We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chuck Braden. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chuck below.

Chuck, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I can remember walking into a lot of tattoo shops as a young adult and being made felt like they were doing my a favor by speaking to me. Sometimes they would act like they were too good to do the tattoo or like the tattoo idea was below them and stupid. This happened to me on several different occasions. It kinda really hurts your feelings to be told your idea is dumb after you have been so excited about getting it. At one point I had decided that this is just how tattoo shops were and if I wanted a tattoo then I just had to get over it.

It was through those experiences that inspired me to be to create a place that was nothing like those before me. I made a promise to myself that I would never make anyone feel like I had felt going into those shops all those years ago.

It’s important to me to treat every person and every idea with respect and approach it in a way that gives the person the artwork they are wanting, within reason of course.

At the end of the day, we are nothing without clients and their ideas. I believe that when you enter our studio….you’re the boss, and we are working for you…never the other way around.

Chuck, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Stray Cats Studio was founded on the idea that we are finally home. After wondering around different shops and working for different people we never felt like we belonged anywhere…much like an ol stray cat no body wants. Everyone else’s ideas and visions didn’t exactly line up with what we wanted or believed and time and time again we found ourselves searching for something better. After working in the area for a while and seeing how other shops operate and treat their clients…we learned valuable lessons on how not to run our business in the future. Applying yourself to places and people that will never appreciate you is the biggest push and inspiration for getting out on your own and is essentially how Stray Cats Studio was born.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

This is one is much more simple that most people realize. Treat every single person/client with respect and give them the same enthusiasm for their project that would expect someone to do for yours. By going the extra mile for clients, respecting them and putting 100% of yourself into what your creating then your outcome will always be happy clients. Happy clients talk and brag about their experience to others and in turn creates intrigued future clients.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Sure! We worked together years ago under a narcissistic border line cult leader…we became trauma bonded and have been close friends since.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @count.chuckula
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/straycatsstudio