Business and Mindset: Side Hustle Gone Wild Thom Bulman EP 279

Side Hustle Gone Wild! | Thom Bulman | EP 278

After COVID and the world had shut down Thom, a 17 year tattooer, was struggling to figure out where he was in tattooing. Between making custom shoes and not not knowing when tattooing might freeze up again he felt like he had to make some real decisions. In this interview he shares his journey of transitioning from tatt slanger to full time sneaker smuggler, reflecting a trend of artists exploring new career paths.

From hobby to business, Thom navigates challenges in scaling up, including outsourcing production to China and tackling legal issues like licensing and cease and desist orders.

He also emphasizes the importance of delegating and hiring the right team to support business growth, envisioning a recognized brand in the custom shoe market. Thom also discusses the creative process, challenges faced by major brands like Nike, and his vision for the future of his company

We hope you enjoy this exceptionally wide ranging conversation.

This episode was made possible thanks to:

Just Starting Your Tattoo Career? - Click Here!

Interview by By Jake Meeks —

Writing By Daniel Pushcarich —

Topics: New School tattoos, Pop Culture, tattoo side hustle, tattoo business, Nike, adidas, sneakers, custom sneakers, shoe manufacturing

"We're like a drug dealer, hooking you with Nikes, then getting you into our own designs for the long haul."

— Thom Bulman

Thom Bulman (@Bull_airs_official) has been immersed in pop culture since childhood, drawing inspiration from Saturday morning cartoons. His passion for cartoony art evolved into drawing caricatures, eventually pioneering his own style called "Tattoons." Thom has generously shared his techniques with other artists, fostering a community of learning rather than gatekeeping his knowledge.

After a triumphant 17 years in tattooing Thom has retired from tattooing into the custom fashion design industry. He has created “Bull Airs” which merges his love for pop culture and nostalgic iconography with his passion for clothing and creating unique wearable artistry,

Thom Bulman is based in Syracuse, NY and owns Bull Airs.

Please enjoy!

INTERVIEW LINKS, MENTIONS, AND SHOW NOTES BELOW…

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Connect with Thom Bulman:

Bull Airs Shop | IG

SHOW NOTES

[00:00] Introduction and Background
[01:08] Tattooing and the Desire for Change
[05:05] From Hobby to Business
[08:37] Scaling Up and Overcoming Challenges
[11:39] The Creative Process
[13:32] Moving Beyond Representational Designs
[23:04] Navigating Licensing and Cease and Desist
[25:09] Strategies for Dealing with Licensing
[25:30] Loopholes in the Trade
[27:18] Balancing Creativity and Business
[28:15] Transitioning Mindsets
[30:27] Permanent vs. Short Runs
[31:44] Celebrity Clients and Ideas
[32:27] Creative Process and Design Ideas
[35:19] Social Media Content and CGI Artists
[37:05] Retiring from Tattooing
[39:03] Returning to Tattooing
[40:10] Catalyst for Retirement
[41:28] Scaling the Business
[43:58] Shifting Roles and Hiring a Team
[46:00] Transitioning to a PEO
[48:39] Delegating and Trusting Others
[49:38] The Importance of Delegating and Hiring
[50:29] Long-Term Goals and Expansion
[51:03] Exploring Other Manufacturing Options
[51:56] Building a Brand and Gaining a Wider Audience
[53:49] Identifying a Niche Market and Filling a Void
[55:09] Understanding the Problem You're Solving
[55:17] Growing Up as a Shoe Collector
[56:32] Nike's Challenges in the Market
[59:08] Dealing with Social Media Platforms
[01:03:03] Commissioned One-Off Shoes
[01:04:08] The Age of Information and Learning on YouTube
[01:05:13] Paradise Tattoo Gathering and Teaching Seminars
[01:07:29] Wrap-up and Closing Remarks

Diversifying Career Paths in the Tattoo Industry:

Many veteran tattoo artists are seeking alternative career paths due to industry challenges and a desire for change. Many tattooer’s have various passions outside of tattooing such as painting, drawing, and creating sculptures. There are even super unique things that people are doing like Tom Strom and his “Poptimal Pop-Ups”, or Russ Abbott providing digital tattoo products with Tattoo Smart. So many creative avenues are available

Transitioning from a hobby to a business involves scaling up production and outsourcing to meet demand. Exploring creative ventures like designing custom shoes or creating digital tattoo tools requires a team of people, and any entrepreneur worth their salt understands that a team like that is made up of people with unique skills that support your vision. This team should be able to take the tasks and workload of things you aren’t very good at and give you the time and freedom to focus clearly on the things you do best in your business.

