The times for tattoo artists in Germany are currently demanding, esp. if you don’t work in the trend areas. Many literally have their backs against the wall and hardly know what to do. As hard as this is, it also offers an opportunity: for change.
We conducted an interview with Stefanie Nagel from Hamburg City Ink on this topic. If you google “Hamburg Tattoo”, you can’t get past Hamburg City Ink.
Lemmi: “Steffi, you founded Hamburg City Ink in 2011, at that time with up to 11 artists. If I remember correctly, you were one of the first studios to offer permanent walk-in appointments.”
Steffi: “That’s correct. We never had a problem with offering spontaneous tattoos (e.g. for tourists). This is almost inevitable in a city like Hamburg. During that time, we built up a high level of online visibility (Google, Insta, etc.), which still benefits us today. The concept worked and we achieved an annual turnover of €1.5 million in the best years.”
Lemmi: “We’ve been with you since 2017 and if I remember correctly, you had only ever used kisscal as a diary, right?”
Steffi: “Yes, that’s right. Everything was going well and, to be honest, I was suspicious of topics such as online booking and AI in customer contact. I couldn’t imagine that something like this would be accepted by customers, and I preferred my employees to a system.”
Lemmi: “And then Corona came…”
Steffi: „Yes, exactly. And anyone who, like us, ran a larger studio with up to 6 commercial employees at the time knows that KUG and ÜH3 did not really close the financial holes that the lockdown tore into us. In addition, my husband became very ill during this time and unfortunately passed away in 2022. So I withdrew more and more from the operational studio business, which of course doesn’t go well in the long run. When my last shop manager left from one day to the next in mid-2024, I had to act. Because standing behind the counter in the studio every day was no longer an option for me and currently finding good people? Well…”
Lemmi: “I remember. You called and said, “We absolutely have to do something now!”
Steffi: “What I’m happy about today! I quickly noticed that the online functionality absolutely meets the demands of the new clientele (18-25). They don’t want personal contact anymore. Coming to the studio to make an appointment are people with names like ́Jörg ́ or ́Günter ́, ́Ann-Marie ́ and ́Rahel ́ prefer to book anonymously and online at any time. The AI for tattoo requests is also a real game-changer: I am now much faster with my offers with the customer and with less work for me.”
Lemmi: “And how is your studio running today?”
Steffi: “We opened our second branch in the middle of last year and I now only work with residents, a great team of 7 tattoo artists and occasionally a regular guest artist. I’ve digitized everything, so I really only have to come to the studio if I like. Each artist has his/her own little kingdom with us and takes care of the customers individually. For minor repairs and putting away goods, I have a reliable mini-jober. The other day I was asked if I could use help with shop management, but honestly it wouldn’t be enough work for two.”
Lemmi: “That means everything is fine with you?”
Steffi: “Well, standing still is a step backwards, especially in today’s times. That’s why I already have some topics on my agenda that I would like to optimize further. For example, I would like to automate the walk-in business even further so that it no longer ties me up so much in terms of time (on the phone). I also follow up on the topic of scheduling deposits and, of course, link Google and Insta campaigns directly to the system, so that the leads simply flow into my existing workflows. Because I don’t think much of these “We’ll fill your calendar” offers, with which social media are currently flooded. I think you can achieve better success with less money if you do it right.”
Lemmi: “Of course, we are happy to help again. Thank you for the interview!”
In reality, we talked on the phone for almost two hours and talked about God, the world and many other things and it is always a great pleasure for me to talk to someone from the scene who has proven to be a woman and (evil!) non-tattoo artist has successfully established herself in the market. We are all the more pleased that we were and can help to put Hamburg City Ink on a solid footing even in difficult times.
Yours
