Emergency Business File

What happens to your business if you are suddenly unable to work. Contacts, logins, finances and client bookings.

BeautyKiln Document Hub - Emergency Business File - Free to use, no attribution required

What this is

An emergency file for self-employed beauty workers. If you are suddenly unable to work - hospitalisation, accident, serious illness - this document gives a trusted person everything they need to manage your business until you are back. Fill it in, seal it in an envelope, and give it to someone you trust.

This is not about planning for the worst. It is about making sure your clients are looked after, your bookings are handled and your business does not fall apart while you recover.

EMERGENCY BUSINESS FILE

CONFIDENTIAL

Prepared by: ___________________

Date prepared: ___________________

Last updated: ___________________

My trusted person

In case of emergency, please contact the person below. They have my authority to manage my business affairs until I am able to do so myself.

Name: ___________________

Relationship to me: ___________________

Phone: ___________________

Email: ___________________

They have a copy of this file: Yes / No

They have keys/access to my workspace: Yes / No

Section 1 - Business details

Business name: ___________________

Trading as: ___________________

Business address / workspace: ___________________

Home address (if different): ___________________

Type of business: Sole trader / Limited company / Partnership (circle one)

Companies House number (if limited): ___________________

What I do: ___________________

Section 2 - Key contacts

Section 3 - Clients with upcoming bookings

If I am unable to work, the following clients have bookings that need to be rescheduled or cancelled. My booking system (see Section 6) will have the full list, but these are the most urgent or important ones.

What to say to clients: "I am sorry, [my name] is currently unwell and unable to work. We need to reschedule your appointment. We will be in touch as soon as [she/he/they] is available again. Apologies for the inconvenience."

Do NOT share medical details with clients.

Section 4 - Financial information

Bank accounts

Card reader / payment processing

Provider: ___________ (Square / SumUp / Zettle / Stripe / other)

Account email: ___________________

Payouts go to: ___________ account

Standing orders and direct debits from my business account

Tax

HMRC UTR number: ___________________

National Insurance number: ___________________

Tax return filing deadline: ___________________

Tax payments on account due: ___________ (January) and ___________ (July)

Accountant handling my returns: Yes / No - if yes, see Section 2

Section 5 - Insurance

Important: If I have income protection or personal accident insurance, a claim should be started as soon as possible. Contact the provider using the claims line above.

Section 6 - Digital logins

Store these securely. If you use a password manager, note the master password or recovery method here.

Password manager used: ___________ (e.g. 1Password, Bitwarden, LastPass)

Recovery method: ___________________

Section 7 - Suppliers with outstanding orders

Section 8 - Chair or room rent

Do I rent a chair or room: Yes / No

Salon/premises name: ___________________

Salon owner name and contact: ___________________

Weekly/monthly rent: £___________

Rent paid by: Standing order / Bank transfer / Cash / Other: ___________

Notice period to pause or end rental: ___________

Does my agreement allow pausing rent during illness: Yes / No / Not sure

Action needed: If I am unable to work for more than ___________ days, contact the salon owner to discuss pausing or reducing rent.

Section 9 - Registrations and memberships

Section 10 - Other important information

Anything else someone managing your business would need to know.

Checklist for my trusted person

If you are reading this because I am unable to work, here is what to do:

1. Contact clients with upcoming bookings to reschedule (see Section 3 and my booking system)
2. Post a message on my social media: "Due to unforeseen circumstances, [business name] is temporarily closed. All booked clients will be contacted directly. Thank you for your patience."
3. Contact the salon owner if I rent a chair/room (see Section 8)
4. Check if I have income protection or personal accident insurance and start a claim (see Section 5)
5. Check for any supplier deliveries expected (see Section 7)
6. Make sure standing orders and direct debits are covered (see Section 4)
7. Contact my accountant if a tax deadline is approaching (see Section 2)
8. Do NOT access client records beyond what is needed to reschedule appointments - GDPR still applies

How to use this template

Fill in every section that applies to you. It will take about 30 minutes. Store the completed file securely - this document contains sensitive information including passwords and financial details. Options: a sealed envelope with your trusted person, a locked drawer at home, or an encrypted digital file. Give your trusted person a copy or tell them where to find it. Update it every three months or whenever something changes (new insurance policy, new booking system, new bank account). Put a recurring reminder in your phone. The 30 minutes you spend on this now could save your business if the unexpected happens.