All Or Nothing Tattoo
Brandon Bond, the man who founded All Or Nothing Tattoo gives EI an insight as to what it takes to make it in the tattoo business, trials and tribulations associated with it. As a professional tattoo artist himself, he also talks about his company's tough criteria for hiring some of the best tattoo artists in the world. Read further and see what it takes to be successful in one of the most competitive art fields in the world.

EI: How long have you been doing tattoos for and what inspired you to become a professional tattoo artist?

Brandon Bond: "15 long hard awesome years. I started tattooing because making money playing music was far too much of a long shot. I wanted chicks, piles of money, and a lifestyle of freedom, tattooing gave me all that and more."

EI: What sacrifices have you made on a personal level to get where you are today?

Brandon Bond: "I have worked as hard as I possibly could for every single fucking minute of those 15 years. I have tattooed with pneumonia, broken limbs, broken ribs, in all forms of crisis. I have pushed my body, my back, and my stress levels so hard for so long that I am experiencing all kinds of repercussions physically at this point. My body has been destroyed, ulcers, my back, my wrists, my neck, I am as healthy as a dead frog. And now the 4 companies that I run and the messages and calls and emails and chaos daily I don't ever seem to get five minutes to myself. I thought success would liberate me from all of that- instead it was like a vice clamping down on my balls."

EI: Would you say it's been a tough road ahead?

Brandon Bond: "In every sense of the word, to do it THIS way with this voracious intensity, yes it's been HELL, and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemies, however it worked!!! So in that sense I am truly grateful- it's the American dream, work your ass off and get rewarded."

EI: As can be witnessed on your recent DVD production, you also like to go shooting, off roading and save stray pit bulls, so does all of this keep you sane from the everyday ups and downs of life?

Brandon Bond: "My dogs are the best part of my life, each was rescued in some form or another from a life of fighting and abuse, and they are now the most spoiled rotten, lazy and appreciative animals on the planet. We work hard still to find great homes for "sheltered" or "rescued" pit bulls and it brings a lot of happiness and satisfaction to my life in a way that I can't get out of the dark and stressed out world of business. I get a lot of shit for the whole interest in guns from some folks, here's the deal: I was born in to a wonderful family; I was taught that the protection of that family is my job as a loving participant. I was taught safety, respect, and regard for human life. I was taught that a gun is as safe as its owner, and I am extremely careful with my firearms. I love shooting, my father loves shooting, my wife loves it and a LOT of our staff and clients love it. I have very little free time, and what free time I have I like to spend with close friends and quality firearms, it's a hobby like quilting. It has nothing whatsoever to do with my job.

I have been trained in tactical shooting, entry, sub-gun, long-gun, shotgun and hand-gun courses by our local S.W.A.T. team, as well as shot piles of law enforcement guns at law enforcement targets with the guidance of law enforcement officers. I have had extensive military training with a Lt. Colonel involved in special forces focusing on disarming people and using their weapons against them, and Dave Tedder and I have been training off and on for over a year with a DEA firearms teacher (with an incredibly strict curriculum.)

EI: What does your wife think of your crazy interests and your work as a tattoo artist?

Brandon Bond: "My wife knows nothing of my career and is still not tattooed by me at all, she sees a different side of me than anyone else, and I think probably appreciated that, she does however tolerate my excessive workaholism and understands that there are times when I have to disappear into a world of late night screaming and pirate ship captain like behavior…she stays away from me when I'm in "work mode" which is probably smart. As to my interests with the gun stuff and all- she loves shooting and loves animals and pit bulls and all so we share those interests and it brings us closer together."

EI: Would you say you're content with everything at this point in your life?

Brandon Bond: "Not at all. I'm grateful and I'm happy but I'm s inundated with all the bullshit that comes from driving all this toward such high levels of success that it is making me extremely unhappy on a personal level, miserable even. I'm not complaining at all, you asked."

EI: How many tattoo artists do you have working for you?

Brandon Bond: "We have imported 13 of the best nationwide and award winning tattoo artists in America. None of us are from Atlanta, but we have come together to make the most exciting and innovative tattoo studio around. They have won more awards and been published more than any other collection of tattooers in the world."

EI: What sort of experience do you look for in a good artist?

Brandon Bond: "I look at their tattoo work, we all do, and our artists decide democratically who we hire and who we don't like an art colony almost- it's all about the artwork=the best art gets the slot."

EI: How important is it for you to have tattoo artists which have their own style yet are creative when it comes to putting designs together for potential clients?

Brandon Bond: "It is key- all out artists do custom artwork- which is done on the fly. Artwork that is created for ONE client and then never to be tattooed again exactly like that piece. It's very exciting."

EI: How many studios do you have currently and do you plan on expanding All Or Nothing Tattoo into other parts of the US?

Brandon Bond: "We have been discussing it yes; the truth is I really don't need the money or the headaches. I currently own two studios in the Atlanta are and we have been discussing a third in another location (a secret city ha ha ha) so only time will tell."