Identifying Opportunities for Innovation:

Building a brand that is widely recognized and respected in a niche market requires identifying a void and filling it with a unique offering. This involves understanding the specific needs and preferences of the target audience within that niche and developing products or services that address those needs in a distinctive way.

To succeed in a niche market, businesses must identify gaps or unmet needs that existing competitors have overlooked, a perfect example is Bull Airs and their short run custom shoes. By conducting thorough market research and analysis, companies can pinpoint areas where they can offer something different or better than what is currently available. This could involve introducing innovative features, addressing pain points, or delivering superior quality or value.

Innovation often requires creative problem-solving and idea generation. This may involve brainstorming sessions, cross-functional collaboration, or seeking inspiration from unrelated industries or disciplines. By encouraging a culture of innovation within the organization and empowering employees to think outside the box, businesses can generate fresh ideas and solutions that have the potential to disrupt the market and drive growth.

MORE Thom QUOTES FROM THIS INTERVIEW

Moving Beyond Representational Designs

[18:33] “I usually have a rule of thumb, I like to keep it two colors, but I'll push it to three colors. Then [past that] it gets too busy, and your eyes could kind of get confused. It's the same thing with a tattoo, you want to be able to read it from across the room. And if it's got like six damn colors on it, you'd be like, I don't know what I'm looking at here. You know?”

— Thom Bulman

Navigating Licensing and Cease and Desist

[24:05] “We also learned, in legal, if you hashtag say ‘Ninja Turtles’, you can be liable in a court of law for misguiding and misrepresenting [the] Ninja Turtles.”

— Thom Bulman

Growth Through Delegation and Trust

[51:06] “I had the same mindset, you know, ‘if anyone's going to do it, I have to do it. Cause I'll do it right…’ And, you eventually have to give the reins over to somebody else and have trust in them that they're going to do it. Cause, they want to make money just like you, they want to get their payroll, they want to get their check every two weeks”

— Thom Bulman

PEOPLE MENTIONED

Stuck In A Tattoo Design Rut? - Click Here!

Want more tattoo education and resources?

Check out our Business & Mindset catalog HERE!

Transcript for this video can be found (here). All transcripts can be found (Here)

(Update when transcript page is made)

The Fireside Tattoo Network is home to the Fireside podcast, Fireside Technique video series and our Fireside Weekly blog.

The Fireside Tattoo podcast is hosted by veteran tattooer Jake Meeks, check out our episodes where we discuss, argue and wax philosophical, from tips for all levels of artists to trends in the tattoo world. Many guest artists have sat down for interviews and in-depth conversations and many more are planned…check back often!

Our Fireside Tattoo Overview video series offers informative, short, and detailed videos geared towards helping artists understand the science and nuances of tattoos and make more informed decisions to improve their work. We often take some of our more technical topics from our Fireside podcast and film an in-depth, narrated, time-lapse video showing exactly how Jake or our featured artists handle certain issues.

Support us while buying the stuff you need at the links below!

Get 10% off the Neuma 4 with code “Fireside” at checkout
https://neumatattoo.com
Get 10 % off all S8 Tattoo products with promo code “Fireside”
https://s8tattoo.com/
TattooNOW Website and Automation services at the link below
https://TattooNOW.com/Fireside
Get 10% off your order from Raw Pigments with code “fireside”
https://rawpigments.co/

Business and Mindset

Running a tattoo business requires a completely different skill set than putting tattoos into skin. As tattooers, we tend to put all of our emphasis on the technical aspects of tattooing. Unfortunately for shop owners and tattoo entrepreneurs, tattooing is only one small piece of the puzzle when it comes to the business of tattooing.

Fireside is here to help: