Lex DeVille's - How I Bought a $4k Laser and Started an Engraving Side Hustle for Free (super easy)

[Lex DeVille]

Earlier this year I bought a brand new $4,000 laser engraver. Then I started a laser engraving side hustle business. I did all of this without paying anything out of pocket. Here's how...



Step 1 - Choose a Laser (I chose Glowforge)

Step 2 - Get Financing (I used a USAA personal loan)

Step 3 - Order Laser

Step 4 - Learn the Fundamentals of Engraving (practice on free materials they send)

Step 5 - Find Niche Forums/FB Groups and create products they will love

Step 6 - Offer those people the product

Step 7 - Create a YouTube channel

Step 8 - Post some videos about laser engraving as a business (I have 10 I think)

Step 9 - Add laser affiliate link in video description

That's it. My whole process. My monthly laser payment is like $136 and I make anywhere from $120 to $600 in sales per month (I only have one product for sale and only listed on one private forum).

Each month I also make affiliate sales. Last month I made somewhere around $700 in affiliate sales through my YT link and this month I've earned at least $200 in affiliates. I haven't paid anything out of pocket for the laser and my affiliate link is only listed on YT.

I run this as a super low-maintenance side hustle for now. It's not a priority. This exact process could be repeated in the laser market, or with other maker market tools.

You can take this much much further than I've gone and you can do it without a website, without any experience, without a degree, and without any money.

K go do it. No excuses, thanks.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Can you show some stuff you made?

Sure, here's some different things in wood and acrylic. I prefer working with acrylic since it's more clean and I can make lights out of it. Wood is fun too, but more challenging.

 

[The-J]

Reminds me of Reyes the Entrepreneur, who does this exact model for every non-Fastlane side hustle known to man.

What does he do? He does a side hustle, tells you exactly everything you need to do to do it all for free, then makes a Youtube video telling everyone exactly what he earns.

Then he puts all the stuff you need to start in the description, with an affiliate link. So he makes money 3 ways:

• Side hustle
  
• Affiliate money
• Youtube ad revenue

Youtube ad revenue became his biggest stream of income but it took him like 5 years and 2 viral videos for that to happen.

No, none of this is Fastlane, but if you're broke and don't know what to do, this is an option.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Awesome initiative. How did it occur to you to go with laser engraving, of all things?

An ad like this:

After I saw the ad I thought...that's F*cking awesome. Then I thought...I need this. Followed by...how do I get it...and justified with...it will pay for itself!



One other thing I really liked about the laser was it could work as an online or offline business. I could have lots of fun selling online or I could sell really localized stuff and dominate the local market through digital marketing because all the local places are terrible at it.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Interesting. You purchased the machine without knowing what market to enter? You just assumed you could enter something and make money?

Not exactly. I bought the laser to use for my ecommerce idea to create custom products to sell at high prices. I had a market in mind. I assumed that if that didn't work out that I would find another way to use it. It's a laser engraver. How many people do you know with one?

Besides, markets are already established. That's why local engraving shops exist. They target anyone who needs laser engraving. They sell B2C and B2B. The info on who they sell to and what brings them the most money is freely available on Google.

If I want to stand out all I have to do is target a niche. Any niche online. Specific local unfulfilled niches offline.

Coaches - Laser engraved plaques, trophies, gifts
Goths - Grunge leather wallets, pentagram leather bracelets, whatever
Corporate - Desktop name signs, acrylic engraved family photos, meme coffee mug coaster
Religious - Light up cross, wood star of david, religious symbol trinket boxes

Those are just some examples. You just pick a niche. Research them. See what products they might be interested in that don't currently exist. Figure out how to make it. You will be the only person on the planet who sells it and you will be the only laser engraving entrepreneur putting it right in front of them in their forums, Facebook Groups, or even just by showing up for a church sermon and shaking hands with people, letting them know what you do.

And are you actually providing the product as well or just engraving service on something existing they already own?

