Running the business, not just the software
Practical writing on bookings, no-shows, deposits and getting found locally. Some of it is about Bookka. Most of it is about the parts of running a small business that nobody warns you about.
What an AI assistant should actually do for a booking business
Most AI features in booking software are a chat window that tells you what the dashboard already showed you. Here’s the harder test — knowing your numbers, doing the admin, asking first, and leaving a trail you can check.
6 min read
Gift cards are here — and they never expire
Why Bookka gift cards have no expiry date and terms a business can’t edit. A short account of building them, and the two pieces of Australian law that decided most of it.
3 min read
A loyalty balance is a promise, not a feature
Bookka Rewards earns across bookings, the counter and your online shop — and the points keep working even if you switch the programme off. Why we built it that way.
3 min read
Getting found locally when you don’t have a marketing budget
The unglamorous things that decide whether someone in your suburb finds you: a page that answers the obvious questions, consistent details everywhere, and a booking link that works on a phone.
4 min read
Writing a cancellation policy you can actually enforce
A policy nobody follows is worse than no policy at all. How to pick a cutoff, what to do about genuine emergencies, and why one simple rule beats a tiered system every time.
4 min read
Reminders that actually get people through the door
Most forgotten appointments are a memory problem, not a commitment problem. When to send reminders, whether to use SMS or email, and how to write one people don’t ignore.
4 min read
Deposits and no-shows: what actually works
No-shows are a scheduling problem, not a character problem. How deposits change behaviour, how much to charge, and why the way you explain the deposit matters more than the amount.
4 min read