Alannah · TrustMatch Intake

This isn't a vibe check. It's TrustMatch — behavioral extraction, not self-report. No right answers, every option is legitimate. I'm reading how you move, not what you think you should say.

From our notebook session + everything you've been telling me — this is bigger than just "fix payments + redesign site." You're planning a whole evolution. This intake covers all of it so I can scope real.

What I already have → so I don't re-ask

Your voice as stated 2.25: "attract the right people by being myself, for the love of the art"
Your cosmic profile (Libra Sun 8H · Taurus Moon 2H · Aquarius Rising · Metal Horse · INFJ · archetypes)
Your regulation pattern (freeze → overfunction → internalize)
Full notebook brainstorm: QR+audio system, studio vision, website = weirder/gayer/rats-nest, social pivot
Full alachroma.com content pulled — services, pricing, education positioning, voice
Your Square Appointments config scraped — all 41 services across 11 categories, current deposit/cancel/no-show settings
Your FIELD thread history since Dec

Part 01

How you move right now.

Scenarios. Pick what's actually you this month — not last year, not the version you're working toward.

Q1 · trust velocity

A new client books online — someone you've never met. First 60 seconds at your chair.

Read them instantly. Energy before anything else. Warm but neutral. Trust takes time. Open until they show me otherwise. Full professional mode. The work is the container. Already scanning for red flags — where did I pick this one up from?

Q2 · boundary under pressure

End of service. They ask for 20% off because "it didn't turn out how I imagined" — work is correct, they never said what they wanted.

Hold the price. Clean. No over-explaining. Small gesture (product discount, free toner) but service stays. Split the difference. Part of me feels responsible. Cave to keep peace. Ruminate three days. Depends on the person and how they're asking.

Q3 · stress pattern

Saturday back-to-back color. You're fried. Regular texts asking to squeeze in.

Automatic yes. Figure it out later. Want to say no but feel guilty before I've replied. Clean no. Move on. Freeze, don't respond for hours, then overexplain. Offer a future slot — redirecting feels easier than declining.

Q4 · claiming space

When's the last time you said a clean "no" out loud — to anyone — and didn't apologize for it?

This week. It's getting easier. Recently but I over-softened it. One in the last month. Not in a long time. I go silent instead. "No" comes out later as a cancel / ghost / reschedule.

Part 02

Your own space.

"I want a space where I can have unlimited creative space + energy. Something mine. Brand-neutral. Ultra inclusive. Funky artsy." — your notebook. Let's stress-test the shape.

Q5 · timing

When do you actually see yourself out of your current suite and into your own thing?

Next 3 months — I'm done. 3–6 months — planning now. 6–12 months — end of this year. 12–18 months — after debt + stability. Fantasy stage — not date-committed yet.

Q6 · which route pulls

Your notebook listed five options. Which one is actually calling you most right now?

Rent a house / apt with annex — live + work same address Courtyard Suites (or similar premium suite) — cleaner boundary, higher overhead Move out of metro — Worcester, commute in/out Rent a suite closer to home, commute shorter Rent a chair FOR NOW (furniture in storage) — bridge option Something else / combo

Q7 · scale of the space

When you picture the space 12 months in — how big?

Solo. Just me + my chair. Quiet. 1 extra chair I sometimes rent out. 2–3 chairs, curated community of stylists I trust. Open creative studio — chairs + host events + teach + merch Bigger than any of that. Still figuring scale.

Q8 · business model

From the notebook: "maybe they rent the chair but then can use their own stuff OR pay as they use" — which model feels right when you imagine running it?

Flat chair rent, they bring their own product Flat chair rent, product inventory shared + charged per use Percentage / salon scale (like SalonScale) Hybrid — lower rent + salon-scale product I need you to help me figure this out — I don't have the math yet

Q9 · the open-questions

From your notebook — which of these do you actually know the answer to? (check what you've already answered)

Salon owner's license requirements (do I need one, which one) Tax implications of going from booth renter → salon owner Furnishing cost estimates Initial inventory cost estimates Product cost recovery math (rent vs. pay-per-use) SalonScale / similar platforms research Other companies running this model None yet — these are all still open

Part 03

The tech play.

The QR-code-at-chair → audio consultation → auto-generated intake quiz. Your notebook. Possibly the biggest differentiator in the build.

