T1 · Tattoo Shop Business Plan

How to use this page: Print it or copy it into a sketchbook. Fill in every blank line (______). It should take one evening. Every dollar figure on this page is an EXAMPLE to show the math. Replace each one with your own costs and what clients in your town pay.

1. Who you serve

Tattoo work comes in four kinds. Each one has different clients, a different way of booking, and a different place where people find you. Pick the one or two you want most. A shop that tries to be everything to everyone often ends up known for nothing.

Kind of work	Clients to start with
Custom and large-scale (sleeves, back pieces, cover-ups)	Collectors who follow an artist's style on Instagram and at conventions. They book months out and come back for many sessions.
Walk-ins and flash	Locals, first-timers, groups (birthdays, bachelorette parties, friends getting matching pieces), adults near military bases and colleges
Fine-line and minimalist	Mostly younger adult clients who find artists on TikTok, Pinterest, and Instagram. Small pieces, often a first or second tattoo.
Piercing, touch-ups, and laser removal	Repeat local traffic: past clients, people fading an old piece before a cover-up, piercing clients who come back for jewelry

My main kind of work: ______________________ Second kind: ______________________

Styles I am known for (or want to be): ______________________

My top three client groups: 1. ______________ 2. ______________ 3. ______________

Town and area I pull clients from: ______________________

Artists in the shop now: ______ Chairs / stations: ______ Piercer: yes / no

2. What you offer

Write a short menu. Clients book faster when they can see what you do, and you can say no to work that does not fit your style.

Kind of work	Services to consider
Custom and large-scale	Paid design consults, custom drawings, multi-session sleeves and back pieces, cover-ups and rework, blast-overs, sleeve continuations
Walk-ins and flash	A flash wall with set prices, walk-in hours, flash days, group bookings, matching pieces, gift cards
Fine-line and minimalist	Small script, single-needle pieces, micro designs, small flash sheets drawn for this style, clear placement advice
Piercing, touch-ups, and laser	Piercings and jewelry upgrades, touch-ups on healed work, fading a piece before a cover-up, full removal (only where your state allows who runs the laser)

My main services:

1. ______________________ Starting price or shop minimum: $______

2. ______________________ Starting price or shop minimum: $______

3. ______________________ Starting price or shop minimum: $______

Work I will NOT take: ______________________ (for example: copying another artist's design, hands and neck on a first tattoo, styles outside my skill)

3. How to price your work

There are four common ways shops set a price. Most shops use more than one. Decide which one fits each kind of work, and write it down so every artist quotes the same way.

Method	How it works	Fits best
Hourly rate	Client pays for time in the chair, set up to wrap up	Large custom work, sleeves, back pieces, long cover-ups
By the piece	One set price for the whole tattoo, quoted before you start	Flash, small and medium custom work, fine-line pieces
Shop minimum	The lowest price for any tattoo, however small	Walk-ins, tiny pieces, touch-ups on other artists' work
Deposit	Money paid up front to hold the date. Usually comes off the final price.	Every booked appointment, custom drawing, and multi-session piece

The formula

Cost per hour = (Rent + Utilities + Insurance + Supplies + Software + Other shop costs per month) / Hours tattooed per month Hourly rate = Cost per hour + What you want to earn per hour Piece price = (Estimated hours x Hourly rate) + Drawing time (never below your shop minimum)

Worked example (EXAMPLE numbers only, replace with yours)

A solo artist in a small studio, tattooing about 100 hours a month.

Line	Example math	Example amount
Rent and utilities	Example monthly figure	$2,000
Insurance, licenses, and permits	Example monthly share	$250
Supplies (needles, ink, gloves, barrier film, cleaning)	Example monthly figure	$750
Booking software, website, phone	Example monthly figure	$200
Monthly shop costs	$2,000 + $250 + $750 + $200	$3,200
Cost per hour	$3,200 / 100 hours	$32
What you want to earn per hour	Example target	$98
Hourly rate	$32 + $98	$130
Example piece: 3-hour forearm piece	3 hours x $130 + $65 drawing time (example)	$455

These are not suggested prices. Rent, supplies, and what clients pay change a lot from town to town and artist to artist. Check what shops near you charge and what your own costs are before you set your numbers.

Fill in your rates

My monthly shop costs: $______ My hours tattooed per month: ______

My cost per hour: $______ My hourly rate: $______

My shop minimum: $______ My flash price range: $______ to $______

My deposit: $______ or ______% Deposit comes off the final price: yes / no

My drawing or design fee (if any): $______

Tip for large work: Give a range in sessions, not a single number. "A half sleeve like this usually takes about [X] to [Y] sessions at [rate] per hour." Then track the real hours so your next quote is closer.

Tip for flash: Price each sheet before it goes on the wall. A clear price on every design makes walk-ins easy to say yes to.

4. Deposits, cancellations, and house rules

Write your rules down. Put them on your website, your booking form, and your consent paperwork so nobody is surprised.

