We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Zion Guzman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Zion below.

Zion, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s easy to look at a business or industry as an outsider and assume it’s super profitable – but we’ve seen over and over again in our conversation with folks that most industries have factors that make profitability a challenge. What’s biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

The biggest challenge to profitability within tattooing that I’ve noticed is the fact that we’re all a bunch of artists and hippies in charge. More and more artists are working for themselves or at least have a lot of flexibility within their employment. While that freedom can be great, with it comes more responsibility on your end. The greatest tattooers that I know personally all got into tattooing because they loved art. They’re true artists at heart. Unfortunately that doesn’t always equate to a great mind for business. When you are your own boss and you can make your own schedule, it can be pretty hard to maximize your profitability and productivity. We all just want to draw and make cool art, so sifting through emails, posting on social media, or keeping your supplies stocked can be very challenging at times. A lot of tattooers that have been working for awhile struggle with this. It’s so important to find the balance between the fun side of passion work and the work side of passion work. The more you put into the work side in the beginning, the more you can enjoy the fun’ side in the end. I’m sure this translates to other small businesses as well.

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.

My name is Zion and I am a tattoo artist based out of Starkweather Tattoo Collective in beautiful Madison, Wisconsin! I’ve pretty much spent all of my life living in the Midwest but I spend a lot of time traveling around. Experiencing new places, food, and music is one of my favorite things to do so I love traveling for this reason, but am always happy to come back home to the Midwest. When I’m not at work, I love creating anything from my imagination, whether it be drawing, painting, or wood working. I spend a lot of days with my close friends and family, as well as my puppy, Coconut.

I’ve been tattooing for a little over 6 years now. In that time I’ve had the privilege of working with many talented artists, each of which have influenced me and pushed me to do better. Over the years, I’ve tried many different styles and techniques and I always come back to the basics of tattooing — traditional style. I specialize in work that is bold, clean, and solid. I love simple work that will last a lifetime. Legibility now and in the future is one of my biggest priorities when it comes to designing a tattoo. I’m open to various styles and subject matter, so long as it’s clean and simple.

Tattooing has only gotten more and more accepted as time has gone on. People from all walks of life are getting tattooed nowadays. I want everyone to know that anyone is welcome in my chair. I pride myself in my ability to make sure everyone feels welcome and comfortable. Tattooing doesn’t necessarily feel great, but it feels a whole lot easier when there’s good music, good conversation, and good people around you. The shop I work at has a very lighthearted atmosphere, with friendly people and good energy all around that makes getting a tattoo a breeze.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Being nice to people. Making everyone feel appreciated and welcome goes a long way. You could do the greatest tattoo anyone’s ever seen, but if the experience was less than pleasant or you treated your client poorly, I doubt that person would return. Word of mouth is huge in tattooing. It’s a craft that requires a lot of trust in a stranger so if you can build that trust with your clients it goes a long ways. Everyone you tattoo is a walking billboard for your work. Most of the time the first thing people ask when they see a tattoo they like is “who did that?” Or “where did you get that?” On top of doing great work, giving your client an undeniably exceptional experience overall is key to building a great reputation within your industry.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

Funding any business at the start can be tricky. When I first started tattooing, I was in college full time, working two different jobs part time, and doing my apprenticeship all at once. There’s a lot of little things you need to buy to get started in tattooing. Machines, inks, needles, disposables, all sorts of things you might not even realize. I worked hard to finish my college degree, and put money away so that when I graduated I could focus on tattooing full time right away. I figured if I put in the time and effort now, I would set myself up for success in the future and it paid off. I started off by buying the bare minimum essentials I needed to do a good tattoo. Once I got rolling, I slowly added to my collection. A lot of work related expense add up quickly, but my number one piece of advice when it comes to buying supplies for your craft would be to ask yourself “is this going to allow me to better myself and my craft, and is it going to increase my efficiency?” If the answer is yes, consider it an investment in yourself. If a better tool is going to help you make better work, then it will pay itself off in no time.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @zion.guz
• Other: Email: zionguztattoos@gmail.com

Image Credits
Photo of me: Miranda Wipperfurth, MLW photography llc.