes you can invite professional photographer to shoot products several months in advance. Or, for example, buy a camera and teach employees how to take pictures.
6. Write texts. Every article should be informative and engaging. It is necessary to indicate the price and discount of the product.
7. Create a “Favorites” section. Save all stories in one folder, reviews in another, and promotions in a third. This way the buyer can find exactly what he wants.
8. Launch targeted advertising. Initially, you need to focus on reach and subscribers, and only then move forward in other areas.

Building a business selling Korean cosmetics online is a little easier than in real life, since there are no costs for premises, equipment and personnel. In most cases, a profile is initially created on Instagram, then the website is launched, and only then a real store is opened.

Legal aspects of business

Any business in Russia must be registered, every citizen is obliged to bear responsibility to the state - to pay taxes on income.

Business registration

When choosing what to open, individual entrepreneur or LLC, you need to think in advance about the scale and concept of the store. For small projects, an individual entrepreneur is enough; for large ones, an LLC is suitable. For an Instagram profile, you can choose the first option.

To register an individual entrepreneur, you will need to submit an application to the tax office and pay a state fee. With an LLC, everything is more complicated; you will need a charter, authorized capital, director, meeting of founders, minutes.

Necessary documents for registering an individual entrepreneur or LLC

To open an individual entrepreneur in 2020 you need to prepare:

• application in form P21001;
• photocopies of all pages of the passport;
• paid receipt;

Documents for registering an LLC depend on the number of founders and the method of obtaining a legal address:

• application for registration of an LLC in form P11001;
• if there is only one founder, then his decision;
• minutes of the meeting of founders (if there are 2 or more);
• agreement on the establishment of an LLC;
• charter;
• receipt of payment of state duty;
• a letter of guarantee for the provision of a legal address or the consent of the owner, a certificate of ownership and the consent of the residents.

Subtleties of accounting

OKVED codes for the store:

• 33 – “Retail trade in cosmetics and perfumes”;
• 33.1 – “Retail trade in cosmetics and perfumery products, except soap”;
• 33.2 – “Retail trade in toilet and laundry soap.”

To sell online, you will also need to use 47.91.1 - “Retail postal (parcel) services.”

At first, you can save money on a full-time accountant; a temporary contractor will help you sort out the accounting.

How to advertise and promote a cosmetics store

Korean cosmetics will never find their buyer on their own. In the field of product sales, advertising comes first, so you always need to talk about the product.

Attracting customers: gifts and various promotions

• Discounts, promotions and gifts - all customers love these. Announce weekly a sale on a specific brand or a price cut on a specific product line. Every month you can organize a “Patch Day” or “Elizavecca Brand Week”
• Contextual advertising. A professional will select the necessary key queries for promotion and create a selling advertisement.
• Advertising with bloggers. The price depends on the number of subscribers. From newcomers in this business, you can order advertising by barter (for the goods provided).
• Blog on the site. Articles should be useful and unique to readers. You can talk about each product separately or make collections.
• Reviews. On Instagram and on the website, be sure to highlight a section for feedback. You can ask your customers to leave reviews for a small discount or gift.

Tips for business beginners:

• When choosing a domain or profile name, give preference to a short and simple name so that the buyer will immediately remember it.
• Create a store on VK and FB, so you can increase sales at minimal cost.
• Posts in each social network must be published daily. Don't forget about stories.
• Add only high-quality photos, they are the ones that will bring success to your business.
• Use hashtags so that customers can use them to find a specific product in your store.
• By monitoring activity on your profile, set the optimal time for publishing posts.
• Create short video reviews in stories or IGTV.

A professional manager with targetologist skills will help you promote your Instagram account.

Revenues and payback

The success of a store depends on location, level of competition, pricing policy and quality of Instagram photos. If we consider an average store with a daily profit of up to 8 thousand rubles, then it will bring in about 240 thousand rubles monthly. From here you will need to subtract monthly expenses, which amount to 165 thousand rubles (utilities, rent, employee salaries, assortment renewal, etc.). As a result, the real net profit will be equal to 75 thousand rubles.

In this case, if we take into account that at the start of the project 903 thousand rubles will be required, the payback period will be 13 months.

Possible difficulties

Difficulties of a novice owner of a Korean cosmetics store:

1. Competitors. The cosmetics market can hardly be called new, given that there are such major players as L’Etoile and Rive Gauche, the Golden Apple. In this case, it is important to understand that, unlike your business, these are not highly specialized points based only on Korean cosmetics.
2. High rental costs. From year to year, the liquidity of real estate can increase due to demand for it.
3. Increase in prices from suppliers. The growth may be caused by the economic situation or increased demand.
4. Difficulty attracting buyers. High-quality advertising requires serious cash injections, which a beginner does not have at the start.
5. Incorrectly selected product. Many Korean new products have not found their buyer.

