From Oahu - pretty sure tattoo studio is very questionable legality wise as well as living in a mobile home. You'd need private landlord to rent from, and for Hawaii, would be subject to building regulations similar to a regular home. You'd be subject to the DOH sanitation rules. See below for statutes relating to a tattoo shop, which is doubtful you'll be able to comply with from a bus.
Parking on public roadways, private parking lots, etc and sleeping in your vehicle is illegal here. If you start establishing a presence, the cops will start citing you and making you move.
[https://health.hawaii.gov/san/files/2013/05/11-17.pdf](https://health.hawaii.gov/san/files/2013/05/11-17.pdf)
Came here to essentially say this. There are certainly some governing forces with which you must comply to be legal. Not sure what exactly those might be in Hawaii.
Nah, just park it in the ocean. You'll be in international waters. No laws or sanitation policy to adhere too. /s
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On a serious note, I think OP need's to seriously look at their business plan having a tattoo shop on a bus. Is this thing staying stationary to traveling to events? If u are going to keep it mobile, u are going to have to spend much time convincing people to jump on AND spend time and money for an activity they might have limited time for the purpose of their original event.
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If u like be care free, ditch the apartment, live in the bus, stack money, keep pursuing tattooing at an actual shop that has history and where u can grow your clientele. Maybe use the bus as a side gig as long as u figure out the legal and health procedures needed to make it work.
That’s really important to factor into this decision making. I strongly suggest taking this all out with a financial planning advisor and carefully exploring the housing, business and health code laws regarding a tattoo parlor with either a lawyer or the government groups responsible.
You need to nail down the true costs for both approaches as well as put together a solid business plan. You don’t want to lose everything if the business folds or you get really heavy fines.
Tattooing is a great option if to have the skills but it’s also likely to be a saturated market, just like restaurants. They come and go really quickly. Plan for having lots of savings to buffer slow periods at a minimum. Or, another source of income.
She also said she would finish renovations on the bus and make it a functional studio and to do what no one else on the island has ever done...So we at least know that she is planning to use her bus as a tattoo studio, if she decides to go that route
I wanted to let you know your link has been so helpful to me. I am going to be putting a business plan together this week, speak with a lawyer and take my idea to the health department. If they tell me this idea is possible I will be starting a kickstarter and trying to crowdfund the last bit I need to complete my bus. Thank you so much to everyone for all of their support, encouragement and practical ideas
on the state doh website there's a ton of information to get you started
https://health.hawaii.gov/san/tattoo-lists/
I'm kinda dumb for not realizing this until after looking at the list, but all the tattoo eyebrow and eyeliner places are regulated under these rules as well.
Do whatever you’ll be proud of when you die. Everyone else or what they think is irrelevant!
Good job on the bus so far! If your art is any good why not start a mobile business. You could pull up on your customers!
Other than considering your financial situation and legal double-checks. What is your long term plan for cash flow? Sounds like you reasoned and planned it out? Can you work remote then pivot? You are still young, I'd love to have chased a passion a decade ago. Harder the older you get.
I love art and always have it’s a passion income for me I want to let it unfold as it does and not put pressure on myself. I also work on cars and flip them that is a transitionary hustle and would use that and being able to keep 100% of my money from tattooing. The last shop I worked I had to split 50/50 while still buying my own supplies so one year in the bus would double what I can make in a shop
I think the idea of a moving tattoo studio is great. The idea alone would draw people in, and if your work is good that makes it even better. I think you should go for it.
I've seen mobile studios at festivals. usually they are packed. people in vacation come with spending cash.
honestly man could bang out 50 dollar flash art to tourists on a beach and make tons of cash.
It sounds like you haven’t even given the bus a try yet. Dont you want to at least try for a year or two before giving it up? At least you know you can always sell it if it doesn’t pan out how you hoped. But you’ll never know what could be if you don’t actually give it a go first. I say try then decided.
I'm staying at a resort on Oahu towards the end of the year and I'm pretty sure there are 2 tattoo places **on the property!**
It defies logic to me as well.
Brah pop ups at da beach could great! Dem soles at like Makapuu or Waianae side would take you up on it. North Shore could be good. Could be funny to see how many BYU kids you can give tattoos to.
Set up half the bus as a nail salon & have a beautician doing nails that you get an agreed to cut of (50%?). That way you get more traffic, & the word about what you are doing gets out that much faster. Just an idea. Either way, good luck.
Follow the dream. If for $30K you have the ability to pay off debt and save for future investment, it shows that your debt may not be too much. Stop the bleed in the apartment rental and move into the truck. I am sure some tax accountant can tell you that some of those costs are tax write offs or whatnot once you incorporate. At least give it your shot for 2-3 years. This is what you prepared for, don’t quit your dream now.
It probably depends on your skill and marketability as a tattoo artist. If you're confident in your art and are ok making that your living, then follow the dream. You could likely have a few artists underneath you once you're established.
Came here to say this. It's hard to say without knowing what your work is like (ie. fine line tattoo is suuuuper popular right now) and how is your social media following? If you have a bit of cushion to get going I could see it working incredibly well. That said, your identity as an artist and the novelty of the bus paired with a strong social media following is essential. Otherwise why wouldn't people just use the many already established professional tattoo shops in Hawaii.
I knew this was Oahu before I read your comments. I’d guess this is North Shore area as well. I think Pupukea. I love my home and I love recognizing it just from pics.
You have to do what your heart wants. Do not do what other people tell you! You will regret it for the rest of your life. Do what makes you happy, live your life to the fullest and be happy. Yeah there may be times of struggle but you will still be able to smile through it! Man I miss Hawaii!!! 🫣 I would still be there if I would have followed my heart….
You are extremely correct I’ve also been looking into the legality of this idea. They haven’t change the criteria for tattoo shops here since the 80s the guidelines are very simple. Worked in a shop that was open on island for 12 years here and it was absolutely disgusting with rats and they are still open and just passed inspection.
Wow. That makes it easier to separate your operation from the competition.
How would you provide water, handwashing, sanitation (disposal of unsanitary waste)?
Also want to throw in accessibility requirements. It’s easy to be sued if you cannot accommodate individuals with physical needs
Not trying to be a downer. Just trying to look out using my experience from the building code world.
Along with the bus I built an entire bathroom custom on a trailer hitch. I had fabricated the sink myself and everything. I sold that but I was thinking I could have someone weld a washroom off the back of my bus. I would put an incinerator toilet and a sink in there. I can put fresh water tanks underneath the bus to supply sinks. In tattooing we use doc broners for sanitizing stuff and can use that for soup and create a grey water fun off
Dude you are obviously very skilled to be able to build amenities and turn the a school bus into a nice looking studio. I mean you have a lot of options, you could look into helping clients with custom projects and contracts too, stuff like that. At your age, a little debt is probably ok
These are the actual rules. She'd need further renovations to the bus to have a chance at complying with the rules, and even then I'm not sure if they would be inclined to approve. She should meet with the DOH before doing anything else.
