We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hannah Chiccone. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hannah below.
Alright, Hannah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard
At The Jade Collective and The Tiger’s Eye Collective, we pride ourselves on being pioneers in transforming the body adornment community by creating a space that breaks away from the traditional, often restrictive, tattoo industry norms. We intentionally offer a welcoming, safe, and inclusive environment for both clients and artists, eliminating intimidation and judgement. Our differences matter because we believe in creating a space where art, inclusivity, and empowerment can coexist. We’re setting a new standard in the industry—one that challenges norms, embraces diversity, and ensures that everyone feels worthy of self-expression through body art.
For The Jade Collective, this means curating a space that prioritizes education, empowerment, and creativity over the stigma that can often surround tattoo culture. Many of our artists specialize in fine line tattoos. Fine line tattooing is far from a new trend; technology, technique, and traditions have evolved and because of that, clients are able to adorn their bodies with more delicate and dainty designs. At The Jade Collective, we will happily accept clients who want smaller, more delicate tattoos—a single initial, a silhouette of a dog’s ears, or a dainty leaf behind an ear. We take the time to ensure that the size, placement, and execution will yield the best results. We take great pride in being the go-to choice for hundreds of first-time tattoo clients, as fine line tattooing has opened up a world of possibilities for designs that were once dismissed by traditional shops and for clients who had never seen an opportunity for a small or fine line option.
The Tiger’s Eye Collective challenges the notion that tattoos should only exist behind closed shop doors. We believe clinet’s can receive body adornments as a part of celebrations, collaborative events, and pop-up experiences that align with a person’s lifestyle. As a mobile business, we’ve broken free from the traditional brick-and-mortar model to bring body adornment directly to the people. Our work with independent, primarily female artists, and partnerships with brands and event organizers, exemplifies how body art can be experienced in a variety of spaces and settings.
One of the most common misconceptions we face is that mobile tattooing or body art events might not adhere to the strict health and safety standards upheld in traditional tattoo shops. This is simply not the case. In fact, the experience we provide at The Tiger’s Eye Collective is identical to the safety standards you would expect at a tattoo convention—sterile equipment, proper sanitation protocols, and a commitment to creating a safe, hygienic environment. By bringing body adornments to events, the tattoo experience feel more relaxed and accessible. Our focus is on creating beautiful art while also on ensuring that each client feels comfortable and secure throughout the process.
Clients love our artistry as much as they love the calm, welcoming, and thoughtful environment we provide. They appreciate that we take the time to listen to their stories and work with them to create tattoos that feel personal and meaningful. Many of our clients have shared that our environment(s) helped them overcome the anxiety or intimidation they felt about getting tattooed. We take pride in making the tattoo experience something people can embrace and enjoy.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
About The Jade Collective & The Tiger’s Eye Collective I’ve noticed the beauty and body adornment industry lacked a middle ground for people who weren’t novices but also didn’t want to take on the responsibility of running their own business. So I created The Jade Collective—a space where beauty professionals, especially women, could work together, grow individually, and help each other succeed. In an industry that often fosters unnecessary competition, I wanted to offer a collaborative environment where artists could thrive as individuals while also supporting one another.
I’ve also always been deeply passionate about the tattoo and body art world, which began when I was doing permanent cosmetics in a tattoo shop. It was around the time when fine line tattooing was gaining traction, and I was given an opportunity. One day, one of the shop’s owner said, “We don’t want to do any of the small work that’s walking through the door. Want to learn how to tattoo?” That moment was a turning point. I seized the chance to learn and carve my own niche. I sought external mentorship and spent a lot of time networking and shadowing other artists to perfect my fine line technique.
The challenges I faced in this environment influenced my approach today: I wanted to create a safe, empowering space for tattooing that was welcoming, fun, and comfortable, especially for women. Many tattoo experiences can feel intimidating, but I wanted The Jade Collective to be a place where people felt heard, respected, and confident in their decision to get body art.
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What We Offer
At The Jade Collective, we offer a wide range of body adornment services, including fine line and cosmetic tattooing, piercings, tooth gems, and permanent jewelry. This studio is a brick-and-mortar space where clients can come to experience the artistry and care that our team provides. The Tiger’s Eye Collective, on the other hand, is a mobile business that allows independent artists to work outside the traditional tattoo shop. Through this model, we bring body adornment services directly to clients, offering a unique and personal experience wherever they are.
