Scheduling is one of the highest-leverage decisions an owner makes every week, and it is usually made from memory and habit. A data-informed rota pays for itself in under a month.
Stop scheduling against last year
Last March is not this March. Your regulars have shifted, your new client mix is different, and the macroeconomic weather is different. Rotas built by copying the same pattern year over year carry last year's mistakes forward.
Match capacity to demand curves, not to days
Most salons staff by day — "three stylists on Tuesday, four on Saturday." The demand curve actually peaks within the day. A rota that starts late and ends late on a Tuesday and starts early and ends early on a Saturday captures more revenue with the same staff hours.
Give your strongest staff the best windows
Your top earner in the 10am Saturday slot generates more revenue than your top earner in the 3pm Tuesday slot. This is obvious on paper and surprisingly rare in practice. Build the rota around this fact.