Who the fuck let me own a shop? (An advice blog)
Hey boo boo’s.
Look, I never planned on owning my own tattoo shop. But sometimes you just go with the flow and end up somewhere you never expected. Sure, I had ideas for a cool shop with 70’s style stripes on the wall, big windows, and welcoming vibes, but never did I think I’d end up owning said shop. Yet here I am, in the year of our lord and savior Dolly Parton’s 2024, the owner of Love You Tattoo- aka the cutest tattoo shop in the whole world- you will not convince me otherwise.
Now, before I really get into this I want to start by saying:
I do not know everything about owning a tattoo shop. I am not a perfect shop owner/ boss/ leader/ whatever the hell you want to call me, but I am absolutely sure that I am doing my best to constantly learn and grow. I make mistakes (hello, I’m only human), but I do my best to learn from those mistakes and not let them hold me back. Okay, disclaimer over.
There are few things in this world that I will openly claim I am good at (even after tattooing for damn near 12 years, I still feel like a novice sometimes), but I can say I am a decent (okay maybe I can’t even use the word “good” here after all) tattoo shop owner / leader.
I’ve learned a lot over the last 2.5 years of owning Love You and I thought I would share a wee bit of that knowledge with y’all. Now, what works for me and my shop may sound like total bullshit to you. But hey, you do you and I’ll keep doing me. (TW- if you’re an old school tattooer who hates change and wants the industry to go back to only being for the cool kids, this is gonna make your butthole pucker something fierce.)
Now! First things first!
When I came to the conclusion that I was opening my own tattoo shop, I had to accept some things about myself that could impact how I run a business and plan accordingly:
Number 1- I have ADHD. So I needed to make sure I didn’t have too many tasks that I could potentially lose track of. (This is still a work in progress and I STILL lose track of shit- ie the time I had to rush to Staples on my day off because we ran out of printer ink…)
Number 2- I am a people pleaser to my core. (It’s exhausting and I’m working on it. Yay therapy!) So I needed to be aware of certain things when making decisions about my business. For example: Am I making this decision because it’s how I want to run my shop OR am I making this decision to appease someone who works in my shop?
Number 3- Confrontation makes me want to barf. So I needed to find a way to feel comfortable confronting issues, while also remaining compassionate and calm. I still hate confrontation, but boy do I looooove communication - which you’ll see shortly.
Now, if you want to hear my advice about owning a tattoo shop, here ya go! (Remember! This is just what works best for me, my business, my finances, and my mental health.)
Make it your own, but always be aware that other people will be working in this space with you. Their opinions matter, but at the end of the day it’s your baby.
Make it as easy for yourself as you can! (This is where my ADHD came in) Meaning?
Booth rent! It’s soooo much easier for you as the owner to just wait for those rent checks at the beginning of each month. That way your artists have their independence and can work as much or as little as they want. As long as they can pay their booth rent, the rest is up to them on how much money they want to put in the effort to make. (Obviously booth rent works best in appointment heavy shops, where the artists are established and busy. If you gotta do commissions, you gotta do commissions, but gyahd dang booth rent simplifies things so much.)
Give your artists said aforementioned independence. No micro-managing bullshit. They are the masters of their own destinies, just like you are of yours.
COMMUNICATE! COMMUNICATE! COMMUNICATE! Communicate like your beautiful little business depends on it…because it does. Talk to each other like adults. If someone is doing something that affects clients and/or other artists on a *professional* level, communicate that to that person and then give them the opportunity to do better!
This does not mean you become the mediator between your artists. If they have *personal* (not professional) issues with each other, they are adults and should communicate as such. If one of your artists finds the other annoying, that is not your problem. “Annoying” is not a fireable offense. If it was…I, Cori James, would have been fired from every job I’ve ever had.
Listen. Listen to your artists. Take in their opinions and really give them weight. This doesn’t mean every single decision comes down to a vote, though. At the end of the day, it is your business and your vision, but their opinions should be heard and taken seriously. Here in lies more communication! Talk it out!
Remember that you’re only human and so are your artists. Mistakes will be made, but give people the chance to learn. Give yourself the chance to learn as well.
Speaking of mistakes: own them bitches. When you fuck up, which you will…own it.
Now for some things that just work best for me personally, but may be a bit controversial to the “old school” tattooers out there:
I do not enforce hierarchy. Just because you’ve been in the industry x amount of years does not necessarily mean you know more OR are better at tattooing. It’s as simple as that. I think tattooers who have been around for a hot minute could learn a hell of a lot from the newer generation of tattooers and should step down from the pedestal they’ve put themselves on. This levels the playing field and shows each of your artists the same level of respect - which is not something that they should have to earn- and allows them to feel comfortable communicating without fear. Treating people with respect and kindness will get you much further than holding a hierarchy over their heads. Expecting them to earn your trust and therefore their value in the shop.
I highly recommend remaining open to the evolution and changes happening in tattooing. There’s no way to stop the growth, or the tech upgrades, or the fact that people can get really good really fast. So instead of trying to fight it to stay in your little comfy bubble, lean into it and go with the flow. Stop paddling against the current…you look kinda crazy. Plus, the upgrades are constantly making life easier for tattooers and I will never complain about that.
For me, VIBE IS EVERYTHING. Of course I want talented tattooers to work in my shop, but if the vibe ain’t right, the fit ain’t right. You can always help an artist learn and improve their technique and skills. It’s much harder to fit a grumpy, bad vibed square peg into a circular relaxing vibed hole- no matter how talented they are. Talented AND good vibes are my holy grail.
I’m still learning and growing and fucking it up and fixing it and then learning some more. If you think you know everything…you’re dead ass wrong. Stay open to the ebb and flow. LOVE YOU!
-cori