Sample Sole Trader Report · True Earnings and Capacity

1. Business Overview - Key Metrics

Gross Revenue

$11,240

Just Above Target

Your target: $11,200+

Total Expenses

$2,280

20% of Revenue

Chair, products, insurance, software

Net Take-Home

$8,960

Before Tax

80% margin on gross

Effective Hourly Rate

$94/hr

Below Target

Your target: $120+/hr

Rebooking Rate

62%

Watch

Your target: 70%+

Retail Conversion

9%

Below Target

Your target: 15%+

Total Services

86

Active

Across 17 working days

Avg Service Value

$131

Room to Grow

Your target: $150+

2. True Hourly Rate - What You Actually Earn Per Hour on the Floor

Billed Service Hours

120 hrs

Across 86 services this month

Gross Rate

$131/hr

Revenue divided by service time

True Rate (after expenses)

$94/hr

Take-home divided by hours worked

Metric Key - Hourly Rate Targets

Green: $120/hr or above (at target)
Amber: $108 to $119/hr (within 10% of target)
Red: below $108/hr (below target threshold)

3. Profitability by Service Category

Service	Bookings	Revenue	Avg Duration	Rev per Hour	% of Revenue	Status
Full Colour + Cut	24	$4,320	2.5 hrs	$180/hr	38%	At target
Balayage	18	$3,420	3 hrs	$190/hr	30%	At target
Cut + Blowdry	22	$1,980	1 hr	$90/hr	18%	Below target
Toner only	14	$980	1 hr	$70/hr	9%	Well below target
Kids Cut	8	$540	0.5 hrs	$135/hr	5%	Within range
Total	86	$11,240	-	$131/hr blended	100%	-

Metric Key - Revenue per Hour Targets

Green: $120/hr or above (your agreed target)
Amber: $108 to $119/hr (within 10% of target)
Red: below $108/hr (below target threshold)

4. Break-Even Analysis - Hours Needed to Cover Costs

What It Costs You to Open the Chair Every Week

Total monthly expenses (chair rent, products, insurance, software, marketing, misc) $2,280

Weekly fixed cost of being in business $570

Your current blended rate $131/hr

Break-even hours per week (cost cover only) 4.4 hrs/week

Your target weekly personal income $2,240

Hours per week to hit target take-home at $131/hr blended 21.5 hrs/week

Your current billed hours per week 30 hrs/week

Minimum price lift to hit a $120/hr true rate (current mix) +$27 per service average

Plain English Note

The first 4.4 hours you work each week simply pay your chair rent, products, insurance, software and marketing. Every hour after that is yours.
You only need 21.5 billed hours per week to hit your personal income target. You are currently billing 30. That is a healthy buffer.
To lift your true rate from $94 to $120 per hour without changing how many hours you work, you need an average service price lift of about $27. Two pricing moves (Toner and Cut + Blowdry) get most of that.

5. Red Flags - Revenue Impact

Toner only - lowest revenue per hour at $70/hr

$600/month leakage ($7,200/year)

Toner appointments are your least profitable service by hourly rate. At $70/hr they sit well below the $108 amber floor. These 14 appointments consumed 14 hours of your floor time for $980 in revenue. Repricing to $95 or bundling with an Olaplex add-on would shift them into green territory.

Consulting Script - April 2026 Toner services are often underpriced because they feel quick, but they tie up the chair and your time. A standalone toner at $70 should either become $95 (a simple price correction), or it should include an Olaplex treatment that adds $15 to $20 in product value and justifies the rate. Either way, this service needs to clear $108/hr to be worth scheduling.

Cut + Blowdry at $90/hr is your second lowest earner

$440/month opportunity ($5,280/year)

With 22 Cut + Blowdry services per month this is your second highest volume category. At $90/hr it delivers volume but poor rate. Moving to $110/hr aligns with the Brisbane market and adds $440 per month without changing a single booking.

Consulting Script - April 2026 Cut + Blowdry at $90 an hour is below where the market sits, and you have 22 of them a month. A $20 adjustment per appointment across 22 bookings is $440 per month in found revenue. That is your chair rent paid and change left over.

Rebooking at 62% - roughly 33 clients leaving without a next booking

$2,100/month walkout risk ($25,200/year)

At 86 services per month and a 62% rebooking rate, roughly 33 clients left this month without a confirmed return booking. At your average service value of $131 that is $4,323 in unbooked future revenue. Recovering half of those would add over $2,100 to next month without a single new client.

Consulting Script - April 2026 Rebooking is easiest when it is a natural part of your finish, not a question at checkout. While the client is still in the chair try: for colour like yours I would want to see you back in 10 to 12 weeks, want me to lock something in now while I finish you off? The client says yes before they have even thought about it.

6. Strategic Question of the Month

If you could only take 60 clients next month instead of 86, which 60 would you choose, and what would that do to your take-home?

Your current effective rate is $94/hr. Your top-earning services (Full Colour and Balayage) run at $180 to $190/hr. A capacity-focused approach with fewer appointments and higher value services could lift your take-home without increasing your hours. This is not a question about working less. It is a question about working on the right things.

7. Top Action Items - April 2026

1

Brooke - increase your Toner price to $95 this week. Update your booking system today. No announcement needed. At $95 this service crosses the $108/hr amber floor and adds $350 per month on current volume.

2

Brooke - set a personal rebooking goal of 70% for April. That means 60 out of 86 clients leave with a booking. Track it manually on a sticky note at your station. Visible targets change behaviour. You need 7 more rebookings than last month.

3

Brooke - add one retail recommendation to every colour service this month. Not a sales pitch, just hold up the product you used and say what it does. Aim for 15 retail sales across 86 services. At $35 average that is an extra $525 this month from a habit, not a hard sell.

8. Forward Focus - Next 30 Days

Hourly Rate Optimisation - Swap Toner Slots for Colour Adds

+$1,400 potential uplift

You have 14 Toner only bookings per month running at $70/hr. If you reprice those to $95 and convert 4 of them into Full Colour appointments (by messaging clients who are overdue for a refresh), you would add approximately $1,400 in revenue without adding a single working hour. The move: this week message the 4 Toner only clients who have not had a full colour in 3 or more months and offer a colour refresh in a same-week slot. Frame it as a heads-up, not a sales call.