Jesse Smith, owner of Loose Screw Tattoo Studio and the Richmond Tattoo and Arts Convention, shares how he runs a team of 12 artists on W-2s with health insurance and paid vacation, and how he keeps a legacy convention going. He also covers hiring for attitude over talent, avoiding burnout, and the fictional island of characters that shaped his tattoo style.
Welcome to Tattoo Shop Tango! Presented by Ink Different, in this first episode, our hosts Paul Anthony and Chico Cortez sit down with Jesse Smith. Jesse is a Richmond, Virginia Tattoo Artist, the owner of Loose Screw Tattoo Studio, and the man behind the Richmond Tattoo and Arts Convention. If you run a shop, lead a team, or dream of throwing a convention, you’ll learn a lot from this one.
Jesse has been tattooing for almost 30 years, starting while he was in the Army. Around 2009, he felt stuck doing the same rabbits and squirrels, so he invented a fictional island off the coast of Ecuador full of its own creatures. Every critter got a name, a backstory, friends and enemies, and his clients now collect characters from that world. The first piece was a 300-hour full-body suit, with a blog post to match.
Jesse also breaks down how he runs Loose Screw:
-Why he turned every artist into a W-2 employee, and why six people left when he made the change.
-How he offers medical and dental coverage, paid vacation, supply ordering, and cleaning, so artists can focus on tattooing.
-How the benefits package is funded: an 8% share of each participating artist’s cut that shifts as costs and revenue change.
-Why the average artist tattoos only about 10 billable hours a week, and why incentive brackets didn’t change that.
-Why he’ll take an artist with a great attitude over raw talent, and why one A player beats ten B players.
-Why he’s not chasing a “scalable” business, and how he keeps a human touch in a professional shop.
-His “rotate your muscles” method for balancing tattooing, a shop, a convention, and fatherhood without burning out.
Jesse also tells the story of the Richmond Tattoo and Arts Convention, which started in 1988, and why he gives free tickets to seniors, students, Virginia-licensed Tattoo Artists, and veterans. This year it runs October 23 to 25 in Richmond, Virginia.
Connect with Jesse:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessesmithtattoos/
Convention: https://richmondtattooconvention.com/
Shop: Loose Screw Tattoo Studio, LooseScrewTattoos.com
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