Q10 · QR audio vs. your current $20 consultation

You already have a paid $20 / 40-min consultation gate. How does the QR + audio + auto-quiz fit in?

the consultation that credits toward their appt is already gating new clients. this determines whether the tech extends that flow or runs parallel to it

Replaces the paid consultation — QR scan at chair generates the personalized quiz, no separate $20 step Augments it — existing $20 consult stays, QR flow is an add-on / during-service touchpoint Separate tier entirely — QR system is for returning clients, consult stays for new Build this FIRST, ahead of everything else — it's the differentiator Phase 2 — after payment plumbing + site v2 ship Not sure yet — map both options and decide with me

Q11 · paid tier

Notebook said "free version and a paid version." Paid version = what does the client get that free doesn't?

Q12 · pinterest collab

"Automates Pinterest boards that people can collaborate with me on." Is this part of the paid tier, free tier, or standalone?

Paid tier only Free — every new client gets a board Offered as an add-on regardless of tier I'm not sure yet — map it both ways

Part 04

The site + social.

"Make it weirder. Make it gayer. Rats-nest website is cool." — your notebook. Locking the direction.

Q13 · aesthetic dial v1 → v2

Current alachroma.com is clean + minimal + Athiti/Anton type. Your notebook said weirder, gayer, rats-nest. Which references for v2?

rainbow wordmark stays as core brand asset — this is about the surrounding architecture around it

90s / Geocities / handmade HTML energy Y2K glitter chrome gradient hell Zine-coded, collaged, anti-polished Editorial fashion (avedon, babitz, interview mag) Neon dyke bar / queer punk Soft witch / candlelight / herbal steam (your cosmic aesthetic) Pure chaos energy, no one aesthetic, let it be a rats-nest

Q14 · operational adds for the site

You already have /policies, /shop, /education, /consultation pages live. These are what's either missing, half-done, or needs upgrade.

Cancellation policy ENFORCED in Square booking (currently just on /policies page) Card # held on file for new clients in Square (currently off) IG footage integrated / pulled into site IG highlight categories displayed as portfolio buckets on the site Newsletter signup / email list (not visible on current site) /shop page upgrade (expand product range, retail flow) Workshop / class booking page (Alachroma Education already positioned — needs funnel) Process/behind-the-scenes content block (for the vibe pivot) Client portal — past color formulas, reference photos, returning-client login

Q15 · the IG highlight categories

Name the highlight buckets you want on IG + the site. Your categorization.

Q16 · social pivot — when

Notebook: "people are sick of seeing the same fuckin thing all the time." You want to transform before/afters. When do you start posting in the new direction?

Immediately — as soon as the v2 site is live Once the studio / space situation is settled Once the tech platform (QR audio system) is ready so I have that content I'll keep IG silent for now — build the site + space first

Q17 · content format

"Real advice on all kinds of products — for clients, to help people" — what format lights you up to make?

Short voice memos / audio clips Talking to camera videos Process videos without talking (hands working) Written — captions, newsletter, blog posts Zine / pdf drop / downloadable guides Live / story-based / unpolished

Part 05

What you already have running.

You're not starting from zero. These are live offerings or audiences on alachroma.com today — the question is what to do with each in year 2.

Q18 · ALACHROMA EDUCATION status

Your /education page is fully positioned — "this isn't beauty school. this is next-level" — teaching vivid, precision cutting, shaved design, identity-driven artistry, 1:1 + apprenticeship. What's actually happening there right now?

Active pipeline — I have students / apprentices and want to expand in year 2 Some inquiries, no active students — need funnel work to convert Page is up but I'm not running it — it's future-state positioning Active but I'm burnt out on teaching — want to cut it or totally rethink Education is the bigger vision — studio expansion is really in service of this

Q19 · the alternative stylists audience

Your /education targets "alternative stylists" — the punk/goth/cyber/avant-garde-coded crowd. Are these the people who would fill the extra chairs in your expanded studio?

Exactly — same community. Studio = where they learn + work alongside me Overlap but different — education brings them in, studio has a curated few that stay Different entirely — studio chairs for working stylists, education for rising ones Not sure yet — one of the things we need to figure out

Q20 · /shop page retail

Your /shop page is live. What's in it right now, and what should it become?

It's basically empty / placeholder right now Professional haircare / color aftercare products Alachroma-branded merch (tees, hats, stickers) Digital products (color guides, zines, education downloads) Gift cards / vouchers for services I want /shop expanded as part of v2 — new revenue line Retail is low priority — focus elsewhere

Q21 · Area 15 timing check

You're renting at Area 15 (15 Monument Sq Ste 125, Leominster) right now. Is leaving Area 15 specifically a hard requirement for year 2, or is the question really "what's next-level for me regardless of where"?

Leaving Area 15 is a hard requirement — I'm done there Leaving is preferred but not urgent — if the right deal kept me there longer, ok Not the building's fault — it's more about scaling beyond a single suite I'd stay if Area 15 offered me more space / better terms / different suite

Part 06

Payments + booking.