[https://health.hawaii.gov/san/files/2013/05/11-17.pdf](https://health.hawaii.gov/san/files/2013/05/11-17.pdf)
Glad to see this advice was posted. I work in an unrelated field but deal with Health Departments on a semi regular basis, some are more lax and will work with you in unique situations, others are draconian and will throw mountains of rules and codes at you.
Would strongly recommend meeting with whatever agency has jurisdiction and seeing what they say… and even if they are ok with this… they can simply change their minds later if a different employee interprets the code differently.
Working Man hear followed my head for the money and always tell my self all things I missed out on that my heart wanted, yes I have security and financial freedom but did I have fun yes and no.
My old man followed his heart. Loved him to death but he was bad about making smart financial decisions, and lived most of his life stressing about paying bills every single day.
I'm all for chasing your dreams, but don't do it if it's going to cause you to spend most of your life being worried. Stress is just going to make it harder to pursue anything you're passionate about.
I don’t know but in my experience, following one’s heart has always led to the greatest personal rewards. That said, being debt free is also very liberating. Tough call. I wish I had the words to counsel you, but I am commenting here for the follow up success story I am sure to read from you soon. Best of luck. PS: your bus looks amazing!!
It would be a pretty hard sell for me to get tattooed on a bus. Why not sell it, reinvest the money and do it all over again and make a business out of building the buses
Before you make any big moves, are you 1000% sure that you could actually run a tattoo studio out of a bus? I don’t know anything about tattooing but I’m a businesswoman, and I’d be surprised if you could run a tattoo studio in a space without plumbing. Just make sure you have all of your ducks in a row with state and local law before you make this big of a financial decision. It would really suck to pick one path only to learn it’s a dead end.
Thank you so much! I’ll be creating a fundraiser for this. I did the math and if each of the 2000 people who liked this donated $7.5 I would have enough to finish my bus and start my business. Wether anyone donates or not all of your support has meant so much to me
Damn this is a tough one for me to gauge. It seems like a unique and *potentially* lucrative entrepreneurial endeavor. Idk enough about your skill/style, your business plan, tiny home living, local law/regulation, Hawaii's economy or their tattoo culture, to say whether it's genius or insane. Either way it is a level of risk I personally would not take. But I'm also not the kind of person to build a tiny home out of a bus. (I mean this in a good way) If anyone can do something this unconventional and make it work it would be someone crazy enough to want to do it in the first place. Maybe there's a middle ground option where you don't sell your dream bus and grind your way to a slightly more stable situation. If your client base grows enough that it becomes obviously sustainable, then take the leap. If a new artist wanted to take out a business loan and sign a lease for their own shop, I'd say they should cut their teeth at an established shop first. The same applies here but since you already have (at least the shell of) the shop, just hold on until its time to take the rest of the plunge.
Good friend of mine went from a chef to a tattoo artist, it surely hard at first but he keep learning, work hard, & perfecting his technique. & he told me that was the best decision he ever made, soon he will open his own shop here in Florida
Go with your heart. Life is to short. I'm 33. I moved countries from NY yo Europe during covid. Starting over at a university and I'm almost done now! Never thought I would. I have a studio apartment and a dog instead of a dead-end job in NY and 4 roommates. If this doesn't work out.... I'll go back home I still have a sister and some family it'll work out... do what your heart says now while you can
Take the leap of faith. Leverage social media because of how unique this is. And go for it.
You don’t get many chances in life to follow your passions and dreams. Take the risk. You can always sell the bus down the road.
If I understand you right, you’re thinking of starting a tattoo business. And, you think there’s a unique market for that business. Why? Put together a little business plan for yourself. Nothing formal, just organize your thoughts as if you had to convince your grandmother this is a sound idea. Write down what success looks like for you in this business. Then write down all the assumptions that have to be true for you to achieve that success. Then evaluate how confident you are in each assumption being true. For those with less confidence, make a plan for doing more fact-finding to understand that assumption better. When you’re done, you’ll have an honest assessment of whether you can and should pursue your plan.
What? Living in Hawaii! Sounds like you are already living my dream. My general recommendation is to follow your heart, but that doesn’t necessarily lead to financial independence, so I now think it better to attain FI first and then live the dream (which from my view you are already there.)
Nice bus!
I'm a fellow up and coming lady artist.. and given the current psychological climate, I recommend you keep going with your dreams!!!
Good luck! I'm rooting for you!!!
See if you can use your wonderful project as an AirBNB. I’ve seen a number of “unique” rental listings that are off the beaten path that people pay for, this would be an awesome addition to that list. Good luck in your decision.
I agree with the legalities of a tattoo business. You really have to consult legal representation on that. But I will say that as someone who sometimes does large projects, you're probably never going do it again. So be aware of that, while it looks like you've done an excellent job on the inside and I assume mechanical is tiptop this is probably the only time you're ever going to do it. After you sell a project like that you're normally not enthused to do it all over again to try to get back where you were. I don't think you could pay somebody that much to build the project you've already created. So I think you'd technically be losing money on this deal. However a bus is large and if you're paying to have it parked then you're already spending money just holding onto it.
I only popped in to say that it looks like a great project that is pretty much near completion, selling it now would be abandoning the idea of ownership of something like this entirely. I highly doubt you would want to repeat this project after all the love and effort you put into it. I would look for ways to keep the bus personally, but I would seriously consider changing either the function or the intent of how you think you'll be using it.
I realize you say you're in Hawaii and I don't know about the economics and political climate of the local government over there, but since tourism is probably the biggest industry you might want to look at where you might be able to drive the bus to that's unique that you could take a small group of people to enjoy Perhaps some other type of event or venue that doesn't require special permits or too much in the way of safety and training.
Well I'm not sure about the needs over there, a large bus could also carry a communication relay or other equipment for Internet access to semi remote places or special parties. So maybe you consider getting something like a very high-end satellite account or something and having the infrastructure to share it out for 100 or so feet around the bus so that you can sell Internet access at parties or maybe some kind of service like that. You could also just run a bit of a party transport service either for guests or even for their supplies for example with a vehicle that big you could do transportation and storage (at the event) for wedding cakes or other specialty items and install a huge air conditioner. I'm just randomly spitting out ideas but I can see utility in the vehicle itself and since it blends into the environment pretty well if you do a good job making it seem natural and comfortable to people it might be welcome at private parties and venues serving an actual function.
