Q&A with Decadence Salon: the strategies behind 10 years of success

London-based Decadence Salon has over ten years of growth and success under their belt – and they aren’t slowing down anytime soon. In this Q&A, we dive into the insights and experiences of Simon Finer, co-owner, and get valuable tips from his firsthand experience as a salon owner —  and how Fresha has played an important role in his salon’s success.

Tell us about your journey as a salon owner.

As a business owner with a tech and retail background, I’m passionate about creating exceptional client experiences. After spending many years helping other businesses do exactly that, I decided to channel that passion into my own salon. It’s going really well: we’ve got a great local reputation, and we celebrated our 10th anniversary in 2021. 

How do you make sure your salon stands out?

We set ourselves apart by creating a warm and friendly environment where clients feel like they're among friends or family. The whole team focuses on delivering an exceptional client experience that’s worth remembering. Plus, we have a strong partnership with a leading hair care brand which adds to our reputation, and we use their top-quality products to deliver unforgettable treatments.

What do clients love most about Decadence Salon?

Our clients appreciate the welcoming and relaxed atmosphere we provide. We aim to build long-lasting relationships with each client, which means taking the time to understand their needs and making sure they feel valued with personalised service. Clients also know we’re always on top of beauty trends, and that they can come to us for the latest, most popular treatments.

What’s the secret to your success?

We stay ahead of the curve when it comes to trends, techniques, and technologies, which helps us adapt to our clients’ evolving needs. Plus, we put a lot of effort into our online presence and have a high ranking on Google, which has really helped attract a new generation of clients who prefer to do things digitally.

What’s been your biggest challenge so far as a salon owner?

Dealing with no-shows and last-minute cancellations can be difficult. Many of our services like colours and hair extensions are high value – so when clients miss those appointments it costs us quite a lot of revenue and time, and disrupts our stylists’ schedules.

Fresha’s card capture feature helped us tackle this issue. Clients enter their payment card details when they book, and we’ve set up a clear cancellation policy that helps us protect our income if clients don’t show up. We get far less no-shows and cancellations as a result. 

What led you to start using Fresha?

Before Fresha, we tried other online booking platforms – but they didn't offer real-time bookings, and required us to pay for a subscription to process payments. We moved over when we found out Fresha was subscription-free, and now we’re saving around £400 per month. The platform’s value for money has only grown over time, and it continues to be a cost-effective solution for my business.

How easy was it to get started with Fresha?

Setting up Fresha and moving over from our previous system was a breeze. We have a long list of clients, and importing them to Fresha went very smoothly. Creating our service menu was intuitive and straightforward. Our account manager was really supportive, but the platform is so simple that we were able to handle most of it ourselves.

How has Fresha helped you grow your business?

Fresha's integration with Google Reserve has really helped our growth. Combined with our high rankings on Google search, having a prominent “Book Now” has brought us a significant number of bookings from both new and regular clients – they love the convenience of booking online. 

What’s your all-time favourite Fresha feature?

Choosing just one is hard, but we’re big fans of Fresha’s automated notifications. They help us remind clients of upcoming appointments, and keep our team up-to-date on any new bookings or changes to appointments throughout the day. The best part is not having to think about sending notifications ourselves, since Fresha handles it all for us.

One word of advice salon owners need to hear? 

Be open to new technology and trends. The beauty industry moves fast, and the best thing you can do for your business is adapt to changes and stay ahead of the game – both with the services you offer, and the tools you use to run your salon. Fresha is exactly one of those tools: it will give you everything you need to stay flexible and in control of your business, while providing a consistently great client experience.