Handy tools to aid your business

REBECCA HITCHON rounds up business resources to streamline your admin tasks, support your marketing efforts & aid efficiency

METICULOUS MANAGEMENT

Phorest

“Salon professionals are often time-poor and juggling admin tasks, while also trying to provide top-class customer service to their clients. Using a salon programme like Phorest allows them to automate non-client-facing tasks, increasing efficiency,” details Avril Kealy, Phorest’s digital marketing expert.

Features include:

• Appointment, staff, treatment room and equipment scheduling.

• An online booking platform with deskless check-in.

• Smart consultation forms and video consultations, with client information stored in the cloud.

• A marketing suite and ads manager, with automated SMS and email appointment reminders.

• Staff management and performance tracking.

• The ability to send product recommendations to clients and request reviews from them.

• Integrated payment software, PhorestPay.

• An online store, where gift vouchers can be bought, with stock taking and a loyalty programme.

“By giving your clients access to online booking, SMS or email appointment reminders and flexible payment options using system-stored cards or online deposits, you make it easier for them to visit your business compared to competitors,” continues Avril. “Using technology to ensure clients only receive marketing material relevant to their interests or past services can help them feel seen by your business.”

Research conducted by Phorest found that salons with an online booking platform saw a 49% reduction in no-shows.

Request a quote for your business via www.phorest.com

Slick

Slick caters to freelancers, small businesses, large salons and multi-site companies via its software solutions and free business coaching sessions. Invested in by L’Oréal to help digitise the salon industry, a standout feature of Slick is its accommodation of those renting a chair or space, with tools that allow staff to separate their takings but work from one communal calendar.

Slick’s online booking software can be integrated into your social media platforms and website, including with its ‘Book Now’ button on Instagram. It eliminates gaps and can be fully customised, so you can choose when staff and services are available and for how long. Bookings can be managed via Slick’s smart diary at any time, with client information saved to refer to and Slick’s card reader, SlickPay, connected to keep you in the know.

In a bid to reduce no-shows, the company offers free two-way SMS reminders for clients to confirm their appointments – noting that 90% of SMS messages are opened, compared to 20% of emails. Slick also requests reviews from clients, helping to improve your search engine optimisation (SEO) on Google.

Its barcode scanning app allows you to easily track product levels, manage suppliers and set reorder points, and reporting features help calculate revenue and manage staff.

Slick packages start from £20 + VAT per month. Find out more at www.getslick.com

Polishpad

Tailored to the specific needs of nail professionals and clients, Polishpad is a comprehensive business management tool, through which clients can book and manage appointments with nail technicians in their area and pros can elevate their visibility and streamline business tasks.

Nail techs who sign up to Polishpad can create a personalised one-page website on the platform, displaying their services and a visual portfolio of work. After signing up, clients can explore diverse nail businesses in their area, look through portfolios, read reviews and book appointments 24/7. When booking, they can add notes about their appointments and upload imagery of the style of nails they like, giving techs time to accommodate their requests and ensure appointment times are enough.

Clients must secure their bookings with a valid payment method in Polishpad’s integrated payment gateway, meaning a cancellation fee can be charged. Via the tool, nail professionals can also access detailed reports, allowing them to monitor bookings and revenue growth, as well as set goals.

Free and Pro subscriptions are available via www.polishpad.co.uk

Beauterra

Beauterra, previously known as Beautyverse, is an app designed to simplify the communication and booking process between beauty artists and clients or models for projects. It showcases the availability, work and reviews of independent nail, hair, barbering, brow, lash, make-up, massage and aesthetics professionals.

Award-winning nail tech & educator, Andreea Simona Ignat, has supported the development of the app, consulting on the needs of beauty artists and their clients. Professionals simply need to register with their fields of expertise and provide their business address, or select mobile services and the areas covered. They can then list their availability in Beauterra’s booking system and calendar, and detail the services they offer, with photos of their work to help clients when booking. A personal Beauterra link will be created, which can be shared on their business’ social media platforms.

The process of using the app is just as simple for clients, who can browse and book with Beauterra artists upon registering for free. Clients receive reviews from therapists, too, helping artists to determine whether they should accept a booking.

Visit https://beauty.versetech.app to get involved and benefit from Beauterra’s free membership or Beauterra Plus for £5.99 per month.

10 OUT OF 10

New to the beauty booking system market is 10 OUT OF 10, a web and mobile app startup on a mission to seamlessly connect hair, beauty and wellness providers with clients. Via the tool, clients can search for a treatment, and are presented with detailed descriptions of services from a range of providers, as well as reviews.

In its dedication to industry businesses, 10 OUT OF 10 has no upfront costs or subscription fees. Instead, it charges 4.75% commission on each transaction and a payment processing fee of up to £0.15.