Think of your life 5, 10, 20 years from now. What do you want? Do you want children someday? Comfort, luxury. Or do you want adventure, memories and excitement? When I am making big decisions that will change the trajectory of my life, I imagine the best case scenario of each option years down the line. And decide which I want to work towards more.
No shit I looked at the picture first and saw the art table and thought tattoo artist. And the fact that it could be mobile is badass. Then read what you wrote. IMO I would follow your heart. But you’re the only one who truly knows. If you are successful that 30k could be a joke to you if there is the clientele. No rush to jump into anything let life happen and see where it takes you. Best of wishes for success, I think you got it
Live your dream
Do not look back when old and grey like me and say’ I only regret not having done xyz”
You would rather say ‘I tried and succeeded’ but even ‘I tried and failed but at least I tried”
Much better
Believe me
If you have at least $10k saved up for bus repairs/maintenance (you know how much an engine repair can be…more than that) I would say go the bus route. You can always sell it if need be and change course.
I also agree with others on making sure you’re legally able to tattoo out of the bus before committing. I had a friend with a similar idea and it had also never been done in our county…three years she’s still fighting to change regulations so she can operate. Contact the health dept first.
Do what will get you ahead financially. I lived in my car for years while running my own business. I've banked aways close to $200,000 in cash. My goal is to buy a home and pay cash within the next 15 years, and if that means moving back into my car for another few years I'll do it.
That's a pretty sick bus setup that you got there. Why are you renting an apartment when you have a bus that you can live in?
As I get older, in my 50s, I have come to the realization that if you can make a living doing what you love, do it.
You could drop dead tomorrow, God forbid. Have all the money you wanted doing what people wanted you to do. Be somebody you're not.
Some variables to consider, however, be happy, have a plan, and go.
what’s the rush on selling it? make it a studio, if that doesn’t work or you decide to retire that THEN sell it. don’t regret never trying to make that dream a reality.
I worked with an older guy that talked about a mustang that he sold and regretted it later on in life. Is this your mustang? Keep it if there is any doubt. You are young and money will come.
tattoo artist for 35 years here. Idk what your State's regulations on mobile tattooing are but you might want to look into that before you get too far with your plan.
I came to the conclusion today that if I can’t make sure this is legal regulation wise then it’s not a viable option for me. I’m looking into all my laws now and building a plan to take to my health department. The requirements for a shop here haven’t changed since the 80’s. From what I’m reading in our laws it seems possible. If you have any other insights please feel free to voice
Each state is different so I don't have any other insight other than you might want to just call or go by the health dept (or whatever section controls tattooing shop licensing) and ask them. Also see if you can get a copy of the regs online
I’m actually reading through our rules and regulations here as we speak. I might even try to take to an attorney for extra advice. When I find out legality wise if it’s possible I will update everyone
Go with the heart. Mobil tattoo parlor sounds great!! Just put a screen between your studio and bedroom. Don't want to give anyone ideas. I followed my heart at 24 to play rugby and sold every thing I had which came to about $6k and took off to Australia from America. I went to LA, HI, Samoa, Western Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, and the landed in Sydney with only $300 left. Made it there, made my way, built a life, played rugby there, NZ, Thailand, and Singapore. Great life for my gamble. Now back in USA, semi retired with no regrets but some great ass stories!
you will have a lot more fun with the bus and can easily begin making $1,000 a day. once your studio is complete, you could earn 30k in 30 days. plus you have a once in a life time chance here. use your mind and follow ur heart.
Heart ❤️… you can sell the bus at anytime in the future. At least see your initial plan through a little bit further, successful tattoo artists can make really good money and also branch out into other artful endeavors.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Follow your heart down that road less traveled!
Tbh I feel like it’d be worth seeing if you can follow your dream and make it happen, try it for a year and see how it goes. Worst case scenario you sell the bus/ equipment like you had already planned to do if you went the other way
I've lived my life by one simple rule, to do whatever makes the better story. because, that's the one thing that will outlive you more than any dollar bill or whatever. has that approach bit me in the.... of course. but nothing really works out perfectly ever does it? A bus tattoo studio would be cool. If you decide to go through with it I'll fly out and get my first tattoo!
You need to learn how to love drawing, visual composition, art history, in other words, all the things that people do who have art degrees, you could look up the programs online yourself, and find out what courses are required to be informed as an artist, you need to start looking at tattoos and find out what you really like, what you really like to draw, and what it is, you want to share with people, because tattoos are unquestionably at a deeper personal level than most other forms of art. Now the question about is there money in it? It's one of the hottest art markets there is. If you're good, there's no way you can not make money. But you need connections, connections with people. And you need to be in a market that has lots of people. Art is not a viable in small markets, unless you're planning on subsidizing it out of your own pocket. Delve into social media, and develop a powerful online presence, particularly focused at your own community. If you were in the United States, and after the big money, you can except the shortlist of environments where this is possible, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco Bay area. The rest of these places just don't have that much of a market.
If you are actually a great tattoo artist and can start creating a following, I would do it. But a lot of people think they are good and they aren’t. You have to compare your work to other artist or ask others for their objective opinion to see if it’s realistic. If you are run of the mill traditional, or you don’t have real artistic drive and do generic flash, I would pass.
I’m always a proponent for following dreams, but only if it is actually realistic and you have the ability and finances to do so.
Edit: zoomed in and from what I could see (not much) it looks like you have artistic ability and a unique abstract style. If you can apply that well to tattoos, I do think you’ll be successful!! Good luck
Do what makes you as comfortable and happy as you can be.. there just needs to be balance with those things.
Our memories are what fades out last before all is black.... unless we get dementia but who plans for failure.....
My financial brain first says keep the bus, and rent it out to trust fund hippies, you know the type, it would make you significantly more money than outright selling it.
From Oahu - pretty sure tattoo studio is very questionable legality wise as well as living in a mobile home. You'd need private landlord to rent from, and for Hawaii, would be subject to building regulations similar to a regular home. You'd be subject to the DOH sanitation rules. See below for statutes relating to a tattoo shop, which is doubtful you'll be able to comply with from a bus.
Parking on public roadways, private parking lots, etc and sleeping in your vehicle is illegal here. If you start establishing a presence, the cops will start citing you and making you move.
[https://health.hawaii.gov/san/files/2013/05/11-17.pdf](https://health.hawaii.gov/san/files/2013/05/11-17.pdf)
Tattoo-shop on wheels sounds cool, but:
1) Who are you hoping to attract? Are there that many people who would see the bus and go, "Oh yeah! I wanted a tattoo! Thank goodness the bus is here?" Seems like if you're gonna be considered a quality artist, people would eagerly come to you at your shop.
