Become A Temporary Tattoo Artist - Business Ideas

Updated: September 15th, 2022
Become A Temporary Tattoo Artist

Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.

Starting a tattoo business is not as difficult as you might think. If you have the talent, ability, and guts, you already have the essential qualities for starting your own tattoo company. The Tattoo Artists market size in the US in 2022 is $1.4B.

The tattooing business is profitable and famous, and it is one of the most rewarding careers that you can have. However, becoming a tattoo artist requires a lot of commitment and hard work.

Tattoo shops have strict standards for artists who work in shops, so to have an ideal career as an artist, you might have to go the freelance route. It can be a short-term or long-term career, so you must be prepared before taking on such a responsibility. It won’t come with a million-dollar salary at first, but once you’ve developed a good reputation and have completed enough work, the money will start rolling in.

Becoming a temporary tattoo artist requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.

If you're interested in how to sell temporary tattoo artwork, or selling temporary tattoo artwork online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.

Want to learn more? You can check out our full guide on how to become a temporary tattoo artist ➜

Key Stats

revenue (monthly)
$1K
starting costs
$15.9K
gross margin
93%
avg product price
$10
time to build
240 days
growth
SEO
business model
E-Commerce
time investment
Side project
work from home?
Yes

Startup Costs

Min Startup Costs Max Startup Costs

Employee & Freelancer Expenses

$151

$352

Website Costs

$223

$7,215

Business Formation Fees

$600

$4,700

Equipment & Supply Expenses

$63

$200

Retail Business Expenses

$1,250

$11,650

Advertising & Marketing Costs

$75

$5,036

Software Expenses

$150

$2,420

Office Space Expenses

$0

$100

Total Startup Costs

$2,512

$31,673

Successful Businesses

Business URL Rank

Sinisters Ink

sinisters-ink.ueniweb.com

36,319

Inkbox

inkbox.com

43,777

Tattoodo

tattoodo.com

76,019

Temporary Tattoos

temporarytattoos.com

421,954

Best Tattoo Artists in the U.S.

tattooseo.com

533,947

27 Tattoo Studio

27tattoo.com

696,484

Prinker Temporary Tattoos

prinker.us

766,069

Conscious Ink

consciousink.com

766,654

ArtWear Tattoo

artweartattoo.com

1,014,902

EasyTatt™

easytatt.com.au

1,297,739

Welcome to the Tattoo Archive

tattooarchive.com

1,398,191

Pros & Cons

Pros Description

Flexibility

You can put as much time into the business as you'd like. If you like the work and have some initial experience, you can start small and manage all aspects of the business on your own.

Ability to start your business from home

It's not necessary to have a physical storefront or office space to get your business started. You can do everything from the comfort of your own home, at least in the beginning!

Scalable

With businesses and processes changing daily, there will always be demand for new features, products and services for your business. Additionally, there are several different business models and pricing tiers you can implement that will allow you to reach all types of customers.

Meaningful business connections

You never know who you will meet as a temporary tattoo artist. This could be the start of an incredible business opportunity!

High customer retention rates

Once a customer invests in your product, they've invested their time and energy to utilize your product/service which is highly valuable to them. Typically, your product or service becomes indispensable to your customer.

High margins

The gross margins for your temporary tattoo artist are typically around 93%, which is considerably high and allows you to grow your business and manage costs easily.

Cons Description

Motivation of employees

If you plan to have a sales/content team on board, finding creative ways to motivate them can be a challenge. It's important that you're able to offer great incentives and a good work environment for your employees.

Taxes

As a temporary tattoo artist, you typically pay self-employment taxes which can be quite high. It's important to understand what you will be paying in taxes each year so you can determine if the work you're taking on is worth it.

High overhead expenses

With becoming a temporary tattoo artist, there are overhead expenses that come with selling a physical product. You will want to make sure you strategically budget for these overhead costs. We discuss this more in the startup costs section below.

Churn

In this business, customers can cancel their membership or subscription for your services - which can make revenue forecasting challenging and unpredictable. It's important to focus on your churn rates and trends so that you can prevent this as much as possible.

Time commitment

With becoming a temporary tattoo artist, all responsibilities and decisions are in your hands. Although this is not necessarily a negative thing, work life can take over at times. This can place a strain on friends and family and add to the pressure of launching a new business.

Difficult to build trust with your customer

With becoming a temporary tattoo artist, there can be minimal face-to-face interaction, which means it can be a lot more difficult to establish trust with your customers. You'll need to go the extra mile with your customer to grab their attention and business.

Marketing Ideas

  • 1

    Affiliate Program

    Affiliate marketing is a great way to bring in a new revenue stream, especially when you don't sell products or services.

    Simply put, an affiliate program is an agreement where a business pays another business or influencer ("the affiliate") a commission for sending traffic and/or sales their way.

    The affiliate typically gets a unique link where clicks and conversions can be tracked.

    Learn more about affiliate program ➜

  • 2

    Direct Sales

    Direct sales strategy implies a direct contact between a seller and a consumer without the involvement of any third party. Direct selling is popular in sectors where sellers communicate with their clientele personally. The sales technique occurs at non-store locations which include at home, work, or online.

    For direct selling to succeed, hire a few (or many) salespeople to support the sales conversion process. It's critical that you assign them specific roles and responsibilities to nurture the client and provide excellent support.

    Learn more about direct sales ➜

  • 3

    Word of mouth

    Word of mouth is when a consumers reflects their interest in a company’s product or service in their daily dialogues.

    Therefore, word of mouth advertising is essentially a free advertising triggered by the customers experience.

    According to Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family.

    Therefore, in today’s hyper-connected world, a single recommendation through a word of mouth can have a huge impact to your business.

    Learn more about word of mouth ➜