Deposit to book: $______ Taken through ______________ (see C4)

Reschedule notice needed to keep the deposit: ______ hours

No-show: deposit is kept / other: ______________________

Changes to the design after the drawing is done: ______________________

Free touch-up window on healed work: ______ (if aftercare was followed)

How to say it to a client

"To hold your date, we take a [amount] deposit. It comes off the price of your tattoo on the day. If you need to move your appointment, just let us know at least [number] hours ahead and your deposit moves with you."

The rules every shop follows
Clients must meet your state's age law. Check a government photo ID every time. Never tattoo someone who is drunk or high.
Follow your state and county health department rules for licensing, bloodborne-pathogen training, and sterilization.
Get a signed consent and release form from every client, and give written aftercare to every client.
Draw original work. Don't copy another artist's original design or a trademarked logo or character onto skin or into flash.
Laser removal: rules on who may operate a laser vary by state. Follow them.

5. Chair rent or commission

If other artists work in your shop, decide how they are paid before they start. Put it in writing. There is no single right answer. It depends on how busy the shop is and who brings in the clients.

Setup	How it works	Good when	Watch out for
Chair rent (booth rent)	Artist pays the shop a set amount each week or month and keeps what they earn	Artists bring their own clients and want to run their own books	The shop earns the same in slow months and busy months. Check with an accountant how renters are treated for tax.
Commission	Shop and artist split each tattoo's price by an agreed share	The shop brings in most of the clients (walk-ins, ads, flash days)	Everyone needs to trust the numbers. Track every tattoo and every payment.
Mix	A lower rent plus a smaller share, or rent for booked work and commission on walk-ins	Shops with both booked artists and walk-in traffic	Keep it simple enough that everyone can explain it the same way

How artists are paid in my shop: chair rent / commission / mix

Example only: chair rent $______ per ______, or commission ______% to the artist

Who pays for supplies: ______________ Who handles deposits: ______________

Who owns the client list and social accounts: ______________________

Talk to a tax professional and check your state's rules on independent contractors versus employees before you set this up. The answer changes what paperwork you need.

6. 90-day launch plan

When	Focus	Tasks
Week 1–2	Get set up	Fill in this plan. Set your hourly rate, shop minimum, and deposit. Check your shop and artist licenses, health department permits, training, and insurance. Claim your Google Business Profile (see C1). Gather photos of your best healed work, with client OK.
Week 3–4	Get seen	Start posting (see T2). Post healed work every week (see C2). Draw your first flash sheet and put prices on it.
Week 5–6	Make booking easy	Set up online consults and deposits (see C4) and a booking form that takes a reference photo (see C5).
Week 7–8	Reviews and repeat clients	Ask every client for an honest review (see C6). Book the next session before a client leaves (see C7). Start a past-client list with consent (see C10).
Week 9–10	Your first shop event	Plan one event: a flash day (see G1), a guest artist (see G3), or cover-up consults (see R3). Look ahead at the seasons (see C8).
Week 11–12	Review and adjust	Look at your weekly numbers. Which kind of work paid best per hour in the chair? Where did your clients come from? If you are booked far out, it may be time to raise your rate.
Week 13	Plan the next 90 days	Write down what worked and what did not. Pick the conventions you want to apply for, and decide whether you need another artist, a piercer, or new flash.

7. Numbers to track every week

Pick one day a week, such as Sunday evening or your day off, and fill this in. It takes about ten minutes. Over a few months it shows you what is working.

Number	Why it matters	This week
Consult requests	Shows how many people are asking	______
Consults done / deposits taken	Compare them to see how often people book	______ / ______
Hours tattooed	Shows how full your chair really is	______
Walk-ins	Shows if your flash and your sign are working	______
Money taken in (tattoos / piercing / other)	Shows which work pays the bills	$______ / $______ / $______
No-shows and late cancels	Tells you if your deposit rules are working	______
Where each client came from	Tells you which place to spend time on	______
Next sessions booked before the client left	Repeat work keeps your chair full	______
Reviews received / posts made	Keeps you honest about staying visible	______ / ______

Ask every new client, "How did you find us?" and write the answer on their consent form or in your booking app. That one question is how you fill in "where each client came from."

8. One-page summary

Fill this in last. Keep it at the front desk.

Shop or artist name: ______________________ Town: ______________

Main kind of work: ______________________ Second kind: ______________

License and permit numbers: ______________ Insurance carrier: ______________

Styles I am known for: ______________________________

Hourly rate: $______ Shop minimum: $______ Deposit: $______

Artists paid by: chair rent / commission / mix

Two client groups I am going after: 1. ______________ 2. ______________

Where I post and list: ______________________________

Weekly goal (my own target): ______ hours booked, $______ taken in

Date written: ______ Date I will review this plan: ______

Want Annie's to do this for you? Annie's can turn your plan into a website with your styles, your flash, a consult booking page that takes deposits, and simple tracking so your weekly numbers are easy to fill in.