Ink & Business Links

Seven percent of small business owners have gotten a tattoo or body art to celebrate a meaningful business milestone.

Starting a business or getting a tattoo may have only a slight overlap directly, but the journeys and mindsets are not too different. GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab surveyed over 2,500 people who have either gotten tattoos or who have started small businesses the same questions about their first one, and here’s how their answers compare.

Big decisions take some thinking

Most people in both groups made up their minds within a year: 64% of people with a tattoo and 61% of business owners.

How long did you think about the first one before taking action?

Less than 6 months

46%

39%

6 months to 1 year

17%

22%

1 to 2 years

12%

19%

2 to 5 years

7%

10%

5 to 10 years

3%

4%

More than 10 years

6%

5%

People with a tattooBusiness ownersSource: GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab, 2026. People with a tattoo n = 1,001; business owners n = 1,571. Percentages include those that preferred not to answer.

The hardest part is taking the leap

Taking action on the idea was the most common challenge for both groups. For business owners, keeping it going came a close second.

What, if anything, was the biggest challenge to getting started?

Taking action on the idea

40%

58%

Keeping it going

16%

57%

Making it work with my identity

18%

36%

Explaining my decision to others

18%

17%

Coming up with the idea

36%

12%

People with a tattooBusiness ownersRespondents could select up to 3. Source: GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab, 2026. People with a tattoo n = 1,001; business owners n = 1,571. Percentages include those that preferred not to answer.

Big news? Who do you tell?

People with a tattoo were most likely to tell a friend first. Business owners were most likely to tell their spouse or partner.

Who was the first person you told?

My spouse or romantic partner

18%

49%

A friend

41%

18%

My parents

19%

13%

A professional

4%

3%

Social media

4%

1%

People with a tattooBusiness ownersTop responses shown. Source: GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab, 2026. People with a tattoo n = 1,001; business owners n = 1,571. Percentages include those that preferred not to answer.

Once you start, you can’t stop

Most people with a tattoo have more than one. Nearly a third of business owners have started more than one business.

How many tattoos or businesses do you have?

Have more than one

80%

32%

People with a tattooBusiness ownersSource: GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab, 2026. People with a tattoo n = 1,001; business owners n = 1,571. Percentages include those that preferred not to answer.

Nearly3 in 10people with a tattoo own a business.

Source: GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab, 2026. N = 1,001 U.S. adults with a tattoo. Percentages include those that preferred not to answer.

About GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab

GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab has quantified the economic impact and captured the attitudes, demographics, and needs of small business owners since 2019, as part of the mission to empower entrepreneurs everywhere. Download the latest datasets available from the Data Hub.