Career tool
What to do first, what can wait, and what needs to be true before you commit. Built from your readiness answers and your saved numbers — not a generic checklist.
You haven't run the readiness check yet, so this plan is built from the basics. Running it makes the priorities specific to your book, your cushion and your real costs.
Am I ready to make a move?Your plan, in plain language
This plan is built from the basics you've given us so far. Work through the readiness check when you can — the more it knows about your book, your cushion and your real costs, the more of this plan becomes specific to you instead of general.
These are the unknowns that decide whether a move works. Run the readiness check and this list narrows to what's actually true for you.
You don't yet know how much of your clientele would follow
Everything else in this plan is built on that number. Confirm what you're allowed to do under any agreement you've signed, then estimate honestly before you commit to fixed costs.
Startup costs haven't been priced yet
Deposit, first month, furniture, equipment, opening product, signage, licensing. A rough total is enough to plan around — a blank is not.
Licensing and local requirements aren't confirmed
Requirements vary by state, city and even by suite building. Verify with the agencies where you'd actually operate before you sign anything.
No date yet is a perfectly good answer. Work the list, then set one when the shape of it is clear.
How much cushion do you want behind it?
There's no required number here. More cushion buys patience; less means the schedule has to fill faster. It's your risk tolerance, not a rule.
Add the monthly fixed cost above and we'll show what your cushion target works out to.
Progress
0 of 31 transition steps complete
Saved on this device so you can come back to it.
Get the real space cost in writing
Monthly rent or space fee, what's included, what's billed on top, deposit, term length and how much notice either side has to give.
Why this is here: You told us this number is still an estimate.
Price your real startup costs
Deposit and first month, furniture, mirror and station, equipment, opening product and back-bar, towels, signage, business licensing, booking software and card reader.
Expense & overhead trackerVerify licensing and local requirements where you'd operate
Establishment or booth license, business registration, local permits and any building requirements. Rules vary by state and city — confirm with the agencies themselves rather than with word of mouth.
Put a real number on client retention
Go through your books month by month and count the clients who rebook with you by name. Confirm first what your agreement and state law allow regarding client contact — never take employer-owned client information.
Why this is here: You said you don't know yet how much of your book would follow.
Clientele move plannerRead the lease or rental agreement all the way through
Term, renewal, rent increases, what happens if you leave early, who fixes what, insurance requirements and any restrictions on your hours, services or retail. Consider having a professional review it.
Get insurance quotes before you sign
Professional liability at minimum, plus general liability and property coverage if you have a space. Many landlords require proof, so price it before you commit.
Run booth / chair rental again with the real numbers
Once the rent, the startup cost and the retention estimate are real, run the comparison again. A plan built on placeholder numbers is a guess wearing a suit.
Compare my career modelsUnderstand how self-employment taxes would change your take-home
Nobody withholds for you anymore. Estimate the set-aside so the income number you're comparing is the one you'd actually keep.
Tax set-aside estimatorLeases, licensing, notice periods and non-solicitation terms vary by state, locality and agreement. Verify requirements where you live and work, and consider a professional review of anything you're asked to sign.
Mentor note
A move doesn't fail because someone forgot a checklist item. It fails because the fixed cost showed up before the clients did. Work the top of this plan honestly and the rest is just errands.
Everything here is a planning estimate for education, not tax, legal, financial or employment advice. Leases, licensing, business registration, notice requirements and non-solicitation terms vary by state, locality and by the agreements you've signed — verify them where you live and work, and never act against a contract you're bound by.