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

Justin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I created Breakwater Tattoo in the fall of 2019 in the Bixby Knolls neighborhood of Long Beach, California. I came up with the idea after hitting a turning point in my career and wanting to curate my own environment and experience with tattooing. In the past, I had always worked in walk-in shops and wanted to create something a little more private so I had less distractions whilst tattooing. Creating a calm and comfortable environment was also a huge factor in designing my own space, our clients feel very at-ease in what can typically be an un-easy experience for most. Opening Breakwater was one of the biggest risks I have ever taken in my career especially with being hit by the pandemic 4 months after operating. I stayed optimistic through-out but it was definitely one of the hardest things for me to encounter in my life let alone my career. I just kept reminding myself that I still have my health and for that I was still fortunate. We have since been nominated for best tattoo shop in our city every year and have had multiple recognitions for our shop and artists by our local publications. We are also celebrating 5 years as a shop this year!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started my tattoo career in the fall of 2009 in Chicago, Il. I had always been an artist from the day I was able to pick up a pencil and start drawing. Art has always been an outlet for myself and I had always been driven to be an artist. I find it therapeutic and have always found it as a way to escape and focus on the present, although some times it can be torturous when you get stuck on something. I started getting tattooed a lot while I was in college with whatever money I had set to the side, which wasn’t much. I always loved the environment of being in a tattoo shop and could see myself doing it someday. Once I was out of college I pursued an apprenticeship pretty aggressively, I didn’t get my foot in the door until I had I finally given up after a few years of trying and an opportunity landed in my lap. Once I had the apprenticeship I was all in. I spent about 7 years tattooing in Chicago until moving to California. I am now going on 14-15 years of tattooing as a whole. Breakwater Tattoo is my pride and joy and we offer an experience and service that prides itself on high standards. The quality of our work as a shop and the attention we give to our clients, I think has set us apart from most studios and made us popular within the community. People typically want to come back just so they can experience our shop again on top of getting great work!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Breakwater opened in November of 2019 and temporarily closed in March of 2020 due to the pandemic for 7 months. In those 7 months I was still responsible for paying rent on this new space without any source of income. I was able to land a few grants that were being offered to small businesses at the time which were extremely helpful in keeping us alive as a business. I was worried about the liabilities from a health and reputation standpoint to operate during the pandemic. Our industry is built off maintaining a safe and healthy environment. I also ended up doing a ton of commissioned paintings and guest spots in other states to help pay the bills. It was definitely one of the hardest things to over-come as a new business owner. My mind and determination was resilient and we were able to weather the storm.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Word of mouth has always been the strongest way of building clientele. My philosophy is that if you do a great job and you treat people well then you will have a recipe for success. When people get tattooed the first thing they get ask is where did you get that done and who did it? Doing a great tattoo is just another form of great advertising for yourself as the artist. Within a world of social media we have had even more tools to reach more clients which has lent well to starting a new business. The drawbacks of social media have been pushing artists in our industry to become more of “influencers” than just stand out tattooers to get the attention of new clientele online.

Contact Info:

• Website: breakwatertattoo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justintauchtattoos/
• Facebook: Facebook.com/breakwatertattoo
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/breakwater-tattoo-long-beach
• Other: justintauch.com