The Lonely Truth About Being the Boss in Tattooing with Missi Blue | Ep. 59

"It's lonely being the boss. And yes, I get that I asked for this, that I did this to myself. I understand that, but why is it like this?" Missi Blue A coworker's offhand comment stopped me in my tracks recently; something about how I'm "never in a good mood" when I walk into the shop. That hurt. Not because it was entirely true, but because it highlighted something I've been carrying quietly for years: being the boss is incredibly isolating. I show up with my serious face on because I'm walking into whatever needs to be handled that day, carrying the weight so my team doesn't have to. But that divide between owner and employee? It's real, and it's lonely. This episode digs into the 13 reasons why leadership can feel so isolating in our industry, from carrying everyone's success on your shoulders to having nobody celebrate your wins with you. More importantly, I'm sharing the solutions I'm testing, from building deeper connections at work to finding communities outside the shop, because if you're a shop owner, manager, or aspiring leader, you need to know you're not alone in feeling alone. Let's talk about the elephant in the room nobody else seems to be addressing. What You'll Learn in This Episode: Why the boss-employee divide exists even in close-knit shops and how leading by example can inadvertently isolate you from your team, putting everything you do under a microscope The 13 specific reasons business ownership feels lonely including carrying the weight of everyone's success, making unpopular decisions, and having no one to celebrate your wins with who truly understands what they mean How your definition of "relaxing" differs from most people and why loving your work doesn't mean there's something wrong with you, even when others try to shame you for working Why you're never truly "off" as a business owner and how to navigate relationships when your mind always drifts back to the shop, making it difficult to stay present with friends and family Practical strategies for combating isolation from finding energy-giving people and building peer communities to creating deeper workplace connections and seeking mentorship How to stop taking everything so seriously and shift your perspective from viewing your business as something that supports you to seeing it as a vehicle for supporting others and building community The mindset shift that makes it all worthwhile including why fighting for something bigger than yourself will keep you from giving up when the business beats you down   If you're feeling the weight of leadership right now, take one small step this week to build connection—whether that's being vulnerable with your team, reaching out to another shop owner, or finding one person who truly gets what you're going through. You built this business for a reason bigger than yourself. Don't let the isolation convince you otherwise. Links: boundbyart.com bluebirdtattoos.com instagram.com/tattoosbymissiblue instagram.com/boundbyartproject instagram.com/bluebirdtattoostudio   Music: Unknown Road - The Harp Project