Insurance man turns sideline into thriving tattoo business

Jayson Consad, a tattoo artist, works on a tattoo of a client in his studio in Consolacion town in northern Cebu.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

It started out as a sideline.

For years, 35-year-old Jayson Consad would open up his house in Consolacion town on weekends to patrons who would like to get their tattoos made.

“I had a day job back then, in an insurance company. Before, my priority was my main job. I would only do tattoos on Saturdays and Sundays when I don’t have work,” Consad told Cebu Daily News in a phone interview on Saturday.
Since he had to earn a living for his wife and son, Consad had to focus on earning a decent salary. He even spent a few years working as a waiter in a hotel in Brunei from 2004 to 2007.

Leap of faith
It was in April 2015 when Consad decided to take a leap of faith and start his own tattoo shop along the road in Barangay Poblacion Occidental in Consolacion town in northern Cebu.

After years of working, he decided to set aside a portion of his savings to open up the shop with a starting capital of P15,000.

He used the amount to purchase a low-end tattoo machine back then, some ink, and a printer. He also set aside a portion of his funds for the rent of his 25-square meter tattoo studio.

The shop is named JUC Inkredible Studio.

“I really decided. I wanted to pursue my passion. It was a gamble for me to start the business. But I thought that if it does not click, I can just go back to working. So far, it has clicked,” Consad said.

Challenges
At first, he admitted that he struggled with the business.

For one, he was not yet that known in the local scene as he only did tattoos for friends. He also admitted that since he started with a low-end tattoo machine, he did not attract as much customers.

But as he later invested in high-quality machines and kept on upgrading and upgrading his equipment to match the latest models being used internationally, his business started to pick up with more customers seeking his services.

Old customers, who were satisfied with his tattoo services, also helped bring in new customers to his shop as they would tell their friends and relatives to try out his tattoo services.

Clients
Although, at present, most of Consad’s clients are call center agents, he admits that his clients are a variety of people, who like to get inked, including doctors, business owners and even foreigners, who just happen to pass by his shop.

“Before, I would just follow the designs that the customers bring. But now, I take their concepts and offer them some ideas to improve it and make it nicer so that we would have originality. And so far, they liked it,” he said.

It also helped that Consad has formal training in the arts and drawing. He is an undergraduate of architecture from the University of the Visayas.

How he got hooked
It was a neighbor who influenced Consad to try doing tattoos. He would join that neighbor and watch him as he inked his customers. He would also try it himself sometimes.

Despite all of the tattoo artists in Cebu, Consad continues to enjoy a good number of patrons.

He said this had been because he had always invested in the latest equipment.

His latest machine now costs around P55,000 and had to be shipped to Cebu from the US.

“There may be other good tattoo artists out there. But I also try my best to make sure that my results are really of quality and that the client would not regret it. And also, I can help them improve their designs,” he said.

Right now, he is the only one who runs his shop which is open from Mondays to Saturdays starting at 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

However, he usually does appointments to make sure that he does not rush his work. Sometimes, he shared that he would even finish as late as 12 midnight.

Cost for a tattoo
On average, Consad inks two customers in a day – one in the morning and another one in the afternoon.

The prices of his tattoo services range from P2,000 to P50,000.

For black and gray tattoos that are 3 by 3 inches big, it costs P2,000. It costs P500 more if the tattoo is colored.

For half sleeves, the price is between P25,000 to P30,000 depending if they want it colored or not. For full sleeves, the price is between P40,000 to P50,000.

In the future, Consad said he hopes to open branches in Cebu and in other parts of the region.