Or operating immediately from the backup salon · ~2.5 weeks from today (May 30)
Roadmap
0/18
1 · Stabilize
May 30–Jun 6
2 · Launch
Jun 7–13
3 · Operate
Jun 14–27
4 · Sustain
Jun 28–Jul 27
What changed — straight talk
Termination compressed everything you'd planned for the next 9 weeks into the next 2. That's hard, but it's not catastrophic — because you were already prepping. The entity, the suite, the booked clients, Aaron — those existed yesterday and they still exist today.
Two things decide whether you open by mid-June: (1) Max's stepdad files the entity this week while you're at their house, and (2) you make the suite-vs-backup-salon call by end of next week. The mass-text + announcement only goes out after lawyer sign-off — that's the one gate that protects everything else.
If the suite's 2-year lease feels too heavy, the backup salon is the bridge. You'd be operating from day one, no commitment. Either way: you can open this month.
Phase 1
Stabilize & Protect
0/5
May 30 – June 6 · This week
Close out the salon cleanly, get the entity filed, and have the announcement ready (but unposted).
Return Jacob's keys, work phone, and credit card.Clean handoff, no past-talk, no apology. Done in 5 minutes.
Lock your DBA name.Quick PA availability check. Bring it to Max's stepdad ready to file.
Max's stepdad files the LLC + S-Corp this week.While you're at their house. This unlocks bank accounts, payroll, lease in business name. Confirm turnaround.
Lawyer review: old NDA + unsigned new contracts + announcement wording.Get his read in writing if possible. The announcement doesn't go out until he signs off on the wording.
Customize transition post + mass text. Confirm booking flow.Vagaro link, DM, or text-back — pick one. Then finalize wording for lawyer review.
Phase 2
Decide & Launch
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June 7 – June 13 · Next week
Lock the space, open the accounts, send the announcement.
Make the suite vs. backup salon decision and sign.If suite: sign the 2-year lease, deposit from June cash. If backup: lock the guest-spot terms with that owner.
Open the 4 business bank accounts.Once the EIN is issued. Checking, savings, tax savings, operating savings.
Send the mass text + post the transition (after lawyer sign-off).Single blast to everyone in your phone — the mass nature is the protection. Then the social post goes up.
Set up Vagaro (or your booking flow) and basic business insurance.Vagaro is included with the suite. If backup salon, use what's there or set up DM bookings cleanly.
Phase 3
Operate
0/5
June 14 – June 27 · Open + first independent weeks
Run the booked clients, absorb new bookings from the announcement, ship behind-the-scenes content.
Move into the suite (or settle into guest-spot rhythm).Get inventory, tools, and Vagaro live in the space. Test the full client flow before the first independent appointment.
Serve the 5 booked clients this month.$10K cash. Show up clean, capture quiet behind-the-scenes, ask each for a referral.
Convert inbound from the mass text + post into bookings.Reply fast, route to your booking flow, fill the late-June and July calendar.
Ship the behind-the-scenes content arc (IG + TikTok + YouTube).Hardware-store ponytails, hair factory, density-matching explainers. Lead with the hook, be clear not clever. Post everywhere — it's free.
Formalize Aaron's arrangement.Rent help + inventory flip, his car for house calls. Get the terms written so it's real, not assumed.
Phase 4
Sustain & Relaunch
0/4
June 28 – July 27 · Stable operation through the Canada trip
Settle the rhythm, build the public arc, use the keratin class as a relaunch moment.
Hit a stable client rhythm.Predictable weekly bookings, prep cadence dialed in, Aaron supporting where he can.
Run the Profit First splits on every payment.With your CPA. Pay yourself a real salary; keep taxes in their own account so nothing surprises you.
Capture the Canada trip + keratin-class content.This becomes your relaunch arc. Film the journey, the class, what you're learning. It doubles as the story moment for the next quarter.
Tell the story when you're ready — not before.When you can speak about the termination from a healed place (probably late summer), the full arc becomes content that builds your brand. Until then: document, don't broadcast.
Roadmap complete — you're independent. Look how far you came. 🎉
A reminder for the hard moments.When you found out Friday, you panicked — and then you sat down, took inventory, and realized you had more ingredients than you thought. That's the right instinct. Trust it. You already have the hair, the tools, the booked clients, the lawyer, the suite, Aaron, the content brain. You're not building from zero — you're connecting pieces that already exist. Move through the phases one at a time. The right people and money will keep showing up because they already are. And if any week gets heavy, we adjust the plan — not you.