Mainly a product, though I've taken some custom requests too. For instance, one person asked for a custom sigil that represented their name. They provided the design and I explained how I would make it. I cut a custom piece of wood into the symbol then had to figure out which type of paint to buy to give him the exact right color. Then I had to figure out how to seal the paint so it wouldn't peel or fade.

From there I had to learn how to paint on the fly. I charged more for this product because it was custom. The customer was 100% satisfied although I was a bit uncertain about my paint job. I did the best I could.

Another custom I did was for a business owner who wanted stencils so they could paint their logo on their own custom products. I have the laser and when it comes to customs the market comes to me.

Beyond that I'd rather just have a product designed for a specific audience. No custom work. Here's why:

A Specific Product

• Is easy to form a process around
• Is easy to create 1 design and use it over and over
• Is easy to improve your process with each sale
• Is easy to figure out what customers like/don't like
• Is easy to gain materials ahead of time as you gauge sales volume
• Avoids wasted time on designing
• Avoids wasted energy on problem solving (after you solve the initial problem)

Bottom line is easy. I don't want to spend hours designing custom products and I don't want to have to think about how to make these creations. I just want to find something I can sell that nobody else sells but somebody really wants (or would really love to have once they discover it exists). Then I want to turn on the laser, push the blue button, and let it make a product that's pretty much ready to ship and put a smile on someone's face.

 

[Lex DeVille]

why dont you use the payment program instead of a loan?

I looked at Glowforge's financing options and compared to my bank. Ultimately the interest rate was lower through the bank, plus I wouldn't have to jump through hoops because I'm already set up with the bank and can easily get a loan without answering a million questions. The bank already has a relationship with me.

Im going to buy a house soon so i cant miss the money

What money will you miss? I already explained how this pays for itself. You seem to be worried about missing the payment amount in the event you don't make sales. So you've started with the assumption that "I can't do this" rather than "I can do this. Not a good way to start a business. Plus if you can't afford a $136 payment I'd question if you can really afford (or even obtain) a mortgage.

the bank might start b****ing about loans when i apply for a morgage

Banks don't bitch. Banks are entities, not people. To me it seems like you haven't really thought this through. This kind of vague worrying will hold you back from building any business. Not just a laser business. It's a type of excuse people make to avoid taking action. How many banks or mortgage lenders have you talked to about this idea? Zero.

How do you test a niche if there is a market for it? what tools do you use? and how much will it cost?

I'm not sure what this question means. You don't have to test a niche. If a niche exists then it does so because more than one person has similar interests. You only need to look at their interests and create products that fit those interests or solve their problems. Then offer it to those people. There is no testing. You just do it. Laser engraving is already a proven business. We're not reinventing the wheel. You just buy a laser and tell people you have a laser.

I could post on FB to see how much interest there is but i want to know 100% sure im not investing in a flop.

That's too bad because business virtually requires risk and you will never be 100% sure. If you need to be 100% sure, then you will never do this. I already shared a story of it working. Everything beyond that is fear holding you back.

There are no guarantees. There are only people who decide to do a thing and then figure out how to make it work, and people who don't.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Guys/Girls...

If you have a question about this side hustle/business model, please ask it in this thread. I will not be answering questions about lasers by PM. That isn't valuable for me. It isn't valuable for the forum. Ask your questions here if you want them answered.

And no, you do not need a business license to get this started. Buy laser. Sell engravings. Purchase business license with laser profits. The business license police aren't going to kick down your doors for your side hustle. If you're selling online, they won't even know you exist for a while.

 

[Sanj Modha]

You can delegate this to minions too.

 

[Fox]

Nice Lex - that’s paying itself back fast.

Can you show some stuff you made?

 

[Andy Black]

Earlier this year I bought a brand new $4,000 laser engraver. Then I started a laser engraving side hustle business. I did all of this without paying anything out of pocket. Here's how...

