Salon Cash Conversion Cycle
Cash cycle = inventory days + receivable days − payable days
Gather appointment history, service durations and supply costs. Include stylist time, consumables, and chair overhead. The starting figures are examples. Replace them with your own records.
Formula and worked example
Cash cycle = inventory days + receivable days − payable days
| Input | Example |
|---|---|
| Inventory holding days | 20 days |
| Receivable days | 35 days |
| Payable days | 25 days |
| Calculated result | 30 days |
Choose reliable inputs
Allow time for preparation, the service itself and cleaning up before the next appointment. For this salon calculation, use appointment history, service durations and supply costs and a consistent definition of one appointment.
- Stylist time: include the portion belonging to this appointment or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
- Consumables: include the portion belonging to this appointment or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
- Chair overhead: include the portion belonging to this appointment or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
Use the same currency for every money input. Do not mix weekly costs with monthly revenue, or count the same expense in both an itemised cost and allocated overhead.
What does a negative cash cycle mean?
On these averages, customers pay before supplier-related cash goes out. It does not guarantee every transaction has that timing.
A simplified operating-cycle metric; service businesses may have little physical inventory.
What if this input changes?
If inventory holding days rises by 10%, this example changes by 2 days. This shows the effect of one change; it does not predict what will happen.
Open the calculator, save your baseline, then change the input supported by the least reliable estimate in your records. Compare both scenarios before committing to a price or capacity promise.