For salon and studio owners

Turn your salon idea into a business plan

Work out what opening costs, how many appointments cover your running costs and when cash gets tight. Add your business idea and print a twelve-month worksheet.

Build your plan

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Your assumptions

Complete every financial field, including an explicit 0 where there is no cost. Use one currency and amounts excluding VAT or sales tax throughout. No market prices or occupancy rates are assumed.

Business type

Planning currency Changing the currency changes labels only. It does not convert your figures or select a tax regime.

One-off startup costs Fit-out, equipment, opening stock and deposits paid before month 1. Include each amount only once.

Cash available before opening Your own money and funding already available, before paying the startup costs.

Monthly operating costs Rent, wages, insurance, software and other regular costs. Exclude owner drawings and costs per appointment.

Monthly owner drawings Cash you need to take out personally. This is a withdrawal target, not net salary or a tax deduction.

Average receipt per appointment Use the weighted average of your service mix, excluding VAT or sales tax.

Variable cost per appointment Consumables and fees that arise with each appointment, on the same tax basis as the price.

Bookable hours per month Total across people or workstations that can actually serve clients. Deduct admin, breaks, setup and closed days.

Average appointment length in minutes Use a realistic service mix. Capacity is rounded down to whole appointments.

How full will the diary be?

Enter a separate booking rate from 0 to 100% for each month after opening. Keep seasonality and time to find regular clients in mind. These are your scenarios, not a demand forecast.

Month 1 (%)

Month 2 (%)

Month 3 (%)

Month 4 (%)

Month 5 (%)

Month 6 (%)

Month 7 (%)

Month 8 (%)

Month 9 (%)

Month 10 (%)

Month 11 (%)

Month 12 (%)

Describe the business — optional notes

Working business name A title for your own worksheet.

Services and positioning What will you offer, at what level and with what practical difference?

Clients and local demand Who will book, how often and what evidence supports that expectation?

Finding the first clients Describe channels, budget and how you will turn enquiries into repeat appointments.

Checks and open questions Premises, qualifications, licences, insurance, tax, staffing and any assumptions still to verify.

Choose a currency and complete all financial fields and twelve booking rates to see your plan.

Working draft · your own assumptions

Services and positioning
Clients and local demand
Finding the first clients
Checks and open questions

Figures used in this plan

One-off startup costs
Cash available before opening
Monthly operating costs
Monthly owner drawings
Average receipt per appointment
Variable cost per appointment
Bookable hours per month
Average appointment length in minutes

What the figures mean

Maximum whole appointments per month
Contribution per appointment
Monthly appointments covering costs and drawings
Booking rate needed to cover costs and drawings
Receipts over 12 months
Operating surplus before owner drawings
Owner drawings over 12 months
Cash after startup purchases
Cash at the end of month 12
Largest additional funding gap

Your twelve-month cash scenario

All amounts use your chosen currency. Operating costs and owner drawings stay constant; the booking rate changes by month.
Month	Booked	Appointments	Receipts	Variable costs	Operating surplus	Drawings	Cash change	Cash balance

This worksheet assumes payment and costs in the same month. It excludes tax settlements, depreciation, loan repayments, interest and payment delays. Add those to a full financing plan; operating surplus here is not taxable profit or take-home income.

The funding gap is the deepest negative cash balance, including the opening day. A positive year-end balance can still hide a shortfall in an earlier month. No further financing is automatically added.

Three fictional startup scenarios

Illustrations for a business in Germany, in EUR. These are not market prices, demand forecasts or advice to choose a tax regime. Your inputs remain unchanged.

Nails as a side business

A small business with limited billable hours. The owner’s desired pay also belongs in the costs to cover.

Startup purchases €2,500.00, available opening cash €4,000.00. Monthly: fixed costs €300.00, owner drawings €600.00, price per booking €55.00, materials €8.00; available hours 80, appointment length 90 minutes. Monthly occupancy is in the table.

Results appear when JavaScript is enabled.

Month	Occupancy	Bookings	Cash change after drawings	Cash balance
1	25%	—	—	—
2	35%	—	—	—
3	45%	—	—	—
4	50%	—	—	—
5	55%	—	—	—
6	60%	—	—	—
7	65%	—	—	—
8	65%	—	—	—
9	70%	—	—	—
10	70%	—	—	—
11	75%	—	—	—
12	75%	—	—	—

Hairdresser renting a chair

Fixed costs include assumed chair rent and other running costs. Renting a chair does not replace checking the requirements for self-employment. Of these, €650.00 is chair rent and €450.00 is other fixed costs.

Startup purchases €6,000.00, available opening cash €12,000.00. Monthly: fixed costs €1,100.00, owner drawings €2,000.00, price per booking €55.00, materials €4.00; available hours 120, appointment length 45 minutes. Monthly occupancy is in the table.

Results appear when JavaScript is enabled.

Month	Occupancy	Bookings	Cash change after drawings	Cash balance
1	20%	—	—	—
2	30%	—	—	—
3	40%	—	—	—
4	50%	—	—	—
5	55%	—	—	—
6	60%	—	—	—
7	65%	—	—	—
8	70%	—	—	—
9	70%	—	—	—
10	75%	—	—	—
11	75%	—	—	—
12	80%	—	—	—

Salon with a team

Team wages represent assumed total employer costs. Occupancy and materials must match the actual service mix.

Startup purchases €40,000.00, available opening cash €55,000.00. Monthly: fixed costs €9,500.00, owner drawings €2,500.00, price per booking €65.00, materials €10.00; available hours 320, appointment length 60 minutes. Monthly occupancy is in the table.

Results appear when JavaScript is enabled.