View attachment 24379

Step 1 - Choose a Laser (I chose Glowforge)

Step 2 - Get Financing (I used a USAA personal loan)

Step 3 - Order Laser

Step 4 - Learn the Fundamentals of Engraving (practice on free materials they send)

Step 5 - Find Niche Forums/FB Groups and create products they will love

Step 6 - Offer those people the product

Step 7 - Create a YouTube channel

Step 8 - Post some videos about laser engraving as a business (I have 10 I think)

Step 9 - Add laser affiliate link in video description

That's it. My whole process. My monthly laser payment is like $136 and I make anywhere from $120 to $600 in sales per month (I only have one product for sale and only listed on one private forum).

Each month I also make affiliate sales. Last month I made somewhere around $700 in affiliate sales through my YT link and this month I've earned at least $200 in affiliates. I haven't paid anything out of pocket for the laser and my affiliate link is only listed on YT.

I run this as a super low-maintenance side hustle for now. It's not a priority. This exact process could be repeated in the laser market, or with other maker market tools.

You can take this much much further than I've gone and you can do it without a website, without any experience, without a degree, and without any money.

K go do it. No excuses, thanks.

This. Is. So. Cool !!

No website. No degree. No experience. No money.

It’s a side hustle you could blow up if you wanted.

That’s for leaving breadcrumbs, yet again.

 

[Andy Black]

This is genuis. Maker culture is huge and only getting bigger. One of the library systems here in KC just added a Maker Center. They have a laser engraver, 3D printers, a sound booth/studio, green screen room, laser cutter and one of those wall printers were you can print a large poster or image on material that hangs on the wall. You have to book at least a couple of weeks in advance or take a chance that someone does show up and wait.

I remember reading an article about the future of 3D printing several years ago and thinking I could do something with it. Now, they are working on 3D printing houses and even organs.

Engraving is such a simple concept but lots of people would want it even people who doesnt realize that they would.

How long does it take to engrave something? You could almost set up a booth at a retail center and engrave things like dog tags, trophy plates and other things for a day or pay to get a table at a festival or conference to engrave stuff for people. I bet people would love plates for their luggage or laptop bags.

I wish I had the funds to invest in something like this.

Instead of saying “I wish I had the funds”, try asking yourself “How can I get the funds?”

The part that didn’t occur to me was getting a loan, and then getting the revenue to more than cover the loan. (My dad was Scottish and a loan is a four letter word up there.)

 

[Lex DeVille]

It is not a good idea to open up new lines of credit when applying for a mortgage. Changes in your credit, even opening new lines can initially cause your score to go down. Also, it increases your debt-to-income ratio so hypothetically, adding that payment could cause a person to go from 40% to 42% and for many loans 41% is the DTI limit.

It would be best, depending on how long until he applies, to wait until the loan is funded to open a new credit line. Any good mortgage person will specifically tell them not to mess with their credit once they apply.

I lost a handful of loans because people would go get a credit line at a furniture store or Home Depot card anticipating their new home only for their approval to be taken away.

This may be true but it's ignoring the deeper issues in the poster's words. He said he's going to buy a house soon so he can't miss the money. This is an excuse for inaction. If he manages to buy a house then the excuse will be, "I just bought a house, so I can't miss the money."

All roads then lead to "I wish I just took that chance 10 years ago. I'd finally have the money."

So the three real issues are fear, worry and problem solving. Because if the loan issue were really that big of a deal, and the poster really wanted to make this happen, he'd just look at alternate ways to solve the problem.

• Ask mom and dad for $2500 and offer to repay with interest
• Ask a local business to sponsor you
• Ask an investor and offer to repay with interest
• Crowdfund the money
• Mow lawns for a couple of weeks
• Sell some old crap on ebay or in a garage sale
• Borrow from a friend and repay with interest
• Partner with someone and split the difference in cost
• Stand on the street corner and beg with a sign
• Freelance on the side to build up to $2500

There's always a reason to put things off for some other time. There's always a way to make them happen when you want it bad enough.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Thought I'd share a quick update. Haven't been laser engraving anything. Haven't had time for it. Also haven't published any channel videos since the start of this thread.

The laser continues to make money. Currently, there is $1,400 worth of commissions pending release (this month) or that will be released shortly once those lasers ship.



The YT channel has grown to 700+ subscribers on autopilot.

