0:00 All right, we here at JK have a very diverse background of different experiences. But I think Sue is the only person among us who owns a tattoo shop. And he's the owner of a tattoo shop on Melrose Avenue, which is probably one of the higher traffic areas for people just walking in and getting ink done. What has that been like? How many years has it been since you started? >> It's only been like a year. >> Oh, it's only been a year? >> Yeah, we opened it last November and next month is November, so >> Congrats, dude. Wow, congrats. >> So far so good. Um >> That's huge. >> huge, yeah. >> Like also just making it on Melrose, that's a lot. >> The rent is crazy there. >> I got a really good deal. So we we Okay, well first of all >> Yeah, hey, guess why they got a good deal though. >> Huh? >> Guess why they got a good deal. >> Extortion. >> Nope.
0:50 You guys all know the answer. >> You guys know the answer. >> It's like in a hallway. >> No. >> They were going out of business? >> No. >> They wanted to quit and then so Sasha took it over. >> No. >> Oh. >> It's very ob- It's very obvious Melrose answer. >> Mhm. >> Melrose? >> They were getting broken into or >> Who run the world? >> Girls. [laughter] >> Who run the world? Girls. >> So inside inside connection. >> J to J connection. >> J to J, B TO B. >> DING DONG DING LANG. YEAH. >> YOU CAN'T BEAT J to J, B to B, man. That's unbeatable. >> Who run THE WORLD? GIRLS. >> [laughter] >> THEY GOT JUICE. >> [laughter] >> They got juice. >> Yeah. >> Crazy. They really do help each other. >> That's so true. >> But that's our rule, that's why, right? >> You must You must do it.
1:40 >> It's like you You have to hook each other up. >> Yeah, man. >> That's so cool. >> So that That is a cool rule. >> Is that why it's pretty profitable? >> People think whites do that. >> They do. >> Oh, you you mistake >> You guys, that's what it is. >> Is that like a pretty big money maker? >> So it's It's not big money maker, right? But if you if you stick if you stick to it, right? My wife knows way more. I I just do the paperwork, the taxes, the the the >> Damn, BRO. THEY GOT YOU DOING THAT? >> HELL YEAH. >> [laughter] >> WE GOT TO say like that. >> Listen, man. >> Do you know how much money it's making? Probably more than your wife. >> I have to like right because people think >> Just say the numbers. >> Hey, why would you Why are you dumb? You know, you're dumb for doing all that paperwork. But, I'm like Yeah, but when it comes to paperwork, all you got to do is read it and then ████ deliver it. Anyways, look. >> [laughter] >> So, I've been doing all the you know, the >> He does paperwork.
2:30 >> I am the paperwork, whatever. And then Yeah. Oh, ████ See? >> [laughter] >> But, um >> You just got to read it. >> a feeling your paperwork's a ████ mess. >> No, it's it's not. Like like we're getting from like the the ████ help >> The IRS. >> So, I've been I've been filling it out. So far, we've been good, you know? We're not It's not bad. So far, I've been filling them out. >> been a year. You only did taxes one year. >> Signatures, and we got an accountant. >> Extensions due soon. October 15th. Like, what's that? >> Wow. You're right. No wonder I've been getting hit up. But, um also, um just just uh just everything like the numbers. I had to get a credit card machine, a debit card machine, and then we had to like we set finally set that up. I didn't know we could take EBT. I was like, this is crazy. >> What? EBT? >> Yeah. Yeah. But, but we're not we're not going to support that.
3:20 >> Here's the thing. >> [laughter] >> Then why'd you get a machine? >> Huh? No, well, people want to use their credit cards. >> Oh, okay. Okay. >> And then we're like, all right, bet. You know what I mean? And then when they use their credit cards, they be spending. >> Way more. >> Oh, yeah. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> Like, it's two grand. It's okay. I'll do monthly payments. I'm like, yeah, yeah, yeah. Come on by, you know? Spend that thing. So, so I've just been dealing with that. >> Monthly payments? Like installments or like subscription tattoos? Like they'll probably just pay their minimum every month. >> No, though the customers >> Oh, yeah. They pay you the full amount, but they make the payment >> On their credit card. >> Got it. >> Yeah, we just we have the machine for you to use. >> You got you get they could Klarna his shop? >> what [laughter] I was like, damn, dude, four easy payment installments. >> Affirm, that's crazy. >> What are some of the like stresses that that your wife deals with or your other artists deal with on the daily?
