Entrepreneur Guidance: 4 Tips For Owning A Tattoo Parlor

Owning a tattoo parlor can be an effective way to do something that you love, make a profit and provide jobs for the local community. However, if you are going to open such an establishment, it is important that you understand the legal obligations that you face. It is also important to understand how to find, attract and properly serve your customers.

Your Tattoo Artists Should Be Properly Trained

Whoever is responsible for putting ink on a person’s body in your shop needs to be trained in a variety of disciplines. First, that person needs to have some sort of art background as well as specialized training.

Second, your people should be familiar with basic sanitation protocols to ensure that no one gets an infection or gets sick because of an unclean needle. Finally, your people should be trained to look for signs that a person is drunk or otherwise not thinking clearly when asking for a tattoo.

Get Proper Permits and File Proper Paperwork Before Opening

You will likely need to get permission from local or state authorities to collect sales and other taxes from customers. It may also be necessary to file paperwork to incorporate or otherwise formally organize your business. In addition to filing documents with the county or state, you may need to pay a fee to operate in that county or state.

If you buy a building or other commercial space to run your tattoo shop, make sure that it is in a designated business zone. To ensure that taxes are paid and proper permits are acquired, you may want to hire an attorney, an accountant or both as part of your corporate team.

Obtain Insurance for Your Company

Regardless of what type of business you are trying to run, it is important that you have insurance. At a minimum, you should have general liability coverage. General liability coverage helps to pay any damages incurred by those who are hurt or get sick while on your property. As a tattoo parlor owner, you will want tattoo shop and body piercing insurance offered by companies such as Marine Agency.

These types of policies are tailored to your specific needs and help to mitigate any risks that a tattoo shop may face such as claims related to mistakes made by a tattoo artist. As a judgement against your company could cost thousands or even millions of dollars, having such a policy could be the difference between closing and moving on after resolving a legal matter.

Don’t Be Afraid to Showcase Your Work

Each time that a customer gets a tattoo from your company, make sure to show it off proudly. For instance, you may want to post pictures of each tattoo that you or your company creates on social media or in local publications. This helps to spread the word about your company as well as shows others that your business offers a quality product for the price it charges.

You should also ask your customers to refer the company to their friends, family members or professional contacts. Taking this step is important to growing your business because tattoo parlors do a lot of business based on customer referrals.

Being an entrepreneur can be an exciting journey that teaches you a lot about both the business world and yourself as a person. It also gives you more control over your career and the ability to turn your ideas into a long-term financial security. While the journey can be a fun one, make sure that you thoroughly understand what you are getting into to increase your odds of success.