How I Make Money Laser Cutting: A Beginner's Overview

Product Designs and my Laser Cutter Documentation:

Hey everyone! Hope you're all doing ok in these challenging times.
In this video I talk about my experience making money and running a small side business using a laser cutter.

Instagram:

[radek]

This video is GOLD. Real advice no BS.

[rulisa]

I just started a small laser cutting and engraving business in Rwanda and you sir have just made my job A LOT easier! I am incredibly grateful for the information you have shared here. I have also watched the DIY machine series and I can't wait to get started on a similar project soon too. Rock on, dude!

[Dartheomus]

Thank you for including some real examples in there with actual numbers! Over the years, I've had a lot of "fun ideas" that I talked myself out of after going through the number exercise. You did some of the leg work for me, so I appreciate that! Fantastic video!

[michaelsauer]

Classy guy giving legit advice. A Youtube gem.

[TheChronicMadnass]

What an incredibly insightful and well-delivered 15 minutes of wisdom. I dont think ever seen such a transparent and all-encompassing overview of this kind. Thanks very much dude, just the ticket when deliberating whether to invest in a cutter. :)

[kimeasonchristian]

Years ago, my dad bought his first laser engraving machine. Somewhere during the process, someone handed him a mini book on how to make money with his laser (from one of the companies selling the machines). He got it in his head he could make a full-time income with the laser and after about a year was disappointed when he had not even done enough to cover his monthly payments. I wish this video had been around then. I tried to explain these concepts to him, but it took a while. I partnered with him and helped him turn his laser from a hobby to a business. Primarily, selling products on Amazon. Of course, our “non-essential” items on Amazon are not moving now, but we do really well in normal years. Etsy is a good marketplace for both products and services. My sister and I teach selling on Etsy, and one thing I would caution anyone getting started on Etsy is that the high competition means you need to get creative on your listings. Think of hyper targeted ways to promote your products, not just laser engraving/cutting services. As mentioned in the video, it’s a good idea to have a wide selection of examples...just make sure you have run your costs and time to make it profitable for you. That killed us in the beginning (my dad pretty much charged $5 a project, but it would take him 2 hours to complete- because he was going off the $1 per laser minute but didn’t account for any other expense). Well done!

[jaydesignsstuff]

Thanks for this. No BS, this is so applicable to anything someone can make. This was presented so clearly how to proceed with an idea for any creative endeavor, not just laser cutting. Really appreciate the content.

[etchmfg]

Fantastic video. I've been running a laser cutting based business for about 7 months and was doing it part time for a couple years before that - - everything you are saying is bang-on. Thank you!

[pizzaklak]

So, I own a laser for a while. Launched a product and continued down that rabbit hole :) . I have been browsing the interent for hundreds of hours. Just finding things that would speak for itself or Now everything I have learned the hard way the last few years is all in your video. Very well done, great video. definitely a must watch for laser cutter businesses.

[AhmadChaidir]

Hi Rob. I build laser cutting business here in Indonesia since 2016, without owning a machine (its super expensive). Basically i just act as intermediate between the machine owner who doesn't know how to get a client and the client who didn't know what queries to search for in google. That's the reason i jump into SEO. Now i mostly in page one for many related laser cutting keyword. Which converted into 250 leads every months. Lately im considering to owning my own machine, and i'm gratefull your video pops on my feed. And supprisingly you have a really good content, and its all make sense after you explain your background. It has really good structure, and communicate everything clearly. I start to watch all your video, and probably gonna ask more about the building process. Great content!

[DrLamalama]

"I'm gonna break this topic down into two different approaches"
*Slide shows "Approach 2" and "Approach 2"* :D
Great video. Thanks :D

[michaeltyborski]

Thank you for showing real pricing concerns. Craft people tend to ignore many things, such as production time, laser tube wear, and air filter replacement. Your presentation helps everyone stay profitable. Know your design and production costs, have fun, and serve the customer with a quality product or service. Your channel will get us there!

