Founding pilot · NYC, North Jersey, Westchester, Long Island

Run your chair at our cost. For good.

We're inviting a small group of barbers and stylists to be RunTheChair's founding pilots. You get your own branded booking app with every feature, and you pay only what your card payments cost us. No subscription, no 1.5%, no profit for us, ever.

Ask for a pilot spot

Your own customized app and the pilot deal in under two minutes, filmed on the real app. Vertical version for Instagram and TikTok · Transcript

The deal in 30 seconds

$0

Subscription

No monthly plan, no setup fee, no contract.

0%

Our platform fee

Everyone else pays 1.5% on card services. Pilots don't.

$0

Cash, Zelle, Cash App

Log them for your books. Nothing is charged.

For good

Locked on your account

The system won't let it be switched off, even if prices change later.

What you pay: our costs, nothing on top

Every card payment costs us real money at Stripe, the payments company we use. As a pilot, you cover exactly those costs and nothing else.

CostWho charges itAmount
Card processing, Tap to Pay on your phoneStripe2.7% + 5¢
Card processing, online (deposits, no-show fees)Stripe2.9% + 30¢
Payout to your bankStripe0.25%, plus 25¢ a payout day
Your Stripe account, only in months you take cardsStripe$2 a month
Login text for each new clientTwilioabout 6¢
Reminder text, for clients without the appTwilio1¢ to 3¢
RunTheChair's feeUs$0

Example: you take $3,000 a month by card with Tap to Pay (about 70 visits over 20 days, 15 new clients). Stripe's processing is about $84.50, which you'd pay with any app that uses Stripe. On top of that you pay our costs: about $7.30 in payout fees, $5.00 for payout days, $2.00 for the Stripe account, $0.90 in login texts and $2 to $4 in reminder texts if none of your clients use the app. That's about $17 to $19 a month, and none of it is profit for us. Booksy's base plan alone is $29.99 a month before processing.

Tips: we never take a cut of tips. Stripe's processing and payout fees apply to the whole card payment, tips included, the same as anywhere else. Stripe also bills us when you choose an instant cash-out (1.5%, at least 50¢), when a payment is refunded (Stripe keeps its processing fee) and when a client disputes a charge ($15). Those come out of your next card sales, show on your Money screen, and nothing is added on top.

What you get: everything

Founding pilots get the full app, the same as every paying barber and stylist, with nothing held back for a premium plan.

Why join now

The best price there will ever be

Pros who join later pay 1.5% on card services. Your price is our cost, locked for as long as you use RunTheChair.

You shape the product

Tell us what's missing or what breaks, and we fix it fast. Pilots get a direct line to the people building it.

Your brand, your clients

Clients book in your app, not a marketplace that shows them the barber or salon down the street.

Barbers and stylists alike

Solo barbers, booth renters, salon stylists and multi-chair shops all fit. The pilot price is per chair.

What we ask of pilots

  1. Use it for real with your clients for bookings and payments.
  2. Tell us what's wrong. Every bug and annoyance, in English or Spanish, by text is fine.
  3. Optional: let us share your story or a quote once you're happy with it.

How it works

  1. Ask for a spot below, or tell the person who sent you this page.
  2. We mark your shop or salon as a founding pilot. It's permanent from that moment.
  3. Set up your shop or salon in about 5 minutes: services, prices, hours, your look. Or send us your menu and we'll set it up for you.
  4. Share your link. Take bookings and log cash, Zelle and Cash App right away. Card payments switch on as soon as our live Stripe account is connected, during the pilot.

Questions

Is the pilot price really for good?

Yes. Once your shop is a founding pilot, it's set on your account permanently and the system won't let anyone switch it off, even if prices change for everyone else later.

Why would you do this at no profit?

Founding pilots make the product better for every barber and stylist who comes after, and your word carries more weight than any ad. We just make sure we never lose money: you cover our real costs, nothing more.

Is it for hairstylists and salons too?

Yes. RunTheChair has stylist tools (color processing gaps so another client can be booked while color sets, color formulas, patch tests, consent forms) and multi-chair shops with booth rent or commission. Pick hair salon when you set up, and the app says stylist, salon and visit to you and your clients, in English and Spanish, starting from a salon menu (cuts, blowouts, color, highlights).

What if I already use Booksy, Squire or another app?

Keep it running while you try RunTheChair. Your clients book from your new link whenever you're ready, and you can bring your client list over.

What happens on a refund or a dispute?

Stripe keeps its processing fee when a payment is refunded and charges $15 when a client disputes a charge. Those costs come out of your next card sales and show on your Money screen. We never add anything on top.

Can I leave?

Anytime. There's no contract, and your client list and history are yours to export.

Ask for a pilot spot

We only use this to contact you about the pilot. No spam, and we never sell your info.

Card payments in RunTheChair run in Stripe test mode until our live account is connected. Stripe's and Twilio's prices above are their published US rates as of October 2026; if they change, your costs follow them, with nothing added by us. Terms · Privacy · RunTheChair home