FORBES.COMPREVIOUS 30 UNDER 30 LISTMAKERS REFLECT ON THE TURNING
POINTS THAT DEFINED THEIR JOURNEYS TO SUCCESS.
B
raden Handley loves going under the needle. He has
a mummy inked on his thigh and a Pink Panther on his
arm, nearby the word “okay.” “I have over 15 now,”
says the 29-year-old cofounder of Inkbox Tattoos.Handley doesn’t fear the permanence of tattoos—but he
does take it seriously, which is why his startup, Inkbox, makes
temporary ones. They cost $16-30 and last about two weeks,
and Handley uses the product to wrap his head around
future permanent designs. “A lot of people do—they’re
tattoo curious.” he says. Others may just want a short-term,
personalized accessory. In its four years, Inkbox has sold more
than 1 million of these statement pieces. “Self-expression,
iëiV>ÞvÀi]ÃÛiÀÞÌÕ}]»>`iÞÀiyiVÌðº/>ÌÌÃ
are one way to get out of that trap.”While Handley feels strongly about the eternal cool of both
permanent and semi-permanent ink, the investors he pitched
ÜiÀi½Ì>ÃVÛVi`p>
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million in funding Inkbox has today.FORBES BRANDVOICE WITH IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN | PAID PROGRAMT
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BRADEN HANDLEY'S
SEMI-PERMANENT TATTOO
EMPIRE IS HERE TO STAY
85
THE MOMENT OF INSPIRATION
For Handley, entrepreneurship is a family tradition. “I used to
go to garage sales with my dad. We’d buy sports equipment
and resell it,” he recalls with a laugh. “He’d make me
negotiate, because it was a good learning experience—and a
kid will get a better price.” In high school, Handley graduated
to online, and in-home, marketplaces. “When my brother went
to university, I turned his room into a shop. I’d buy shirts in
bulk and resell them to friends.”