If you are planning to open a beauty store, the cost of starting a business will depend on what you want to offer your customers. Start-up costs for full service stores can range from a few hundred dollars to millions of dollars, but here are the general details: Business license/permit - In most cases, these are annual or two-year fees that must be obtained prior to opening a beauty store. They include a federal tax ID number and a local business license. It depends on the details required by your city when obtaining a business license. Fees may range from $25 to $500. You must also pay the initial fee required for the permit or zoning. Prices can range from $25 to hundreds of dollars. Inventory, store equipment, display cases - Depending on how much you want to offer your customers, how many display cases you need, how much inventory you need to order, and how many cosmetics are available to the general public will determine the cost of opening a beauty store. If you have the capital to invest in products early on, the average start-up cost for inventory can range from $15,000 to $100,000. Also, keep in mind that you will need professional grade fixtures and counters to display your products, as well as boxes to protect the privacy of your customers as they browse your products. Depending on how much detail you want, these glasses can cost anywhere from $2,500 to $15,000. Advertising, marketing and promotional products - Anyone who has run a business knows how important advertising is in attracting customers. There are so many new businesses being established every day across the country. How can they expect anyone to know about them? Grand opening supplies - You must also allocate funds for a grand opening marketing campaign. Depending on your size, the cost could range from $1,000 to $10,000. The more word-of-mouth promotion you get in the beginning, the better your store's chances of surviving up front; however, if people don't know your company exists, how can you get them to talk about it? That's why every small business owner must invest in solid marketing and promotional campaigns. How much you spend depends on how much you want to invest. If you do it yourself, it can be as low as $100 for a sign, or up to thousands of dollars for banner stands, print ads, billboards, etc. Personal Costs - You will also have personal costs of running a beauty store, such as your time. In the beginning, you may work 10 hours a day until your business is up and running. This can be free labor, but if you're hiring employees, that means additional payroll expenses each month on top of the start-up costs you've already put in. Learning how to open a beauty store doesn't need to be daunting because there are guides like this one that can guide you on how to create a business plan, how much money you might need to start your beauty store, how much time you need to put in until things are running smoothly, and how much money you can bring in each month. This will set realistic expectations so there are no surprises. Whether your start-up budget is large or small, if you are passionate about the industry, opening a beauty store is not only an excellent business venture, it is also one of the most rewarding ventures.