CHAPTER 2 Business Practices
THE ATTITUDE
First of all, every human you mark is your advertisement. Second, people tend to remember the bad—not the good. If you are not pumping out quality work, you’d better practice your art, no matter how you do it. The basic aim of the body artist is to create a piece (tattoo, modification, piercing) that stays around, both physically and emotionally, for the customer’s entire lifetime. A good professional standing takes time to build and should be protected above all else. Considerate artists will never use something that hits the floor because they have full respect for the overall well-being of their customers.
Students at our institute advance the principal objective of the body art industry through alternative educational approaches. Our cyber think tank is emblematic of this. We don’t use typical learning methods: nothing is really structured; members go where they want and learn what they want. This allows our students to focus solely on what interests them. We also have authorized experts who are permitted to answer any questions you may have. There’s more, but I’ll try not to turn this into an ad for dynamicbodyartinstitute.net.
All professionals assume responsibility for executive decisions by adhering to local, state, and federal guidelines. You want to exercise some discretion and judgment here, kids. The wise artist will not tattoo gang symbols without solid proof of real membership. And even if proof exists, I would veer away from it.
You are encouraged to participate in continuing education and professional activities, sharing knowledge with colleagues, and investigating new aspects of professional practice.5 Never talk down competitors or show jealousy. What we say about others reflects on us. Not only that, but when you say anything about a competitor, you are straight up promoting your competitor—for free! The best way to drive business in any type of industry is by word of mouth. I have found that the better artists are, the less they talk about their abilities. There’s no need to brag or boast about how good you are. Your work will reflect this, and the customer will take notice.
THE CUSTOMERS
Always follow the standard practice. Avoid working on kids and friends, as the majority of problems stem from those two sources. In most states, doing permanent body art on a minor who is not accompanied by an adult is a crime. And that’s not all: the first question the parents ask is “Who gave you that?” This screams “lawsuits!”—as do drunks and druggies, especially when they want to claim they don’t remember how they got some work done, or when the results of their blood test are unfavorable.
Do not ever work on people who are not 100 percent in control of their own decisions, including customers who are considering getting body art while intoxicated. Some say it’s cool to get trashed after the stencil is on, but if you do it by the book, then it’s just not happenin’, period. Also, do not work on pregnant women or women who are nursing. And as tempting as it may be, try to avoid sleeping with your customers. This is called professionalism, and despite talking to the contrary, inkheads must show it as well.
Under no circumstances can equipment be shared between artists working on clients simultaneously. Some artists say this doesn’t apply to customers who are partners in an unprotected sexual relationship, because then it’s on them. To me it seems better to keep the flat statement “Never share equipment” unambiguous, even here. How would an artist know that two people presenting themselves as a couple really are a couple? And even if they are, there’s no assurance that one partner doesn’t have some blood-borne disease the other doesn’t know about. Artists expose themselves to lawsuits (just or not) any time equipment is ever shared.
You’re working with a cluster of needles that rapidly pierces the skin. Really get into that rhythmic shaking felt during the procedure. While doing work on clients, explain how the body releases endorphins, which reduce pain. Often this helps to calm them. Reassure them of the safety measures you have taken. Playing soothing music while you work also keeps customers relaxed. People pay attention to how willing you are to take the time to make them comfortable.
THE SHOP
Having spent countless hours at a wide variety of shops, I’ve consolidated loads of information. Here I am proposing some good ideas for your shop. If you plan to open a shop yourself, stand advised: most authorities will not be particularly thrilled about it. They prefer relegating body artists to industrial sections that house the “fringe businesses,” and they require building plans and layouts. They come up with a host of hurdles. Even conventions can be a big production, with their elaborate facility regulations.
The entrance is the area where customers will sit (hopefully comfortably), wait, read magazines, and brace themselves. Keep this area super clean; it reflects decisively on your business and you. On the walls should be flash designs for people to choose from, permits and certifications, shop rules, aftercare instructions, and answers to any other FAQs (frequently asked questions) related to your company. Somewhere near the waiting room, you will need to have a fully functional, clean restroom. You’ll need some type of barrier, such as a counter with a self-closing door, between the waiting area/entrance and the storage area.
In between the entrance and restroom is the work area, where the booth or booths are located and all the work is done. The booths should be off to one side, allowing room for a hallway so that customers don’t have to go through your booth area to get to the restroom. Each studio must have a separate workroom specifically designated for each function—tattooing, piercing, and so on.
All tables used for work must be made of smooth, nonporous, corrosion-resistant materials, such as glass or metal, so that they can be easily sanitized. No animals are permitted in the booths. Even guide dogs should be kept outside the work area. There must also be a sink with hot and cold running water in or somewhere around the booth.
You’re also going to want storage in your shop, and it should be right next to the work area. This is where you’ll keep all of your tools, equipment, and supplies. You’ll want to make like Joe Clair from Rap City and keep it locked. Utility and Storage rooms must be separated from work areas by closed doors.
ADVERTISING
Before you set up shop, you need to make sure that everything you do or create in your business will be legal. Once that’s taken care of, you’ll want to gain maximum attention and interest in your business with minimal financial investment. For most businesses, advertising is a necessary evil. When it comes to marketing yourself, remember one word: viral. Profiles on social networks and eye
Catching videos is not only the most cost-effective advertising but also the most efficient. Magazine articles can be a serious booster, provided you’re ready for the exposure—oftentimes an artist’s career takes years, even decades, to blossom.