4:10 >> Uh, my wife deals with it's more not necessarily money, but it's drama. Yes, it's money, right? >> Oh, is it like between staff? >> Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's just there's rules to it. Whoever comes the earliest gets the first walk-in, you know, stuff like that. Some people come in late and they swoop in on the first walk-in client, you know what I mean? >> bad. >> Now, you got one complaining and you got another complaining. I didn't notice cuz my wife tells me. They're complaining, this is happening. Now, Sasha goes, "Okay, you guys got to figure it out." I have to go and do a meeting and then talk about it. And on top of that, "Hey, we need you guys to be making more bread or this and that." But we paid off our shop finally. >> Oh, sick. That was quick. >> That's nice, dude. >> So, the the owner wanted a certain amount and we're like, "F███ it." Plus rent and we just paid off the owner just last month. So, big congrats to my
5:01 wife. >> Good job, man. >> Not a lot of people can pay off a business in less than a year. So, that's really good. >> again, we got a good deal and a good rate. >> But still, dude. J to J business. I got to be honest with you, I had low faith in you, but you did it. >> Yeah, yeah, yeah. >> But but here's the thing. >> I was >> [laughter] >> I WAS A HATER. I WAS A HATER. >> BUT here's the thing, Matt. >> I don't think you should do a second one. I really don't think you should do it. >> And it's fine. It's fine because like people we need people like that for business, you know, for us to just prove them wrong. >> me wrong, good. >> Yeah, to push. >> I don't think you can open a second one. >> [laughter] >> Hell, no. Uh, even my mom was like, "Hey, you know, I don't know and you guys is you guys just got a kid and I don't know if you guys should do that." We're like, "Great, we need this." It feels awesome to feel this much style in us. >> I bet you you can't show up to Careful Boys more often.
5:52 >> Oh, how much you want to bet? >> Oh, come on. >> Like give me a reason. >> Every time you show up, five bucks. >> Nah. Nah, but I will do my best to go more, which we already >> Yeah, yeah, yeah. But uh yeah, we paid it off last month, so that's good. So now everything else is just going to be pure profit and go towards utilities. Before it was like whatever profit we had, it would have to go to the guy, you know? So we're just >> I was like looking at my girl like, "Hey!" "Hey, put your ego down and shut it down for a little bit, you know what I'm saying?" But but she didn't. She's like, "I No." She tried to >> She's the one who proved everybody wrong. [laughter] >> Yeah, absolutely. >> Yeah. >> It sounds like it's her business. She goes by he's like, "Hey Bar, said we shouldn't do it." >> [laughter] >> I agree with Bar. >> But at the end of the day, it's whatever she wants, I have to agree, right? So if she wants to keep it up, I'm going to keep it up there. I'm going to just support her. I got to pay the rent on my
6:42 side, she got to pay the rent on her side. That's it. >> That's awesome. >> What's the nastiest tattoo you've ever had to give up? >> I don't know. I'm not there. I just checked the >> You don't hear like stories from people who are like, "Can you believe this ████ This guy wanted this absolutely gay tattoo." >> We do. We do. All the time. >> do anything, huh? >> Yeah. I'm just like, "Babe, who cares?" >> The only thing The only thing they won't do is the So like >> You won't do a gay wedding cake? >> The one time Remember when when Sasha had somebody like draft some artwork like they were going to get the tattoo and then they went to another place and just got it there like way cheaper. >> That's ████ up. That's ████ up. >> Cardinal sin of like getting it there. But has anybody ever come to you guys with a tattoo that someone else designed? >> Yeah, well, you know, she tells me stories where she will receive them, but she's going to be like, "Dude, I'm not
7:32 going to copy exactly cuz it's not going to happen, but I'm going to have to switch it up and turn it into my version." >> Yeah. Oh, okay. >> switches it up 180. Yeah, so. >> It's just 180? >> [laughter] >> You guys get more uh walk-ins or more appointments? >> Well, Sasha's booked all the time. >> Oh, that's sick. >> She She's in Florida. She already booked She only booked two clients, but those two clients are $1,000 client. >> Hell yeah. >> And in New Orleans, she's going there Saturday. She didn't think she was going to get a lot, but she booked out her whole day. >> Wow. >> Nice. >> Also, she like remote does tattoo for clients like around >> Yeah, everywhere everywhere. So >> She has a pretty good following for tattoos. So, they probably just hit her up and be like when is she at Melrose then? How often is she actually at the Melrose location then? >> Well, she's there like Monday, Tuesday, Friday through Sunday.
