Opening Shop Questions

Well here it goes...I hope this doesn't get flamed... So, I am not a tattoo artist. I have not been apprenticed. But I am going to open a tattoo shop. you might be saying WOAH that is ridiculous, but let me explain. My goal in life is to create art and to be an amazing tattoo artist, and I really hope that I can acheive this goal. When I say I am opening a shop, I don't mean I am going to say hey I am learning to tattoo come on in and let me give it a shot on you. In fact, I don't even plan on being an artist there for quite some time. I would like to hire established, professional artist. Now, this is why I am opening a shop without even knowing the business. My dad has a bachelors degree in business and he has always been a high level supervisor. Currently he works as a district manager for a nationwide company. Unfortunatly his company is going through a merger and he is going to loose his job. He is 53 years old and he really doesn't want to try to climb that ladder again. So he has decided to start his own small business. Well, we have talked about my dream for a while and he has decided we will go into business together and this is the path we want to travel. I know the ideal way would be for me to apprentice and see for myself how a shop runs, but my 20 year old brother lives at home with my parents as well as my 13 year old sister, so we don't have that kind of time. It would be hard for them to go from him making 60+K a year to nothing waiting for me to start and finish an apprenticeship. Also I am 24 and am married and have three kids of my own so I don't have time to just apprentice and do nothing else. Therefore our hope is that we can start this shop. Be co-owners. Hire good artists (one of which I could apprentice from) and eventually I could work in the shop and my dad could become sole owner. I know this might sound bad, but we are not dumb. We both have been spending time reading and studying anything we can get our hands on. All of that though is not like straight from the mouth so...I am hoping that someone would be able to help answer some questions for me about how wages work and who provides supplies and so forth. If anyone has any helpful advice I would love to hear from you.

Nothing you can read will substitute experience. I'm not going to say I don't know anyone who owns a shop and doesn't tattoo. Hell the shop I work at isn't owned by a tattoo artists, however, he's be involved in the industry and has a plethora of knowledge about it. The fact of the matter is you're reasons for opening a shop seem horrendous. It seems like you're trying to do it as some financial "quick fix." I'm not sure if you're aware that between getting permits, reconstructing a building to be up to code, finding good artists, etc etc, it takes some people up to a year to get a shop up and running. Do you have tattoos, do you know artists, do you have any experience in the industry at all? I'm all one for following dreams, but you need to be realistic about what you're delving into. I'd like to offer constructive advice, but you shot yourself in the foot a bit with your reasons for wanting to open a shop. A business degree is a great thing to work with, do you perhaps have a different road you could go down that you are more knowledgeable in?

Also, side note, I'm not sure if you realize the financial endeavor you'd be getting yourself in, but opening a tattoo shop can EASILY take over $60,000. If not more depending on location. Just something to note.

I'm sorry. I might not have put enough info in the first post. I do have a lot of experience with tattoos. I have both of my sleeves finished, I have 2 tattoos on each of my legs and one on each of my sides and 1 on my chest (left) and a few on my back. I got my first when i was 18 and I am now 23. I do know a few guys who work in the shops a little further south then me. We have just talked about my drawings and bullshit ya know. They are really cool guys and I definitely plan on talking with them more, but I just wanted to see if you guys had some knowledge too. And this isn't really a financial quick fix because my dad and i both are pretty sound financially. This is more of forced bad timing for something I have wanted to do. I do want to be an artist, and I want to get an apprenticeship. So the hope is that when we open the shop One of the artist we hire could be my teacher. And we really don't want to open a business that we could ya know successfully run right away and hate it. I would rather open a business that I don't know everything about, but every day I am gonna wake up and go...I love my job. I am sick of going to bed on Sunday thinking about how much I don't want to go to work tomorrow. I can't for the feeling where I can say. Man I made this awesome line drawing for this guy and I can't wait to see how it looks. I want to love what I do...and I love art and tattoos.

"This is more of forced bad timing for something I have wanted to do." Opening a shop when the timing is bad is disaster waiting to happen! Be patient. If you want to do it, do it right. Try to get an apprenticeship. Take it slow The tattoo industry of all things is not the greatest industry to dive into and hope for the best. I really wish you the best of luck, but I don't think you should rush into opening a business. But thats just my $.02

mary brings good advice to the board here. another word of advice is if you go through this venture just be damm sure on who you hire. too many times ive heard the story. mutha fu@# er told me had years of experince buiss was going great i came to shop this morning and gone all gone artist tubes machines flash equipment everything gone. or they turn out to not be worth a shit artist