Practical guides for UK barbers.

Pricing

Fresha fees, explained for UK barbers.

Fresha markets itself as free. For most barbers it isn't — the commissions and forced card fees stack up fast. Here's exactly what you pay, with maths against real shop volumes.

Pricing

How much does Fresha actually cost?

Short answer: between £0 and several hundred pounds a month, depending on how many bookings Fresha tags as 'new'. Here's how to estimate yours.

Pricing

Booksy fees, explained for UK barbers.

Booksy is the opposite shape from Fresha — there's a real subscription, plus SMS top-ups, plus optional Boost spend. The base looks fine until it doesn't.

Operations

How to reduce no-shows in your barbershop.

Every empty chair is lost revenue. The good news: most no-shows aren't malicious — they're forgetful. A few small systems will cut them sharply.

Marketing

Barbershop marketing that actually fills chairs.

Most marketing advice for barbers is generic small-business advice. Barbershops have specific levers — Instagram before/afters, a public booking link, win-back SMS. Here are the ones that move the needle.

Starting out

How to start a barbershop in the UK.

Opening a barbershop in the UK isn't complicated, but the order matters. Get the licensing, lease, and booking system right before you spend on chairs.

Starting out

The barbershop business plan that gets funded.

Business plans for funding need specific numbers, not waffle. Here's the structure UK banks and the Start Up Loans Scheme actually want to see.