Timely Blog

I remember when I first opened my salon, someone suggested it wouldn’t make any money because ‘sitting around all day painting nails is a hobby and not a business’. Well, I proved them wrong. After growing a 9-treatment room spa which I sold in 2020, I now coach salon owners daily and regularly see that actually, owning a salon or hair and beauty business, is probably more complex than most other business models.

We’ve all been there. A client calls to cancel 20 minutes before their treatment and asks for their deposit back and we don’t know what to say. Refund, and all will be well with that particular clients, but you’ll have lost that booking space. Or tell the client we can’t refund and we are holding their deposit and risk a tirade of abuse.

It’s a wonderful thing, the salon world. It’s sparkly, ever-evolving, transformational and a truly beautiful industry to be part of. We are so lucky that we can bring our passion to life and spend time looking after our gorgeous clients.

But, (because there is always a but) this ONLY works IF you can get your numbers right. Your salon pricing is fundamentally the biggest building block of your business, and now, more than ever, we need to have this in hand.

Almost all small business owners will agree that the first few months after launch are a rollercoaster of emotions. Thankfully, you can steady the ship by focusing on these seven things.

At some point or another we’ve all felt deflated or disrespected when someone has gotten our name wrong (even when it’s clearly written at the bottom of an email 😅). Pronouns are as much a part of someone’s identity as their name. Getting them right means more to people than you might think – it’s a way to help someone feel respected and seen.

Our new pronouns feature makes it easy for your staff and your clients to communicate their pronouns, which in turn creates a safe, inclusive client experience for everyone who walks through your salon door.

Someone once said to me “EVERYONE who comes into my salon is a VIP. I do not differentiate”. Bold statement. Because whilst I appreciate the sentiment, if EVERYONE is a VIP, surely no one is a VIP right? Because VIP implies an elevated experience for your clients. And if everyone has that elevated experience, then surely that experience is just, well, normal. But of course, wanting to attract a certain calibre of clients – particularly those who seek a VIP experience and are willing to pay for it, can only be a good thing. As long as you structure it in a way that provides different levels of VIP experience.

Gift vouchers are booming. Giving the the gift of pampering in your own time is growing and growing. This year, gift voucher spend is going to be even bigger, with a projected 50% increase year on year! With Timely, you can get online gift vouchers set up in minutes!

The wow factor. That’s what we all want, isn’t it?

Our clients think that what we do is ‘wow’. That we’re the best. That we deliver the most incredible experience every single time they walk through our doors. And isn’t that an exciting concept?

I mean after all, we’re artists,  healers, therapists, stylists. We often know our clients better than they know themselves. And yet, on occasion, we can overlook the simplest of things that have the biggest impact. 

It seems like phishing scams and email hacks are on the rise, and you might be worried about the security of your business and customer information. Rest assured that here at Timely, we have an entire team dedicated to your account security, and multiple systems and procedures in place to protect it. But, there are some important things that you can do to keep your Timely account safe and secure, so we’ve put together this guide to help you take action now.

After more than 10 years at the helm of Timely, it’s time for me to pass on the leadership baton and take some time out to spend with my family. I am thrilled to share with you that Stuart McLean is stepping in as our new Managing Director to lead our rapidly growing team and community.

Keeping your appointment schedule full can feel like a full-time job! Here are some tips from salon expert Hollie Power on how you can get clients coming back again and again.

Hate selling products because you feel pushy? We hear ya! But guess what? You’re holding yourself back from providing first-class customer service and hindering your business from better financial success. Julie Piantadosi teaches us about having a sales mindset, and how to sell naturally, close the sale, and make money.