The Tattoo Industry's Dirty Secret: Why This $1 Billion Business Is About to Explode
Dropping Bombs
Brad Lea
4.9 • 2.3K Ratings
🗓️ 5 May 2026
⏱️ 64 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This episode was sponsored by Cardiff & Empire Ink
LightSpeed VT: https://www.lightspeedvt.com/
Dropping Bombs Podcast: https://www.droppingbombs.com/
Today's Dropping Bombs episode features Steve Santacruz — the street-raised New Yorker who opened a tattoo shop before he could tattoo, and built it into a multi-location empire with 200,000+ clients and over 7,000 five-star reviews.
Steve reveals the one responsibility shift that ended gang life and started empire building, the counterintuitive advantage of knowing nothing when he opened, and why his philosophy — "Empire is the Way" — starts from the inside out, not the bank account.
Most people are one decision away from an entirely different life. Watch this before you waste another year avoiding yours.
🔗 Connect with Steve
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevesantacruz
Empire Ink IG: https://www.instagram.com/empireinkstudios | https://www.instagram.com/empireinkstars
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@empireinkstudios | https://www.tiktok.com/@empireistheway
Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@stevesantacruz
Websites: https://stevesantacruz.com | https://empireink.com | https://empireinkstars.com
Watch the full-length video version of any Dropping Bombs episode here on YouTube.
Brad Lea is a self-made entrepreneur who turned small-town grit into a multi-million-dollar empire. With over 25 years dominating sales and leadership, he's mentored thousands to outsmart, outwork, and out win their competition. His top-rated podcast, Dropping Bombs, brings raw, game-changing insights from the biggest names in business.
LightSpeed VT is Brad's brainchild—the world's leading interactive training platform. It's built to make your team sharper, faster, and more effective, without wasting time or money. Whether you're a startup or a Fortune 500, LightSpeed VT is how you scale success and dominate your industry. Curious? Check it out:
https://www.lightspeedvt.com/
Brad's also behind Closer School, the go-to program for mastering sales and closing deals like a pro. Want to 10x your income? This is where you start. His book, The Hard Way, lays out the brutal, honest lessons he learned building his empire—your blueprint to winning the game. Get it here: https://bradlea.com/product/the-hard-way/
This isn't just a video. It's a wake-up call. Watch it. Share it. Act on it.
Closer School: https://www.closerschool.com/cs
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It's a billion dollar bubble that's ready to burst. |
| 0:03.5 | You're constantly in a perpetual state of war. |
| 0:05.8 | I've done tattoos pretty much all over the world. |
| 0:08.0 | Australia, Romania, Italy. |
| 0:10.1 | If you don't build your own inner empire, we're talking about integrity, responsibility. |
| 0:14.9 | I mean, I don't even think you get to really be successful. |
| 0:17.7 | That's what forges people. |
| 0:18.9 | Discipline is almost everything. |
| 0:21.9 | Discipline is godly. |
| 0:32.5 | I got to interview Pablo Escobar's hitman face-to-face. And that was, that was what it is, |
| 0:38.6 | Brad Lee back again with another episode of dropping bombs today in the studio, folks. I got treat for you especially if you like the ink steve santa cruz from miami or empire ink out of miami florida what's |
| 0:47.0 | happening uh man first of all thank you for having me appreciate you uh taking the time to uh you know |
| 0:53.5 | put this episode out and and and you know |
| 0:56.3 | follow the empire ink experience um but yeah man just came out here and uh you have an amazing amazing |
| 1:02.6 | studio amazing vibes so i can't wait to you know talk about my story and and empire ink thank you |
| 1:08.8 | and guys if you guys don't know Empire Inc, that's one of the |
| 1:11.5 | premier places to get some artwork, some tats, some ink in Miami. You got multiple locations. |
| 1:20.4 | Yeah. So in Miami is definitely not an easy place. It's a hard in, it's a, it's a city that doesn't forgive. |
| 1:32.3 | You can say that. And the tattoo industry itself is, you know, full of a lot of people who |
| 1:38.7 | didn't quite really want to go to school, rebels, artists, stuff like that. So I've been doing this for 16 years, |
| 1:45.4 | and I do have locations in South Beach and downtown Bayside. That's where pretty much we |
| 1:51.8 | are. We kind of dominate that little trifecta area in Miami. How long have you been there? |
... |
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