Deposits changed my business — here's exactly how I set them up
Owen Murphy
👑 VIP
👑 VIP
Lash Artist · Leeds · 7mo ago
I want to talk about deposits because I see a lot of people in beauty business groups acting like it's somehow rude to ask for one. It's not. It's a completely standard part of running a professional service business and if you're not taking them you're absorbing all the financial risk of someone else's bad behaviour.
I introduced a £15 deposit about 6 months ago through Fresha. Before that I was losing money every single month to last-minute cancellations and no-shows. In my worst month I lost over £15 in wasted appointment slots — that's time I could have given to clients who actually wanted to be there.
Here's exactly how I set it up: 25% deposit, non-refundable if cancelled with less than 48 hours notice. I put this in plain English on my booking page and in my confirmation message. No legal jargon, no passive-aggressive tone. Just clear, professional, grown-up policy.
Three people cancelled their bookings when I announced it. Those three people were also the ones who'd no-showed me previously. Genuinely not a loss. Everyone else either already expected it or said it made them feel more confident that I was a serious professional.
I introduced a £15 deposit about 6 months ago through Fresha. Before that I was losing money every single month to last-minute cancellations and no-shows. In my worst month I lost over £15 in wasted appointment slots — that's time I could have given to clients who actually wanted to be there.
Here's exactly how I set it up: 25% deposit, non-refundable if cancelled with less than 48 hours notice. I put this in plain English on my booking page and in my confirmation message. No legal jargon, no passive-aggressive tone. Just clear, professional, grown-up policy.
Three people cancelled their bookings when I announced it. Those three people were also the ones who'd no-showed me previously. Genuinely not a loss. Everyone else either already expected it or said it made them feel more confident that I was a serious professional.
💬 3 Replies
👁 409 Views
💬 3 Replies
Join the conversation! You need to be logged in to reply.
I use SimplyBook.me alongside Xero and the integration is really smooth. Invoices sync automatically, payments are recorded, and my accountant has stopped asking me for spreadsheets every quarter. If you're trying to run a proper business rather than a hobby this kind of integration matters.
#1
I made the same switch and I'd add one thing: tell your clients it's for their benefit, not yours. Frame it as 'you can now book at any time of day without having to wait for me to respond'. That framing works really well and it's also genuinely true.
#2
Been using Timely for two years and I'd echo everything in this post. The one thing I'd add: set up the automated follow-up message asking for a review. I get six new Google reviews a week without doing anything. Massive for local SEO.
#3