Mikhail Andersson - NYC's Most Wanted Tattoo Artist | From Broke Designer to $2,000/Hour Empire

Success Story with Scott D. Clary

Success Story Media

Business, Education, How To, Self-improvement

4.6 • 326 Ratings

🗓️ 31 August 2025

⏱️ 112 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

➡️ Join 321,000 people who read my free weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.scottdclary.com ➡️ Like The Podcast? Leave A Rating: https://ratethispodcast.com/successstory Mikhail Andersson is a world-renowned tattoo artist and creative entrepreneur celebrated for redefining body art as a luxury, design-driven experience. Known as the “Michelangelo of the Tattoo Renaissance,” he founded First Class Tattoos in New York City and built it into a global destination for fine-line and geometric work, attracting celebrity clients and fans who travel internationally for his artistry. With a career spanning over 15 years and a reputation for innovation, precision, and storytelling, Andersson has transformed tattooing into both a cultural movement and a premium lifestyle brand. ➡️ Show Links https://www.instagram.com/mikhailandersson/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikhail-andersson-82b16356/ ➡️ Podcast Sponsors Hubspot - https://hubspot.com/ ShipStation - https://www.shipstation.com/ (Code: SuccessStory) Inbound - https://www.inbound.com/register NetSuite — https://netsuite.com/scottclary/ Indeed - https://indeed.com/clary ➡️ Talking Points 00:00 – Intro 01:28 – Life as a Tattoo Artist in Russia 02:52 – Where Mikhail’s Passion Began 04:36 – Did Design School Help? 07:20 – First Tattoo on Human Skin 11:42 – Knowing Tattooing Was His Calling 14:48 – What Makes a Great Tattoo? 23:40 – Artists Who Inspire Mikhail 28:40 – AI’s Impact on Tattooing 37:20 – Sponsor Break 39:29 – First Big Break & Differentiator 49:20 – Mastering the Craft 56:44 – Lowest Entrepreneurial Moment 1:00:45 – Current Ventures & Future Plans 1:11:50 – Sponsor Break 1:13:45 – Losing Analog in a Digital World 1:20:35 – Lessons from Photography 1:25:26 – Is Tech Helping or Hurting Art? 1:34:58 – The Hard Lesson He’d Never Wish on Anyone 1:47:15 – One Lesson for His Kids

Transcript

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0:00.0	Success story is a Square partner. Now, your favorite neighborhood spots run on Square.
0:05.6	You know, I was just at Panther Coffee here in Miami last week and beyond the incredible
0:09.2	gratato. What struck me was watching them seamlessly handle the morning rush. The barista mentioned
0:14.6	they've been using Square to manage everything from inventory to building their loyal customer base.
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0:22.0	reader that we all recognize. Square knows that local businesses can be big businesses. And as
0:27.1	things get more complex, Square meets you at every opportunity. So whether or not you're expanding
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0:43.7	If you're ready to see how Square can transform your business,
0:46.8	go to square.com slash go slash success to learn more.
0:52.5	That's square.com slash go slash success. Square, meet you there.
0:58.3	Back in the day when I started, it wasn't many shops. Tattoos were mostly criminal
1:02.6	culture, a lot of gangs involved. When I got my neck tattoo, I would get stopped on a subway by
1:07.6	old ladies. They're like, oh, you're going to go to hell. Some artists paint on canvas, others carve in stone.
1:13.4	Mikhail Anderson chose human skin as his medium.
1:16.1	From Moscow streets to New York's art scene, he transformed tattooing into a form of high art,
1:21.6	fusing realism, geometry, and surrealism.
1:24.1	You have to take it slow.
1:25.2	I feel like I did mistakes when I was trying to jump into something to do a realistic
1:29.1	portrait when I've never done one.
1:31.1	My perspective when I started, it was no social media.
	...

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