This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
In this week's first $1,000 segment, we're gonna explore how a Mississippi artist turned her love of design into an event business. She actually is doing temporary tattoos, custom temporary tattoos for weddings, parties, and corporate events, which makes sense. You probably don't wanna get a real tattoo at somebody else's wedding, especially if it was like, you know, bride and groom, wedding date, et cetera. Like what happens there if there's a change? Better to make that temporary, right?
Plus, you know, at a party, do you want to get a permanent reminder of the event? Maybe you do, right? But I think for a lot of people, a temporary tattoo is a better way to go in that situation. And it can be a great business, especially if you build it in this way where you have connections to wedding planners, other event planners, anybody working in that space. And you can have a lot of business if you're in the right market.
So in this segment, we're gonna hear from Bianca. She's gonna talk about how she made her first $1,000. But if you are new to the segment, the reason why we look at your first $1,000 is because it's often much harder to get to your first $1,000 than it is to go to your $5,000 or your $10,000 or whatever after that. So we want to help our listeners get the confidence and the skills they need to get to that first $1,000 because then you can do so much more. Anyway, I'd love to bring you this story.
I'm gonna pass the mic to Bianca. I'll come back at the end with a few words of wrap up. [Music]
- My name is Bianca and I've always loved creating art that sparks conversation. Living in Biloxi, Mississippi, I dabbled in a little bit of everything. Painting, illustration, even some graphic design.
But it wasn't until a friend asked me to set up a temporary tattoo booth at their wedding that I realized I could turn my hobby into a real business. By the end of the night, guests of all ages were showing off their custom art and I had a new idea, an on-demand temporary tattoo artistry for weddings, parties, and corporate events. After that wedding, I decided to test the idea with a few more events. I spent about $500 on high quality temporary tattoo paper, skin safe inks, transfer tools, and a portable booth setup. For my first official gig, a birthday party, I charged $300 for three hours, offering a mix of pre-designed tattoos and quick custom creations for the guests.
The event went smoothly and I left with $200 in profit and a lot of positive feedback. Next, I made an Instagram account showcasing photos from events and examples of my designs. I also reached out to wedding planners, party organizers, and event venues in Biloxi in Memphis. Within the first month, I booked two more gigs, bachelorette party, and a corporate retreat, both of which added another $800 in revenue. What really made my business stand out was customization.
For each event, I offered a mix of pre-designed tattoos that fit the theme, like florals for weddings or nautical designs for beach parties and on-the-spot custom creations. Guests love the interactive element and it gave me the chance to charge higher rates. For corporate clients, I added an option to include company logos in the tattoo designs, which was a big hit at team building events. I also started offering longer lasting designs using a special ink that stays on the skin for up to two weeks. By the second month, my average event price was $400, with a profit margin of about 70%.
It just took a few events to hit my first $1,000 in profit. And between the weddings, private parties, and one corporate booking, I grossed $3,000 in revenue in about eight weeks. I learned that weekends were the peak times for bookings and I streamlined my process to handle two or even three events in a single weekend. To keep up the momentum, I introduced packages for different event sizes, $300 for small gatherings, $500 for mid-sized parties, and $800 plus for large corporate events. The tiered pricing gave clients more flexibility and sometimes encouraged them to book additional hours.
Today, I average six to eight events a month across Mississippi, Memphis, and nearby areas, bringing in $3,000 to $4,000 in monthly revenue. I've also started working on branded tattoos for festivals and trade shows, which has opened up a new income stream. I still have my day job and I don't plan on quitting anytime soon, but earning so much on the side for doing something fun has been life-changing. - Hey Bianca, thank you for sharing the story. I love the risk-free approach of temporary tattoos.
I mean, I like real tattoos as well, just to be clear, but as noted for weddings, parties, and events, it's just a much easier ask if you're like, "Hey, get a temporary tattoo." So it's working out great for her. And the reason we bring all these different stories to you, our listeners, is because I want you to know that there's something out there you can do as well. And it might be a service like what Bianca has done. It might be something artistic. It might not be a service or something artistic.
It might be an e-commerce product. We talk about those as well. We talk about all kinds of different business models here on the podcast. And what ties them all together is they are relatable ideas. They're done by just regular people.
They don't require a lot of money to get started. You don't have to go on Shark Tank or ask anybody else for money. There are things you can do right away yourself. And hopefully it'll give you a little nudge to get you closer to an idea you have or something you've already been working on. That's always my hope with the podcast.
We do it every single day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. It's always completely free. I hope you'll subscribe or follow wherever you get your podcasts. My name is Chris Guillebeau. You're listening to Side Hustle School.
[Music]
- From the Onward Project.