8:24 She's trying to be there every day. That's why when we send them to the school >> She's running every What are you doing? >> Huh? >> What are you doing then? You're not there. You're at security. You're doing >> Walking down hallways with guns. >> I'm doing the paperwork, man. Whatever paperwork >> Remote work. >> Are you at the shop though? >> Nah. >> See? >> Yeah, have you guys had to fire Have you guys had to fire anybody yet? >> Yeah, we already fired like two people, three people. >> Oh, damn. How come? >> You got to color in the lines. You got to color in the lines. >> So, one one's one she has her reason, but I believe when she tells me the stories, I only come down to a simple conclusion, which is too emotional. >> Oh, really? >> And that me saying too emotional ends up you know, when you're emotional, you could cause too much problems down the line. >> Mhm. >> Because every little thing will bug the ████ out of you, which
9:14 becomes other people's problem. >> Yeah. >> It's contagious. >> So, I told her >> Mhm. >> in a business you know, point of view, too emotional. She's like, "Yeah, you're right." At the end of the day, I gave her a chance. I was like, "I know I was right." >> [laughter] >> I'm just going to go. You know what I mean? So, we got we let her go. The other one, she only comes to our shop to kick it, but we have a feeling sometimes maybe she's just working at home. >> She's stealing clients? >> Not necessarily stealing clients. Just like, "Hey, you don't want to put in the work at this shop, that's fine. We're just going to get rid of your spot, so we can hire another person." >> a barber shop where they rent out the chairs? Or >> Yeah, I mean, not necessarily like rent out the chairs, but just like we'll take 30% of every tattoo you do. >> Oh, okay. >> And we're constantly pushing for bigger pieces. >> but it's like if you don't work, then
10:04 that chair is not getting any >> Yeah, so they're not like paying a fee, right? >> Yeah, they're not We're not You know what I mean? We could simply just say, "You know what?" >> share a station? >> You can. You can. If If you have clients like Monday through Tuesday and then a certain time, you can come in at that time, or you could take a different days. So, we have we have our ways of doing things. It's just >> Is 30% the standard? >> Yeah, that's pretty much standard, but a lot of people are also charging like 40%. Some Some shops are 50. >> Do you try to upsell people? Like if somebody comes in, like a girl is like, "I want a little butterfly." Like, "You should get a bigger butterfly. Much bigger butterfly." >> what? I don't know that part, but when I'm there >> Massive period butterfly. >> Yeah, a huge butterfly. >> Yeah. Well, we try, of course. That's >> 10 colors. >> Yeah. >> Do you Do you ever find um like if it's a cash tattoo, like anybody who's working there will be like it's like a
10:54 $1,000 tattoo, maybe like, "Uh give me 500 and then we'll call it a $500 tattoo cuz 30% has got to go back to the uh the owner." >> No, that's like an integrity thing, right? I asked about that, too. Like, "How can we make sure? Let's put cameras up and do what not." But all the paperwork when they sign it, they come in front of the door and they have to tell us how much the price was. >> Oh. >> Oh, that goes like that. >> So, so from right from the beginning, they just tell But we don't know if they're talking >> Yeah. >> But it's an integrity thing, you know what I mean? So, we're just doing our best to trust them and stuff. >> How's um Melrose has gotten kind of like dangerous over the years? Is it better now or is it >> now. >> Yeah? >> Way better, a lot more safer. We have We for sure know there's undercover down there. There's guys always >> Business is coming back? >> Business is coming back. A lot of foot
11:45 >> J&J >> Probably only J J business. >> Nah, there's look every >> Jedi biz >> Dude, there's everything now, man. There's like in the you know like two stores down, there's a marathon burger spot. So >> Everything's good. >> wire down there? >> [laughter] >> Daily walk. Except Sundays cuz you know it's football season, so it's kind of slow on the Sundays. So every you know, so everyone's been watching football or something. >> Do you have a TV in there that just plays football? That might help. >> No. >> Like football here, you know when they do that? While you get [snorts] a tattoo. Yeah, while you get a tattoo. >> [laughter] >> I know. >> It's in a really good location actually, the the tattoo shop. >> Hey, when you're short-staffed, do you ever like jump in and start tattooing? >> No. I would If anything, if I go there, I go outside by the the studio and I'm just like Hey, what you looking at? Today I saw you caught interest in one of these You know what I mean? >> Or the step right up guy >> If I'm ever there
12:35 >> Oh, that's cool. >> He's cold sales outside. >> Free samples I think Subi's good at sales. He's a good step right up guy, dude. >> Step right up. We got tattoos. We got this. >> If you're ever lucky enough to find his OfferUp Marketplace profile, all of his listings sound like that. >> Really? >> Yeah. >> You got it, bro. >> [laughter] >> He'll have like a kids toy >> salesman >> He'll have like kids toys that he don't want to use no more and he'll be like I know what you're thinking. The price is too good to be true. >> [laughter] >> Cuz it is. >> Well >> That's sick. >> Let's be honest now. When you look at Facebook Marketplace, the best time that people usually look at it is at night time or before sleep. >> That's when I do it, yeah. >> That's when you're more locked in cuz you're done with the day, you're done with the night. And now [laughter] you're just locked in and you're just like, should I do it? Let me Is this available? Just to see
13:25 what happens. You know what I mean? That's when you're like super locked in. Half the time it's the night time. So, I like to post at night. >> But then what if they get both at night? [laughter] They forget in the morning when they wake up and then they feel like, "I don't need to buy it." >> Yeah, but they're going to really buy it if they're you know, if they're hitting you back up in the morning. You know what I mean? Then you're just like, "Oh yeah, this guy's serious." >> [laughter] >> Do you do ask them for a Venmo deposit? >> No, I don't care. I say Zelle, Venmo, cash. You let me know. Where do we meet? You know what I mean? That's it. >> Yeah, that applied to the tattoo shop's fee. Pretty pretty important. >> That part, yeah. >> Drop the um information on the tattoo shop so people if they want to get one they know where to go. >> The Lucky Penny Tattoo, we hold. Yeah. >> [laughter] >> West Hollywood.
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