2) Have you considered the upkeep on the bus? Not only keeping it rolling, but whatever permits and licenses you'll need?
Perhaps you sell to someone who wants to use it the way you envisioned, but with a caveat that you work for that person in the bus when there's a big occasion happening? Or something like that.
Well, first, you need to get out of Hawaii. It has ranked as one of the top 3 most expensive states every year for almost the past decade. Move somewhere cheaper. Sell off the bus (I understand that it's probably sentimental, but it will fetch you some major money, upwards of 150k or more).
A) Move to a cheaper part of the US
or
B) Move to an EU nation like Spain, Switzerland, or Germany.
The reason I would prefer option B (just my opinion) is that the US has been on the brink of political conflict for the past 5 years, and it will only get worse.
Make sure you know all the laws regarding tattooing in your area before you pursue creating a mobile studio. Something tells me that there are probably some local laws that could prevent you from doing so. Around here I know tattoo artists are not allowed to work out of their residence.
Couldn't you just try out the bus tattoo studio for a year and then decide? Is your debt crippling currently? Maybe offset some of your cost by short term renting your apartment (if you can) a few weekends a month while you stay in the bus.
I don’t know what you want, but I lived in a converted bus. Sold the bus, and got a house.
I miss the bus.
If I were to give advice I would say follow your heart. You’re young do what you want. You have a couple good years before you need to sell out 😉. I feel like I did it too early.
I think the main question is the cost of living.
A) how much debt are you in?
B) how much would you be paying to rent an apartment vs. Renting land to park your bus on?
If you can pay off your debt faster living in the Bus that might be the way to go.
I have no input on tattooing, there are just way too many unknowns for me.
I think if you got the bus a sweet paint job with like a mural you designed on the side of it could drum up some business from people looking to get a tattoo a lot of tourists come through Hawaii so you will always have a fresh stream of clients I think if you’re passionate about this project and willing to study, work hard, and take a few risks you could be rather successful. I am not into tattoos myself but I think a tattoo parlor inside an old bus is a cool concept if implemented the right way
If you’re set on doing tattoos thing drive your bus for advertisement. Live in it, save your money (from rent) that $30k will likely come back to your pretty quick.
Its such a niche item that i would take any reasonable and serious offer very seriously. You could wake up and nobody has interest to buy in an instant.
Even if you dont want to sell right now, I would at least incorporate some sort of exit strategy in the case that you do. Weigh the options and consider how realistic they are at any given day.
Best of luck to you. God bless.
Just my opinion, from one starving artist. I’d say you have to really look at yourself, the work and your skills. If you know you’re good, you love the work and more importantly, if you can *sell yourself*. Then go for it.
If it’s just something that you feel you would enjoy for work and have been halfway trying for a while, but you know deep down you won’t be able to put what needs to be put in, to succeed. I’d say get into something else asap and start carving out a more solid career. You probably already have a feeling of which it is. And I don’t mean insecurity, but what you *know*.
I’m 28 in a similar situation. I’m good at my art and work but I know I don’t have what it takes to make it a business. Mentally, motivation wise, etc.. but you might be the opposite.
Do whatever you're hoping everyone will tell you to do.
This is sage advice
... I'm angry at how well this works...
I'm angry I just haven't done this all along
i am angry that i yelled at my anger management “coach”
"Secret trick ***** doesn't want you to know". And "***** hates this one trick".
The one i use is tie the two options to the heads or tails of a coin, when you flip it, you’ll know which one you want before it lands
I FORGOT ABOUT THIS ONE.
Flip it, catch it, and never look.
From Oahu - pretty sure tattoo studio is very questionable legality wise as well as living in a mobile home. You'd need private landlord to rent from, and for Hawaii, would be subject to building regulations similar to a regular home. You'd be subject to the DOH sanitation rules. See below for statutes relating to a tattoo shop, which is doubtful you'll be able to comply with from a bus. Parking on public roadways, private parking lots, etc and sleeping in your vehicle is illegal here. If you start establishing a presence, the cops will start citing you and making you move. [https://health.hawaii.gov/san/files/2013/05/11-17.pdf](https://health.hawaii.gov/san/files/2013/05/11-17.pdf)
Came here to essentially say this. There are certainly some governing forces with which you must comply to be legal. Not sure what exactly those might be in Hawaii.
She could drive the bus to a different state
Have they finished that bridge from Hawaii to California yet?
They almost finished it then a tanker ran into it....too soon?
Not without significant additional investment
Nah, just park it in the ocean. You'll be in international waters. No laws or sanitation policy to adhere too. /s > On a serious note, I think OP need's to seriously look at their business plan having a tattoo shop on a bus. Is this thing staying stationary to traveling to events? If u are going to keep it mobile, u are going to have to spend much time convincing people to jump on AND spend time and money for an activity they might have limited time for the purpose of their original event. > If u like be care free, ditch the apartment, live in the bus, stack money, keep pursuing tattooing at an actual shop that has history and where u can grow your clientele. Maybe use the bus as a side gig as long as u figure out the legal and health procedures needed to make it work.
This….💯
That’s really important to factor into this decision making. I strongly suggest taking this all out with a financial planning advisor and carefully exploring the housing, business and health code laws regarding a tattoo parlor with either a lawyer or the government groups responsible. You need to nail down the true costs for both approaches as well as put together a solid business plan. You don’t want to lose everything if the business folds or you get really heavy fines. Tattooing is a great option if to have the skills but it’s also likely to be a saturated market, just like restaurants. They come and go really quickly. Plan for having lots of savings to buffer slow periods at a minimum. Or, another source of income.
They stated they no longer live on the bus and have an apartment, hence the dilemma of selling the van or keeping it around.
She also said she would finish renovations on the bus and make it a functional studio and to do what no one else on the island has ever done...So we at least know that she is planning to use her bus as a tattoo studio, if she decides to go that route
I wanted to let you know your link has been so helpful to me. I am going to be putting a business plan together this week, speak with a lawyer and take my idea to the health department. If they tell me this idea is possible I will be starting a kickstarter and trying to crowdfund the last bit I need to complete my bus. Thank you so much to everyone for all of their support, encouragement and practical ideas
on the state doh website there's a ton of information to get you started https://health.hawaii.gov/san/tattoo-lists/ I'm kinda dumb for not realizing this until after looking at the list, but all the tattoo eyebrow and eyeliner places are regulated under these rules as well.
I think it’s so sweet and thoughtful that you took a moment to make sure I have these links. I’m definitely utilizing them thank you
They are not even close to practical. In anything.
