Going self-employed
Pulling a great flat white is the easy bit: sort the menu pricing, suppliers and money side before the doors open and the first orders start coming over the counter.
Instant digital downloads on currently available products · UK-focused templates and guides · Not a substitute for professional advice.
Pulling a great flat white is the part you love; running the place as a business is the bit that catches people out. Once it's your café you're not just making the drinks — you're pricing the menu against what the milk, beans and pastries actually cost, ordering stock so nothing runs out or goes to waste, sorting the till and rotas, and watching the cash flow against rent and staff every single week. Registering your food business with your local authority and getting the food-hygiene and allergen side right is something to look into and sort yourself. LaunchKit is a set of UK-focused, downloadable templates and guides to help you think through the setup and money side and get organised. It's a practical starting point, not a substitute for professional advice.
What to sort first
Registering your food business with your local authority and the food-hygiene and allergen requirements are things to look into and sort yourself before you open. The templates don't replace any food-safety, registration or licensing requirement.
Work out what each drink and dish actually costs you in ingredients, then price it so there's a real margin after rent, wages and waste — not just a number that feels about right.
Sort your milk, bean, pastry and food suppliers and a simple way to track stock so you order enough without over-buying and wasting it.
Think through how many baristas and kitchen hands you need for the rush versus the quiet hours, and how you'll rota and pay them.
Set up a simple way to track daily takings, supplier bills, rent and wages so cash flow and tax time aren't guesswork.
Cover for the premises, your equipment, public liability and your staff is a prompt to look into, not insurance advice — sort the right cover for how you trade.
Plan how regulars, passing trade and remote workers will discover you — your Instagram, local Facebook, Google listing and the signage outside.
Recommended LaunchKit tools
Walks you through the practical first steps of setting up your own café — what to sort, in what order, from the setup side through to opening day.
See what’s inside Your paperworkHandy paperwork templates for the business side of the counter, from supplier and staff documents to the records you keep on file.
See what’s inside Your pricingHelps you work through menu pricing — what each drink and dish costs versus what you charge — so your margins cover ingredients, waste, rent and wages.
See what’s inside Getting foundContent templates to help you show off your coffee, brunch and specials and stay visible to regulars and passing trade between busy mornings.
See what’s inside Your wordsHelps you write quick replies to enquiries, menu descriptions, post captions and a tidy local listing without staring at a blank screen.
See what’s inside Money adminA set of forms to help you keep daily takings, supplier bills and wage costs organised across a busy week.
See what’s insideNot sure where to start? See everything for cafe coffee shop or browse all LaunchKit products.
Suggested starter stack
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.
Common questions
Get the admin side organised so you can focus on the work. Browse the tools built for cafe coffee shop businesses.
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