You also want to be a part of relevant news releases to as many media outlets as possible. There are all kinds of press releases, but you should aim for topical ones that allow you to present your credentials, skills, and accomplishments in a way that is not the least bit sales oriented. This, in many circles, is exactly what you want. A successful topical release establishes you as a valuable source for the editor of the media outlet.
Seriously, just do good things for your community and build a respectable following. For example, give part of your profits to a local charity or spend a little extra time and care with a memorial piece for a grieving stranger. Whether it’s good body art or good deeds, you will find that everything else just falls into place if you’re rolling with the good guys.
Out of respect for your customers, do not practice body art near a window for the public to see. It may be cheap advertising, but you might find yourself sneaking peeks at what the public is doing, and furthermore many people won’t care to have others watch them in agony, which can seriously affect the artist-client vibe—in other words, it may dually distract you from your work.
You want to stay mentally fresh and alert; otherwise, your work will suffer and you can kiss your respectable following goodbye.
THE BUSINESS END
Your customers’ safety and trust are critical aspects of maintaining a successful body art business, so you will want to keep them around. Understanding this is more important than any other element of our profession. Never wait more than fifteen seconds to acknowledge customers once they’ve entered your establishment. Ask them their names, and let them know they’re not just money to you. These people are paying you and at the same time allowing you to use them as an outlet for your creativity. What an honor! Once artists realize this, they can attain spiritual wealth that is far more valuable than any kind of material gain.
Happy customers will come back—and bring their friends, too. If you do not provide a design a customer wants, help him or her find it. Give customers your cell phone number in case they have questions or problems. If you accept only cash as payment, inform customers by posting this clearly in your storefront window. If you take appointments, require a nonrefundable deposit and note the appointment time and date. Most businesses allow a twenty-four
hour cancellation window and return the deposit if the person cannot make it. Make your customers comfortable, and encourage them to look at your studio as a chill spot. Just ensure that they respect it as a place of business.
Some artists charge by the inch, some by the piece, and some by the area. I say avoid the drama and charge by the hour. Of course you have to factor in what people are willing to pay and what your overhead is, but it’s helpful to have in mind a ballpark range of about $100 an hour or $20 to $50 a square inch. That’s pretty much standard.
You must develop personal and friendly relationships with your employees. As far as employees go, shops are pretty much self-contained: it’s usually only artists and apprentice(s) who work there. More often than not an owner is also an artist. The shop is maintained and cleaned by the apprentice(s). High-volume stores in populated areas usually have a shop manager and cleaning service on the staff. You also have your lawyer and accountant. Their access to information makes the nature of your relations both personal and business-oriented, so take time to select these team members carefully.
Authorization may be required at the artist level—meaning that some states (unless they allow new artists to be grandfathered in from states where the relevant laws don’t apply) require the “apprentice” to go through 2,000 logged hours; to possess certifications on first aid, blood-borne pathogens, and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation); to study for at least six months under a professional; and to attend all pertinent Red Cross programs every three years. I went through this wringer, and it was dreadfully time-consuming. We all know a permit or even certification is no true indication of an artist’s skill. It simply helps maintain state sanitation standards. All states—and sometimes individual cities—have separate regulations. The public health department will usually visit your studio once a year to make sure everything is up to snuff.
If you decide to establish a studio, you need to learn all you can about rental and real estate laws and zones, or hire someone you trust to know it. This book is about body art, not how to run a business, so it doesn’t devote a lot of space to business aspects. Still, it is very important that you look at local and state ordinances in detail before you start performing body art on any level. Body art facility owners and operators have a responsibility to operate their facility under the structure of well-developed, up-to-date, and principled procedures.
Your local city hall will set you on the right path. Here you can inquire about public laws, zoning regulations, and health department requirements. Look closely at the regulations for body art. Having your own establishment might not be the best option, considering the daunting issues involved in renting a space and finding the right help. All that responsibility and so forth can weigh heavy—many people decide they’d rather work from home or for someone else. And listen up, kids: anyone in business always runs the risk of being sued. So if you’re setting up shop, learning about business insurance is part of what it will take to run and operate it.
Despite what many artists say, you have to pay taxes, no matter what. If you’re unsure what amounts or percentages you’ll wind up owing, get yourself a good accountant. But if you have the time and brain capacity, do your own bookkeeping and taxes; there are dozens of effective software applications that do most of the hard stuff for you. Be sure you weigh out the value of your time (i.e., the time it takes to do the accounting yourself versus paying someone else to do it and traveling to sit with that professional at his or her office) and make an educated decision. I personally just pay someone I trust who is formally educated.
The information presented here isn’t (and can’t be) extensive and precise, but at least I’ve framed the main issues for readers, informed by my own successful practices. A general discussion of successful business practices themselves could fill up a book, but here, some more specific material would be more helpful.
Therefore I encourage you to turn to a dynamic body art institute. net. We chop up questions about the process of running a body art business and present them in a linear way by having contributors sketch in the basic issues step by step: where will the business be (home, commercial rental space, elsewhere, and what’s involved in each choice); what’s needed to set up shop there (issues of zoning, permits, the risks of practicing on the sly, and so forth); what’s involved in keeping a business running (day-to-day practice, handling money, business bank accounts, tracking expenses, calculating overhead), tax issues (sales tax, B&O tax, property tax, quarterly income payments, year-end filings, business licensure), and so forth. We also talk about the alternatives to having this kind of formal business (making a living by going to conventions or working off the grid, etc.). Not all succeed, but to many it’s well worth it.