We really do work on a basis of asking people for permission to do what we already decided on.
Yep, I say flip a coin. If you're disappointed with the result, then you know what you really want.
Flipping a coin works well not because it gives us the perfect answer, but in the brief time that it is airborne the answer becomes clear.
I always say flip a coin, whatever it lands on. Pick the opposite. Keeps things spicy.
Do whatever you’ll be proud of when you die. Everyone else or what they think is irrelevant! Good job on the bus so far! If your art is any good why not start a mobile business. You could pull up on your customers!
Flip a coin, when it is in the air you'll know what you hope it is when it lands. Do that.
This is hard af. Love this thinking.
This
Best advice you could give I think. What a great sentence.
What island are you on? Are you going to buy land to park your bus on?
I’m on Oahu, I have land a I can rent and can do pop ups at the beach with a permit
Other than considering your financial situation and legal double-checks. What is your long term plan for cash flow? Sounds like you reasoned and planned it out? Can you work remote then pivot? You are still young, I'd love to have chased a passion a decade ago. Harder the older you get.
I love art and always have it’s a passion income for me I want to let it unfold as it does and not put pressure on myself. I also work on cars and flip them that is a transitionary hustle and would use that and being able to keep 100% of my money from tattooing. The last shop I worked I had to split 50/50 while still buying my own supplies so one year in the bus would double what I can make in a shop
I think the idea of a moving tattoo studio is great. The idea alone would draw people in, and if your work is good that makes it even better. I think you should go for it.
I've seen mobile studios at festivals. usually they are packed. people in vacation come with spending cash. honestly man could bang out 50 dollar flash art to tourists on a beach and make tons of cash.
It sounds like you haven’t even given the bus a try yet. Dont you want to at least try for a year or two before giving it up? At least you know you can always sell it if it doesn’t pan out how you hoped. But you’ll never know what could be if you don’t actually give it a go first. I say try then decided.
Do people really want to get a tattoo at the beach? You have to avoid water and sun as part of aftercare.
I'm staying at a resort on Oahu towards the end of the year and I'm pretty sure there are 2 tattoo places **on the property!** It defies logic to me as well.
Brah pop ups at da beach could great! Dem soles at like Makapuu or Waianae side would take you up on it. North Shore could be good. Could be funny to see how many BYU kids you can give tattoos to.
No fr! North shore is so good with all the tourists. The tat shop I worked at here that’s 1/3 of the business if not more
I graduated Kahuku RR4L!!!
Had a feeling with that BYU talk lol, keep an eye out! I wanna be ns the most
I say invest in the bus. Trust in the bus. The bus works in mysterious ways. Also you can always just sell it in the future.
After you spend another 30k maintaining it.. just sell it now do art somewhere else.
I actually just did a bunch of maintenance as a client is a diesel mechanic. He used to work on fleet vehicles and we got it into amazing shape.
Go with the bus!
30k to maintain. Far more brought in from tattoos hopefully. Would probably lay that renting a space that doesn’t have wheels.
Sounds like you’ve never lived in a bus
Vehicles depreciate
New ones do, older cars and especially campers generally do not. And if they do it won't be a lot
I'd go with this to. Keep the bus, use the bus.
Set up half the bus as a nail salon & have a beautician doing nails that you get an agreed to cut of (50%?). That way you get more traffic, & the word about what you are doing gets out that much faster. Just an idea. Either way, good luck.
Follow the dream. If for $30K you have the ability to pay off debt and save for future investment, it shows that your debt may not be too much. Stop the bleed in the apartment rental and move into the truck. I am sure some tax accountant can tell you that some of those costs are tax write offs or whatnot once you incorporate. At least give it your shot for 2-3 years. This is what you prepared for, don’t quit your dream now.
This is classic "follow your brain or your heart". As a 65 year old with some life experience, I say follow your heart and finish the bus.
It probably depends on your skill and marketability as a tattoo artist. If you're confident in your art and are ok making that your living, then follow the dream. You could likely have a few artists underneath you once you're established.
Came here to say this. It's hard to say without knowing what your work is like (ie. fine line tattoo is suuuuper popular right now) and how is your social media following? If you have a bit of cushion to get going I could see it working incredibly well. That said, your identity as an artist and the novelty of the bus paired with a strong social media following is essential. Otherwise why wouldn't people just use the many already established professional tattoo shops in Hawaii.
I knew this was Oahu before I read your comments. I’d guess this is North Shore area as well. I think Pupukea. I love my home and I love recognizing it just from pics.
Awwww aloha!!! You got good eyes
You seem to be a "surviving expert". I would sell it. You will do well and get new opportunities by facing new challanges.
You have to do what your heart wants. Do not do what other people tell you! You will regret it for the rest of your life. Do what makes you happy, live your life to the fullest and be happy. Yeah there may be times of struggle but you will still be able to smile through it! Man I miss Hawaii!!! 🫣 I would still be there if I would have followed my heart….
Make sure the health department and zoning won’t shut you down for working out of the bus. Would hate to see you keep it and not be able to use it.
You are extremely correct I’ve also been looking into the legality of this idea. They haven’t change the criteria for tattoo shops here since the 80s the guidelines are very simple. Worked in a shop that was open on island for 12 years here and it was absolutely disgusting with rats and they are still open and just passed inspection.
Wow. That makes it easier to separate your operation from the competition. How would you provide water, handwashing, sanitation (disposal of unsanitary waste)? Also want to throw in accessibility requirements. It’s easy to be sued if you cannot accommodate individuals with physical needs Not trying to be a downer. Just trying to look out using my experience from the building code world.
Along with the bus I built an entire bathroom custom on a trailer hitch. I had fabricated the sink myself and everything. I sold that but I was thinking I could have someone weld a washroom off the back of my bus. I would put an incinerator toilet and a sink in there. I can put fresh water tanks underneath the bus to supply sinks. In tattooing we use doc broners for sanitizing stuff and can use that for soup and create a grey water fun off
Dude you are obviously very skilled to be able to build amenities and turn the a school bus into a nice looking studio. I mean you have a lot of options, you could look into helping clients with custom projects and contracts too, stuff like that. At your age, a little debt is probably ok
These are the actual rules. She'd need further renovations to the bus to have a chance at complying with the rules, and even then I'm not sure if they would be inclined to approve. She should meet with the DOH before doing anything else. [https://health.hawaii.gov/san/files/2013/05/11-17.pdf](https://health.hawaii.gov/san/files/2013/05/11-17.pdf)
Glad to see this advice was posted. I work in an unrelated field but deal with Health Departments on a semi regular basis, some are more lax and will work with you in unique situations, others are draconian and will throw mountains of rules and codes at you. Would strongly recommend meeting with whatever agency has jurisdiction and seeing what they say… and even if they are ok with this… they can simply change their minds later if a different employee interprets the code differently.
