Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elvis Martin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Elvis, thanks for joining us today. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?
Being a veteran-owned tattoo shop we were approached by a show creator/writer about the possibility of filming a new tattoo show, Marked: Military, out of our shop. This show is focused on Vets and their stories expressed in tattoo designs created by two artists competing for the win. We filmed 4 awesome episodes to be sold and distributed soon, which opened the doors to film another show, Marked: San Diego. We are now in agreement to film a new season with more episodes featuring San Diego locals and their tattoo stories. We are very excited and can’t wait to start filming again soon and see where this adventure takes us in the future.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Jason “Elvis” Martin. I’ve been tattooing professionally since 2003. I take great pride in my work and versatility of designs and styles. I share an open mind and an open ear to what my clients would like to see and express in each tattoo. I offer a laid-back, positive experience and make sure each client is seen as the individual that they are. My military experience has contributed greatly to the attention to detail that I have carried over into my tattoo career to ensure each client leaves with a head-turning, clean, great tattoo that can take great pride in showing off.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?
My wife, Staci, and I had been contacted via text one morning by the prior owner of DermalGrafix Tattoo. He let us know that he was moving and the initial potential new owner of the shop fell through and he wanted to know if we were interested in purchasing the business. We were in! Now, how to get the funds. For years, we’ve worked very diligently and methodically to get out of debt and increase our financial literacy and the hard work paid off. I contacted our financial institution about a significant loan and this was a big deal as I’ve never applied to secure funds in this amount. Within a matter of minutes, I was approved and asked where the funds should be sent. We were beside ourselves with happiness that we were able to make this happen.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.
Fortunately, my business partner is my wife Staci. We had originally met back in middle school and had the same circle of friends throughout high school. After school, we went our own ways and met back up in Jan 2010 and married in Nov 2011. Fast forward to 2017, and we were presented with an amazing opportunity to own DermalGrafix Tattoo together.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dermalgrafix.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tattoo_elvis/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dermalgrafix
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dermalgrafix-tattoo-escondido-2?osq=Tattoo+Shops
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/dermalgrafixtattoo/

Image Credits
The image of Elvis tattooing was from a photoshoot by Leigh Castelli. All other photos were taken by Elvis.