Your Numbers Don't Lie (Even When You Do)

t's Friday the 13th. The unluckiest thing you can do today? Ignore your numbers. You might tell yourself a few fibs about how your business is doing—your numbers won't. Let's dive in.

In this episode, Phil Jackson walks you through four critical numbers that tell you everything about your salon's health. These aren't weekly metrics—these are quarterly deep-dive numbers that show you exactly what needs fixing and where to focus your strategy for the next three months.

What You'll Learn:

• The four numbers that expose your salon's true health
• What healthy benchmarks look like for each measure
• Why "money in the bank" doesn't mean profitable
• How to spot pricing vs. capacity vs. retention problems
• When being "busy" just means busy being poor

The Four Numbers That Matter:

Number 1: Net Profit Margin

• Formula: (Net Profit ÷ Revenue) × 100
• Healthy: 10-15% minimum (target 15-20%)
• Below 10%: You're in trouble
• What it reveals: Pricing too low, costs too high, or both

Number 2: Revenue Per Client Visit

• Total revenue ÷ Number of visits
• Healthy: Higher than your most popular service
• What it reveals: Pricing structure, retail conversion, profitable vs. busy
• The question: 100 clients at £30 or 60 clients at £60? Same hours, more profit

Number 3: Client Retention Rate

• Percentage returning within expected timeframe
• Healthy: 70% minimum
• Below 50%: Churning clients
• What it reveals: Service quality, pricing alignment, team issues

Number 4: Utilization Rate

• (Billable hours ÷ Available hours) × 100
• Healthy: 85-90%
• Below 70%: Capacity problem
• Above 90%: Pricing opportunity
• What it reveals: Marketing problem or pricing problem

This Week's Action:Calculate all four for January. Track quarterly to see trends. These show you what to work on next.

The Brutal Truth:Numbers are facts. If they're bad, fix the business model or keep pretending until you run out of money.

About Phil Jackson:Phil Jackson is a salon business coach with 27 years of industry experience and a Creative Head Most Wanted Award. He helps salon owners in hair, beauty, and aesthetics build profitable businesses without the hustle BS.

Work with Phil:If you need help fixing what these numbers reveal, that's what Ultimate Clarity does:

• 1:1 Ultimate Clarity Coaching: 90-day intensive delivering your 5-year lifestyle-first business plan, 12-month profit & pricing strategy, and 12-month marketing plan
• Book a free consultation: https://tidycal.com/philjackson/1to1-enquiry
• Email: [e-mail]