Built by Artists,
for Artists
From the studio floor to your fingertips - real experience solving real problems.
inkStar wasn't born in a boardroom or built by consultants who've never held a tattoo machine. It's the product of late nights in the studio, frustrated by software that doesn't understand our industry, and a determination to build something better.
The Problem Started in My Own Studio
Every great solution starts with a painful problem.
I own a tattoo studio with my partner Lea. Like most artists, we got into this business because we love the craft - not because we love paperwork, scheduling conflicts, or chasing payments.
The Breaking Point:
It was 2 AM. I was manually rebuilding our appointment schedule after our booking software crashed and lost three weeks of data. Again. My partner was on her laptop, trying to merge customer records from three different systems. We had contracts scattered across email, Google Drive, and paper folders. Our commission tracking was a nightmare of spreadsheets that never balanced.
We looked at each other and said: "There has to be a better way."
Except there wasn't. Every solution we tried was either:
- Built for generic "salons" without understanding tattoo workflows
- Insanely expensive enterprise software designed for corporate chains
- Great at one thing (booking) but terrible at everything else
- Completely unusable offline (our studio has spotty internet)
The Decision:
I come from a background in enterprise systems. I've built PoS systems, CRM platforms, finance software - the kind of complex, mission-critical tools that handle billions in transactions. I've worked with systems that power Fortune 500 companies.
But I'd never built something I personally needed every single day.
So I started building inkStar.
No Secrets, No BS
Just Honest Progress
Every win, every failure, shared transparently with the community.
Sharing Metrics
Our user counts, revenue, churn rate. The good and the ugly.
Admitting Mistakes
When we ship bugs, break things, or make wrong decisions, we own it publicly.
Community-Driven
Features come from real studio owners, not a product manager's roadmap.
Launch Early, Iterate Fast
We ship imperfect features and improve them with real user feedback.
Why build in public?
Because transparency builds trust. Because the best ideas come from conversations, not isolation. Because when you see the messy reality behind the product, you know we're solving real problems - not just selling software.
Small Team, Big Mission
We're not a huge corporation - we're a focused team that cares deeply about the craft.
Piotr Morawski
Founder & Lead Developer
- 10 years building enterprise systems (PoS, CRM, Finance)
- Indie hacker building inkStar full-time
- Believes great software comes from firsthand experience
"I use inkStar every day in my own studio. If it's not good enough for me, it's not good enough for you."
The Extended Team
Beta Community
100+ studio owners actively testing and shaping inkStar
Advisors
Accountants, lawyers, and compliance experts ensuring we get the details right
We're intentionally staying small. No VCs, no board meetings, no pressure to "scale fast and break things." Just focused, thoughtful development driven by real needs.
What We Stand For
Our principles guide every decision we make.
Artists First, Always
Every feature, every design decision, every support interaction puts artists first. We build for the people doing the work, not corporate buyers.
Built on Real Experience
We don't guess what artists need - we live it. Decisions come from studio floors, not conference rooms.
Offline-First, Privacy-First
Your business shouldn't stop because wifi is down. Your data shouldn't be sold to advertisers. Non-negotiable.
Ship Fast, Fix Faster
We'd rather ship an imperfect feature today and improve it with real feedback than delay for months chasing perfection.
Transparent by Default
We share our progress, our metrics, our mistakes. Trust is earned through honesty, not marketing.
Independent & Sustainable
No VCs. No exit strategy. We're building a sustainable business that can serve artists for decades, not a rocket ship to sell.
Be Part of Something Different
We're not just building software - we're building a community of artists who demand better tools.
For Beta Testers
Get direct access to the founder, shape features with your feedback, see behind-the-scenes development, and get grandfathered pricing.
For the Community
Follow along as we build in public. See the wins and failures. Learn from our mistakes. Contribute ideas.
For the Industry
This is about artists taking control of the technology that runs their businesses. Demanding tools built for us, by us.
Let's Connect
100+ studios already building with us
Join the beta waitlist and be among the first to experience inkStar