Step 01
Open your hours
A simple grid. Open slots only. No app store. No extra software.
For anyone a no-show hurts
Hold the hour so a no-show cannot take it.
Charge new customers a deposit. Let your regulars skip it. You choose who pays. They pick a time slot, pay on your Stripe when a deposit applies, and you get email. Built for tutors, barbers, and coaches with scarce hours.
New customer
$30 depositRegular
No depositSat 10:00
SAT Math · Mara Chen
Hold paid
$30 · Maya R.A real person
Run by a real person.
Hold the Slot is built and run by me, Ryan P. Sorensen, of Starter Birds in Las Vegas. I set up everything you see here personally.
Since this business is brand new, I'm looking for a few operators to try it free and tell me what works and what doesn't. You keep 100% of your deposits in your own Stripe by design. Nothing to cancel, no card, no contract. If it's not for you, no hard feelings.
How the beta works
- Sign up free
- Connect your Stripe (I'll help)
- Share your booking link and tell me how it goes
Deposits go straight to your own Stripe account. You'll connect it during setup, and I can walk you through it on a call.
One job
Pick. Pay. Show up or the deposit is kept.
Step 02
They pay a hold
Pick any deposit amount, $20, $30, $40, $100 or your own. Lands on your Stripe. We never touch the rest of the work.
Step 03
Show up or the deposit is kept
They get email. You see the book. A no-show keeps the hold.
Who uses it
Scarce hours. Real people. Not a marketplace.
Piano / lessons
Saturday mornings. The 10 o'clock kid who vanishes.
SAT / tutoring
The hour is already paid for in your head. Make it paid on the book.
Hitting / training
Cage time is money. An empty cage still costs you.
Barber / chair
One chair. One hour. A no-show is a hole in the day.
Coach / consultant
You blocked the hour. They should too.
Photographer
Light, location, kit. The slot is the scarce thing.
You choose who pays
New customers, regulars, and problem customers.
New
Pays your deposit when they book online.
Regular
Can skip the deposit after they show up enough times.
Problem
A no-show puts them back on deposits until you say otherwise.
The plan
One plan. $29 a month.
Free during beta, no card. Then $29 a month. We never take a cut of your deposits. Stripe's normal card fees apply. Email only. No texts.
Your book
$29/moPublic book page. Hours you set. Hold amount you set. Email confirm. Desk to mark arrived or no-show.
Open your bookWhat it is not
- Not Calendly with extra clicks
- Not HoneyBook
- Not a client marketplace
- Not texts, Zoom, or extra software
Live demo
Willow Lane Lessons
After-school SAT math and piano in Austin. Scarce Saturday hours, $30 holds on the operator's Stripe, email only. Same book a tutor would run, set up as a sample you can click through.
Straight answers
What operators ask.
What happens on a no-show?
You keep the hold. The hour was real. They did not show. Mark it arrived or no-show on the desk so your week stays honest. You are not chasing them for the full lesson price unless that is your policy off the book.
Can they reschedule?
Yes, when you both agree. Most operators ask for 24 hours notice. On your desk, unlocked with your operator key, pick Move on a hold and choose another open hour. The hold stays on your book. Same payment, new slot.
Do you take a cut of the work?
No. Hold the Slot is $29 a month for the book, desk, and email. Every dollar of the hold lands on your Stripe. Lesson price, package, tip, all of that is yours off the book.
Do you text?
No. Email only for holds and confirmations. You are not buying SMS credits or another inbox to monitor. Clients get plain email from the book flow.
Who pays Stripe fees?
You do on each hold, the same as any Stripe charge on your account. Hold the Slot only bills you the $29 subscription. Payout timing and card fees are between you and Stripe. The hold is still your revenue minus processing.
Multiple locations or a franchise?
Each location gets its own desk, deposit amount and regulars list.
What clients ask.
What am I paying for?
You pay the hold amount shown on that book to reserve the hour. Many operators count that payment toward the visit or lesson when you show up. You are often paying part of the appointment sooner, not an extra platform fee. Whatever is left for the visit is between you and the business. Their book page should say how the hold applies.
Does the hold go toward my visit?
Often yes, but the operator sets the story. A lesson book might treat the hold as a deposit on the hour. A chair or lane might treat it as the fee for that slot. Read the hold terms on the book before you pay. If it is unclear, ask the business directly.
Who charges my card?
The business through Stripe Checkout on their connected account. Hold the Slot runs the booking page. It does not sit in the middle of the hold or take a slice of it.
Can I move or cancel?
Message the operator. Many books want at least 24 hours notice. If they agree, they can move your hold to another open hour on their desk. Cancellation and refunds follow their hold terms, not a generic app policy.
What if I no-show?
You may lose the hold. The business blocked the time for you. Read their hold terms on the book page before you pay. If you need to move it, ask early.
Will I get text messages?
No texts from Hold the Slot. Confirmations are email. The operator may follow up by email from the address on their book. Nothing to opt out of except normal email.