You’ve graduated beauty school, or perhaps you’ve been in the industry for years, but are stressed with your day-to-day business tasks. You want to scale your beauty business, either by adding team members, bringing in booth renters, or grow your current team to a larger team or multiple locations. How do you do this seamlessly without burning out along the way? Let me tell you what worked for me and what I learned along the way. I’ve been in your position! I went from solo booth renter to opening my own lash studio, with booth renters, then transitioning to a full team of employees. The biggest “secret” I would share is to have SYSTEMS in place! Without the behind-the-scenes organization, your salon won’t thrive and probably won’t survive. I can tell you from experience that when I didn’t have systems like “how to open and close the salon” in place, the salon would be opened differently any time a new employee opened. My employees were responsible for keeping their rooms clean, but if you don’t tell them how they should be cleaned, you’ll get 20 different versions of that “clean”. So creating a system helped tremendously so that everyone knew what was expected, how to do it, and there were no grey areas or excuses of “I didn’t know”.

You’re considering a large step in your business, so why not set it up right from the beginning? If you already have a team, it’s not too late either! I’m going to share some easy ways to create and implement actual systems that create freedom, consistency and profit for your beauty business. I’m going to share 5 areas to consider when creating systems:

· Client Intake & Retention Workflow

· Inventory & Product Sales Tracking

· Booking & Scheduling Automation

· KPI Tracking & Financial Systems

· Hiring & Onboarding Systems for your growing team

If you’re ready to really dive deep into creating systems to keep your salon/studio/sap functional, keep reading! I know first-hand how important these systems are to implement in your beauty business! Let’s get started!

1. Client Intake & Retention Workflow

A polished client intake and retention system isn’t just about being organized—it’s about creating a seamless, luxury experience that makes clients feel cared for before they even step into your studio! Imagine this: a new client finds your Instagram, clicks the link in your bio, and books an appointment without needing to DM you. They receive a confirmation, a reminder, and even a post-appointment thank you message—all without you lifting a finger. That’s the power of a booking system. Using tools like GlossGenius, Square, or Vagaro lets you automate the booking process, create a seamless client experience, and reduce no-shows. Once the client is in your space, you should collect information from them that will allow you to not only offer the best service for them individually but come across that you are a professional and make their needs a priority. An intake form should include more than contact info. Look to include service history, style preferences/goals, medical concerns (only what has to do with the area(s) you’re working with) and how they found you. Use platforms like **Jotform, Google Forms, or embedded intake forms in GlossGenius or Vagaro**. Pro tip: design your form with branded visuals to match the aesthetic of your business—this sets a high-end tone. Once the service is complete, carve out time in your weekly schedule to input this into a digital area. Keeping digital records of your client over time will become powerful for retention and building trust. Clients love when you remember the little things.

Retention doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built into your systems. Here are a few ways to do it intentionally:

· Automated Follow-Ups

Set up a system that checks in with clients 24–48 hours after their appointment.

· Pre-Scheduling

Encourage clients to book their next appointment before they leave.

· Loyalty & Rebooking Incentives

Reward loyalty with a point system, rebooking discounts, or surprise perks after a certain number of visits.

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2. Inventory & Product Sales Tracking

One of the most overlooked areas in beauty businesses is inventory—and yet it’s one of the most powerful when systemized correctly. Tracking your product levels, retail sales, and reordering schedule shouldn’t live in your head (or on random sticky notes). With the right tools in place, you can automate inventory tracking so you always know what’s selling, what’s sitting, and what needs to be reordered before you run out.

Platforms like Square, SalonScale, or even a simple Google Sheet paired with barcode scanning apps can help you track product usage and retail sales automatically. These systems let you set “reorder points” so when stock runs low—say, you’re down to two lash cleansers—you’ll get a notification to restock before it affects your client flow or income. Quit scrambling last-minute or hoping you’ll remember what you need to reorder before you’re out! The data these tools give you gives you so much more of your time back. It also allows you to know whats going on in your retail side of the business! Monthly or quarterly inventory reports show you what’s flying off the shelves and what’s collecting dust. That info helps you make smarter buying decisions, especially when budgeting or expanding your retail line. If you notice lash wands and aftercare kits are your top sellers, you can bundle them or offer upsells during checkout to increase your average ticket. Once your process is in place, you can start selling retail confidently knowing you won’t overstock or waste money.

