Is Hiring a Bookkeeper Worth It for My Salon?
If you're running a salon, you've probably asked yourself this question at least once.
Maybe you're drowning in receipts and spreadsheets.
Maybe you're "doing" your bookkeeping but have no idea if you're actually making money.
Maybe you just know there's a better way, but you're not sure if it's in your budget.
I get it! And I want you to hear the answer from someone who's spent the last 5 years helping salon owners just like you figure this out.
As a Bookkeeper for Salon Owners…
I'm a bookkeeper who's spent the last five years working with a variety of Salon Owners, including hair loss and hair extension specialists and those with a team of 10+. I didn't start with a background in salons.
When I landed my first salon client, I had to learn. I had to understand the industry from the finance side of things. I learned the salon lingo, like what "backbar" means so I could customize their chart of accounts in a way that actually made sense to them.
Over 5 years and many salon clients later, I've helped countless salon owners get their finances organized and understand their numbers. I've seen what works, what doesn't, and what transforms a business.
So I can confidently say yes, bookkeeping is worth it for salon owners.
The Financial Mess That Happens to So Many Salon Owners
Most salon owners who come to me are in a financial mess. And it's not because they're bad at business; it's because they don't have time for bookkeeping.
You're running a creative service business. You're managing a team, taking care of clients, handling scheduling, marketing, staffing, etc. By the time you remember that bookkeeping needs to happen, the first of the month has come and gone and you're behind.
With most salon clients, I typically walk into:
A year's worth of transactions that need to be cleaned up
Sale payouts recorded incorrectly—showing net income instead of gross, with payment processing fees completely unaccounted for
Sales tax collected but not remitted on products sold in the salon
A standard chart of accounts that has nothing to do with how salons actually operate, so none of your reports make sense when you try to read them
You won’t find judgement here! These are just the patterns I see over and over.
What Changes When You Get Your Books Organized
Let me share what my clients experience when we get their books in order…
One salon owner shared with me how much more confident she feels in her business. The information she used to avoid and shy away from now empowers her!
"I went from being unorganized and uninformed about my numbers to feeling at ease and confident in my business. I would not have known our true profit and loss."
"I was playing a guessing game about whether I could afford to spend money on specific things. I didn't have or understand my budget. But now I feel like I have clarity. I can make better decisions with factual information about my business. I wouldn't have known what percentage of my business was coming from services I wanted to offer versus other services. This helps me make decisions on when I can pivot or change things in my business."
Another client shared how helpful it was to see where her money was actually going.
"I went from stressed and overwhelmed to having peace of mind that everything is organized and accounted for. Now I understand what my spending habits were and how much profit I actually was making."
That's the shift I want more salon owners to experience. From guessing to knowing. From stressed to confident.
Common Bookkeeping Errors I Catch
I catch financial problems constantly. And most of them come down to errors in income recording.
With any payment processor—whether you're using Vagaro, Mangomint, GlossGeek, RosyPay, or any other platform—there can be errors in the reporting, especially when clients are taking cash. This is something I monitor closely and carefully compare what is in your payment software to what is entered into QuickBooks and actually hits your bank.
These discrepancies add up. Clients can lose track of thousands without realizing it.
What Most Salon Owners Do Instead of Hiring Out Bookkeeping is Costing Them
Before hiring me, most salon owners are DIYing their bookkeeping. They're trying to do it themselves.
But as the salon grows, something has to give. You're managing a growing team. You're managing your own clients. And the bookkeeping just... doesn't get done.
It's not laziness. It's math. There are only so many hours in your day, and your time is worth more doing what you're actually trained for—running your salon and serving clients.
The Investment and Benefits of DFY Bookkeeping
Monthly bookkeeping for salon owners starts at $425 a month. For that, you get:
Organized books
Reconciled accounts
Easy-to-read reports in your inbox
Unlimited email access to me (and yes, I actually respond)
Communication with your CPA at tax time if needed
Let's talk about what NOT hiring a bookkeeper costs you:
It will cost you hours spent wondering if you're doing your bookkeeping right. It could cost you additional savings at tax time through missed deductions. It costs you the mental energy of carrying that task around in your brain.
These Bookkeeping Reports Are the Change-Makers
I give my clients the following reports each month, which transform how they run their business…
Profit and Loss Report:
I often split this up by services so you can see exactly where your money is coming from and whether it's still worth it to offer. You can see exactly where your money is going and make decisions based on that.
Profit and Loss by Month:
Easily compare your months to see when your high and low seasons are. This matters for staffing, for marketing, for everything.
Statement of Cash Flow:
This shows you exactly where your money is going outside of the expenses on the P&L. We're talking about things like owner draw, sales tax payments, credit card and debt payments. This is the real money picture.
Balance Sheet:
See where your business stands in a snapshot in time - what do you have in your checking/savings account and what debt do you have to payoff (credit cards, loans, etc).
Other Reports by Request:
Like a list of recurring subscriptions so you can easily do a tech stack cleanup. (You'd be shocked how many software subscriptions salon owners forget they're paying for.)
When Should You Hire a Bookkeeper for Your Salon?
There's definitely a good time to hire a bookkeeper—and that's now. I know that might sound self-serving, but hear me out!
The idea of hiring a bookkeeper can feel overwhelming. But the time you get back can save you so much.
What would you do with the time you gained? Take on another client? Hire the employee you've been wanting to bring on? Take the afternoon off to spend with friends and family?
Time is your most valuable resource as a salon owner. You’re already so busy!
If you aren't sure if you can afford one, that may be a good sign it's time. You gain valuable information through your numbers being up to date with proper bookkeeping. Once you see what you're actually making, you might realize you can absolutely afford the service!
For anyone who just wants to have me review their current situation, I offer a Catch Up/Clean Up service.
Hiring a Bookkeeper Who Understands Salons Matters
There’s a difference between hiring a general bookkeeper and hiring someone who knows salons.
I’m familiar with how salons operate. I understand the common expenses. I know the lingo you use. I'm familiar with the software many salon owners use, which means you can talk how you normally do without having to explain it to your bookkeeper.
You're not educating me about your business. You're just running it while I handle the numbers!
The Misconception About CPAs and Bookkeepers
Hiring me as a bookkeeper isn't like hiring a CPA who is there one time a year. I'm there for year-round support to keep you organized, make your life as a busy salon owner easier, and help you make the most out of your reports.
When you hand your bookkeeping off to me, you're offloading more than just the task. You're offloading the mental capacity of you thinking, "I need to get my bookkeeping done, but I just don't know when." By the time you remember that you have to do it the first of each month, reports will be in your inbox.
That's the difference. And that's what makes it worth it.
