Whether you are a professional tattoo artist, looking to take your career to the next level, or an entrepreneur who has always dreamed of working in the industry, starting your own tattooing business is an exciting opportunity. This guide is here to help you successfully set up a new tattooing business today.
Create a Business Plan
The first step to setting any successful business starts with creating a comprehensive business plan. Your business plan is an outline for your vision for the company, defining who you are as a business, who your customers are, and your long-term vision.
Your business plan outlines what your business aims are and provides a practical framework by which you are going to achieve these goals. In your business plan, you should include an outline of what funding you will need, how you will acquire it, and a timeline for your progress.
Find Your Location
Your location will have a big impact on the type of business you can expect, and therefore it is important that you carefully consider your target audience when finding your location. For example, if you are on a busy high street, you will likely have a higher volume of walk-ins than if you were in a harder-to-reach location.
When you are finding your location, you will also need to think about rent. You should consider the cost of rent in relation to your prices to find out what a practical and realistic rent is for you to pay.
You should also conduct some market research to find out what competition there is in your area. It is important that you define yourself against the competition to ensure you can win customers.
Source Your Equipment
As a tattoo business, you will need plenty of supplies to start work. For a complete list of supplies you will need for your tattoo business, check out the Barber DTS guide.
Equipment is important for the quality of your work and for you to meet health and safety guidelines. So, make sure to purchase high-quality equipment that fulfils all necessary criteria.
Register and Legalise Your Business
The next step to setting up a tattooing business is to formally set up your company. It is illegal in the UK to tattoo someone if you don’t have a tattooing license, so it is vital that you formally set up your company. Ensure that you contact your local council to find out relevant laws and pass the necessary regulations and checks.
Find the Right Team
While having an aesthetic shop and friendly staff will be good for business, it will only ever get you so far. To ensure you are able to find clients and sustain business growth, you will need high-quality tattoo artists on-site. Therefore, when you are employing tattoo artists, you need to consider their talent, work quality, and how well they suit your vision for the company and brand identity.
You should also consider if you will need to hire other staff like an accountant or a receptionist. Once you have the right staff on board, you are ready to start marketing your business and winning clients.
