Business Overview:

If you’re ready for a business idea that suits your unique personality and doesn’t risk becoming mundane, why not look into starting a tattoo business? There are several things you’ll want to do before you consider opening a tattoo shop. First, you should certainly be interested in body art and you should also be tattooed yourself (it would be hard to throw yourself into an enterprise like this if you weren’t passionate about it). Then you should learn as much as you can about the art of body tattoos, including the techniques, safety, equipment, aftercare, and laws of the business. If you’ve got these things in the bag, you’ll be ready to learn how to open a tattoo shop of your own. On the business side of this art, you will need a business license and permit, startup capital for a storefront location, insurance, and tattoo artists who you can trust to uphold your business expectations. Your tattooists might come with their own following, but you might have to offer some customer incentives to build your shop’s reputation. Once established, the way to maintain a thriving tattoo business is to keep an impeccably clean shop, provide stellar artwork and customer service, and uphold a fiercely professional atmosphere, even in an alternative business like this one.

A Day in the Life of a Tattoo Shop Business Owner:

A business like this often keeps later hours than most, opening in the afternoon and closing near or even after midnight, so you’ll want to ensure you’ve got a trustworthy staff if you’re not in the shop each day and night. After opening or checking in on the store, you’ll want to look over your previous day’s client agreements to make sure all your legal responsibilities are in place, and you’ll want to review your payroll and finance spreadsheet to check that your business is financially secure. If you’re also a tattoo artist, you will want to get to work inking customers and interacting with your staff and clients. This is a fairly relaxed business, and many days will have you chatting with and admiring the tattoos of the people you interact with.

About Your Customers:

Customers of a tattoo shop will be interested in getting tattooed or will be accompanying someone who is, either for the first time or as a veteran tattoo lover. They will likely scan your shop for cleanliness and professionalism, and might also want to browse your handiwork—providing a portfolio of each tattooists work is key to attracting customers. Your customers might have questions or concerns before they get inked, and will expect that anyone on your staff will be able to answer them.

What You Need to Start:

• Business license, permit, and insurance
• A storefront
• Tattoo equipment and sterilization methods
• Tattoo artists
• Legal contracts for your customers

The Good:

• If you love tattoos, this is a business you can feel passionate about.
• If you prefer odd work hours, this alternative business provides that.
• You get to meet interesting people who share your passion.
• The business can be quite lucrative once you establish a solid reputation.
• It’s a business that’s easy to advertise—your customers’ tattoos will often bring in more business than even great marketing will.

The Bad:

• With the alternative hours and customer base, you might encounter some troublemakers (think: underage kids with fake IDs or intoxicated customers looking for a late-night tattoo adventure).
• Again, before you actually earn a reputation as a premiere tattoo shop, you will need to offer incentives and below-cost tattoos in order to build your business.

Resources:

• National Tattoo Association
• Alliance of Professional Tattooists
• Wikipedia on Tattoo Studios

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Business Overview:

If you can write and you’re interested in the Hollywood aspect of the writing business, learn how to become a screenwriter and open a screenwriting business. With the right script you can strike gold in this industry, whether you’re the writer or the mastermind behind the screenwriting company. While you certainly don’t need any specific credentials to make it with a business idea like this, it is a given that you will possess a talent for writing and for capturing the essence of the genre you’re writing for (for example, your comedic writing needs to be timely and, ultimately, funny). Additionally, any credentials or contacts in the business can only help you get your foot in the crowded door of screenplay writing. There are lots of resources—the internet, the library, bookstores—to get you started in the right direction and that can help you determine where your screenplays should be sent for review. If you’d rather try your hand as strictly business owner rather than screenwriter, you can recruit writers to work with you; they do the writing, you do the screenplay “shopping” and try to get their work picked up by a producer. You’ll want to make sure you iron out the details of your fees and your rights before entering a business agreement like this, and a legally binding contract between your company and the writer should do the trick. No matter how you embark on the business, one thing is for sure: If one of your company’s screenplays makes the Hollywood cut, your business will take off.

A Day in the Life of a Screenwriting Business Owner:

A typical day for a screenwriter or manager of a screenwriting business will consist of a lot of networking. Your goal each day will be to get one step closer to having your latest screenplay accepted by a production company or agent, so getting your writing out there—and following it up with emails or phone calls—will be of paramount importance. Of course if you or your writers are brimming with ideas, you will also want to take time each day to write. In fact, having a portfolio of screenplays can only benefit your business, so get writing!

About Your Customers:

This is a unique business in that you won’t really have customers per se, though you are selling a product. You are trying to win over production companies and/or agents who will buy your screenplays. Ultimately, though, your final customer will be audiences who see your screenplays come to life on the big—or small—screens.

What You Need to Start:

• Solid writing talent or talented writers working for you
• Contacts in the business to help you get your screenplays distributed
• A contract if you will be hiring screenwriters to work for you
• Copyrighted screenplays (either original or written for your company)

The Good:

• If you’re the writer, you can enter this business whenever you want and work at it as often as you are able.
• If your work is picked up, you could stand to make a good deal of money.
• The work can be very enjoyable for a person who likes to write.
• You need no startup money to write a screenplay.

