First 50 tattooers · 3 months free · code FOUNDER
Field notes
for the trade.
Long-form writing on the business mechanics of being a working tattooer. Money math, client retention, shop ops, the stuff that doesn't get talked about because it isn't pretty.
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June 2026 · 9 min read
Your link in bio is leaking bookings.
Six revenue leaks a working tattooer's Linktree-and-DM operation creates — with the math on each one.
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June 2026 · 11 min read
How tattooers actually price custom work.
A field-tested framework for pricing custom tattoo work that reflects what you're actually worth.
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June 2026 · 7 min read
Stop posting cancellations to your IG story.
The math on the most common way tattooers handle a day-of cancellation — and why it's costing you four figures a year per chair.
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June 2026 · 8 min read
The healed-photo bounty that actually works.
Your portfolio is 90% fresh shots. Healed photos are the honest representation. How to build a healed-photo library that pays for itself.
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June 2026 · 10 min read
Tattoo deposits that actually protect you.
A field-tested deposit-policy framework that holds up to no-shows, reschedules, refund disputes, and chargebacks.
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June 2026 · 9 min read
How to handle no-shows in the tattoo industry.
Four moves that reduce tattoo no-shows: real-money deposits, the 48hr/24hr reminder pair, the no-show ledger, the waitlist that fills the slot the same day.
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June 2026 · 8 min read
The 11pm DM problem.
Twenty healing questions a week, same three answers, all at 11pm. Why your phone is the bottleneck and what to do about it.
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June 2026 · 6 min read
Why your tattoo prices should go up annually.
Annual scheduled raises beat panic raises on every dimension. The math, the timing, the announcement that works.
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June 2026 · 12 min read
Chair rental vs commission — the math for new shop owners.
Flat weekly chair rent or percentage of bookings? The math, the trade-offs, and the right answer for most new shop owners.
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June 2026 · 7 min read
Is this peeling normal? A tattoo healing timeline.
Day-by-day timeline of how a new tattoo actually heals — when the peel starts, when it stops, what the cloudy phase means.
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June 2026 · 9 min read
Tattoo warning signs vs normal healing.
What's a normal heal and what's a real warning sign. Redness, swelling, weeping, scabs — when each is fine and when it's time to text your artist or a doctor.
More notes coming. We publish when the writing's actually worth your time, not on a schedule.
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