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

Lex DeVille

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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.
Screenshot 2019-05-10 at 2.47.55 AM.png
 
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Matt Hunt

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Well this is awesome! I just might do this. I'm sure I could come up with some products that would sell through my niche on YouTube!
 

itfactor

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Living in a city with high humidity, tropical climate, and expensive electricity costs, this probably isnt the right type of business to run out of my poorly ventilated tiny apartment.

Still, lots of lessons to learn about hustling. kudos!
 

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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!

:D

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.
This is absolutely awesome. I am based in Nigeria for now and i would love to kickstart this, could you recommend the perfect laser printing machine to go for and where best to purchase it ? Thank you.
 
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Raedrum

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What a freaking good idea ! I've just checked the applications of the laser engraver and omagad this is plenty of things we can do with this, really nices and for minimal effort. Therefore there is very few services like that in my country, and their websites seems like... Well, like there is an effective array of values to be skewed. Maybe there is really a market to take before everybody. Thank for your ideas and all your hustling tutorials @Lex DeVille , yum yum.
 
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Lex DeVille

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What a freaking good idea ! I've just checked the applications of the laser engraver and omagad this is plenty of things we can do with this, really nices and for minimal effort. Therefore there is very few services like that in my country, and their websites seems like... Well, like there is an effective array of values to be skewed. Maybe there is really a market to take before everybody. Thank for your ideas and all your hustling tutorials @Lex DeVille , yum yum.

I have a lot of ideas with it. There's a million uses. So much stuff you can make and sell, even if only as a hobby. This week I've been making coins to give away on the new YouTube channel.

20190911_065752-e1568246450155.jpg


20190911_190215-e1568246581413.jpg
 

Raedrum

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@Lex DeVille I just realized I have completely forgot to answer you about your photos. Indeed the coins are really nice. Also a good idea to spread it on your channel. Vilain work :p
 
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foodiepersecond

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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.
Considering I bought a $25 Overwatch pint glass, I approve this.
 

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After working with wedding planners the last year I've been thinking about wedding guest gifts "guest favours" and this could be interesting.
 
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Lex DeVille

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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.

Referrals.png

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.

:)
 

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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.

View attachment 32829

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.

:)
Thanks for the update, @Lex DeVille! :)
 

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@Lex DeVille I had the envy of buying a 3D printer since your first post on it. And I've done it 2 week ago, for a reaction to the pandemic (there is a lot of needs now, and I was thinking of printing masks or other stuff).

And I must admit this is IMPRESSIVE, I have bought an all small printer (Creality Ender 3, +/- 300 dollars...) and despite it cheap abilities, it's working fine. I have already printed somes masks that have been bought by my friends.

For now I have no more time for this because I have others projects, but I will definitely use it in the future. I began to study 3D modelisation and there is definitely huge potential in creativity (with not SO much learning time investment) in truth this is surprisingly accessible for the average Joe.

In addition, for now I think this is one of the easiest way of prototyping. No factory, no expert, you can materialise in a day or so the ideas that you have.

To be continued ;)
 
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Andreas Thrane

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Thank you for this thread, Lex.

I've never used a 3D printer before, but this thread got my mind working. I see a great business idea crafting lamps (or whatever) in recycled materials (plastic, cardboards, wood). You can create a solid story around being good for the environment.
If you're creative or designer in anyway you can offer a design student a fixed small price for a design, and you're a good to go. The materials will be free for you. When you buy the design blueprint, you will own it forever.
 

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Thanks Lex for this idea, was not even looking in this direction at all for starting my first side hustle (will definitely hit up that affiliate link you had when I buy). Got a few ideas to test after reading this post. Thanks everyone!

Currently trying to come up with a way to ship it to my country (they don't ship to my part of the world at all), do you guys know of any good package forwarding companies?

I looked at the usual USPS / UPS / FedEx / DHL, they either don't ship or its a minimum another $1k to get it out here. (should I just take the hit?) Looked at some forwarders I've tried for smaller purchases before but seems like they won't take it or won't give me insurance to cover any lost or damage for this $ amount.
 

Defection

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I absolutely love this thread, and I am hugely grateful that you shared it with us. Thank you!

I'm in Europe, and I'm extremely tempted to give this a shot, but there are several complications with this as a European purchaser.

However, I am seriously tempted to give it a shot for the affiliate aspect alone.

What are the complications?
- Delivery, which is the best part of $500.
- Customs fees. I'm in the UK, and it's looking like it'll be the best part of $1,000 to get customs clearance.

These admittedly wouldn't be a deal-breaker, it still works out worthwhile.

