I Used Acuity Scheduling to Organize My Side Hustle

Once you’ve created appointment types, set calendar availability, the last step is to customize the design. (Acuity also makes it easy with step-by-step instructions with an easy-to-navigate design that tells you what percentage of the scheduling page is complete.) The design comes prefilled, but you can customize the text to say anything you want, with different options for font and color palette. You can go with one of the dozens of premade color presets, or make your own palette from a specific color or image. I thought the premade palettes were well-designed with tons of options, so I decided to go for something a little bolder and more witchy to match the vibe of my small business.

Once your seven-day trial is done, you’ll choose one plan from four of Acuity’s plans. There’s Starter, which starts at $20 per month, and is the most basic option, with client self-scheduling, unlimited services and appointments, one bookable calendar, payment processing through Stripe, Square, or PayPal, client emails, and automatic time zone conversion for clients. The Standard plan is next, at $34 per month, and includes the above features, plus up to 6 bookable calendars, text message reminders, bundled appointment packages, memberships and subscriptions with automated billing, and ability to sell and process gift certificates. The Premium tier is $61 per month, and includes all features above, plus it’ll remove the “Powered by Acuity” line present on the scheduling page, sign BAA for HIPAA compliance, up to 36 bookable calendars, multiple time zones, and custom API and CSS for developers. This plan is probably best if you’re managing a larger business with multiple staff members. All plans are 20 percent off when paid annually rather than monthly. There’s also an enterprise custom choice, which allows you to create “custom-made solutions for your enterprise business.” You’ll need to contact Acuity for pricing and set up. All plans are 20 percent off when paid annually rather than monthly, and the promo code WIRED20 gets you 20 percent off new Acuity Business subscriptions.

User Experience

Before I debut my business baby into the world, I wanted to soft-launch with friends and colleagues to get feedback on how their user experience was from the other side.

The consensus was pretty much all the same: my personal website looked great, it was fun to explore, and everyone found it easy to book, cancel, and reschedule (without me having to do anything!). Plus, I got email notifications that people had booked, rescheduled, or cancelled in real time, and they got confirmation and appointment reminders, too. The only potential issues were from a design standpoint, which was my bad rather than Acuity’s. I learned that people love personalization, so I went back and added a photo of myself, relevant photos with services where applicable, and more personalization.