The company is dedicated to raising standards, therefore to list a service on the app, a beauty business, or ‘partner’, must upload qualifications for this service. For these businesses, the booking process is streamlined, and they can view appointments in a calendar format, as well as keep communications organised in the app’s chat feature. In here, clients and service providers can share photos. With the option to secure bookings with a deposit, 10 OUT OF 10 takes charge of intermediary conversations between service providers and clients in the case of a dispute.

Pros can sign up to be a 10 OUT OF 10 partner by visiting www.10outof10.com

Pocket PA

Designed with self-employed small business owners in mind, Pocket PA helps pros to manage their administrative tasks in one place and reduce time completing them, so they can focus on clients. Features include:

• A client database, where you can keep track of each person’s appointments, records, preferences, invoices and sales.

• An online booking system, which takes payments in advance, and a colour-coded online diary, in which you can add blocked, private or recurring appointments.

• Online appointments, consultations and classes via Zoom.

• Multipart and split appointments to help you book out time for processing, travel and prep.

• Automated SMS and email appointment reminders, ‘thank you’ messages, personalised promotional communications and gift voucher creation.

• Directions between appointments, and mileage and expense tracking.

• Overview of profits, expected income and outstanding payments, invoice templates and a tax estimator tool.

• Detailed reports and goal tracking.

Pocket PA plans start from £16.50 per month or £198 per year via www.pocketpa.com

GRAPHIC GREATNESS

CapCut

OPI educator, Tracy Dudziak, part of the Scratch Stars Awards-winning OPI team for 2023, which is a finalist for 2024, uses two digital tools to enhance her content creation. Via her Instagram account, @tracydudziaknailartist, she notes: “CapCut is great for editing content, including Reels, and is easy to master. There are plenty of effectss and templates to use.”

Last year, the free video editor and graphic design tool announced CapCut for Business, designed to help businesses and creators of all sizes make powerful, high-quality ads and branded content easily. Available via the CapCut app on desktop, mobile and tablet, features include AI-powered advert script generation, business templates, a tool that converts a product URL into ad videos, AI-generated presenters and virtual try-ons by an AI model.

Projects can also be collaborated on by multiple team members.

Sign up to Capcut at www.capcut.com

Canva

Tracy Dudziak writes: “Canva is amazing for branding your page and creating a slick aesthetic. Use it to design your logo, price list, business cards, standout posts and Stories.” The pro has created e-book, Mastering Canva: A Step By Step Guide, to equip Canva users with the essential skills needed to navigate the graphic creation tool seamlessly. It covers getting started with Canva, choosing between a Free and Pro account, understanding the toolbars and different elements, editing designs and tips and tricks.

Scan here to purchase Mastering Canva for £67 inc VAT

Sign up to Canva at www.canva.com

Timely

Providing booking and client management software to over 55,000 hair and beauty professionals globally, Timely’s range of cloud-based offerings serves to help beauty businesses run efficiently and grow, while offering a smooth experience for clients.

Features include:

• Customisable digital consultation forms with the Timely Consult app, and client profiles featuring consultation documents, appointment history, photos and preferences.

• An online booking platform, with a client portal for managing appointments and the option to minimise gaps and have a waitlist.

• Automated appointment confirmation and reminder messages, and customised aftercare instructions and rebooking reminders.

• Secure payment processing online and in-salon via TimelyPay, with the option to add deposits and cancellation fees, and a customisable rewards scheme.

• Targeted email and SMS marketing campaigns and follow up contact to request reviews.

• Management of employees’ treatments and hours, with customised staff access.

• Shopify online store and stock management with the Timely Stock app.

• Detailed cashflow, client and performance reporting and integration with accounting software.

Sign up to Timely via www.gettimely.com from £20 per month.

PLANNING PLATFORMS

Salon Owner’s Annual Planner 2024

From Scratch Stars Session Nail Stylist of the Year 2018 & 2019, Nickie Rhodes-Hill, comes the Salon Owner’s Annual Planner 2024, following the success of the 2023 edition. The 198-page planner is slightly bigger than A5: the ideal size for a handbag. It features annual smart goals and goal planning, an awareness days page, a 2025 planning page and regular overviews, as well as monthly finance and ideas pages.

The Salon Owner’s Annual Planner 2024 is available for £19.99 inc VAT from Nailmania Publishing on www.amazon.co.uk

90-day Success Plan

Social media mentoring company, Blossom Tree Social, offers downloadable digital resources for nail and beauty pros, including a 15-page 90-day Success Plan. Able to be printed out or completed on a digital device, by following the steps provided, you’ll achieve a plan to help you achieve your business goals over the following 90 days. The tool includes a guide to success, planners, motivational quotes and areas to jot down achievements and milestones. The 90-day Success Plan is available for £5.99 inc VAT via www.blossomtreesocial.com

Journal of a Beauty Business Owner

Do you need help staying grounded and avoiding feelings of overwhelm about your business? The Journal of a Beauty Business Owner was created by Lincoln beauty pro, educator & owner of the Lincoln Lashes company, Rebecca Atkin, who has over seven years’ experience in the industry.