The Bad:

• This business is very competitive and it could take you some time to get your screenplay read by an agent.
• You will have to do some legwork in order to send your writing to the appropriate places.

Resources:

• International Screenwriter’s Association
• Screenwriters Federation of America
• Writers Guild of America, West
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Motion Picture and Video Industries
• Wikipedia on Screenwriters

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Business Overview:

If you love the look of body piercings and the idea of running an alternative business, think about the possibilities of opening your own body piercing shop. It’s important to realize that this type of business comes with a slightly different set of rules than a retail store. For example, in order to succeed in a business like this, you will need to know the ins and outs of body piercing in all its many forms. You will need to understand how to clean and sterilize your equipment properly to keep your customers—and your business—safe. You will also need to have the proper legal forms available to ensure your business is protected. Beyond that, you will want to have an assortment of body jewelry available for your clients to choose from, and you will likely want to have talented and professional piercers working for you. A business idea like this has a sort of personality, and you will want to ensure the people involved in it are like-minded individuals who make your customers happy with their art. If you enjoy piercings and body art in general, and you follow the rules of good business, you will likely find yourself in a profitable career of which you can feel proud.

A Day in the Life of a Body Piercing Business Owner:

When you run a body piercing shop, your typical day would begin later than a usual retail store; you may not choose to open your doors before noon or even later. The first task will be to look over your shop and ensure the inventory of body jewelry, medical supplies, and equipment is full and well-cared for. Next you will want to make sure your shop is immaculately clean; this can be your ticket to a thriving business. Finally, you will want to review your expenses and profits, as well as your payroll, to make the best financial decisions for your business. After that, you or your employees will fulfill the piercing needs of the day’s customers.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be those individuals who are interested in having part or parts of their body pierced. There will be the usual requests like ears, noses, and belly buttons, and likely some exotic requests like cheeks, knuckles, and necks. It will be up to you and your employees to provide the services with utmost care, safety, and professionalism.

What You Need to Start:

• A business license
• Business insurance
• A retail storefront
• Knowledge of and skill with body piercing
• Medical-grade equipment
• A computer with printer for contracts
• Body jewelry

The Good:

• This business will likely be your passion; you can take great pride in your art.
• The shop atmosphere is usually casual and laid-back.
• You can meet interesting and like-minded people.
• The business can be quite lucrative.
• You can be the sole piercer or hire employees to work for you.

The Bad:

• Shops like these usually stay open until midnight—sometimes later.
• If you don’t pay strict attention to customer identification, you might find you’ve pierced an underage person. Adherence to local laws is of utmost importance.

Resources:

• Association of Professional Piercers
• British Body Piercing Association
• Wikipedia on Body Piercing

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Business Overview:

If you have a passion for fashion and are looking for a way to turn your love of clothing into a booming business, consider a t-shirt printing business. Maybe you’re a fashionista with a great idea or a stylish office worker who wants to work from home. Even if you’ve never considered fashion as a home business, you should check into how to start a t-shirt business. Until recently, this 20 billion dollar a year industry has only been accessible to those with a large amount of start-up capital and connections to major fashion houses. However, thanks to technology and support for small business owners, it is now possible to break into this lucrative business with little more than an original idea. You don’t need any experience or a lot of money to get your foot in the door of a custom t-shirt business. If you don’t know how to start a t-shirt company, you’ll be pleased to know it’s a very simple process. All you need is a good idea, a few supplies and some knowledge about the fashion industry to make this business idea work. Some small business owners have been successful in the clothing business with nothing more than a logo on a t-shirt. Creating your designs on a computer makes the process easy because you can change it and perfect it, all at no additional cost by using designing software. This is a wonderful online business idea because you can sell your shirts on the Internet to anyone around the world.  You too could make it big in the fashion industry with your very own t-shirt business and see your designs on people everywhere.

A day in the life of a t-shirt printing business owner:

A typical day for a t-shirt printing business owner will begin with a check of any new orders. If you sell your products in stores, you will need to check inventory numbers with storeowners or managers. If you sell over the Internet, check your orders and fill as many as you can with your current stock. You’ll need to spend some time making t-shirts and eventually you can start working on new designs. If you have a staff of workers, make sure they know your production goals and be sure everyone is on task.

About Your Customers:

You customers will be t-shirt wearers. They could be shoppers in local clothing stores or online shoppers looking for a terrific new t-shirt design.

What You Need to Start:

• T-shirts
• Computer
• Finance software
• Design software
• Printing equipment
• Trademarks/copyrights

The Good:

• This is a great part-time business that can ramp up to full-time when you’re ready.
• Start up costs are low.
• T-shirts can sell for much more than it costs to make them; return on investment is high.
• T-shirts will sell in any economic environment.

The Bad:

• Coming up with a unique and marketable idea can take some time.
• As trends emerge, your designs will need to change with the times.

Resources:

• Wikipedia on T-shirts
• American Apparel and Footwear Association
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Fashion Designers

Technorati Tags: custom t-shirt business, how to start a t-shirt business, how to start a t-shirt company, t-shirt printing business