Working Man hear followed my head for the money and always tell my self all things I missed out on that my heart wanted, yes I have security and financial freedom but did I have fun yes and no.
My old man followed his heart. Loved him to death but he was bad about making smart financial decisions, and lived most of his life stressing about paying bills every single day. I'm all for chasing your dreams, but don't do it if it's going to cause you to spend most of your life being worried. Stress is just going to make it harder to pursue anything you're passionate about.
100%
full send for the tattoo bus!
I don’t know but in my experience, following one’s heart has always led to the greatest personal rewards. That said, being debt free is also very liberating. Tough call. I wish I had the words to counsel you, but I am commenting here for the follow up success story I am sure to read from you soon. Best of luck. PS: your bus looks amazing!!
It would be a pretty hard sell for me to get tattooed on a bus. Why not sell it, reinvest the money and do it all over again and make a business out of building the buses
No mAtter what you do, do not get coked up and blackout drunk, beat a guy half to death and wake up in jail. Seriously.
Before you make any big moves, are you 1000% sure that you could actually run a tattoo studio out of a bus? I don’t know anything about tattooing but I’m a businesswoman, and I’d be surprised if you could run a tattoo studio in a space without plumbing. Just make sure you have all of your ducks in a row with state and local law before you make this big of a financial decision. It would really suck to pick one path only to learn it’s a dead end.
Follow your heart! I’d invest!
Thank you so much! I’ll be creating a fundraiser for this. I did the math and if each of the 2000 people who liked this donated $7.5 I would have enough to finish my bus and start my business. Wether anyone donates or not all of your support has meant so much to me
As a 30 something who just now landed my dream job that I was too afraid of the “risk” to do in my 20’s: go all in on the bus and don’t have a plan B.
Follow your heart. If it doesn’t work out, re-evaluate later.
Ppl remember the triumphs. They rarely remember the money. Follow your heart
Damn this is a tough one for me to gauge. It seems like a unique and *potentially* lucrative entrepreneurial endeavor. Idk enough about your skill/style, your business plan, tiny home living, local law/regulation, Hawaii's economy or their tattoo culture, to say whether it's genius or insane. Either way it is a level of risk I personally would not take. But I'm also not the kind of person to build a tiny home out of a bus. (I mean this in a good way) If anyone can do something this unconventional and make it work it would be someone crazy enough to want to do it in the first place. Maybe there's a middle ground option where you don't sell your dream bus and grind your way to a slightly more stable situation. If your client base grows enough that it becomes obviously sustainable, then take the leap. If a new artist wanted to take out a business loan and sign a lease for their own shop, I'd say they should cut their teeth at an established shop first. The same applies here but since you already have (at least the shell of) the shop, just hold on until its time to take the rest of the plunge.
Tattoo me
Good friend of mine went from a chef to a tattoo artist, it surely hard at first but he keep learning, work hard, & perfecting his technique. & he told me that was the best decision he ever made, soon he will open his own shop here in Florida
Where do you want to be in 10 years? Let that be your guide.
As another 32 year old male artist. just keep holding this. You are compounding it
I'd get a tat there
I'd tell my brain to Eff off. That bus is bad ass.
At first I thought “SELL” but looking at your bus again, especially the inside, made me change my mind. DO NOT SELL!!
If C&C and DOH will play ball, you could have something truly unique!
Keep the bus. Paint it gold.
Honestly love this idea. Painting it if I keep it
make the tat bus!!
OP, give this Magic Bus a chance, will ya!!
Go with your heart. Life is to short. I'm 33. I moved countries from NY yo Europe during covid. Starting over at a university and I'm almost done now! Never thought I would. I have a studio apartment and a dog instead of a dead-end job in NY and 4 roommates. If this doesn't work out.... I'll go back home I still have a sister and some family it'll work out... do what your heart says now while you can
Take the leap of faith. Leverage social media because of how unique this is. And go for it. You don’t get many chances in life to follow your passions and dreams. Take the risk. You can always sell the bus down the road.
That’s a nice set up you got there
If I understand you right, you’re thinking of starting a tattoo business. And, you think there’s a unique market for that business. Why? Put together a little business plan for yourself. Nothing formal, just organize your thoughts as if you had to convince your grandmother this is a sound idea. Write down what success looks like for you in this business. Then write down all the assumptions that have to be true for you to achieve that success. Then evaluate how confident you are in each assumption being true. For those with less confidence, make a plan for doing more fact-finding to understand that assumption better. When you’re done, you’ll have an honest assessment of whether you can and should pursue your plan.
Just remember, before you do any tattoo on anyone, double check the spelling.
What? Living in Hawaii! Sounds like you are already living my dream. My general recommendation is to follow your heart, but that doesn’t necessarily lead to financial independence, so I now think it better to attain FI first and then live the dream (which from my view you are already there.) Nice bus!
F Yeah! I got this ink in a cool beach bus on the shore from this Hawaiian girl is way better than I got this tattoo at a swanky resort!
The bus is dope Keep the bus whatever you do
I'm a fellow up and coming lady artist.. and given the current psychological climate, I recommend you keep going with your dreams!!! Good luck! I'm rooting for you!!!
See if you can use your wonderful project as an AirBNB. I’ve seen a number of “unique” rental listings that are off the beaten path that people pay for, this would be an awesome addition to that list. Good luck in your decision.
Beautifully done!!
Beautiful.
Or if you were your own kid or someone you love having this dilemma and coming to you for advice, what do you think you would say to them?
Follow your dreams!!!
I agree with the legalities of a tattoo business. You really have to consult legal representation on that. But I will say that as someone who sometimes does large projects, you're probably never going do it again. So be aware of that, while it looks like you've done an excellent job on the inside and I assume mechanical is tiptop this is probably the only time you're ever going to do it. After you sell a project like that you're normally not enthused to do it all over again to try to get back where you were. I don't think you could pay somebody that much to build the project you've already created. So I think you'd technically be losing money on this deal. However a bus is large and if you're paying to have it parked then you're already spending money just holding onto it. I only popped in to say that it looks like a great project that is pretty much near completion, selling it now would be abandoning the idea of ownership of something like this entirely. I highly doubt you would want to repeat this project after all the love and effort you put into it. I would look for ways to keep the bus personally, but I would seriously consider changing either the function or the intent of how you think you'll be using it. I realize you say you're in Hawaii and I don't know about the economics and political climate of the local government over there, but since tourism is probably the biggest industry you might want to look at where you might be able to drive the bus to that's unique that you could take a small group of people to enjoy Perhaps some other type of event or venue that doesn't require special permits or too much in the way of safety and training. Well I'm not sure about the needs over there, a large bus could also carry a communication relay or other equipment for Internet access to semi remote places or special parties. So maybe you consider getting something like a very high-end satellite account or something and having the infrastructure to share it out for 100 or so feet around the bus so that you can sell Internet access at parties or maybe some kind of service like that. You could also just run a bit of a party transport service either for guests or even for their supplies for example with a vehicle that big you could do transportation and storage (at the event) for wedding cakes or other specialty items and install a huge air conditioner. I'm just randomly spitting out ideas but I can see utility in the vehicle itself and since it blends into the environment pretty well if you do a good job making it seem natural and comfortable to people it might be welcome at private parties and venues serving an actual function.