Starting your own business is a complex and risky process that requires large investments. Before starting, it is important to weigh the pros and cons so as not to encounter serious problems in the future.

Franchise of a cosmetics and perfumery store

Today, three brands offer the most favorable franchising conditions:

• TONYMOLY;
• DANACO;
• HOLIKA HOLIKA.

The first TONYMOLY store was opened in 2013, and to this day not a single outlet has been closed.

Basic conditions:

• Store area – from 25 m2.
• Location in a shopping center on the first floor.
• No down payment.
• Financial injections – from 1.5 million rubles.
• There are no royalties.
• Payback period is 1–1.5 years.

DANACO is a brand store that brings together several top Korean brands.

• Trading area – from 20 sq.m. m in a shopping center with high flow visitors.
• The minimum order amount from the Moscow warehouse is 30,000 rubles, from Korea - $1,000 for one brand.
• Only 100% prepayment.
• The amount of investment is from 1.5 million rubles.
• Payback period is 1.5–2 years.

HOLIKA HOLIKA is a leader in the Korean market with a network of stores around the world.

Basic conditions:

• Starting investments: from 1,300,000 – 1,800,000 rubles
• Payback period – up to 12 months.
• Monthly turnover – 400,000 rubles.
• There are no royalties, lump sum, or other current payments.

conclusions

Creating a Korean cosmetics store is a profitable area of ​​sales in Russia. Today there are three ways to implement the project: real trading platform, commercial account on Instagram or VK, website launch. Each proposed option requires its own costs and guarantees a certain amount of profit. You can purchase a franchise of a Korean brand and avoid many difficulties at the start. The required investment in the project depends on the selected proposal and averages 1.5 million rubles. Payback period up to 2 years.

Business based on the trade of cosmetics from South Korea, brings a good, stable income. Quality at the European level and an affordable price make this type of product especially in demand. The most popular cosmetic brands in Korea are:

1. Missha.
2. The Face Shop.
3. Skin Food.
4. Beyond.
5. Innisfree.
6. Tony Moly.
7. Hanskin.
8. Etude House.

For questions regarding the purchase of Korean cosmetics in large and small wholesale, you can contact trusted South Korean companies RICH TRADING CO. or THE BEST CHOICE

Ways to profitably purchase cosmetics in Korea

1. The purchase of cosmetics of popular brands can be made in brand stores, which are located in every major Korean city. There are especially many of them in Seoul (Gangnam metro station, Myeongdong district, large shopping centers). It is better to buy cosmetics during the 3-day discount period, which is held quite often. This way you can save 20-50% on the cost. Marketing techniques are often used: “Buy one product, then you will get the second one for free!” If a private person does not need two identical hair creams or foams, then this is a great help for a small business representative.
2. The second method is wholesale purchases from the company. This will take a lot of effort, but it's worth it. Koreans at wholesale reduce prices well. In addition, they prepare all documents for exporting goods abroad. However, becoming a dealer or distributor of a brand is not easy. This will require services professional translator, who will help draw up an application with information about the company applicant for cooperation and will help negotiate if the Korean side is interested in it.
3. There is a third method. You need to contact an intermediary. Often, advertisements for sale appear on the Internet. There is a danger of fraud here. We recommend using only proven resources. On our website you can find not only intermediaries, translators, logisticians, but also the companies themselves to establish trade on an ongoing basis.
   Delivery from South Korea to Russia

The most popular and cost-effective, in relation to cosmetic products, are container transportation. Containers are most often transported using multimodal schemes, involving a combination of sea and land transport. The container is transported by sea to a Russian port or to a port of neighboring countries, after which it is delivered by car or train to the carrier’s warehouse in Russia or to the specified addressee. If the volume of goods is small, we use groupage delivery. Sending scheme:

Assembling cargo from different suppliers at the transport company’s consolidation warehouse.

Combining several cargoes into one container.

Transportation of cargo to Russia.

Delivery to the carrier's warehouse or to the specified address.

Those who are just starting a cosmetics business with partners from Korea need to remember the features of Korean cosmetics. In many products, Korean manufacturers add bleaching agents. This is due to the fact that in the minds of Koreans, beauties and handsome men are distinguished by snow-white skin. This idea of ​​beauty is not shared by all Russians, so the purchase of goods should be made taking into account the diversity of the assortment, but not all products should contain bleaches.