The Glowforge has generated $3,650 in referral commissions alone. Combined with last year's engraving sales, it easily paid for itself. Now it's all profit.

So this is officially still a good idea for those looking for a place to start.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Reminds me of Reyes the Entrepreneur, who does this exact model for every non-Fastlane side hustle known to man.

What does he do? He does a side hustle, tells you exactly everything you need to do to do it all for free, then makes a Youtube video telling everyone exactly what he earns.

Then he puts all the stuff you need to start in the description, with an affiliate link. So he makes money 3 ways:

• Side hustle
  
• Affiliate money
• Youtube ad revenue

Youtube ad revenue became his biggest stream of income but it took him like 5 years and 2 viral videos for that to happen.

No, none of this is Fastlane, but if you're broke and don't know what to do, this is an option.

Yeah that's pretty similar. I don't have ads on my channel. Not sure if that channel is eligible since it's so small. But I just did some basic "how-to" vids about turning it from hobby into business. After that I stopped posting because I'm really not that into laser engraving. But I checked the channel and I've got around 120+ subs. Been getting 1-4 affiliate commissions per month ranging from $100 to $250 and they can go up as high as $500 per sale I think.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

And what’s the best that can happen?

Lex becomes known as “The Glowforge Guy” or “The Lazer Engraving Guy”... not because he’s the best in the world, but because he’s leaving breadcrumbs and people are following.

Who knows where that could go.

How many folks would buy a course to learn how to engrave better? Or buy the materials? Or the blueprints?

How many would buy a course on how to get clients for their budding laser engraving business? How to setup their Etsy store? How to write their product listings?

Who would they buy their kit and blueprints from?

Lex could provide a business in a box for the creatives out there who want to “escape the 9-5”, but don’t want to do it copywriting (for example)...

There's going to be so much opportunity for stuff like this going forward. Not just with lasers but with ANY tool that makes the leap from industrial services into mass market.

I can't even imagine how many opportunities will happen like this just in the next 3-5 years. How many manufacturing processes will be brought to the hobbyist level at hobbyist prices?

Drilling, cutting, water cutting, stamping, packaging, hell even creating custom-designed clothing. And if anyone wants a simple formula for grabbing up these opportunities...here you go:

1) www.kickstarter.com
2) Look at projects that will revolutionize an industry that are going to get funded
3) Buy-in

Then just follow the process I outlined above with the laser and be the first one to do it. Then you can position yourself as the first in the market.

Everyone who types "How to start a whatever business" will find your videos or blog posts or however you end up marketing yourself because you'll be the only one there.

So even if you don't do this with the laser. There are a million other opportunities that are about to hit the market in the exact same way as what I described here.

The cool thing is, if you can make people feel confident that the item will pay for itself by proving that it can...then they'll feel more comfortable putting in the investment for it, and grateful that you had an affiliate discount code that saved them a couple hundred bucks.

 

[Lex DeVille]

I got a PM about whether this can fit CENTS model. Here was my response (with minor modifications).

Control - Partially. Glowforge isn't the best laser for control since they require you to use their cloud-based service to create your designs. That hasn't bothered me though.

Entry - The lowest priced Glowforge laser is like $2,500. Most people aren't willing to fork out that kind of cash for a good laser even on financing. Most of those who do are hobbyists who aren't trying to make money. They're just following their passion.

Need - The need is any product you can create that is customized for a specific niche. They can't get the product anywhere else because it doesn't exist anywhere else because you created it specifically for that niche.

Time - I made sales within about a month. I'm confident if I were treating this like a serious business I could make it worth my time within 1-6 months of networking/marketing efforts.

Scale - If you want to scale this you'll probably need a more powerful laser, or at least the $6k version of the Glowforge. You can scale by selling laser engraved products to corporate businesses, government, military etc. in bulk. They will pre-pay a lot of money to have someone take care of their awards and stuff for the year.

Glowforge can't engrave metal and also can't engrave things that are curved. Those are two limitations. But it's the best priced laser in the category. There are lower priced lasers, but they also aren't ready to use out of the box. There are higher priced lasers that are more powerful.