[smogelh]

Great video ! I’m a professional musician in the
Los Angeles area, and currently starting up a woodworking business to help me get through COVID 19. Your video is full of practical info and explained clearly. Thanks for taking the time to produce this.

[JeffJaJackson]

Dang. Why didn't this video exist 5 years ago when I had to learn all these things the hard way. Great video!!

[ggjflyguy]

thanks, this was the best video about making money in laser cutting far better than most ive watched. Im really considering adding a laser cutter to my already existing business, again thanks for such a great video.

[blieufour]

Excellently verbalized. Clear, concise and to the point! Well done.

[ragcell]

OK, this is GREAT advice, especially for beginners. A couple things I would add are first find a niche, if you can. For example, I officiate sports, so I can make unique things officials use. Because I am an official, I know what I am doing and know the needs of officials. From that “initial” step, people start seeing what I can do and this is how my business expands. EXPERIMENT, DO NOT keep doing things the same damn way. Make mistakes; you will be amazed at what you can learn from this which will allow you laser using a new / modified technique with insights learned from an unplanned “mistake.” You will do things you never thought possible, but for the lesson you learned from a mistake. I have been doing lasering for 15 years, and I continually update my technique, my laser settings, use new / different raw materials to laser, look for better ways to do stuff, etc. Likely a first beginner perception is that you are going to make a million bucks your first year; you would be lucky to make 1-2 percent of that. One way to minimize one’s costs is to get raw materials from a business that sells to other business; do not buy raw materials from a consumer outlet. Most businesses will have special arrangements for other businesses. We are a sure volume user and they reward that. For example, I have a relationship with a large fabric store, so I get a 20% discount on everything I buy. I do not buy my acrylic from Home Depot or other big box store; I purchase all my plastic from large businesses who sell to people like me. Look for free advertising. Make a nice gift for the person who cuts your hair; they will display at their business place and other customers will like what they see and ask “who made that?” Give free samples of something to a social busy-body; their word of mouth advertising is very powerful. Make a sincere effort to know your graphics software and how make cool designs. The video shows a design in Photoshop. You cannot (as far as I know) use a bitmap program for anything other than engraving. If you are going to cut stuff with a laser engrave (about 90% of the stuff I do), you need to know the difference between a vector and raster image. If there is a way to cut an object from Photoshop, I do not know how to do this. By far, the most common, useful, and easy to use software is CorelDraw. A laser engraver is, truly, a laser printer. You can “print” anything to it — because it is just another device: a printer. Often, to test a connection, owners print a simple text file to see if it is transmitted to the laser. You do not _have_ to print it, but you could: it would print, i.e., laser, as a raster image. You MUST have the attitude expressed in the video: if you make a mistake, redo it. Do quality work and only sell quality work. Third rate lasering will be a death knell to your business. Also, know what you can and should not be lasering, such as PVC, and other materials. Learn the lasering properties of your materials. Again, I am continually doing / using / experiment with mechanics differently every few months or so. If something is organic, there is an excellent chance you can laser it. Formica / laminate is mostly made from paper. I am one of the few people who figured this out and make a lot of stuff with Formica — and ya cannot use a more durable product than laminate. And, it is a really inexpensive “raw” material.

Finally, Rob has a nice beard and nice slim body, but he talks funny…

[rafaelvc]

I just acquired a small 3d printer that included a laser engraver. That raised my curiosity on the laser engraving/cutting. I watched your whole serie on the development of the diy laser engraver/cutter, and I learned a lot. Eventhough I may not build my own, now I have a good idea of what is involved and the possibilities for it. I also loved your explanations and how good you organized the messages. Awesome content!

I lived in Puerto Rico. I'm in the other side of the world, but also an island with the same issues of the shipping. Therefore I feel your pain and I was identified with your mindset.

[davidclarke]

As a marketing person I appreciate your approach on this subject. (NEVER compete on price, hone your craft and always be telling people what you do)

[nisuj]

This could literally be applied to almost any sort of etsy business. Great vid!