Money Matters · November 5, 2026
Work out what December can earn, see how much of it is already booked, and fill the rest in the first week of November while clients are still choosing dates.
Work out what December can earn, see how much of it is already booked, and fill the rest in the first week of November while clients are still choosing dates.
This is for the owner of a salon or barbershop. The arithmetic is the same for a nail or lash studio; use your own prices.
Count what December can hold
Start with the hours you will work behind the chair.
A barber working 9 to 6, Tuesday to Saturday, has 18 working days between 1 and 24 December 2026. At 45 minutes a cut, back to back, that is 12 cuts a day, or 216 cuts by Christmas Eve.
At $40 a cut, December up to the 24th can hold $8,640 from one chair.
Do the same for your own chair: working days, appointments per day, average price.
Count what is already booked
Open your calendar and count the appointments already in December. Multiply by your average price.
If 90 of the 216 are booked, you have $3,600 in the book and $5,040 still open. That open number is the target for the next four weeks.
See why the first week of November matters
Clients with a fixed date (a work party, a family photo, a flight home) book once they know the date, and they book with whoever has that date open.
Open last December's calendar and note which days filled first. Those are the days to fill now. A Saturday booked on 5 November is booked at your normal price. A Saturday still open on 15 December has to be filled in a few days.
Make December bookable now
Check how far ahead clients can book. Booked lets you choose how far ahead your calendar opens, and the default is two weeks. At the default, a client looking on 5 November cannot see December at all. Set it far enough ahead to cover the whole month, on Dashboard → Hours.
Before you open December, enter the days you will not work. Use a closure for days the whole shop is shut and a time-off block for one person. Our post on blocking your own chair time walks through which setting to use.
Ask the clients you already have
Your regulars are the cheapest bookings to fill. Look at who came in last December and has not booked this December. Ask them in the chair, or send a short message with your booking link to the clients you know are happy to hear from you.
Our holiday prep list has the rest of the November checklist.
Do this now
| Step | Minutes |
|---|---|
| Count December working days and appointments per day | 10 |
| Count December bookings already on the calendar | 10 |
| Work out the open dollar amount | 5 |
| Set how far ahead clients can book so December is visible | 5 |
| Add closures and time-off blocks for December | 10 |
| List last December's clients with no December booking yet | 20 |
Shop owners: the settings are explained in Close for a holiday, or open on odd hours.