Month	Occupancy	Bookings	Cash change after drawings	Cash balance
1	30%	—	—	—
2	40%	—	—	—
3	50%	—	—	—
4	60%	—	—	—
5	65%	—	—	—
6	70%	—	—	—
7	75%	—	—	—
8	80%	—	—	—
9	80%	—	—	—
10	85%	—	—	—
11	85%	—	—	—
12	90%	—	—	—

For your own plan, add taxes, financing, payment timing and reserves separately. These cases do not promise income or business viability.

Build a plan you can check

Start with evidence of demand

Write down who will book, where they live or work and why they would choose your services. Compare your assumptions with enquiries, trial appointments and the actual local offer. A full diary is an outcome to test, not a starting value.
Separate opening costs from running costs

List what you pay before opening and what repeats every month. Keep per-appointment consumables separate so they grow with bookings. Obtain actual quotes for premises and equipment instead of treating an example budget as your own.
Count time you can actually sell

Use appointment time after cleaning, admin, breaks and absence. For several people or rooms, count only capacity that can run simultaneously. Whole appointments are rounded down, so an unused fraction of a slot earns no receipts.
Test a slower start as well

Lower the booking rates for the first months and compare the funding gap. Then check the price needed to cover your service time and material with the price calculator. Keep cash for the obligations this simplified worksheet does not include.

From your plan to the first appointment

Once your offer and capacity are clear, set up the services, durations and booking times in your salon software. The business-plan worksheet remains separate from the software and does not import your entries.

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Turn your salon idea into a business plan

Your assumptions

How full will the diary be?

Describe the business — optional notes

Figures used in this plan

What the figures mean

Your twelve-month cash scenario

Three fictional startup scenarios

Build a plan you can check

Start with evidence of demand

Separate opening costs from running costs

Count time you can actually sell

Test a slower start as well

From your plan to the first appointment

Month	Occupancy	Bookings	Cash change after drawings	Cash balance
1	25%	—	—	—
2	35%	—	—	—
3	45%	—	—	—
4	50%	—	—	—
5	55%	—	—	—
6	60%	—	—	—
7	65%	—	—	—
8	65%	—	—	—
9	70%	—	—	—
10	70%	—	—	—
11	75%	—	—	—
12	75%	—	—	—

Month	Occupancy	Bookings	Cash change after drawings	Cash balance
1	20%	—	—	—
2	30%	—	—	—
3	40%	—	—	—
4	50%	—	—	—
5	55%	—	—	—
6	60%	—	—	—
7	65%	—	—	—
8	70%	—	—	—
9	70%	—	—	—
10	75%	—	—	—
11	75%	—	—	—
12	80%	—	—	—

Month	Occupancy	Bookings	Cash change after drawings	Cash balance
1	30%	—	—	—
2	40%	—	—	—
3	50%	—	—	—
4	60%	—	—	—
5	65%	—	—	—
6	70%	—	—	—
7	75%	—	—	—
8	80%	—	—	—
9	80%	—	—	—
10	85%	—	—	—
11	85%	—	—	—
12	90%	—	—	—

Month	Occupancy	Bookings	Cash change after drawings	Cash balance
1	25%	—	—	—
2	35%	—	—	—
3	45%	—	—	—
4	50%	—	—	—
5	55%	—	—	—
6	60%	—	—	—
7	65%	—	—	—
8	65%	—	—	—
9	70%	—	—	—
10	70%	—	—	—
11	75%	—	—	—
12	75%	—	—	—

Month	Occupancy	Bookings	Cash change after drawings	Cash balance
1	20%	—	—	—
2	30%	—	—	—
3	40%	—	—	—
4	50%	—	—	—
5	55%	—	—	—
6	60%	—	—	—
7	65%	—	—	—
8	70%	—	—	—
9	70%	—	—	—
10	75%	—	—	—
11	75%	—	—	—
12	80%	—	—	—

Month	Occupancy	Bookings	Cash change after drawings	Cash balance
1	30%	—	—	—
2	40%	—	—	—
3	50%	—	—	—
4	60%	—	—	—
5	65%	—	—	—
6	70%	—	—	—
7	75%	—	—	—
8	80%	—	—	—
9	80%	—	—	—
10	85%	—	—	—
11	85%	—	—	—
12	90%	—	—	—

Your assumptions

How full will the diary be?

Describe the business — optional notes

Figures used in this plan

What the figures mean

Your twelve-month cash scenario

Three fictional startup scenarios

Build a plan you can check

Start with evidence of demand

Separate opening costs from running costs

Count time you can actually sell

Test a slower start as well

From your plan to the first appointment

Cookies and external content

Month	Occupancy	Bookings	Cash change after drawings	Cash balance
1	25%	—	—	—
2	35%	—	—	—
3	45%	—	—	—
4	50%	—	—	—
5	55%	—	—	—
6	60%	—	—	—
7	65%	—	—	—
8	65%	—	—	—
9	70%	—	—	—
10	70%	—	—	—
11	75%	—	—	—
12	75%	—	—	—

Month	Occupancy	Bookings	Cash change after drawings	Cash balance
1	20%	—	—	—
2	30%	—	—	—
3	40%	—	—	—
4	50%	—	—	—
5	55%	—	—	—
6	60%	—	—	—
7	65%	—	—	—
8	70%	—	—	—
9	70%	—	—	—
10	75%	—	—	—
11	75%	—	—	—
12	80%	—	—	—

Month	Occupancy	Bookings	Cash change after drawings	Cash balance
1	30%	—	—	—
2	40%	—	—	—
3	50%	—	—	—
4	60%	—	—	—
5	65%	—	—	—
6	70%	—	—	—
7	75%	—	—	—
8	80%	—	—	—
9	80%	—	—	—
10	85%	—	—	—
11	85%	—	—	—
12	90%	—	—	—