How many appointments can a solo barber fit in a day?

It is easy to guess that a barber fits "about ten" people in a day. A quick calculation gives you a number you can plan and price around.

Start with your working hours

Say you work 9am to 5.30pm. That is eight and a half hours, or 510 minutes.

Take off your breaks

Subtract lunch and any other breaks. If you take 30 minutes, you now have 480 minutes of chair time.

Add the real length of each service

Time each service honestly, including talking, finishing and taking payment:

• Haircut: 30 minutes.
• Skin fade: 45 minutes.
• Beard trim: 20 minutes.
• Haircut and beard: 60 minutes.

Add a buffer

A five minute gap between clients is normal. With 480 minutes and an average slot of 40 minutes plus a 5 minute buffer, you fit roughly ten or eleven clients.

Do the money sum

Multiply the number of clients by your average price. If it is £20, ten clients is £200 a day. That is a number you can compare with your costs and your goals, and it shows what a single empty slot is worth.

Where the gaps hide

Most days fall short of the maximum because of dead time: a client cancels, there are 15 minutes nobody can use, or a long service lands awkwardly. A booking page that offers slots which fit together neatly reduces those gaps.

The takeaway

Know your real service times and buffer, and you can plan your day and your pricing with confidence. Bookable builds your available times from the lengths and gaps you set, so clients can only book slots that actually fit.

Keep reading

• Get found locally in Lichfield, Burntwood and Tamworth
• How to choose a booking app: a plain checklist
• How to stop no-shows at your barbershop