 

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[Andy Black]

i love stories like this, its like finding value out of thin air, but of course it was there the whole time.

This reminds me of something I think Grant Cardone said... that we don’t “make” money. Money already exists and large invisible rivers of it flow all around us. We just need to get some of that cash to flow through us.

(As an aside, I like to think of earning money rather than making money.)

Someone on the Tropical MBA podcast defined a market as a “demonstrated cashflow”.

With laser engraving there is already a large demonstrated cashflow - people buy the equipment (and it’s not that cheap), purchase materials, and of course buy and sell engraved products.

So there’s already a demonstrated cashflow and our job is simply to add value so some of that cash flows through us.

 

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[Andy Black]

Very, very impressive!

I really like your style of tackling a project/business.

What's the worst that could happen?

FAILURE!

So What?????

And what’s the best that can happen?

Lex becomes known as “The Glowforge Guy” or “The Lazer Engraving Guy”... not because he’s the best in the world, but because he’s leaving breadcrumbs and people are following.

Who knows where that could go.

How many folks would buy a course to learn how to engrave better? Or buy the materials? Or the blueprints?

How many would buy a course on how to get clients for their budding laser engraving business? How to setup their Etsy store? How to write their product listings?

Who would they buy their kit and blueprints from?

Lex could provide a business in a box for the creatives out there who want to “escape the 9-5”, but don’t want to do it copywriting (for example)...

 

[Lex DeVille]

That is a fair point but I am unable to obtain a loan and funds I earn in the short-term will be going towards other, forthcoming expenses.

So, to be more specific, I wish to grow my income so that buying something like this wouldn't even be an issue or something I have to think long about. I could just do it. Not there yet.

While I highly doubt that is true, and while there are other ways to finance something like this...it isn't my place to push you to take action. I just lay out step-by-step paths. It's up to everyone else to do something with it or not.

 

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[million$$$smile]

Very, very impressive!

I really like your style of tackling a project/business.

What's the worst that could happen?

FAILURE!

So What?????

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Look what I woke up to. Another $100 someone else let slip by.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Always nice to wake up to a $500 deposit I didn't have to work for. No new videos. No new links posted.

Plus there's another one on the way this month. It hasn't finalized yet, so I don't know the amount. But it's coming. Plus I sold about $200 worth of laser engravings so far for May.

 

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[ryanbleau]

Buddy of mine did the same thing with high quality stickers for bands. Makes more than his day job, all word of mouth business.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Because I searched for a laser cutter, I now get nothing but Glowforge ads on my Youtube videos.

I am assuming you did a bunch of research. What did you find the most quality low budget engraver to be? Basically suggestions for something on the lower end?

Also, did you search for things in the same realm before deciding on the engraver? Just curious about maybe options I am not thinking of.

The Glowforge is what I found to be the most quality low budget laser. They start around $2500. There are a few really low budget options on Amazon around the $300 mark but can those lasers really cut or engrave something worth your time? I doubt it.

So the only other options I considered were the lasers on ebay which are much larger and more powerful than Glowforge and may even be a little cheaper. But they're also not supported by U.S. personnel which means you get an imported product with half English instructions and no community specifically built around the laser itself.

I didn't really come across any other laser options in the $2500 range that seemed as good as Glowforge in terms of support, ease of use, and community, although it's possible they exist. Community is important because when I didn't know how to do something I just searched the community to see how others did it.

If you search around you'll find all kinds of problems others had with the ebay lasers. Some people ended up satisfied, but what I found was the lasers weren't ready to go out of the box. There was additional tinkering and adjustments that needed to be done to even get the laser engraving properly.

If you're going to spend $1500 on a cheap laser you might as well spend $2500 on something you can set up and use in under an hour. And for me, the slight power boost for the $4k model to save a little extra time during engraves and cutting was worth it.

One last point worth mentioning is that the Glowforge referral program is quite nice. I don't know if you'd get the same kind of referral opportunities with the other lasers. Sure Amazon and Ebay have referral programs, but most people want a GF because it's practically push-button engraving. So GF is an easy sell.