However, I'd be a bit more concerned about these:
- Potential issues with the machine. If anything was to go wrong, sending it back wouldn't be viable, as far as I'm aware I'd have to pay delivery both ways and customs clearance upon its return. (I'm not 100% on this aspect just yet.)

I've heard of a few owners stating that they had 'small issues' with their machine, but that they simply sent it back to Glowforge and they rectified it. This is unlikely to be an option unless they're willing to take a substantial hit, I guess.

- Purchasing Glowforge materials. Since these only seem to be available in the US, it's nowhere near as convenient to get their 'official' materials. On top of that, the wait times, along with delivery and customs fees could become a headache. I need to look at alternative material options closer to home.

With that being said, although it becomes a far more risky purchase, there are still plenty of opportunities to be made here, and I'm going to see if I can use it to target some higher-ticket items.

One thing that I've noticed is if you're looking to start a small side-hustle with engraving, there are a lot of people out there that are willing to make tiny profits (as with everything I guess) that you need to try and workaround. The cheap laser printers seem to be improving quickly and making the market harder than ever.

One potential move is targeting a niche local market. Lex, this reminded me of when you took your LEGO designs to the local fair/marketplace.

It feels like a great opportunity to hand out business cards to design real custom items to a different market than the saturated eBay type arena.

@Lex DeVille - One thing I have noticed on Glowforge's program, is that it states the following:
Maximum award during this time without prior Glowforge approval is $6,000.00 in credit.

I'm assuming that the cash price is significantly lower than the credit price, so I think there may be a chance that you're going to be approaching that kind of commission soon? I just wanted to give you a heads-up, in case it's maybe worth contacting them to see if they'd be willing to increase it based on the 'prior Glowforge approval' aspect.
 

Lex DeVille

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I absolutely love this thread, and I am hugely grateful that you shared it with us. Thank you!

I'm in Europe, and I'm extremely tempted to give this a shot, but there are several complications with this as a European purchaser.

However, I am seriously tempted to give it a shot for the affiliate aspect alone.

What are the complications?
- Delivery, which is the best part of $500.
- Customs fees. I'm in the UK, and it's looking like it'll be the best part of $1,000 to get customs clearance.

These admittedly wouldn't be a deal-breaker, it still works out worthwhile.

However, I'd be a bit more concerned about these:
- Potential issues with the machine. If anything was to go wrong, sending it back wouldn't be viable, as far as I'm aware I'd have to pay delivery both ways and customs clearance upon its return. (I'm not 100% on this aspect just yet.)

I've heard of a few owners stating that they had 'small issues' with their machine, but that they simply sent it back to Glowforge and they rectified it. This is unlikely to be an option unless they're willing to take a substantial hit, I guess.

- Purchasing Glowforge materials. Since these only seem to be available in the US, it's nowhere near as convenient to get their 'official' materials. On top of that, the wait times, along with delivery and customs fees could become a headache. I need to look at alternative material options closer to home.

With that being said, although it becomes a far more risky purchase, there are still plenty of opportunities to be made here, and I'm going to see if I can use it to target some higher-ticket items.

One thing that I've noticed is if you're looking to start a small side-hustle with engraving, there are a lot of people out there that are willing to make tiny profits (as with everything I guess) that you need to try and workaround. The cheap laser printers seem to be improving quickly and making the market harder than ever.

One potential move is targeting a niche local market. Lex, this reminded me of when you took your LEGO designs to the local fair/marketplace.

It feels like a great opportunity to hand out business cards to design real custom items to a different market than the saturated eBay type arena.

@Lex DeVille - One thing I have noticed on Glowforge's program, is that it states the following:
Maximum award during this time without prior Glowforge approval is $6,000.00 in credit.

I'm assuming that the cash price is significantly lower than the credit price, so I think there may be a chance that you're going to be approaching that kind of commission soon? I just wanted to give you a heads-up, in case it's maybe worth contacting them to see if they'd be willing to increase it based on the 'prior Glowforge approval' aspect.

Forget the commission. Don't buy a Glowforge unless you're ready to own it for personal use as a hobby tool, or you're prepared to find a market and create a product to sell to that market.

The affiliate offer should be an afterthought because if you aren't able to attract buyers, then you won't make affiliate sales and you'll be stuck with a $130 - $200/mo payment assuming you finance.

The reason I talked about the affiliate offer was to show that I spotted an opportunity, risked the investment, and it paid off. But I was prepared to make the laser pay for itself even without commissions. That affiliate sales were more luck than anything (luck that resulted from action).

Based on the concerns from your post, you may want to look at other lasers. There are cheaper lasers than Glowforge and they're more powerful too.

The important concerns in my opinion are:

- How creative are you?
- How good are you at spotting niche markets?
- How good are you at coming up with unique solutions to sell?
- How much time do you have to learn to design things using digital software?
- How much cash do you have to spend on materials for creating prototypes?
- How good are you at online marketing and sales?
- How much time are you willing to spend on problem-solving?

If you're weak in these areas it doesn't make this a deal-breaker, but you'll struggle.

Everyone and their brother has a laser. They're affordable now, so places like Etsy are flooded with people who do custom designs. But there are still niche opportunities.

Whether or not it is worth it will be decided by how far you're willing to go to make it happen.
 

Defection

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Forget the commission. Don't buy a Glowforge unless you're ready to own it for personal use as a hobby tool, or you're prepared to find a market and create a product to sell to that market.

The affiliate offer should be an afterthought because if you aren't able to attract buyers, then you won't make affiliate sales and you'll be stuck with a $130 - $200/mo payment assuming you finance.

The reason I talked about the affiliate offer was to show that I spotted an opportunity, risked the investment, and it paid off. But I was prepared to make the laser pay for itself even without commissions. That affiliate sales were more luck than anything (luck that resulted from action).

Based on the concerns from your post, you may want to look at other lasers. There are cheaper lasers than Glowforge and they're more powerful too.

The important concerns in my opinion are:

- How creative are you?
- How good are you at spotting niche markets?
- How good are you at coming up with unique solutions to sell?
- How much time do you have to learn to design things using digital software?
- How much cash do you have to spend on materials for creating prototypes?
- How good are you at online marketing and sales?
- How much time are you willing to spend on problem-solving?

If you're weak in these areas it doesn't make this a deal-breaker, but you'll struggle.

Everyone and their brother has a laser. They're affordable now, so places like Etsy are flooded with people who do custom designs. But there are still niche opportunities.

Whether or not it is worth it will be decided by how far you're willing to go to make it happen.

Fantastic reply @Lex DeVille, thank you.

I actually really fancied the challenge with regards to the affiliate commission, I planned to try the YouTube avenue with how-to, and comparison videos, and also to create an affiliate website with guides, etc.

I do completely agree with what you're saying though, and seeing the $6,000 limit did make me realize that it's probably not a great strategy for the long-term.

In all honesty, I'm keen to come up with my first 'real' business idea, as I've been action faking for too long and this seemed like a good answer, the reasoning being the following:
- I want to start with YouTube, I feel like this could be a good 'make a few videos and forget' option, similar to how you did, but with a different approach.
- I want to test the waters with web design/basics of SEO/affiliate marketing/passive side income. The site aspect ticked those boxes. I'm aware they don't tick the right boxes for CENTS, but I think they will be useful tools for the future.
- I also found your copywriting thread. I'm currently an article writer and I felt like this would be a great opportunity to combine the two to try and sell something with minimal risk.
- As you've said, if I can find a market, even if it's not the perfect answer, it should bring in enough to pay for itself.
- I've previously done graphic design and photography, and in all honesty, I find the engraving really genuinely fascinating. I think I would enjoy it regardless, but I would prefer to put the money into a business plan rather than a 'hobby.'

I have looked at some of the highly-regarded UK alternatives, and I think they would be better in terms of investment and repairs/support. However, I do really like the 'plug-and-play' style of the Glowforge, and also the camera, which the UK one wouldn't provide. It's more of an advanced 'Chinese laser' product with support in that regard.

The UK one and the Glowforge would offer a similar price, but the UK one would (probably) have better resale value when the time came. If I'm not chasing the affiliate aspect and can learn to use the 'advanced' tech, then I guess I would be able to consider a used one.

I think you're right, I need to try and think outside of the box and see if there are any more 'unique' opportunities rather than just falling into the trap of competing over a few $ of profit with the competition.

Thank you for your time and extremely useful response.
 
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Lex DeVille

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Fantastic reply @Lex DeVille, thank you.

I actually really fancied the challenge with regards to the affiliate commission, I planned to try the YouTube avenue with how-to, and comparison videos, and also to create an affiliate website with guides, etc.

I do completely agree with what you're saying though, and seeing the $6,000 limit did make me realize that it's probably not a great strategy for the long-term.

