A salon owner who learned the numbers the hard way.
I'm Stevee Devonda, a multiple salon owner based in Queenstown, New Zealand. Everything on this site started as a problem I had to solve in my own salons, on real wages and real rent.
From our Kitomba records. Ex GST, 2019/20 against 2025/26.
Full columns don't mean money in the bank.
Before Iron + Ivy opened, I studied small business management. It gave me disciplines most salons are never taught: knowing what every service really costs, what the team really costs, and what's left once GST, wages, commission, product, leave and overheads have taken their share.
I learnt and developed the skills and knowledge that grew our business through a pandemic, the recovery, a recession and the cost of living crisis. We made decisions on what the numbers said, not on whether a week felt busy.
Most salon owners are brilliant at hair, at people and at building a beautiful experience. Very few of us were ever taught the commercial side. The tools out there are usually too generic, too complicated, or built by people who have never run a salon. So I built the ones I needed, and now you can use them too.
You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on salon coaches. With the right tools and the right knowledge, you can take control of your numbers and grow your business.
Steveeco-owner of Iron + Ivy, Queenstown, and Revolver, Arrowtown
From a business course to two salons
Business training
Before 2019I complete a small business management course and learn the disciplines that still run our salons.
Iron + Ivy opens
2019My partner, Lauren McMurray, starts Iron + Ivy in Queenstown, one of the most expensive towns in the country to run a business, and I take on the business side.
A tough year
2020The disciplines hold, and Iron + Ivy’s sales grow 24% over the 2020/21 year.
Revolver opens
November 2024Our second salon: a boutique salon in Arrowtown, for Arrowtown locals.
The Numbers Room
2026The tools I built for our salons, rebuilt so any New Zealand salon, stylist or clinic can use them.
I use this stuff every week.
I run Iron + Ivy and Revolver on a set of tools I built myself. The ones on this site are the ones any owner can pick up and use, on New Zealand rates, without a business degree.
How I think about salon numbers
You're not bad with money
You were never shown the maths. Once you see it, it's not hard. It's just nobody's favourite job.
An answer beats a framework
You don't have time for a twelve week course. You have twenty minutes on a Sunday night. So the tools give you a number and tell you what to do with it.
Kind to people, firm on numbers
A stylist who's under target isn't a problem to be managed. They're a person who needs one clear thing to aim at. The numbers make that conversation easier, not colder.
Your numbers are yours
Nothing you type into a calculator is sent to me. It stays in your browser. I never name clients and I never share anyone's figures.
Start small, or bring me in
Tools
Buy-once calculators for pricing, wages, hiring, tax and more. Work it out yourself in minutes.
Monthly reports
Send your exports, get back a short report with the three things to do next.
Private advisory
One on one help with a big call: pricing, pay structures, a second site, growth or an exit.
AI for your salon
A starter kit you can use tonight, or a build day that sets AI up around your business.
Website audit
Speed, search, booking flow and words, with rewritten copy and a four week plan.
Speaking
Practical sessions for industry events and education days, built for people behind the chair.
A note on what this is not
I'm a salon owner, not an accountant, a lawyer or a financial adviser. The tools give you general information to make your own decisions. For tax, employment agreements and anything with legal weight, check with a professional who knows your situation. Good ones will be pleased you turned up with your numbers worked out.
Not sure where to start?
Tell me what's going on in your salon and I'll point you to the right tool or service. If a tool is all you need, I'll say so.