No-shows are a systems problem
Every coach loses money to empty slots. The ones who do not are not stricter people — they have a system that makes showing up the default.
Write the policy down once
Twenty-four hours notice, session deducted inside that window, one grace exception per client per year. Put it in the agreement they sign, not in a text message you send after the fact.
Remind three times
Booking confirmation, a reminder the day before, and a short morning-of message. Most no-shows are memory failures, not disrespect.
Bill before, not after
Prepaid packages change the psychology entirely. The client has already paid for the hour, so missing it costs them something concrete.
Enforce it the first time
The policy you do not enforce on the first violation is not a policy. Enforce it warmly, once, and you rarely have to enforce it again.