In all honesty, I'm keen to come up with my first 'real' business idea, as I've been action faking for too long and this seemed like a good answer, the reasoning being the following:
- I want to start with YouTube, I feel like this could be a good 'make a few videos and forget' option, similar to how you did, but with a different approach.
- I want to test the waters with web design/basics of SEO/affiliate marketing/passive side income. The site aspect ticked those boxes. I'm aware they don't tick the right boxes for CENTS, but I think they will be useful tools for the future.
- I also found your copywriting thread. I'm currently an article writer and I felt like this would be a great opportunity to combine the two to try and sell something with minimal risk.
- As you've said, if I can find a market, even if it's not the perfect answer, it should bring in enough to pay for itself.
- I've previously done graphic design and photography, and in all honesty, I find the engraving really genuinely fascinating. I think I would enjoy it regardless, but I would prefer to put the money into a business plan rather than a 'hobby.'

I have looked at some of the highly-regarded UK alternatives, and I think they would be better in terms of investment and repairs/support. However, I do really like the 'plug-and-play' style of the Glowforge, and also the camera, which the UK one wouldn't provide. It's more of an advanced 'Chinese laser' product with support in that regard.

The UK one and the Glowforge would offer a similar price, but the UK one would (probably) have better resale value when the time came. If I'm not chasing the affiliate aspect and can learn to use the 'advanced' tech, then I guess I would be able to consider a used one.

I think you're right, I need to try and think outside of the box and see if there are any more 'unique' opportunities rather than just falling into the trap of competing over a few $ of profit with the competition.

Thank you for your time and extremely useful response.

I don't know if they'll have an affiliate program, but this one was advertised to me the other day from Kickstarter.


bb9df0e3b835c07a3e1116c3037b89ef_original.jpg


It's a bit smaller, but also comes with a significantly lower price tag. It looks very slim overall which should make shipping a breeze. Plus this thing appears to engrave metal which is something Glowforge can't do.
 

Defection

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I don't know if they'll have an affiliate program, but this one was advertised to me the other day from Kickstarter.


bb9df0e3b835c07a3e1116c3037b89ef_original.jpg


It's a bit smaller, but also comes with a significantly lower price tag. It looks very slim overall which should make shipping a breeze. Plus this thing appears to engrave metal which is something Glowforge can't do.

Thanks Lex! That certainly looks interesting.

When you mention about the Glowforge not being able to engrave metal, is it only capable of etching? As I'd seen quite a few examples online about people customizing metal flasks, etc.

Perhaps this was just removing the outer layer rather than actually hitting/cutting into the metal?

Edit: Just to follow-up on the Cubiio 2 in case anyone else is considering one since it does seem a pretty amazing deal on the surface.

- The laser is only 5W (compared to the 40W of the Glowforge.)
- It only appears to be able to engrave metal in the same way that the Glowforge does, which is essentially removing an external outer layer.
- It appears to be VERY slow when it comes to doing anything other than really simple, basic tasks.
- There seems to be a lot of questions regarding software and actual PC compatibility.

Overall, it looks extremely handy and convenient for really small tasks, but it very much seems to be hobby-based.

I appreciate the heads-up though, it will certainly be a tempting proposition for a lot of people.
 
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I "inherited" a laser cutting business 2 years ago in Sheffield, UK. The business offerings are -
Import and sell machines from China
Maintain and repair all makes of laser machines
Make custom laser cut products

Suggestions
Find the client for the product first
Get a local cutting engraving service to make products before you buy an expensive machine
Ensure you can service the machine or have good support
One-off specials for artistic types can be time consuming and not profitable
Illuminated acrylic desktop and window signs are popular
 
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Defection

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I "inherited" a laser cutting business 2 years ago in Sheffield, UK. The business offerings are -
Import and sell machines from China
Maintain and repair all makes of laser machines
Make custom laser cut products

Suggestions
Find the client for the product first
Get a local cutting engraving service to make products before you buy an expensive machine
Ensure you can service the machine or have good support
One-off specials for artistic types can be time consuming and not profitable
Illuminated acrylic desktop and window signs are popular

Hey @jeffrost, this has been a very useful response. Thank you.

Out of curiosity, when you state "Maintain and repair all makes of laser machines," would this also include the Glowforge, by any chance?

The main thing putting me off the Glowforge at the moment, is even if it works perfectly and I have no issues, the tube is still going to need replacing in a couple of years or so. A convenient return and replace process for the US, and absolutely nothing convenient about doing it from Europe.

If you (or another company) were able to carry out that service, it could still be worthwhile, otherwise, it's pretty much the nail in the coffin for the idea for me, since I would essentially end up with a large, heavy brick at the end of it.
 

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Hi @Defection ,

Glowforge machines are best for home and hobby users with little technical background and appear to be very user friendly.

