We recently connected with Max Willis and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Max, thanks for joining us today. Quality control is a challenge almost every entrepreneur has had to focus on when growing – any advice, stories or insight around how to best ensure quality is maintained as your business scales?

As a tattoo artist, one of the most valuable things that you can offer to your clients is consistency in quality and a history of growth and wanting to learn and be better. Starting out you will be constantly looking for people to practice on, and it takes sometimes years to grow yourself and your business to the point where you are no longer seeking clients, but instead having clients seek out your work. During this period of time, you are constantly changing, and getting better (hopefully) but as long as you are always keeping the clients best interest in mind, knowing that they are trusting you with a part of their body forever, you should always want to have a baseline quality of work in mind for yourself and your clients.

Max, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started my adult life working in kitchens for 12 years as a cook, a sous chef, and eventually an executive chef. When I first met my incredible wife 10 years ago, she was pursuing a career as a tattooer which I fully embraced by being a guinea pig and spending countless hours hanging out at the shops that she worked. Over the years spending time in shops, traveling and getting tattooed I became obsessed with the art, the lifestyle, the conversations, and the friends that we made throughout the years. 5 years ago I started my tattoo career and it has changed my life. I currently specialize in stipple dotwork, geometric work and neo traditional but I do a little bit of everything. Every client that I’ve had the pleasure to work on should know that I am constantly learning and trying to be better and I always have their best interest in mind. My wife and I are constantly working day in and day out to make Black Garden Tattoo the most comfortable environment to be tattooed in, and a place where you can feel comfortable and proud to be getting worked on.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

To be 27 years old, so deep in a cooking career that has literally defined you and your personality to everyone around you, to the point where everybody calls you chef and always asks you questions and tips on cooking, to completely changing and starting a tattoo career was incredibly stressful at times. My overwhelming desire to be a great tattooer was stifled at times when certain pieces weren’t as clean or as smooth as I would have liked them to be, which I had to learn overtime just comes with the hours and hours of practice and attention to detail that is required.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

If you create a comfortable, welcoming and safe environment for people to come get tattoos, word of mouth alone is worth more than paying for promotions on social media. Getting tattooed is so personal and sacred to most people that you’ll find more people coming to you after they heard about a family member or friend’s experience. If you’ve worked hard and practiced enough to give a clean and beautiful looking tattoo, that’s all the more reason.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.blackgardenvt.com
• Instagram: Maxandrewtattoo