Jade runs a 4-artist tattoo studio in Brooklyn. Every week she deals with the same chaos: deposit tracking across Venmo, Cash App, and Stripe with no unified view. Multi-session sleeve projects where clients forget what was discussed. Guest artists visiting for conventions who need commission splits. Health consent forms that technically need to be digital but are still printed and filed in a cabinet. The 800K+ tattoo artists in the US are underserved by software. Generic salon tools like Fresha dont understand deposits for custom art or multi-session tracking. Tattoo-specific tools exist but are either calendar-only (TattooGenda) or clunky (Tattoo Studio Pro with its 2015 UI). The gap is a modern, mobile-first platform that nails the tattoo workflow: consultation notes with reference images, deposit tracking, multi-session projects with progress photos, digital consent forms, and easy commission splits for guest artists. At $29-49/mo, this is a sticky, low-churn vertical where artists rarely switch once workflows are established.
💰 Revenue Blueprint
Three-tier value ladder to monetize from day one
1 artist, booking, deposits, consent forms
Up to 5 artists, commission splits, client portal, portfolio integration
Unlimited artists, multi-studio, advanced analytics, API access
📊 Market Evidence
The Market Gap
Tattoo industry has unique needs: deposit handling for custom work, multi-session tracking, portfolio integration for client reference, consent form compliance, and commission splits for guest artists. Generic salon software doesnt address these workflows. Opportunity for modern, tattoo-native platform.
Revenue Examples
Newer entrant, no public metrics
🏆 Competitor Landscape
How existing players stack up in this market
| Competitor | Pricing | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Porter | $29-79/mo | All-in-one but newer, still building features |
| Tattoo Studio Pro | $39-99/mo | Functional but basic UI |
| TattooGenda | $15-49/mo | Calendar-focused only, missing CRM and payments |
| Fresha | Free + fees | Generic salon, not tattoo-specific workflows |
All-in-one but newer, still building features
Functional but basic UI
Calendar-focused only, missing CRM and payments
Generic salon, not tattoo-specific workflows
Launch Strategy
Target tattoo artist Instagram/TikTok communities. Partner with tattoo supply companies (needles, ink) for co-marketing. SEO for tattoo booking software, tattoo studio management. Attend tattoo conventions for demos.
🛠️ Recommended Tech Stack
Suggested tools and technologies to build this idea
Why this stack: Image-heavy for portfolios needs Cloudinary or similar. E-sign for consent forms. Standard booking patterns otherwise.
Score Breakdown
Early-stage opportunity worth watching
Market (20%) + Revenue (20%) + Trend (15%) + Competition (15%) + Build (15%) + Pricing (15%)
7 — Multiple paid competitors exist but smaller market than other verticals
5 — Limited indie maker data in this niche, established players dont share metrics
7 — Steady industry growth, not explosive but stable
8 — Few real competitors with modern UX, clear workflow gaps to exploit
7 — Standard booking/CRM, consent forms and image handling add slight complexity
7 — $29-49/mo validated but lower ceiling than enterprise verticals
🚀 Start Building
Copy a prompt into your favorite AI coding tool and start building this idea right now.
Build a SaaS product called "Tattoo Studio Manager". ## Product Overview Booking, deposits, consent forms, and portfolio management for tattoo artists and studios ## Problem Booking, deposits, consent forms, and portfolio management for tattoo artists and studios ## Solution Build Tattoo Studio Manager ## Target Audience indie hackers, small businesses, and solopreneurs ## Tech Stack - Next.js 15 (App Router) with TypeScript - Tailwind CSS v4 for styling - Supabase for auth, database, and storage - Vercel for deployment - shadcn/ui for UI components - Framer Motion for animations ## MVP Features to Build 1. Landing page with clear value proposition 2. User authentication (sign up, sign in, forgot password) 3. Core product functionality based on the solution above 4. Dashboard for users to manage their data 5. Pricing page with at least 2 tiers (free + paid) 6. Basic settings/profile page ## Known Competitors Porter, Tattoo Studio Pro, TattooGenda, Fresha ## Key Risks to Address Standard market entry risks ## Deployment 1. Set up Supabase project and configure environment variables 2. Deploy to Vercel with `npx vercel --prod` 3. Set up custom domain 4. Configure Supabase RLS policies for security ## Instructions Start by creating the project structure, then build the landing page first. Use server components where possible. Make it mobile-responsive from the start. Focus on getting the core value loop working before adding polish.