We were lucky to catch up with Bri Haug recently and have shared our conversation below.

Bri, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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?

Early into my tattoo journey, I received an unexpected diagnosis of Cancer. At first I thought this was the ending to everything I had been working so hard for, I was a new mother and early in my career. When I asked my doctors why this happened to me, they told me it was “bad luck, my lightning strike”. Those words resonated with me and had me thinking-in the middle of a storm, when darkness can engulf us, lightning strikes and the sky becomes illuminated and we become electrified. Hence, my tattoo shop “Electric Lady” was born. Sometimes the crazy and unexpected, lead us to the very best discoveries.

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?

After a lifetime of drawing and some formal art education for illustration, I began my tattoo apprenticeship in 2018. In 2021, I opened up my tattoo shop: Electric Lady Lounge. We are an award winning tattoo shop that believes in being intentionally inclusive offering services such as traditional tattooing, cosmetic tattooing and paramedical tattooing. I’m really proud of the space we’ve created, it embodies community, art and leaving people feeling more confident in their skin. From fidget tools, celebratory flash days, tattoo history and education, we believe in making a tattoo at Electric Lady an experience along with professionalism and top quality tattoos in an eclectic, “insta worthy”, retro and one of a kind space.

How’d you meet your business partner?

My cofounder just happens to be my younger sister, Ari of Tinted by Ari. After I had been established in my tattooing career, I recognized the meticulous work that went with cosmetic tattooing work while I was guest spotting at another tattoo shop. My sister instantly came to mind, since we were kids, she was always fixing my makeup and had a keen eye (or perfectionism) for intricate details. After discussing the possibility of her pursuing cosmetic tattooing, she began her studies and has absolutely flourished. Although in the start my business was just mine alone, she became a huge entity of Electric Lady, for a year it was only her and myself. We then expanded to a team of five artists, a larger location, several awards later, we have become partners and a great team!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Vulnerability, good branding and a little dash of “extra” goes a long way with social media presence. We keep a schedule of weekly posts, every Tuesday is “Tattoo History Tuesday”, something educational and helpful for our clientele and peers. Good branding such as legible fonts, a cohesive color theme, eye catching logo and for us, taking photos in front of our well known mural keeps our feed unified and eye catching, as well as an accurate representation of what our shop looks like. Most importantly, vulnerability, being yourself (not just a good selfie) but the honest thoughts, human connection and letting people know the heart of the brand. People can choose anyone or any place, show them who you are, let them in.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.electricladytattoo.com
• Instagram: brihaug
• Facebook: electricladykankakee
• Other: Shop instagram: electricladylounge

Image Credits
Akash Wadhwani