We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mara DeFilippis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mara below.
Mara, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
In November of 2009, I felt a pea-sized lump in my left breast. Though five diagnostic procedures reported negative for breast cancer, it was the sixth that proved them wrong. In early April of 2010, I received a call from the surgeon, who explained the diagnosis of DCIS, the reasons why it was so hard to find, and that I would need to undergo a single mastectomy (though I elected to a double due to the challenges in diagnosing, the fact that I was a single mother, and that it would be easier to “match” in reconstruction). The mastectomy was scheduled to take place three weeks later.
Being a single woman, who had identified herself with beauty to some extent (though always humbly) having no breasts, and especially no nipples, was very difficult. Though all women have a different experience during this time, during the breast reconstruction process and related procedures, I did not feel very womanly. I felt blank; incomplete; in transition; between genders (strangely); between chapters of my life; between changes in my values personally, spiritually, professionally and felt confused about what I understood my womanhood to be.
I was mourning my breasts, my sexual freedom, my birthright to breastfeed ever again and, at times, my very womanhood. Every time I accidentally caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror unclothed, my blank canvas was a reminder of all that was lost. My friends and my son were there for me along my journey, and this helped my spirits tremendously.
TataTattoos (a DBA of Honored Ink, LLC) seeded itself in my mind during the dark and challenging times above, but wasn’t seeded in my heart until I could openly discuss my story without it causing negative triggers.
Ultimately, I launched TataTattoos out of financial necessity when the timing just happened to feel right emotionally. Though I had started a few non-profits, this would be my first for-profit business, and definitely my first online sales company. I spent quite a bit of time and effort on the “feel” of TataTattoos, prioritizing the customer’s experience being light, feminine and reminding them that they are sexual beings, and already whole.
I found a graphic artist to work with me on the tattoo images and another to work with me on the branding. I located a manufacturer for the temporary tattoos, built a website myself, and began selling them in 2015. Eventually, I began selling them through Amazon and more recently expanded through Amazon to the EU. It has been a fun, challenging and rewarding experience and I am extremely blessed to have had the support of friends, professionals and thank you notes from customers that can bring me to tears.
TataTattoos represents my offering of love and support for my sisters in a period of loss, of rebuilding and moving forward into new life chapters. It is my intention and hope that these temporary tattoos bring these women and men a rekindled spirit of wholeness, fun, and of course…sexiness.
Mara, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
TataTattoos are temporary, realistic nipple/areola tattoos for those who’ve undergone a mastectomy and are waiting to undergo reconstructive breast surgery, or for those choosing not to, and for those gender transitioning. They come in six shades and three sizes, and offer a solution for women and men to once again feel womanly, normal, comfortable in their bodies, and (hopefully!) sexy.
Often (though not always), women who’ve undergone mastectomies chose to reconstruct breasts with a plastic surgeon. The process is, at a minimum, several months long, quite painful and life-disrupting in a variety of ways. During this time, there is typically no nipple and areola (unless they were able to have a nipple-sparing mastectomy), and the woman often feels blank, incomplete, less-than-sexy, embarrassed and even androgynous. It is a visual reminder, and sometimes negative trigger of the trauma of experiencing breast cancer. The last step in the reconstruction process is to permanently tattoo an image of a nipple and areola on the breast. If there are no complications, the process can easily take up to nine months, or longer. The “final touches” of the nipple and areola images often bring these women to tears with a sense of normalcy, closure and wholeness.
TataTattoos specializes in superior quality of nipple and areola images for women who’ve undergone mastectomies. I am most proud of the consistent quality of product that I am committed to, exceeding customer service expectations and loving customers up throughout the entire sales process: from the website messaging all the way through to hand-written notes to each and every customer on their packing slip.
I’m also most proud of the “thank you” messages that come my way, from both those who’ve undergone a mastectomy, and those who are transitioning genders. It is truly an honor to be of service to both.
Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?
Although TataTattoos is a relatively simple business model, it has come with some challenges, primarily with the manufacturing process (along with juggling a full-time job!). I pride TataTattoos on having superior quality and consistency of image. The image is a photo of an actual areola and nipple, and I worked with a graphic designer to alter the photo to offer six different shades.
As it turns out, it is extremely difficult to print skin tones on temporary tattoos with any consistency. I would sometimes request a reprint from the manufacturer two or three times to get the correct colors in an inventory replenishment. There was a point when the manufacturer I was working with changed their policy to offer no guaranty and no reprints if the color was off. This could have been the end of my business. Thankfully, being the luckiest person I know, I found an another manufacturer that actually worked with me to strategize how we might decrease the risk in color shifting during the print. I am very thankful for kind and caring people, who believe in the impact that TataTattoos has on these women and men and what it can offer them.
We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.
I sell on Amazon. In fact, it represents about 75% of my total sales.
Pros: Amazon is a commerce machine. Most people go to Amazon rather than doing a search on the internet to find goods to buy. With that, more people are able to see my product because it’s listed on Amazon.
Cons: The fees, customer service support for sellers, and lack of control over my product listings. The fees are about 18% of the total sales. It is extremely difficult to resolve issues that arise (usually from their own doings). There have been a few times that Amazon has unlisted my products as AI bots determine that they are pornographic in nature. It deeply affects my business when they do that and takes about a month to resolve.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TataTattoos.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tatatattoos1/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TataTattoos
- TikTok: @TataTattoos