3. Booking & Scheduling Automation

I touched on booking automation above, but thought it was important enough to expound a bit more. Quit juggling DM’s, random texts etc, and create a booking system! It is SO easy to have one these days, you shouldn’t make booking hard on yourself by not having this system in place! Automation isn’t just about convenience—it’s about creating a professional experience that sets boundaries, protects your schedule, and keeps your beauty business running like a well-oiled machine. Again, platforms like GlossGenius, Square Appointments, or Vagaro eliminate the back-and-forth completely by letting clients book at their convenience, receive instant confirmations, and get automated reminders before their appointments.

These systems also allow you to set strict policies that clients must agree to when booking, such as cancellation windows, late arrival fees, and no-show policies. This isn’t about being rigid—it’s about respecting your time and energy. Plus, when your calendar is synced with your phone or personal planner, you never have to worry about double-booking or missing important personal commitments. Everything lives in one place, and that peace of mind is priceless. In a beauty business, your time is your most valuable asset. Automating your booking process isn’t just smart—it’s essential if you want to grow, avoid burnout, and give each client a consistently elevated experience from start to finish.

**4. KPI Tracking & Financial Systems**

Let’s be real—most beauty pros didn’t get into this industry because we love spreadsheets. But if you want to build a business that’s not just busy, but profitable and scalable, you *have* to know your numbers. A financial system doesn’t need to be overwhelming—it just needs to be consistent. Think of it like this: the same way you follow a step-by-step process during a service, you need a system for how your money flows.
Start with the basics: separate your personal and business bank accounts. This simple move makes tracking income, expenses, and taxes so much cleaner. Next, create a basic budget—not just for supplies and rent, but also for paying yourself, saving for taxes, and investing back into your business (like education or equipment upgrades). Then, use tools like QuickBooks or a Google Sheet to track what’s coming in and what’s going out every week or month.
Now let’s talk KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)—aka the numbers that tell the *truth* about how your business is doing. Here are a few every beauty pro should track:
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Monthly Revenue - Total money brought in

Service vs. Retail Sales - Are you maximizing both income streams?

Rebooking Rate - Percentage of clients who book again before leaving

Client Retention Rate - How many first-time clients actually come back?

Average Ticket - The average amount spent per appointment

No-Show/Late Cancel Rate - Helps evaluate the effectiveness of your booking policies

When you track these consistently, you’ll start seeing trends—like which months are slower (hello, marketing opportunities), which services are most profitable, or where you’re losing clients. That insight allows you to make data-driven decisions instead of guessing what’s working.

5. Hiring & Onboarding Systems for your growing team

When your beauty business starts growing, your time becomes even more precious—and so does your energy. As you move from solo artist to team leader, the last thing you want is to constantly babysit, repeat yourself, or feel like you're the only one who knows how things should run. That’s where hiring and onboarding systems come in. These systems allow you to scale with confidence, train new team members effectively, and create a studio culture where everyone knows the standard.

Start by building clear Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for everything from cleaning protocols and client communication to product usage and upselling. These aren’t just boring documents—they’re blueprints that help you train new hires without micromanaging. Think of SOPs as the way you“duplicate” your standards, so whether it’s you or a team member performing a service, the client experience stays consistent.

Next, create a team handbook and onboarding checklist. Your handbook should include your business values, policies, dress code, boundaries, expectations for professionalism, and guidelines for handling clients, social media, and emergencies. The onboarding checklist should outline everything a new hire needs to complete in their first week, 30 days, and 90 days—this could include shadowing, mock services, learning your brand voice, or hitting specific client retention goals.

A strong team system isn’t just for today—it’s what sets your beauty business up for long-term growth and sustainability. Whether you’re hiring your first assistant or building out a full salon team, investing in these systems means you’re building something that lasts.

Wrapping up, remember, your beauty business doesn’t have to be chaotic! Start with one of these areas and begin to create a system. Don’t wait until you grow to a large salon with a team of people. Start NOW with just yourself. How do you want things ran and handled day to day? Is that how you’d want a potential future employee to do things? Write it down. That’s your system! Systems give you freedom in your business and remove that extra stress!
If you need help creating systems, reach out! I offer beauty business mentorship where we can sit down or schedule a zoom call and get these ideas hashed out! Click this link to find more info on that!

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