The Test of Time: What to Do When Henna Party Guests Arrive Late

Picture this: You’re booked for a three-hour henna party from 2:00pm-5:00pm. You arrive at 1:45pm to get set up, and notice that the event hall is empty. The event planner and event service staff are present, but… where are the guests? Two o’clock comes…and goes.

2:05pm. Maybe they are just running behind?

2:10pm. Hmm. Strange, but you’re sure they’ll be there any minute.

2:15pm. Alright, what’s going on?

2:30pm. Guests begin to trickle in, sharing greetings and excitement. They flock to the buffet table for a treat, take selfies, explore the hall, and begin to settle in at tables.

It’s 2:50pm before you begin applying henna to anyone. As five o’clock rolls around, you realize that you’ve not been able to service all of the guests.

Now what?

Cardless Payment Options: Venmo vs. CashApp

Over the past few years, and especially between 2017 and 2018, cardless payment options have placed themselves front and center in the small business market. The premise of these services is that individuals are able to transfer money electronically between themselves without ever sharing their credit card information.

By creating an account with one of these payment processing services, clients and customers are able to transfer funds using usernames, phone numbers, or email addresses to their friends, family members, co-workers, and other contacts. Small business owners have made strides to include these options as payment methods for their patrons, and rightfully so. The convenience of transferring money with a few taps on a mobile device is incredibly alluring - perhaps more so in the case of henna artists. Services like these make it possible for clients to pay or tip in a breeze!

Henna Contracts 101: Deposits vs. Retainers

After all of your hard work marketing and reaching out to your local market, you’ve been booked for a client or event! You’ve likely heard before about the importance of securing every booking with a monetary exchange of some amount in order to reduce the opportunity for last minute cancellations (or worse, no-shows).

Here’s the thing… Not every monetary exchange is equal.

If you’re requesting a “deposit,” a “booking deposit,” or even a “non-refundable deposit,” you’re placing your business at a disadvantage in the case of disputes over any payments received.

5 Reasons Why Your Clients Will Pay You More

Setting (and raising) rates is something that tends to be stressful for henna artists of all skill sets - seasoned and beginners. The trouble with setting rates is that many times small business owners leave money at the table unknowingly. Whenever you're considering raising your rates, it's paramount that you take inventory of what exactly it is that your clients are willing to pay for. Keep in mind that henna is a commodity that can be found in most communities. Even the artists who serve rural areas run the risk of a "new" artist popping on the scene thanks to the easy availability of henna paste through online shops.

In general, however, there are five key considerations that you should review when setting your rates. These five considerations are motivators that cause people to make purchases on an every day basis - be that with a henna artist, at the grocery store, at the airport, or elsewhere.

Running a Henna Business? There's an App for That

One of the most challenging aspects of being a professional henna artist is keeping yourself organized enough to do all the things. The front and center of businesses like ours is knowing how to prepare the best paste and perfecting your technique for beautiful designs, but we tend to overlook the back office. Once you've got clients coming in, it can be hectic to manage the multiple moving pieces that your business requires to function. Today I'll be sharing a handful of my favorite apps to make this business thing a little less overwhelming.

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