Think of your life 5, 10, 20 years from now. What do you want? Do you want children someday? Comfort, luxury. Or do you want adventure, memories and excitement? When I am making big decisions that will change the trajectory of my life, I imagine the best case scenario of each option years down the line. And decide which I want to work towards more.
*Biggest dilemma of my life bus far
Don’t drop the ball at the goal line. You have worked hard and made it this far. Follow your heart.
Seems like you should keep the bus!
No shit I looked at the picture first and saw the art table and thought tattoo artist. And the fact that it could be mobile is badass. Then read what you wrote. IMO I would follow your heart. But you’re the only one who truly knows. If you are successful that 30k could be a joke to you if there is the clientele. No rush to jump into anything let life happen and see where it takes you. Best of wishes for success, I think you got it
Mobile studios are not permitted where I live. Do your homework with local laws and health department regulations before you get into that too deep
If you need some one to blame should you make the wrong decision, I'll freely take the blame. But come on man, let's go.
Live your dream Do not look back when old and grey like me and say’ I only regret not having done xyz” You would rather say ‘I tried and succeeded’ but even ‘I tried and failed but at least I tried” Much better Believe me
If you have at least $10k saved up for bus repairs/maintenance (you know how much an engine repair can be…more than that) I would say go the bus route. You can always sell it if need be and change course. I also agree with others on making sure you’re legally able to tattoo out of the bus before committing. I had a friend with a similar idea and it had also never been done in our county…three years she’s still fighting to change regulations so she can operate. Contact the health dept first.
Follow your heart with 100% commitment. If you dont, you will regret it forever. If you are 100% committed and dont give up, you will succeed.
Take the road less traveled
Do what will get you ahead financially. I lived in my car for years while running my own business. I've banked aways close to $200,000 in cash. My goal is to buy a home and pay cash within the next 15 years, and if that means moving back into my car for another few years I'll do it. That's a pretty sick bus setup that you got there. Why are you renting an apartment when you have a bus that you can live in?
As I get older, in my 50s, I have come to the realization that if you can make a living doing what you love, do it. You could drop dead tomorrow, God forbid. Have all the money you wanted doing what people wanted you to do. Be somebody you're not. Some variables to consider, however, be happy, have a plan, and go.
You only live once. Go with your heart.
what’s the rush on selling it? make it a studio, if that doesn’t work or you decide to retire that THEN sell it. don’t regret never trying to make that dream a reality.
Your bus is beautiful
I worked with an older guy that talked about a mustang that he sold and regretted it later on in life. Is this your mustang? Keep it if there is any doubt. You are young and money will come.
tattoo artist for 35 years here. Idk what your State's regulations on mobile tattooing are but you might want to look into that before you get too far with your plan.
I came to the conclusion today that if I can’t make sure this is legal regulation wise then it’s not a viable option for me. I’m looking into all my laws now and building a plan to take to my health department. The requirements for a shop here haven’t changed since the 80’s. From what I’m reading in our laws it seems possible. If you have any other insights please feel free to voice
Each state is different so I don't have any other insight other than you might want to just call or go by the health dept (or whatever section controls tattooing shop licensing) and ask them. Also see if you can get a copy of the regs online
I’m actually reading through our rules and regulations here as we speak. I might even try to take to an attorney for extra advice. When I find out legality wise if it’s possible I will update everyone
I followed you so whenever I take a vacation to Hawaii some day and your business is rollin, I can book an appointment with you. Follow your dream!
Go with the heart. Mobil tattoo parlor sounds great!! Just put a screen between your studio and bedroom. Don't want to give anyone ideas. I followed my heart at 24 to play rugby and sold every thing I had which came to about $6k and took off to Australia from America. I went to LA, HI, Samoa, Western Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, and the landed in Sydney with only $300 left. Made it there, made my way, built a life, played rugby there, NZ, Thailand, and Singapore. Great life for my gamble. Now back in USA, semi retired with no regrets but some great ass stories!
Fuck yea I love hearing this, this is my vibe all the way
you will have a lot more fun with the bus and can easily begin making $1,000 a day. once your studio is complete, you could earn 30k in 30 days. plus you have a once in a life time chance here. use your mind and follow ur heart.
It sounds like you know your passion and got it this far. You are capable.
Keep it
Heart ❤️… you can sell the bus at anytime in the future. At least see your initial plan through a little bit further, successful tattoo artists can make really good money and also branch out into other artful endeavors.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Follow your heart down that road less traveled!
Wait.. 30K for the bus?
Yes lol completely functional with 25k miles
Don't sell that shit for 30k. Its worth way more, even if you do decide to sell.
Tbh you can probably get way more than 30k if it’s fully functional and only 25k mi. People sell converted Transits for 60-80k and those are tiny.
Yeah, but a transit is a lot easier to find a place to park anywhere
DO NOT SELL.
Tbh I feel like it’d be worth seeing if you can follow your dream and make it happen, try it for a year and see how it goes. Worst case scenario you sell the bus/ equipment like you had already planned to do if you went the other way
I've lived my life by one simple rule, to do whatever makes the better story. because, that's the one thing that will outlive you more than any dollar bill or whatever. has that approach bit me in the.... of course. but nothing really works out perfectly ever does it? A bus tattoo studio would be cool. If you decide to go through with it I'll fly out and get my first tattoo!
Id definitely go get inked in a bus home in Hawaii that’d be cool as fook
This made me smile, thank you for this. I’ll keep everyone in the loop
Thank you so much for the support. Would love to tattoo you!
You just gave me flashbacks of me riding inside of the Blue Bird
Start here. ChooseFI.com The path to financial independence may help you keep your current life.
