Straight answers for people who work alone.
Practical, free and checked against the sources, with no sign-up. Each guide says when we last checked it.
Getting started
Setting up, or moving from a booking app.
Moving from Fresha, Booksy or Treatwell to your own system, step by step
Take your clients, prices and bookings with you.
What to ask before you buy any booking system
Eleven questions to ask before you sign up.
What your booking app costs over three years, and what it leaves out
The whole bill over 36 months, not just the monthly price.
More guides
- Why your clients' records should be yours, not your booking app's Keep your clients' records somewhere you control.
- Renting a chair: who owns the client list Make sure the clients and the records are yours.
Every day
Bookings, forms, money and aftercare.
Taking deposits without chasing
Deposits that protect your time without putting clients off.
Consultation and consent forms: what to ask, what to keep, how long
What to ask, and how to keep the answers safe.
Cancellation policies that work, and how to apply them kindly
A fair policy, clear before the client pays.
More guides
- Patch tests explained: when, how often and how to record them Why the record of a patch test matters as much as the test.
- Working from home or on the road: addresses, safety and travel time Simple routines for home visits and a home studio.
- Setting rebooking gaps for fills and infills Choose a rebooking gap that suits each treatment.
- Walk-ins and bookings in the same chair Decide which hours are which, and say so plainly.
- Colour records and formulas: what to keep What to note so you can repeat a result.
- Booking long colour appointments and processing time Quote and block the waiting so your day runs on time.
- Booking a tattoo over several sessions: quotes, deposits and what to put in writing Write down the plan, the money and the gaps first.
- Healing check-ins and touch-ups: a simple aftercare routine A short aftercare routine you repeat every time.
- Tattoo and piercing admin: age checks, designs, deposits and aftercare The rules and the paperwork for tattoo and piercing.
- Personal training admin: health screening, session packs and standing bookings Screening, health information and fair terms.
Growing
Getting found, and selling more of what you do.
How to get found on Google as a one-person business
Be clear and consistent, and let real clients speak.
Before and after photos: getting permission
Ask clearly before you use a client's photo, and keep a record.
Online coaching admin: who has paid, check-ins, renewals and client notes
What to track, where it lives and who sees it.
More guides
- Selling packs of sessions: what to put in the terms Clear terms before anyone pays in advance.
- Small groups, classes and standing bookings: running a timetable that stays fair Write down how groups and standing slots work.
Worried you won't get on with it? See for yourself first.
The manual
Short, one-job pages with pictures. Read it before you buy, keep it after.
Open the manualA real one to try
Book a pretend appointment, then see it arrive in the demo back office. Nothing is sent.
Have a go
You've done the hard part. Let's finish the rest.
By video. We send you a link; you just tap it.
Read next: What The Finisher sets up for you
