How Does a Tattoo Business Owner Spend a Workday?
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Getting Into the Tattoo Business
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Owning a tattoo business requires a good deal of expertise in the subject of tattooing. Rarely will you find a tattoo shop owner who is not also an artist. Starting a shop with no experience can be a risky proposition, as seasoned artists bring with them an already established clientele and knowledge as to how to make things run smoothly. Many business owners start out as artists in another person's shop and work their way up to owning a business of their own.
What Makes a Good Tattoo Business Owner?
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There are many traits that most successful tattoo artists and business owners have in common. Aside from being artistic and having excellent technical understanding of the tattoo process, they are also very good with people. A tattoo artist must be able to communicate ideas well, in order to help clients crystallize their vision or artwork into the best possible tattoo design. An artist must also be able to work with nervous clients and to offer assistance in the rare event of a complication during healing. Obviously, a tattoo business owner must also have a good head for business, able to budget and take care of paperwork and tasks related to financial matters, licensing and health regulations.
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The Day Begins
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Because the majority of tattoo shops do not open until later morning or afternoon, a tattoo shop owner may enjoy a flexible schedule, even if he does work more than 40 hours per week. Even before the first client comes in, there is work to be done. The business owner must assure that the shop is properly cleaned and equipment sterilized. He generally spends time between clients completing such tasks as ordering inks, entering daily totals into a computer program or ledger and paying bills. Once the clients begin to arrive, the fun begins. The tattoo artist sets up the area for the tattoo, pouring selected ink colors into cups, getting out the appropriate size needles and tattoo machine and preparing a stencil of the design. After a tattoo session is completed, the entire station must be wiped down and disinfected and non-disposable equipment is taken to the autoclave to be sterilized. In addition to these tasks, most tattoo artists and/or tattoo business owners make their own needles, which can time-consuming. A tattoo business owner may also attend conferences and conventions to learn more about the business and the newest techniques and equipment.
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