The Surprising Experience That Led Me to Launch My Own Product

Appointment booking software isn’t a new concept. In fact, it’s widely adopted in many industries. But when it comes to salons and spas in South Africa, the adoption rate is surprisingly low.

I realized this firsthand during a frustrating visit to the barbershop. I needed a haircut and, as usual, walked in without an appointment. Unfortunately, there was someone ahead of me, and I ended up waiting over 40 minutes. As I sat there, I thought, What if it were a woman needing a complex hair treatment? The wait time would easily exceed two hours.

This made me wonder why salons weren’t using appointment booking systems to streamline their operations and improve the customer experience. When I got home, I decided to dig deeper.

The Gap in the Market

My research revealed something surprising: while appointment booking software exists globally, none of the existing solutions were tailored to meet the needs of South African salons and spas. Most of the available tools were imported from outside Africa and had failed to gain significant traction locally.

Determined to validate my hunch, I reached out to several salon owners, particularly those running high-end establishments with heavy client traffic. Almost every salon owner I spoke to shared a similar frustration:

• They struggled to manage client appointments efficiently.

• It was challenging to juggle responding to new clients while attending to clients already in the chair.

Hearing these complaints solidified my idea. I realized this was an opportunity to build something tailored to the unique needs of South African salons and spas.

Building the MVP

With a clear problem to solve, I got to work. In just three weeks, I built the MVP (minimum viable product) for SwiftBooked. The platform allowed salon owners to manage appointments, track schedules, and reduce client wait times.

To test the product, I onboarded a small group of salon owners and their clients. The response was immediate but not without challenges.

Our First Big Mistake

Initially, we implemented a payment feature that required users to pay a deposit (or the full amount) for their services while booking. However, because we used Paystack (a Stripe alternative), payments took 48 hours to process.

This created chaos. Clients would walk into salons claiming they had paid on the platform, but the salon owners hadn’t received the money yet. Understandably, they were frustrated.

Within hours of receiving these complaints, we made the tough decision to scrap the payment feature entirely. That night, my team and I worked until 3 a.m. to release an update. Once the payment wall was removed, things started to improve almost immediately.

Early Wins

After resolving the payment issue, usage of the platform began to grow. Within six weeks of launching the beta, we generated over $400 in revenue. This early success gave us the confidence to move from beta testing to a full public launch.

Looking Ahead

Since launching SwiftBooked, we’ve been exploring various marketing strategies to grow both our user base and revenue. While our growth has been steady but small, it’s encouraging to see more salons and spas embracing the platform.

The journey so far has been a mix of challenges, late nights, and small victories, but I’m incredibly excited for what’s ahead. I truly believe SwiftBooked has the potential to transform the salon and spa industry in South Africa.

If you’ve read this far, thank you! I’d love to hear your thoughts—what do you think about SwiftBooked, and do you have any ideas for how we could grow further?