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

John, thanks for taking the time to share your stories 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

One thing we do, that’s different is quarterly events. Part of my vision from the very start was that we donate money to causes every quarter. This is not typical. And at times it’s challenging to manage it financially. But giving back is worth it. We donate tremendous amounts of toys every year to Toys for Tats. We have donated money to help build a veteran memorial, support families dealing with cancer, veteran organizations, the black and blue fund in support of police, Planned Parenthood, and numerous other causes over the past seven years. I don’t think it’s common, but it sure feels good to help.

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?

I served 20 years in the United States Army as an Infantryman. During that time, I learned how to tattoo. I had always been an artist. So I learned how to tattoo while in service. After I retired, I moved to Waukee Iowa while going through a divorce. That’s when I open Warrior Tattoo Studio. I named it warrior because I had spent a career fighting overseas. I had deployed a lot. So that’s where the name comes from. Within my industry, I am most proud of teaching others. I started tattooing in 2000. And since that time I’ve taught nine artists how to tattoo. They are all currently in the industry, and excelling. That feels better than anything I can accomplish personally.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

The biggest learning lesson I’ve had within tattooing is don’t base everything on art. When choosing people to join your team, ensure they have good character. They are hard workers. They possess humility. They are kind. If you choose strictly, based off of art skills, your team will suffer.

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

Building a social media presence is really about being committed. It takes a tremendous amount of effort. And you can’t forget about it. My thought was that I will make a post every day. I will share things about our Artists. Their work. The goal is to connect potential clients with us as family rather than just people coming in for a tattoo.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Warriortattoowaukee
• Facebook: Warrior Tattoo Studio

Image Credits
All tattoos are by me, John Hintz. The other picture is of my artists and shop manager..