Tmouse84

My Partner and myself are both Hairdressers, and both love Florida.
I know holidaying somewhere and living there are completely different things. Especially as we live in a beautiful tourist area of the UK.
I own my own salon and also teach at various education centers and in salons in the area.

I just want to know what the possibility of us being able to get a visa is?

Could we start our own business?

Also where to start?

Thanks Guys!

christmasoompa

Hi, and welcome to BE.

Start with this Wiki article so you can see which visa (if any) you'd qualify for. Sounds like it would need to be an investment based visa from the info you've given, but have a look and then you can ask questions about the visa you think would work for you.

Pulaski's Ways: How to Live and Work in the USA : British Expat Wiki

HTH.

Tmouse84

Thanks i'll go check it out now!

ian-mstm

Generally speaking, there are 3 routes to the US: family-based; employment-based; and investment-based. Both the family-based and employment-based visas are likely not an option for you... so, as suggested, you'll likely be looking at an investment-based visa. The specific visa you pursue will depend on your long-term goals... and not all visas are equal - or fair! Read, digest, read again... and then come back and ask specific questions.

Ian

Ichigo-chan

Oops. I thought this was a discussion about hairstyles in the US! All very naff, IMO

Tmouse84

haha! perhaps were needed then!!!

Sally Redux

You are in California. It was a complete lottery what we came out of the salon with and I don't think anyone had been on any kind of course. Maybe a basic initial licensing thing to say they could hold a pair of scissors.

mum 2 3

I've yet to see someone with hair I like so I can ask where they get it cut, in 2.5 years. I am also put off by the neon signs in the window.....

Pulaski

Huh? American women invariably having nicer hair that British women. I guess you just can't find someone to give you a "British cut".

Whenever I go back home, I can't help but notice how bad most women's hair looks.

Sally Redux

You didn't fancy an updo then?

mum 2 3

Did I mention I am in New Jersey. A blowout seems to be the norm. I have never had such big hair....

Sally Redux

Lovely

This is the image that's 'coming through':

Pulaski

Others have given you some good basic advice to get you started, but also don't underestimate the costs of establishing your home in the US. People are often shocked to find out how expensive furniture can be, then you're going to need two cars, and used cars are disproportionately expensive in the US, and car insurance is also expensive at least to start with - think $2,000/ yr at first! Then, not having any credit history, you may have to put down substantial deposits for water and electricity services. Depending on the area you want to move to, you could easily face paying $1,500/mth to rent a modern apartment in a safe part of town, or $2k+/mth for a house.

Personally I would recommend that you budget a minimum of $50k to get set up and another $50k over the first two years when you're building up your business and may not yet have the full income level you're expecting when you are fully established.

Also, for reasons hinted at in my post above, beware of cultural racism, because I suspect that many American women will take some convincing that a British hairdresser can do a job that they (the customer) will be happy with, so don't underestimate the difficulty of building and/or maintaining a regular customer base.

Hotscot

That's a major roadblock.

Many customers are gained through a network of friends/family who make personal recommendations based on developed social networks.

You could expect to run your business at a loss for several years, and need the funds to compensate during that time, as there will be ample local competition wherever you are. Including those with very low overheads as they're working from their converted garages/homes. A race to the bottom...

Also as over 80% of new businesses do fail, you are more likely to fail than succeed.

Sally Redux

There's a serious side to the differences in hair fashions. What kind of hairdressing do you do? Have you checked out the market for it?