I’ve always believed tattoos are about more than the ink itself. For me, getting tattooed was an act of ownership over my body, my appearance, and the story I wanted to tell about who I was. My first tattoos carried meaning that hasn’t faded, even as my life has changed.
Building a personal brand has felt surprisingly similar. Both require putting something deeply personal into the world, accepting that others will have opinions, and deciding that what you’ve created matters enough to stand behind it.
That’s why GoDaddy’s latest campaign, Ink Your Link, caught my attention.
The company is inviting small business owners to take their entrepreneurial pride to a whole new level by turning their businesses into tattoos, with five winners receiving custom designs and the opportunity to showcase their ventures on a Times Square billboard.
Actor and entrepreneur Walton Goggins helped kick off the nationwide initiative, which celebrates the passion and commitment required to turn an idea into a business.
The concept came to life in New York City on October 23, when GoDaddy hosted an immersive pop-up in Nolita. Entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners could transform their domain names and business ideas into temporary tattoos while exploring the company’s tools for building an online presence.
During an exclusive interview at the event, I spoke with Isaac Irvine, GoDaddy’s Chief Tattoo Officer, whose unusual title comes with an equally fitting backstory. Before spending 20 years at the technology company, Irvine worked as a tattoo artist.
That combination gives him a unique perspective on the campaign, which draws parallels between the commitment of getting a tattoo and the courage required to launch a business.
For Irvine, both represent something deeply personal that people are willing to share with the world.
Starting a small business requires a bold commitment, he explained. Entrepreneurs take an idea that once existed only in their imagination and make the decision to put it into the world. Getting a tattoo represents a similarly visible commitment to something meaningful.
It’s a comparison that resonates with anyone who has spent years developing a business, creative identity, or personal brand.
The campaign takes that idea a step further.
Through November 15, eligible GoDaddy customers can submit their business stories through InkYour.Link for a chance to be selected as one of five grand prize winners.
Each winner will receive a trip to Los Angeles with a guest, where tattoo artist Kim Saigh and her team will help bring their entrepreneurial stories to life through custom designs.
The prize package also includes a professional photoshoot and an opportunity for the winning businesses to appear on a GoDaddy billboard in Times Square.
But the campaign isn’t only about celebrating businesses that have already found success. It’s also about encouraging people who have been hesitant to take the first step.
That is where artificial intelligence enters the conversation.
GoDaddy’s Airo platform uses AI-powered tools to help entrepreneurs establish an online presence, develop branding, and build websites.
During our conversation, I asked Irvine how artificial intelligence fits into a process that is often deeply personal and creative.
He described AI as a way to move beyond the intimidation of starting with a blank page. Rather than replacing an entrepreneur’s individuality, the technology can provide an initial direction that users can refine until it reflects their vision.
The distinction is particularly relevant as AI becomes increasingly integrated into creative industries.
A website might begin with an AI-generated layout, but the identity behind it still belongs to the person who imagined the business in the first place.
And just like a tattoo, the final result should reflect something meaningful to its owner.
For small business owners, that might be a company name, a logo, a website address, or a symbol representing the sacrifices that went into building something from nothing.
For me, the connection between tattoos and entrepreneurship ultimately comes back to ownership.
The tattoos I chose were a way to reclaim control over how I presented myself to the world. Building my own brand has been another way of defining that identity on my own terms.
Not every entrepreneur will want their business permanently tattooed on their body, and they certainly don’t need to.
But GoDaddy’s campaign raises an interesting question: If you’ve poured years of your life into building something you believe in, how far would you go to show the world that it’s truly yours?