How to put your prices up without losing clients

Almost every solo business owner puts off a price rise for too long. Costs go up, the diary stays full, and the price stays the same because raising it feels awkward. Here is a way to do it that clients take well.

Decide the new price first

Work out what you need to earn per hour after products, travel and time off. If your current price is below that, the rise is not greedy, it is overdue. Round to a clean number that is easy to say.

Give notice

Two to four weeks is fair. Tell people before the new price applies, not at the till. Nobody likes a surprise bill.

Say it once, plainly

Short, warm and confident works best:

• "Hi, a quick heads-up that from 1 March my haircut will be £20 instead of £18. Thank you for being a regular, it means a lot."
• No long explanation and no apology. A rise is normal.

Protect your best regulars if you want to

Some owners keep the old price for a few loyal clients for a month or two. That is your call, but do it quietly and fairly.

Put the new price everywhere at once

Update your booking page, your Instagram bio and any price lists on the same day, so nobody quotes you the old number.

Expect one or two to grumble

Most clients barely notice a small rise. A few might ask for the old price or drift away. That is normal, and usually the ones who haggle are not the ones who book reliably.

The takeaway

Raise prices in small, regular steps with notice and a friendly message. In Bookable each service has its own price, so changing it updates your booking page straight away.

Keep reading

• Your first week with a booking link: a simple checklist
• How to price your services and show how long they take
• Client notes: what to keep and what to leave out