 

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[Bishop]

 

[Lex DeVille]

YouTube and google are your friend. You can find videos and articles on which materials you shouldn’t use. PS. start with the materials Glowforge recmmmends.

Ironically, this is the exact reason I'm earning referral commissions. People want all their fears and concerns answered before they buy. They want a 100% guarantee they will succeed. So they go to YouTube looking for an authority to put their mind at ease. They watch my videos because I'm the only one doing something, and then they find the link and buy.

 

[Lex DeVille]

A minor update.

I haven't used my laser in quite some time. Over the lifetime of my ownership, the affiliate commissions and product sales way more than covered the cost of the initial investment.

Now I'm relocating, and I decided not to take the laser. So I sold it. To make it sell quickly, I priced at $1,500 - an offer too good to refuse. It sold within a day of listing on Facebook Marketplace.

Overall, a solid investment and ROI in the end (considering I invested nothing but time lol).

Today, Glowforge has a newer, smaller laser that only costs $1,199. I don't know when they released it, but it might be an opportunity to replicate the initial success from this thread with a much less risky purchase.

 

[rjrobbins2]

This is genuis. Maker culture is huge and only getting bigger. One of the library systems here in KC just added a Maker Center. They have a laser engraver, 3D printers, a sound booth/studio, green screen room, laser cutter and one of those wall printers were you can print a large poster or image on material that hangs on the wall. You have to book at least a couple of weeks in advance or take a chance that someone does show up and wait.

I remember reading an article about the future of 3D printing several years ago and thinking I could do something with it. Now, they are working on 3D printing houses and even organs.

Engraving is such a simple concept but lots of people would want it even people who doesnt realize that they would.

How long does it take to engrave something? You could almost set up a booth at a retail center and engrave things like dog tags, trophy plates and other things for a day or pay to get a table at a festival or conference to engrave stuff for people. I bet people would love plates for their luggage or laptop bags.

I wish I had the funds to invest in something like this.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

This is genuis. Maker culture is huge and only getting bigger. One of the library systems here in KC just added a Maker Center. They have a laser engraver, 3D printers, a sound booth/studio, green screen room, laser cutter and one of those wall printers were you can print a large poster or image on material that hangs on the wall. You have to book at least a couple of weeks in advance or take a chance that someone does show up and wait.

I remember reading an article about the future of 3D printing several years ago and thinking I could do something with it. Now, they are working on 3D printing houses and even organs.

Engraving is such a simple concept but lots of people would want it even people who doesnt realize that they would.

How long does it take to engrave something? You could almost set up a booth at a retail center and engrave things like dog tags, trophy plates and other things for a day or pay to get a table at a festival or conference to engrave stuff for people. I bet people would love plates for their luggage or laptop bags.

I wish I had the funds to invest in something like this.

Takes anywhere from 5-30 minutes to cut the pre-made designs I sell. Otherwise it takes longer because of time spent designing.

The minimum you need is like $300 for a laser on Amazon. You can get a Glowforge for around $2500 and you can finance either of these options so you don't pay anything out of pocket. It's not a matter of wishing.

 

[jesseissorude]

I came to post the following sentiment, but I think someone else already said it better:

This. Is. So. Cool !!

This really has my gears turning. I already want some equipment for my main business and I know a couple local businesses that would like to upgrade their equipment as well.

For me, I'd like a small CNC machine and a UV printer, and another local business would like a UV printer and a powdercoating rig, and 3D printer... but neither of us are making enough volume of orders on those machines ourselves to justify buying them outright.

Another great way to make money off of these could be to put them all in the same warehouse and start teaching classes on how to use them (and renting out time to local makers!). I mean, if a service like that existed I'd definitely sign up and pay a monthly membership fee.

Holy shit, a whole makerspace with dues that pay for the equipment, and at night you fill other random orders just so there are multiple sources of income. It could even be a partnership with the local Science Museum, where if you are a member there, we give you a discount on your membership at the makerspace (total marketing... they'd promote that as a benefit when trying to get new members, and boom, all their members now know about the makerspace in town).

Mind grapes churning, +rep!