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The Problem We Solve
In many tattoo shops artists prefer to focus on larger pieces or specific styles. We believe that small tattoos are just as valuable as large, bold ones, and we pride ourselves on creating an environment where those who want these designs to feel validated and appreciated.
Our approach is simple: We educate our clients, we provide expert advice on placement and size, and we ensure that every tattoo is done to the highest standard. We’ve opened up a whole new world of tattoos for people who may never have considered getting one before, and we make sure that their experience with us is comfortable and fun.
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What Sets Us Apart
What sets The Jade Collective and The Tiger’s Eye Collective apart is our holistic approach to beauty, body art, and entrepreneurship. We’re more than a studio—we’re a community that empowers both clients and artists. We nurture the next generation of beauty and tattoo professionals by offering them an environment where they can thrive, grow, and build their careers together. As a female-led collective, we create an atmosphere of authenticity, inclusivity, and creativity. We believe that everyone deserves a chance to express themselves through body art, no matter their background or experience.
At the heart of it all, we’re cool, friendly people who just happen to offer tattoos and other body adornment services.
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Pride and Accomplishments
I’m incredibly proud of the reputation we’ve built over the years, especially when we’ve faced so many challenges in a male-dominated industry. Over the past decade, we’ve built a brand that’s all about being kind, respectful, and offering tattoos that people actually want. I’ve worked tirelessly to create a space where people feel safe and supported, and it’s incredibly rewarding to know that we’re making a difference.
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What You Should Know About Us
If there’s one thing I want people to know, it’s this: We’re here to create a space where tattoos are accessible, enjoyable, and safe for everyone. We’re building a community, not just a business.
At the end of the day, body adornments can be painful and ideally, they are permanent, which can add hesitation. It is all about the experience we give people. If we can put someone through (some) physical pain all while making them feel comfortable, heard and safe through the process AND they want to come back for more… we’re doing something right.
Our books are full of repeat clients, who swore they “were only getting one tattoo,” and quickly went from first timers to tiny tattoo collectors.
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Personal Insights
What inspires me most in my work is seeing the joy and confidence tattoos can bring to people. I approach every piece with care and passion, and I’m driven by the idea that body art can be transformative. I value the connections I make with my clients, and I’m committed to creating spaces and experiences where everyone feels welcome.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
In a past life, I worked in the marketing department for a major apparel company in Baltimore. My journey into the beauty industry started unexpectedly—my sister’s wedding was featured in a blog, and I had done her makeup. I started to get inquiries and realized that there was a passion building that I hadn’t previously tapped into. It wasn’t until I realized that I could make just $1 less an hour working at a makeup counter than in my corporate job that I seriously started to consider transitioning into the beauty world.
I knew I had to be smart about it. I calculated how much I needed to save up to live for several months without a steady income, factoring in things like health insurance and benefits. I even cashed out some of my stocks to give myself a financial cushion in case things didn’t work out.
I worked nights and weekends, learning from experienced makeup artists and eventually took a certification course to learn lash services. Which led me to working at a friend’s salon, where I spent my evenings and weekends refining my craft. After gaining confidence, I pitched to a small lash studio in Baltimore. I told them I could help them grow by using my marketing background to run their website and reception, while they trained me to offer additional services. It was my way of making sure my time there was valuable for both of us. Once I was hired, I quit my job and took a leap of faith. I had my schedule open 60 hours a week to be available to clients in order to build up a book and turn my side hustle into my main hustle.
Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?
When I first started out, I had absolutely no background in business, accounting, or even a real understanding of what it meant to work for myself. I had a pretty ballsy, albeit naive, perspective of what it meant to own a business. At a crossroads in my beauty career, I was faced with a tough decision: do I stay and “give” someone else 50% of my commission, or do I take the leap and try to build something on my own? Looking back, I can’t help but laugh at how silly that mindset felt at the time, but it was a defining moment. As an employee, I had no cares in the world. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to make it as a business owner.
There have been close calls along the way. There were times when I’ve had to “eat last” as the business owner, by literally skipping paychecks for myself. There were instances where it felt like I had a job instead of a business. However, I’m determined to make this work—not just to prove to others, but to prove to myself that my business idea, business model and business approach can succeed.
Contact Info:
- Website: thejadecollective.com
- Instagram: @thejade.collective; @hashtagxhannah; @tigerseye.collective
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejadecollectivemd/