Tattoo Shop

[jacksgentlemen]

Hi Guys

I am writing on behalf of a friend who is in the process of setting up his own tattoo shop.

Any general advice is welcome - currently he has the following in place:

- Premises identified and awaiting a lease from landlord - initially 3 month trial period all of which is paid upfront. Following this will be a 6 month contract with the option of increasing should my friend choose.

- Equipment purchased

- Licence from council obtained

- All relevant equipment - tattoo machines, needles, cleaning equipment, chairs, displays, furniture etc sorted

Once lease signed he will obtain public liability insurance as well as arranging for clinical waste removal.

Obviously following this he needs professional contacts accountants, solicitors etc as well as marketing, maybe website etc.

My question is, in terms of the basic requirements to open the shop - is there anything else that he needs?

Thanks

 

[alfie]

Landline phone to take bookings and inquiries. Also broadband for internet access for promoting via facebook and also finding/showing clients images especially if they are going to do some drawing rather than using flashes. He should also plan/design is signage for the shop to entice walk bys.

 

[Paul_Rosser]

He will need a template consent form and personally I would ask all customers for photo ID to prove their age, with a copy of this being kept with their consent form. So a photocopier or PC with scanner.

 

[Yorkshire&Online]

Register with HMRC, but before that and most importantly, do a business plan and realistic cash flow forecast to make sure he has enough funds to get through the early months. Some useful guides can be found here:

http://www.brown-royd.co.uk/services/business-start-ups

 

[Manishp100]

Maybe a hygiene certification?

I have a number of tattoos including a full sleeve (all shirt friendly ) - when i go into a tattoo place my number 1 priority is cleanliness.. i want to smell that dettol! ... and then is the quality of work the artist can do.

 

[jacksgentlemen]

Thanks for all the replies.

Luckily have all the above on the list!

Cashflows etc done - enough to survive the first 3 months without doing one tattoo - which isnt bad considering he has his first 2-3 weeks pretty much booked up with friends/family.

Apparently the council will provide him with the consent forms needed. Good idea around the ID - but would this not cause any issues around Data Protection in regards to the necessity of copying this?

Thanks again guys, any further suggestions welcome.

 

[Paul_Rosser]

Apparently the council will provide him with the consent forms needed. Good idea around the ID - but would this not cause any issues around Data Protection in regards to the necessity of copying this?

Thanks again guys, any further suggestions welcome.

If they register under the DPA then no, or if they don't fancy doing that they could just make a note of the ID type and reference number, then no DPA issues.

 

[DavidWH]

SIGNS! Don't forget the signs.

We deal with start up's who get all giddy, buy everything, sign the lease, and then think about signage, and have just guessed what it will cost, then expect you to bend over backwards because they spent all their money on fancy decor.

If he's booked up already, I'd imagine that he's going to extend the 3months, so don't skimp, spend decent money and get sign that will last.

 

[Rasta Pickles]

Target audience and advertising?

For some reason unbeknown to me, young females seem to desperately want the obligatory "tramp stamp", "slag tag".

I'd be stood outside local nightclubs with a leaflet showing some of my better works and offering a 50% discount.

The money will pour in, trust me.