Are you ready to take your business to the next level? As a beauty entrepreneur, you know that having the right policies in place is essential to success. That's why we've compiled a list of the must-have policies that every beauty entrepreneur needs to implement.
1. Deposits
Deposits are probably one of the most important policies to implement as a service-based entrepreneur. As a service provider, time is literally money. Enforcing deposits holds people accountable for their time. It doesn't guarantee a client will show up 100% of the time, but it's a pretty high percentage.
The higher the deposit, the more likely they will come to their appointment.
2. No Show Policy
Everyone knows no shows are one of the worst things that can happen to a service provider.
There are many different approaches to no shows. In our eyelash salon Lash Dreams, our no show policy is:
1 no show = must pay for next appointment in full before re-booking
Anything more than 1 no show = banned from our salon
Of course there are much more lenient policies you can implement in regards to no shows. I personally have an extremely low tolerance for no shows. It takes 5 seconds to shoot a text saying "I'm sorry I can't make it." One time is understandable, anything more than that is done purposefully.
3. Grace Period
Sometimes people are late, and that's okay. I'm not perfect and I tend to show up a little late to some of my appointments! However, there should be a cut off time for that.
The grace period I like to implement is 15 minutes. Anything past that is subject to rescheduling and considered a late cancel.
In my experience from working for several salons and as an independent lash artist, clients will continue to test your boundaries every time you let them be late. I've had clients come more than half an hour late, and they CONTINUED to do it.
You need to stop feeling bad for clients when they're late, especially when they say things like "but i'm almost there!". They don't feel bad for wasting YOUR time, so why would you feel bad for them?
It's Time To Take A Stand
There's a difference between being nice and being a pushover. Implementing policies means you are just respecting yourself and your business, and there's absolutely no need to feel bad for doing so. My upcoming Independent E-Book will share everything I've learned about being independent, so you don't have to go through the same mistakes I did. Don't forget to sign up with your e-mail for the latest updates!