Going self-employed
Going self-employed as an aesthetician?
Before you open your skincare diary, get your treatment menu, consultation records and bookings organised.
Instant digital downloads · UK-focused templates and guides · Not a substitute for professional advice.
The work is one thing. The setup is another.
Giving someone glowing skin after a facial is the part you love; running the business around it is the part that catches people out. On your own, whether that's a treatment room or going mobile, you're pricing a menu so your product and stock costs are covered, building courses and packages, taking deposits so longer appointments pay, keeping consultation and patch-test notes tidy, and showing honest skin journeys on Instagram to build a loyal clientele. LaunchKit is a set of UK-focused, downloadable templates and guides designed to help you think through that setup side and get organised. It's a practical starting point, not a substitute for professional advice.
- Pricing a treatment menu so the cost of skincare products and stock is built into every facial, peel and waxing slot
- Putting together course and package pricing for regulars and event prep without underselling your time
- Keeping consultation, patch-test and skin records tidy and easy to find for each client (practical record-keeping, not medical or health advice)
- Tracking your real product spend and stock so restocking serums and waxes doesn't quietly eat your margin
- Taking deposits to cut no-shows and building a loyal clientele through honest before-and-afters on Instagram
What to sort first
Your get-set-up checklist
- 1
Build and price your treatment menu
Set prices for facials, peels, microdermabrasion, waxing and brows so each treatment covers your time and the products it uses.
- 2
Set up courses and package pricing
Decide how you'll price multi-session courses and packages for skincare regulars and event prep so the maths works across the whole course.
- 3
Get your client records organised
Have a tidy place for consultation, patch-test and skin notes for each client. This is practical record-keeping, not medical or health advice.
- 4
Cost your products and stock
Track what your serums, peels, wax and consumables actually cost per treatment so you know your real margin before you set prices.
- 5
Plan deposits and rebooking
Decide how you'll take deposits and get clients booked back in on their skincare cycle so the diary stays full.
- 6
Make yourself easy to find
Plan how new clients and event bookings will discover you on Instagram and local pages, with honest skin transformations, and how regulars rebook.
- 7
Look into the basics for your setup
Insurance, your training and qualifications, and any registration or licensing your treatments need are worth sorting early. This is a prompt to look into, not insurance advice, and the templates don't replace your training, qualifications or any registration or licensing you need.
Recommended LaunchKit tools
Tools that help you get set up
Walks you through the practical first steps of setting up as a self-employed aesthetician so you're not guessing what to sort first.
See what’s inside Your paperworkReady-to-use consultation, patch-test and booking templates plus simple client agreements, to keep your skincare paperwork consistent (a starting point to think through, not legal advice).
See what’s inside Your pricingHelps you work through treatment, course and package pricing alongside your product costs so your menu actually covers each facial and peel.
See what’s inside Getting foundContent templates to help you share honest before-and-afters and skin journeys on Instagram so clients keep rebooking.
See what’s inside Your wordsHelps you write booking replies, aftercare messages and Instagram captions without staring at a blank screen between clients.
See what’s inside Money adminA set of forms to help you keep deposits, takings and product spend organised across a busy week of treatments.
See what’s inside Record-keepingA structured workbook to help you keep records organised for Making Tax Digital as a sole trader.
See what’s insideNot sure where to start? See everything for aestheticians or browse all LaunchKit products.
Suggested starter stack
A sensible order to build up
The same tools, grouped in the order most people pick them up. You don’t need everything at once — start with the essentials, then add the rest as your business grows.
Add next
Common questions
Before you buy anything
- Do I need to buy everything before I start taking clients?
- No. Most aestheticians start with the startup guide to get the basics organised, then add the client templates and a pricing tool as they go. It's designed to help you build up your setup at your own pace.
- Are these legal or compliance documents?
- No. These are downloadable templates and guides to help you get organised and set up practically. They are not a substitute for professional advice and don't replace any training, qualifications, insurance or registration or licensing you're responsible for as an aesthetician.
- Can I use these if I'm already taking clients?
- Yes. Plenty of aestheticians who are already working pick these up to tidy up their menu pricing, deposits and client records rather than starting from scratch.
- How do I receive the files?
- They're instant digital downloads. After purchase you can download the templates and guides straight away and start using them.
- Which should I buy first?
- A good practical starting point is the startup guide, followed by the business documents for your consultation and booking paperwork and the pricing calculator to set your treatment and course prices. From there you can add the other tools as you need them.
Start with the right tools
Get the admin side organised so you can focus on the work. Browse the tools built for aestheticians businesses.
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