Mandy Kovacs, Centretown News
Tattoo Hero helps tattoo shops manage bookings, says company CEO Brandon Waselnuk.Centretown-based software company Tattoo Hero is launching its new platform designed to handle tattoo shop’s bookings from beginning to end.
Founded in 2012, Tattoo Hero aims to connect tattoo enthusiasts with tattoo artists locally and around the world, says Tattoo Hero CEO and co-founder Brandon Waselnuk.
It originally launched as a platform for tattoo artists to display their artwork and is now expanding to include Tattoo Hero Books.
The tattoo shop management software allows tattoo shops to build customer profiles, book follow-up appointments, process payments, and automatically send notifications via email or text to remind clients of upcoming appointments.
“We are really liking Tattoo Hero Books,” says Marta Agnieszka, tattoo studio manager at Railbender Tattoo Studio and Art Gallery. “It’s simple to use, has a ton of great features, and we believe it will really help us cut down on administrative time so we can spend more time with clients.”
Railbender was one of 30 tattoo shops that signed up for an early-access trial of the $25- a-month service in December. Waselnuk says they do not plan on changing the way getting a tattoo is done. He says they understand tattoos are a personal experience and they aim to make things easier for those involved.
“Everyone needs to find the right artist for them,” he says. “We just try to streamline it to make it more efficient for the shops.”
Jesse Graham, owner of Centretown’s Otherside Tattoos, says word of mouth has traditionally been how his customers find him.
“Having an organized [artist] database is a really good idea,” says Graham, “The idea of combining searches by types of tattoos and cities is what’s different from other systems I’ve seen try to start something like this,” says Graham.
Waselnuk says they hope their software can allow tattoo artists to focus on their art.
“They really want to do the things that make them excited,” says Waselnuk. “It’s never about just making money, and we really respect them for that.”