Thirty days of steady execution, most steps under an hour, nothing expensive before anything validating. If a week runs long because your state board moves slowly, let it. Start date:
Week One: Make It Legal
☐ Personal license verified active; expiration in the calendar with a two-month warning
☐ State-board homework done in writing: mobile rules, establishment permit if required, fee paid
☐ EIN obtained free from the IRS; business checking account open
☐ Combined liability policy bound (dedicated stylist policies run roughly $199–$370 a year); certificate saved as a PDF you can text to an activities director
☐ Kit assembled by lane, used wherever possible, hard budget ceiling of $1,000
Checkpoint: license confirmed, permit in hand if required, insurance certificate saved, kit in the car.
Week Two: Make It Findable and Priced
☐ Price sheet built: salon base plus a 20–40% house-call premium, checked against market ranges; senior pricing if your primary group chose you
☐ Event sheet built separately if bridal is in the plan
☐ Three zones drawn on a map screenshot, travel fees attached
☐ Booking tool configured with the four non-negotiables: card capture, day-before reminders, self-booking, client history; page published
☐ Google Business Profile, one social account done well, marketplace listing up
☐ Cancellation policy written once and pasted everywhere it belongs
Checkpoint: a stranger could find you, see your zones and prices, and book a slot without a phone call.
Week Three: First Five Paying Clients
☐ Warm-book announcement sent, if you have one (check non-solicit language first)
☐ Twenty people from your phone contacts told personally, each told exactly who you serve
☐ Two facility calls made using the director script
☐ Four vendor emails sent if events are in your plan
☐ One platform application submitted as the on-ramp if your lane fits
☐ Friends-of-friends booked at full price; a first-visit bonus add-on if needed, never a public discount
☐ Every appointment run on the full system: intake card, two arrival questions, sanitation reset, prebook close, referral ask
Week Four: First Money Review
Answer with numbers:
Month gross: $ Costs (product, mileage at the IRS rate, insurance share, software): $
Revenue per hour, counting drive time: $
Prebook rate (fraction of clients leaving with a future appointment): Below half, work the close. Above two-thirds, the book is compounding.
Events lane only: season checkpoint planted. Weddings and holiday parties book months ahead; plant in fall for summer.
The Thirty-Day Launch (final pass)
☐ License active, mobile rules confirmed in writing, permit obtained if required
☐ EIN, business bank account, combined liability policy bound
☐ Kit complete under budget, car organized, product storage solved
☐ Price sheet, zone map with travel fees, event sheet, cancellation policy published
☐ Booking page live with card capture and automatic reminders
☐ Google Business Profile and one social account active, marketplace listing up
☐ First five paying clients served on the full system
☐ At least three clients left with a next appointment on the calendar
☐ First money review done: revenue per mile, per hour, and per no-show