Four years ago, a Ukrainian immigrant, Kateryna Pushkareva, opened her own business in Krakow. In this article, we will share her experience of how she managed to establish a beauty salon in Poland — including the costs, mistakes, and challenges she faced. Kateryna’s story is valuable for entrepreneurs from Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus who are considering starting a business in Poland, as she now owns an entire network of similar salons.
Opening a Beauty Salon in Poland
When Kateryna arrived in Poland, she found herself working in a hotel. The job was challenging and monotonous, and despite her efforts to find a new job, she had no success. The idea of starting her own business came unexpectedly. A Ukrainian friend told her about sugaring or sugar waxing. The idea seemed intriguing, so she decided to give it a try and completed a sugaring course.
After some time, she started preparing a space to receive clients. They rented a room, and she took a creative approach when it came to choosing equipment. The first massage table was made by the hotel’s carpenter from an old wooden door. Initially, there weren’t many clients, so she offered trial procedures for free. Kateryna’s first appointment left a lasting impression on her. She felt anxious and was extremely afraid of making mistakes. Not everything went smoothly, and the first client was disappointed and never returned.
Kateryna decided to open a beauty salon in Poland because working for herself was more profitable than being employed.
She made the decision to start her own business over the course of six months, which was necessary to stay in Poland and obtain proper documentation. Kateryna had neither the knowledge nor the experience, and she nearly fell victim to scammers who promised business assistance for 2,000–3,000 PLN. The father of one of her clients advised her to reach out to Idea Bank and use the Tax Care service, which helps with business setup in exchange for monthly paid accounting services.
The Republic of Poland does not allow non-residents to open a sole proprietorship, only a legal entity or “Spółka z o.o.” in Polish, which requires a minimum share capital of 5,000 PLN. The rent for a business premises was 70,000 UAH, and the contract required an advance payment for two months.
Kateryna invested around 120,000 UAH in the initial business setup. They did not spend money on renovations since the space was previously used as a beauty salon. Initially, only the essential equipment was purchased, and additional items were bought later as funds became available.
The Ukrainian entrepreneur was able to connect with various online services to attract clients. Additionally, she already had her own clients, so the customer base gradually grew.
The beauty salon in Poland quickly became profitable. Kateryna managed to save up for a new, high-quality massage table worth 5,000 PLN — a comfortable, electric, and visually appealing model. Initially, all profits were reinvested into the business. Over time, free cash flow appeared, and everything began to stabilize. Kateryna was able to expand and opened a new salon in Warsaw.
Mistakes and Lessons Learned
Several mistakes were made at the start. The main one was the lack of a business plan. Renovations were initially done in the rented space, but as the business developed, they had to redo the work, costing extra time, effort, and money.
Kateryna’s key takeaway: to successfully start a business in Poland and make it profitable, you need to invest your time, energy, and work hard.
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