Expect 10 weeks of journaling with this A5, handbag-friendly resource, which includes pages to write gratitude lists, tasks, content ideas and posts to schedule, stock take, accounting notes and more. It also features daily and weekly reviews and encouraging words of wisdom.

The Journal of a Beauty Business Owner is available for £23.99 + VAT via www.lincolnlashesbeauty.com

FINANCIAL FOUNDATIONS

Nail Tech Org pricing calculator

Community organisation and learning platform, The Nail Tech Org, which spearheaded the National Nail Tech Price Increase Day movement, provides its members with a current income calculator and pricing calculator, via a free pricing course. It also includes two masterclasses, email templates and a communication kit, to help share messages about price changes with clients. This is alongside The Nail Tech Org’s 300+ nail art tutorials, 9+ business courses, weekly live classes and support hubs for business, nail art, personal growth, physical and mental health and social media. Membership is available for £40.83 per month for a 12-month commitment, or £49 per month for three months via www.thenailtech.org

SMART Group’s salon health check

Aesthetic product provider for salons and clinics, the SMART Group, is offering beauty salons a free, personalised, no obligation business review to help them explore profit opportunities and ways to satisfy client demand. Lasting 20 minutes over Zoom, the review is designed to establish a salon’s performance and what it would look like by introducing a SMART machine. The health check:

• Establishes a salon’s market position.

• Identifies its key performance indicators.

• Defines its key consumer groups and spending habits.

• Presents its customer demands.

• Shares its treatment trends and demands.

• Provides a profit-loss business planner.

• Presents a case study of how a SMART device could benefit the business clinically and commercially.

Book your salon’s health check by visiting www.the-smartgroup.co.uk/healthcheck or scanning here.

If you do, you could win an afternoon for two at the Ritz and more!

Boss Your Profits

Former Scratch columnist, Maddi Cook, is the mastermind behind pricing calculator and corresponding programme, Boss Your Profits. She was inspired to create these after noticing a trend of nail pros copying each other’s pricing structures, rather than basing this on their own business overheads and goals.

“My calculator can handle infinite variations of service pricing, so whether you offer three services or 300, it will calculate cost perfectly, personally and profitably,” Maddi previously told Scratch.

“For nail art, intricate designs take longer and often require more products. The calculator takes this into account and tells you exactly what you need to be charging, whether you’re creating a plain gel manicure or 10 mini masterpieces.” As well as calculating your service price list, the calculator shares how much profit you’ll make per service and can be accessed whenever a pro needs. It is available alongside Maddi’s online course of 11 pricing modules and Boss Your Profits’ private, online community of supportive beauty business owners. Enrol onto the Boss Your Profits programme, where you can access the pricing calculator, by visiting www.bossyoursalon.com/bossyourprofits and paying yearly or once for lifetime access.

QuickBooks

The accounting aspect of running a business can be overwhelming for those with little experience in this area. QuickBooks is an easy-to-use accounting software to help you be confident in your finances. It also comes with support from the company’s experts if you need it.

Features include:

• A real-time view of your finances and cash flow, by connecting your banks and credit cards.

• An online invoicing feature, which allows you to quickly create and send professional invoices.

• Expense automation and organisation, so you can spend less time on manual data entry.

• Self-assessment support, with accurate calculation of your Income Tax and National Insurance contributions, plus tracking of expenses.

• The ability to manage your accounts from anywhere with QuickBook’s online features and free app.

• Employee, project and payroll management. Plans start from £10 per month or £108 per year. Find out more via www.quickbooks.intuit.com/uk

HMRC transition profit calculator

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has launched an interactive, online tool to support the 280,000 sole traders affected by Basis Period Reform changes. It helps them navigate the changes to complete their 2023-24 Self Assessment tax returns correctly, based on the details they provide about their business, profits, losses and more.

These sole traders and the 250,000 partners in impacted partnerships and LLPs now need to report their profits up to the end of the tax year, even if their accounting year ends on a different date. The first time they will be required to do this is when they submit their 2023-24 Self Assessment tax return, which is due by 31 January 2025 and can be submitted now.

The interactive tool helps sole traders to calculate the Basis Period Reform elements of their tax return. The existing online form for sole traders and partners to request overlap relief details continues to be available and is unaffected.

Check out the calculator via www.gov.uk/guidance/work-out-your-transition-profit