Industrial machines like ours make bigger products, are faster and usually easier to maintain and repair. For example changing the laser tube can be done by the user with care. More technical skill is needed to make the most of these engravers.

I can give general help but haven't used a Glowforge machine.

We aim to help people who have bought Chinese lasers from eBay and need local UK support.

The Facebook groups LaserEngravingAndCutting (US) and UK Laser Engraving and Cutting are very supportive.
 

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I just wanted to drop in and say that I'm taking action on this. German/EU market. Which makes things a little (but really just a little) more complicated. But I saw this thread and the idea machine started working.

My goal is actually just to create some side income, but then I realized: Oh man, you could do so much more with this. Within three days, I had 147 (!) product ideas and product niches & categories. Now on to the part that makes it more difficult:

- Import a Glowforge into the EU? Or one of those China things? HAHAHAHA. Have fun. First of all: I hate Chinese products. At least most of them. And just watch a few YouTube videos on those Chinese lasers. They are life-threatening hazards, that's no understatement. With my severe ADHD, certainly not a good idea. When it comes to lasers, the EU is pretty strict with its standards. Also, customs come very expensive.

- There is a German alternative, called Mister Beam II Dreamcut. 5W laser, but not CO2, so more comparable to 25W. Also comes with a price tag of 3500€ with the air filter unit (which is a MUST, I'm sorry).

- Financing really isn't that much of a problem. 0% over 12 or 24 months. Phew!


Now on to the part where it becomes more complicated:

- the products I'm thinking of which I think would be the most successful would actually demand a fiber laser (for engraving and cutting metal). BTW: You can "engrave" metal with a Glowforge, you just have to prepare it with Cermark.

- A Glowforge or comparable laser will be SLOOOOOOOOW. And I really mean SLOOOOOOOW. That's not a problem as long as you're producing on-demand. But it will become as soon as more orders come in than you can fulfill. But that would actually be a good thing, right? Well...

- Professional lasers come with a big price tag. I've talked to representatives at trotec and another German supplier. I'm still waiting for another call from Epilog. We're talking 12.000 to 60.000€, with a minimum of 11.000€ for a fibre laser which can only work on 19cmx19cm (which wouldn't be a problem with the metal sizes I want to work with, BUT...it would be kinda limiting when it came to a lot of other ideas). Therefore I'd go with Trotec for this, and their cheapest option is 22.000€.

- Now, that really isn't pocket money I have. BUT: You can lease the lasers over periods of ~5 years. As soon as the payments can be paid out of cashflow, not a problem. And they have a high value when being sold used.

- BUT I even found a way around this barrier. The FabLab in a city close to us. 1€ for every 10 minutes of laser time. Unsolvable problem: C0VlD-19 restriction forced it to close for the time being.

- Way to work around that: In the same city, there's a guy with a laser engraving business. I'm going to talk to him in the coming week about renting laser time during closed hours.
 
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LordGanon

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Just an update: I've been talking to the guy with the laser business. He offered to help with sourcing materials (which he, of course, being years in the business, has much more experience with) and to become my subcontractor when I told him about a few of my ideas. He has an industrial-strength CO2/fibre laser.

We'll be crunching numbers on Monday.

Boy, oh, boy. Seems like you can even start a laser business WITHOUT EVEN BUYING a laser.
 

Andy Black

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Boy, oh, boy. Seems like you can even start a laser business WITHOUT EVEN BUYING a laser.
As they say, it's often about being resourceful not having resources.
 

LordGanon

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Update:

I visited the guy with the laser engraving business today. Nice guy! Although his dog and I got off on the wrong foot and it nearly bit me in the face.

He explained a lot of things to me and showed me the CO2 and the fibre laser, the engraving process, and explained a lot of stuff about materials. What can be engraved and cut, and what not because of physical issues.

When it came to business: With the cost he offered me, I can go a looooong time with him instead of buying my own laser. Since he wants to expand, he offered me to take over the leasing of the fibre laser. Should (!) demand really be so high that this becomes viable for me, I'll go for it.

Laser business seems to be pretty good! He's only doing B2B so far, no own products. I know the leasing rates of the machines he has. And he has three children and still wants to expand after two years and open a brick&mortar store. There's definitely money to be made.

And now: Talk to possible ad models for my product idea. Going full bootstrap with this.

.edit: Talked to girlfriend of an acquaintance. She loves the idea and will even model for free. Wheeeh!
 
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BEN5zq

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I really want to get professional lasers especially Trotec (best), the total prices for new machine are out of whack, grrrrr!
 

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