Becoming a tattoo artist is appealing for a lot of reasons! Being able to channel your creative energy, create beautiful art for people, and of course getting to be your own boss! Although, this isn’t always as easy as it seems. You can always join a shop with a manager that can handle scheduling appointments, filing waivers, and all of the little details in between. But that option also includes taking a cut to your bottom line.
So how do you become a successful tattoo artist, keep your chair full, and money flowing into your bank account?
5 Tools Every New Tattoo Artist Needs
Instagram has over 1BILLION users every month! Being able to grow your audience, show off your portfolio, and market your art has never been easier! It also allows potential customers to view your style and see what city you tattoo in. And the best part? Instagram is free!
2.Google
Tattooing is a very competitive business and you want to be professional so having a business email account is a good first step. Keep it simple, even your name works perfectly. Google allows you to sync your calendar across devices, save photos to the drive, and save documents online so you can access them at anytime (like aftercare instructions, blurbs about you, etc.)
3.Website
A website is a great way for people to find you! As I mentioned, tattooing is very competitive, having an easy way for your customers to find you is key! It doesn’t have to be too fancy, even a contact page and a few photos will go a long way! Depending on your budget you can hire someone to build a website for you, or there is lots of great options for customizing your own.
4.Square
Square is a great way to handle payments and see financial reports. Just by signing up Square will send you a free reader which attaches to your phone, meaning you can take payments anywhere you go. Square will send you monthly reports so you can keep track of how much money you’ve made. Recently, Square added a feature that allows you to send invoices and request a deposits. Securing appointments with deposits is important so you don’t lose money on people that aren’t serious about being tattooed by you.
5.Tacrem
Tacrem is software for tattoo artists that handles all of the office work. It’s accessible on any device, keeping you connected to your business no matter where you are. Tacrem allows you to customize an application form which you can post on your Instagram, other social media, or website. Every accepted application becomes a client profile where you can see the contact info, if deposits were collected, all appointments, and pieces of work including reference material. You can link you Google Calendar to Tacrem so when you send a customer the booking link they can’t book times you’re unavailable. Most things in Tacrem are automatic, like when you book an appointment it will automatically send a reminder text and/or email to your client asking them to confirm and giving them a link to your waiver form. All of the waiver forms are customizable, electronically signed, and digitally saved to the client profile. Tacrem even has a Square integration to handle payments! The features of Tacrem allow you to focus on your art while they handle the office work!
At the end of the day being a successful tattoo artist requires more than just art skills. Luckily there are tools out there to help take off the pressure of lame office work. Keeping organized is the first step to a great career!