What 18 months with Fresha taught me about my own business patterns
Ross Thomas
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Salon / Hair Studio · Yeovil · 6mo ago
Can we talk about the actual cost of running a waxing salon without a proper booking system? Because I think a lot of people are making the calculation wrong.
They see the monthly fee — let's say £50 per month — and think that's an expense. But they don't add up what they're already spending:
- Time doing manual admin (at least five hours a week for most people I speak to)
- Money lost to no-shows with no deposit protection
- Clients you miss because they couldn't get through on the phone
- Late-night WhatsApp messages you answer because you feel you have to
When I sat down and actually counted this up for my waxing salon in Leicester, I was losing the equivalent of £50 a week to inefficiency. The booking system paid for itself in the first fortnight.
I've been using Jane App now for a year and the ROI is obvious. My diary is fuller, my admin time is down to about five hours a week from what used to be a lot more, and I haven't had a no-show in over a month because the deposit system filters out the chancers before they waste my time.
They see the monthly fee — let's say £50 per month — and think that's an expense. But they don't add up what they're already spending:
- Time doing manual admin (at least five hours a week for most people I speak to)
- Money lost to no-shows with no deposit protection
- Clients you miss because they couldn't get through on the phone
- Late-night WhatsApp messages you answer because you feel you have to
When I sat down and actually counted this up for my waxing salon in Leicester, I was losing the equivalent of £50 a week to inefficiency. The booking system paid for itself in the first fortnight.
I've been using Jane App now for a year and the ROI is obvious. My diary is fuller, my admin time is down to about five hours a week from what used to be a lot more, and I haven't had a no-show in over a month because the deposit system filters out the chancers before they waste my time.
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Just want to add for anyone reading this who's worried about the tech side — I am not a tech person at all. I set up Setmore by myself in one afternoon by just following their setup guide. If I can do it, genuinely anyone can.
#1
Been using BookPin for 3 months 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 five new Google reviews a week without doing anything. Massive for local SEO.
#2
Totally agree about Fresha's transaction fee adding up. I did the maths for my price point and the 'free' plan was actually costing me more than a paid subscription to BookPin by the time I factored in the percentage on every booking. Read the small print before assuming free is cheaper.
#3
Been using Vagaro for 18 months 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 three new Google reviews a week without doing anything. Massive for local SEO.
#4
The no-show stats in this post match my experience almost exactly. I was losing roughly £5 a month to no-shows and cancellations before I introduced deposits. That money was just gone. Now it's protected. The maths on deposits is completely obvious once you see it.
#5