The original ask. Forced choices now.

Q22 · current platform check

I already know you're on Square Appointments (41 services, 11 categories configured). Does that land as:

Keep Square — it works, I just want the settings tightened (deposits/cof/no-show) Keep Square for now but open to migrating if something better fits year 2 Actively want to move — recommend GlossGenius / Vagaro / Fresha / custom I don't know what I'm on — I need you to figure out what makes sense

Q24 · move or stay

If up to you alone, nothing sentimental:

Stay on current system, fix what's broken Move to salon-native (GlossGenius / Vagaro / Fresha) Build custom — Stripe + booking on the new site Whatever you recommend based on where the studio lands

Part 07

Your client book.

Who's actually in your chair right now. Concentration, fit, drain. This is the single biggest input on whether the studio move is a growth play or a consolidation play.

Q25 · active clients

How many people have booked with you more than once in the last 12 months?

Under 30 30 – 60 60 – 120 120 – 200 200+ No idea — my system isn't tracking this

Q26 · who fits

Describe the client that makes you leave work full of energy. Not a type — specifics. What they wear, what they talk about, what kind of work they ask for.

Q27 · who drains

The client you'd gently not book again if they asked. What pattern do they share?

Q28 · concentration risk

If your top 5 highest-paying clients vanished tomorrow, what happens to the books?

Nothing. Plenty of volume below them. Dent but not a crisis. Real hit — probably a month of scrambling. Crisis. They're propping up the whole thing.

Q29 · follow you?

If you opened a new studio 20 min from your current location, rough % of your book who'd follow you there?

90%+ · they're coming wherever I go 70–90% · strong core, some fall-off 50–70% · real loss territory Under 50% · location-dependent book Don't actually know — would need to ask

Part 08

Capacity + constraints.

What your body and your life can actually handle. Non-negotiables. The stuff no business model can override.

Q31 · physical reality

Anything body-wise the studio plan has to accommodate — recent surgeries, chronic stuff, wrist/back/neck issues, time-on-feet caps, etc.

Q32 · non-negotiables

The hills. What this evolution can NEVER cost you — days off, rest, specific relationships, certain clients, creative time, etc.

Part 09

Growth + visibility.

Where new people actually find you, what's working, what you've abandoned.

Q33 · current channels that work

Where do new clients actually come from now?

Word of mouth / referrals from existing clients Instagram discovery TikTok Google search / maps Yelp Walk-ins / passing traffic Other stylists / salon network referrals Events / photo shoots / editorials Nothing reliable — it's erratic

Q34 · audience size

Rough numbers where it matters.

Q35 · what's NOT working

Marketing or visibility stuff you've tried that didn't pay off — so I don't accidentally rebuild the thing you already know doesn't work.

Q36 · one year from now

If we do this right — April 2027 — what's true that isn't true today? Top 3.

Part 10

Your numbers.

The actual financial picture. I can't model studio break-even or pricing without this. Encrypted and only I see it — never displayed in the hub or anywhere.

Q37 · revenue range

Best guess at last 12 months gross revenue from the chair — product + services combined.

Under $40k $40k – $60k $60k – $85k $85k – $120k $120k+ Rather not say right now

Q38 · avg ticket

What's a typical ticket for a full color + cut when someone leaves your chair? (Include retail if sold.)

Q40 · runway

If you stopped taking clients tomorrow, how long could you cover rent + essentials?

Under 2 weeks — tight 2–4 weeks 1–3 months 3–6 months 6+ months

Q41 · studio ceiling

Monthly rent/lease number where a studio of your own stays sustainable — the number above which it starts hurting.

Q42 · what you have saved for this

Cash available right now specifically for the studio move (furnishing, deposit, first months, inventory).

Nothing earmarked yet Under $2k $2k – $5k $5k – $10k $10k – $20k $20k+ Plan to finance / line of credit / loan

Part 11

Priority call.

Q43 · first 30 days

If ONE thing landed first in the next 2–3 weeks, what matters most?

Payments + booking fixed — stop the money leaks first Website v2 live (portfolio + the new voice + book button) Studio planning doc — license, taxes, furnishing, numbers — decision-ready MVP of the QR+audio+form system Both the site + payments shipped together Something else

Q44 · anything i didn't ask

What's on your mind that I didn't cover?

Encrypted end-to-end · Only Alexis can read this

Got it.

Reading through now. Coming back with the phased plan.

Alannah. Let's build the thing.

Hold on.

One more thing.

What I already have → so I don't re-ask

Got it.