After a $65 million-dollar acquisition, Inkbox’s Braden Handley on what comes next
Braden Handley has more than earned his bragging rights.
In the seven years since co-founding temporary tattoo company Inkbox with his brother, Handley (Entrepreneurship ‘12) has appeared on CBC’s Dragons Den (external link) and was included in Forbes 30 under 30 (external link) (Retail & Ecommerce, 2019). Under the Handley brothers’ leadership, Inbox has grown to over 150 employees and generated US$27 million in net sales in 2021. Their signature two-week lasting tattoos have been on hit shows, including Stranger Things and FX’s The Bear. To top it off, Bic closed a deal to purchase Inkbox (external link) for US$65 million earlier this year, starting a new chapter in their success story.
“The idea came from wanting tattoos and not being able to test them,” says Handley. In 2014, the brothers learned about a fruit called Jagua during their travels to Panama. “Jagua has an ingredient that changes your skin colour. We used that to develop and patent our current formula.”
Handley spent his time at the Ted Rogers School of Management working on himself as much as he did his coursework. “School for me was about personal skills—understanding my capabilities, time management and learning how to build relationships with teachers and peers. If you don’t have your relationships in check,” he says, “how are you going to work a nine-to-five?”
This mentality has followed Handley throughout this career as a co-founder. In between graduating and launching Inkbox in 2015, he took jobs in client services and social media, describing himself as a jack of all trades.
“We started with ten thousand dollars from one of our friends who believed in us. In the beginning, we did everything from customer service and design, to shipping and marketing,” adds Handley. “Within a few months, we had a team of six, including interns.”
Inkbox is a top alumni company of the Fashion Zone. One of the Toronto Metropolitan University’s (formally Ryerson University) ten incubator Zones, the Fashion Zone services startups at the intersection of fashion and technology.
“They loved the idea from the start,” explains Handley of his time at the Fashion Zone. “They gave us physical space, which was what we needed at the time to grow the company. At one point, Inkbox took up a fourth of the office space at the Fashion Zone.”
“I’m also appreciative of the inclusiveness and community support they provided. When we launched our Kickstarter, we knew it was important to make sales in the beginning. I remember taking a thousand in cash and giving other entrepreneurs $20 so they could donate through their credit card.”
The Handley brothers always planned on growing and selling their venture. Following Bic’s purchase of their company, they remain in their roles as President and CEO of Inkbox. “Until starting Inbox, I never had anyone work for me, so leadership and growing into a leader—that was the biggest learning curve.”
“I think the biggest struggle entrepreneurs have is delegating. We wouldn’t have been able to build our business without trusting people to do their jobs. I believe in trusting people from the beginning, unless they prove otherwise.”
Post-acquisition, Handley has his eyes set on expanding the temporary body art category. Recent announcements, including a collaboration with Marvel Studios (external link) on Thor-themed tattoos to tie into the release of Thor: Love and Thunder, signal Inkbox’s continued leadership in temporary tattoos.
“Self expression through body art is only going to become more popular and there are a lot of new companies who have been inspired by us,” says Handley, “but we’re going to keep building out the category.”
“We’re looking at new products in body art, new colours and larger tattoos. That’s what’s coming next.”