All Tatted Up

Hey there beauties! September is beginning to fade and October is nipping at its heels; so we are sending this month out with a bang! Earlier in the month we featured a few of our Slick Chicks dynamic ambassadors. So, by now you are well aware that the entire Slick Chicks mission revolves around the celebration of femininity and the empowerment of women! What better way to do that then to introduce you to not only another awesome boss babe, but rave about her super cool brand as well!

Degelis Tufts, Founder & CEO of TribeTats, was born and raised in Nahant, MA, a small town north of Boston. While growing up, she was inspired by the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship, from watching her father run his own commercial lobstering business in New England. Despite a successful early career as a partner at an investment firm, she decided to leave in 2013 to pursue the startup world.

Rewind to her early years, Degelis met her closest friends in middle school, eventually becoming her “tribe”. They shared in a common goal, to one day run a company. In just a few short years, their dream would evolve into a global brand known today as TribeTats!

These three incredible friends ("aka" tribe sisters) now find themselves in the “Big Apple”. They’re not only running a company that represents the intersection of jewelry, tattoos and body art, but raising the bar in this emerging industry. Their chic, custom designs appeal to every type of woman and even the men too. Degelis and the entire team at TribeTats are making such waves that we just had to dig deeper. When we got the chance to chat with Degelis about her totally rad metallic tat brand, that’s just what we did. Without further ado, here is our interview with the “Tat Boss” herself!

How did you get the idea or concept for your business?

In 2014, I was COO of a startup that was sold, and I knew it was time to start my own e-commerce business as my next chapter. I wanted to create something fun and beautiful to sell online, and the concept for TribeTats was born during a brainstorming session with my best friends during a summer girls' weekend.

What, if any, unforeseen pressures do you feel as a woman business owner?

I feel pressure to raise funding, but I actually like the challenge of bootstrapping and feel as though raising money can be a distraction. There are certain scenarios where fundraising is necessary, but not necessarily for every business.

What are your future goals with TribeTats?

I am currently scaling my custom metallic tattoos business, so every company or brand can create their OWN product, and that has been very popular and also introduces a B2B element beyond traditional wholesale accounts that I enjoy. In addition, we are launching other products under the Tribe "umbrella," such as TribeTokes accessories and TribeTops apparel.

Does your company help or give back to the community?

We typically give back by donating product for fundraisers and auctions, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and DC Public Schools.

If you had one piece of advice for someone starting their own business, what would it be?

For product ideas, test things before you dedicate your entire life to it! With Shopify, social media and Alibaba, it is no longer difficult to create a prototype or website and see how people react to it.

Today, TribeTats is a global brand sold online and in 60 stores, with a thriving customization business. The entire Slick Chicks team has nothing but love for this fashion forward metallic tattoo maven and her TribeTats brand!

We hope the next time you chose a piece of bling to wear with your “outfit of the day”, it will be a stellar tattoo from TribeTats!

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