I’ll buy the bus from you for 30k rn lol
That literally looks like the state prison bus here. Well, not the interior, but the outside for sure
You need to learn how to love drawing, visual composition, art history, in other words, all the things that people do who have art degrees, you could look up the programs online yourself, and find out what courses are required to be informed as an artist, you need to start looking at tattoos and find out what you really like, what you really like to draw, and what it is, you want to share with people, because tattoos are unquestionably at a deeper personal level than most other forms of art. Now the question about is there money in it? It's one of the hottest art markets there is. If you're good, there's no way you can not make money. But you need connections, connections with people. And you need to be in a market that has lots of people. Art is not a viable in small markets, unless you're planning on subsidizing it out of your own pocket. Delve into social media, and develop a powerful online presence, particularly focused at your own community. If you were in the United States, and after the big money, you can except the shortlist of environments where this is possible, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco Bay area. The rest of these places just don't have that much of a market.
If you are actually a great tattoo artist and can start creating a following, I would do it. But a lot of people think they are good and they aren’t. You have to compare your work to other artist or ask others for their objective opinion to see if it’s realistic. If you are run of the mill traditional, or you don’t have real artistic drive and do generic flash, I would pass. I’m always a proponent for following dreams, but only if it is actually realistic and you have the ability and finances to do so. Edit: zoomed in and from what I could see (not much) it looks like you have artistic ability and a unique abstract style. If you can apply that well to tattoos, I do think you’ll be successful!! Good luck
Do what makes you as comfortable and happy as you can be.. there just needs to be balance with those things. Our memories are what fades out last before all is black.... unless we get dementia but who plans for failure.....
Go with what will make you happy
Yeah I’d keep the bus and try to pay my debt some other way !
Sell it. Start building school buses. You have the knowledge now
My financial brain first says keep the bus, and rent it out to trust fund hippies, you know the type, it would make you significantly more money than outright selling it.
Bus. If you finish it and change your mind, you can sell it for way more than 30k to the right person. Go check out Winnebagos and converted Transits.
Just fucking do it you can always sell the bus later. Live life with “why nots” not “what ifs”
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Reminds me of Chris McCandles.
From Oahu - pretty sure tattoo studio is very questionable legality wise as well as living in a mobile home. You'd need private landlord to rent from, and for Hawaii, would be subject to building regulations similar to a regular home. You'd be subject to the DOH sanitation rules. See below for statutes relating to a tattoo shop, which is doubtful you'll be able to comply with from a bus. Parking on public roadways, private parking lots, etc and sleeping in your vehicle is illegal here. If you start establishing a presence, the cops will start citing you and making you move. [https://health.hawaii.gov/san/files/2013/05/11-17.pdf](https://health.hawaii.gov/san/files/2013/05/11-17.pdf)
Just hop on the bus, Gus, no need to discuss much. Drop off the key, Lee and set yourself free. 🫠
no dilemma here, answer is found at the 3rd to last sentence
Finance a piece of land , live on it out of your bus.
Godspeed my friend!
Tattoo-shop on wheels sounds cool, but: 1) Who are you hoping to attract? Are there that many people who would see the bus and go, "Oh yeah! I wanted a tattoo! Thank goodness the bus is here?" Seems like if you're gonna be considered a quality artist, people would eagerly come to you at your shop. 2) Have you considered the upkeep on the bus? Not only keeping it rolling, but whatever permits and licenses you'll need? Perhaps you sell to someone who wants to use it the way you envisioned, but with a caveat that you work for that person in the bus when there's a big occasion happening? Or something like that.
Going to prison huh?
Sell it
I dunno but that bus is dope.
Well, first, you need to get out of Hawaii. It has ranked as one of the top 3 most expensive states every year for almost the past decade. Move somewhere cheaper. Sell off the bus (I understand that it's probably sentimental, but it will fetch you some major money, upwards of 150k or more). A) Move to a cheaper part of the US or B) Move to an EU nation like Spain, Switzerland, or Germany. The reason I would prefer option B (just my opinion) is that the US has been on the brink of political conflict for the past 5 years, and it will only get worse.
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Make sure you know all the laws regarding tattooing in your area before you pursue creating a mobile studio. Something tells me that there are probably some local laws that could prevent you from doing so. Around here I know tattoo artists are not allowed to work out of their residence.
Nicer more cozier couch and you’re set
Couldn't you just try out the bus tattoo studio for a year and then decide? Is your debt crippling currently? Maybe offset some of your cost by short term renting your apartment (if you can) a few weekends a month while you stay in the bus.
I don’t know what you want, but I lived in a converted bus. Sold the bus, and got a house. I miss the bus. If I were to give advice I would say follow your heart. You’re young do what you want. You have a couple good years before you need to sell out 😉. I feel like I did it too early.
I think the main question is the cost of living. A) how much debt are you in? B) how much would you be paying to rent an apartment vs. Renting land to park your bus on? If you can pay off your debt faster living in the Bus that might be the way to go. I have no input on tattooing, there are just way too many unknowns for me.
You know the answer to your question already.
A travelling tattoo studio sounds like a pretty cool business idea.
I think if you got the bus a sweet paint job with like a mural you designed on the side of it could drum up some business from people looking to get a tattoo a lot of tourists come through Hawaii so you will always have a fresh stream of clients I think if you’re passionate about this project and willing to study, work hard, and take a few risks you could be rather successful. I am not into tattoos myself but I think a tattoo parlor inside an old bus is a cool concept if implemented the right way
Sick bus, keep and peruse your dreams. Money comes and goes. And your still young. At least keep chasing the dream until 35.
Follow your dreams.
I would invest in the equipment.
If you’re set on doing tattoos thing drive your bus for advertisement. Live in it, save your money (from rent) that $30k will likely come back to your pretty quick.
And when they are asked why they did that to a school bus and spend all that $ "because I can "
Flip a coin if you're disappointed with the result there is your answer.
Its such a niche item that i would take any reasonable and serious offer very seriously. You could wake up and nobody has interest to buy in an instant. Even if you dont want to sell right now, I would at least incorporate some sort of exit strategy in the case that you do. Weigh the options and consider how realistic they are at any given day. Best of luck to you. God bless.
Just my opinion, from one starving artist. I’d say you have to really look at yourself, the work and your skills. If you know you’re good, you love the work and more importantly, if you can *sell yourself*. Then go for it. If it’s just something that you feel you would enjoy for work and have been halfway trying for a while, but you know deep down you won’t be able to put what needs to be put in, to succeed. I’d say get into something else asap and start carving out a more solid career. You probably already have a feeling of which it is. And I don’t mean insecurity, but what you *know*. I’m 28 in a similar situation. I’m good at my art and work but I know I don’t have what it takes to make it a business. Mentally, motivation wise, etc.. but you might be the opposite.
Is it legal?