What got you into laser engraving and more

[Junior hall]

What got you into laser engraving .

How did you start your business, and where did you start it at.

[Dan Hintz]

I was paying $60/piece for an acrylic piece that sold for $90 and I could cut it myself for <$5... the decision kind of made itself.

[Mike Troncalli]

It was an easy jump for us.. We made custom gift items from wood. (cutting boards, knife blocks, etc.) things like that... We had enough requests for customizing on them and after paying someone else for engraving work for a couple of years looked at the numbers and realized it was time... Best investment so far.. As a matter of fact the entire business model had been changed to work around the laser... I think last year the laser itself counted for about 45% of the business.

[gary l roberts]

I was using a CNC to do the work. Saw a laser do it at a sign show... no clamps. so splinters, fast and much more detailed. No brainer.

[Joe Pelonio]

I had a sign business, and had been getting more requests for engraved items, which I was subbing out to a rotary engraver colleague. Then one of my customers who got a lot of laser work told me that he was unhappy with the quality and service and based on his purchase record if I bought one it would pay for itself in 6 months just from his orders. As it turned out, that was not the case, it was paid off even sooner but no thanks to him, I started to pick up other big customers quickly but his orders were only half of what he had told me.

[Bert Kemp]

For me it just looked like a cool thing to try, something to keep me busy in retirement. Made a huge mistake in my first laser purchase tho, but learned enough from it to know I wanted to continue doing it. Its mostly a hobby for me because its fun and making money with it is not a major concern altho I do try to sell a few things just to buy my materials for the stuff I give away. I've now found a niche market that if I pushed it a little I'd be working full time trying to keep up with the demand. I don't push at all but people keep asking for more. I don't want a full time job I'm retired I worked 41 years full time I wanna play now

[Don Corbeil]

A couple of years ago I saw some amazingly intricate paper cut artwork that just completely captured my imagination. I thought "this can't be done with an exacto, how the heck did they do it?!". Did some further research, thereby discovering the wonders of a laser on a variety of materials. I've always enjoyed creative work that is detail oriented, so I kind of got into it halfway as a creative (retirement) hobby, and halfway as a potential small niche business. There usually isn't a day gone by that I don't have some harebrained idea for applying the laser one way or another

[Tim Bateson]

Reader's Digest version:

For me personally, I have been through 4 downsizings. I wanted something I can count on. I'm working hard to retire from my day-job in another 3 years, then make this my full-time occupation.

Why laser engraving - A friend and I had discussed start-ups. After kicking a lot of them around we settled on Laser Engraving. We each bought a laser & each now have our own thriving businesses.

[Junior hall]

wow very much interesting all types of reasons

I seen it done before and was amazed at what it can do and the detailed it has done. Ive been to flea markets with wood mirror drinking glasses and got nothing from it but some amazing people but no one bought nothing as i done things on the spot for people if interested but like said no one was interested. This is why i asked the question. I am waiting on Wal Mart to call me any time to let me know the rent price to rent a small section up front by the hearing aid place and sunglasses and the woods forest bank

I am a professional dog trainer and since the economy went down hill i lost every thing and now it seems every Tom and Harry are dog trainers now I still get one or 2 every now and then but no one has the money for basic obedience training which i charge 600 bucks for to keep the dog until finished. Every one else is 1100 bucks and they too are not getting any dogs to train Law enforcement are not buying dogs neither

Thanks for the replys very interesting how all got started thanks

[Robert Tepper]

I opened my engraving business 38 years ago in my apartment using a pantograph. I worked grave yard shift at McDonnell Douglas. I would go home, sleep for a few hours and then go knock on doors. One day I walked into Northrop/Grumman and walked out with a $150,000 two year contract to supply them with engraved nameplates, signs and rubber stamps. I did this during the day and worked graveyard for 6 months. I got laid off, bought a Dahlgren engraving machine, rented a small store, it grew and grew. One day my photopolymer machine for making rubber stamps caught on fire. I was farming my stamps out to another company to the tune of $800 a month. Buying the laser was much less expensive than $800 a month. Bought a Trotec, have had it three years and it is paid for, ready for a second one. Opened up business opportunities that I never knew existed.

Robert

[Mike Lysov]

Lost my job 6 years ago as a web developer and decided that I would never want to work as an employee for anybody. Started looking for what I could do and I think it was some video on youtube with laser cutting that I was impressed with. Since then my business has grown 4 times in terms of turnover. I do not do engraving, just laser cutting of MDF/timber and acrylic.

[Bruce Volden]

I wanted something more interesting to put into and on some music/jewelry boxes I made at the time. No body in my area had one so I bought one from LMI in Sommerset WI in 1995. I never advertised I had one but word got out and I ended up with 3 machines over the course of 3 years to keep up with demands from customers wanting their own things engraved or inlaid. I kept no inventory at the time. I am now burned out and do very little engraving and am down to 1 machine.

Bruce

[Patrick Smithwick]

A little over a year ago I had to have a couple firearms engraved and had to travel a good distance for somebody to laser engrave them. After seeing what he did and talking to him a bit I thought "I can Do that!" I mentioned it briefly to my wife who thought of it as another one of my hair brained ideas. After a month or so of research I showed her again my thoughts and she got excited about it. After moving a few things around financially we bought a laser and started the long journey of learning how to use it and market what we are doing. Now ten months later we are quite busy part time as i do have a "real job" as well! We just bought a fiber laser a month ago so that has opened up a whole new world as well. WE also do sublimation and vinyl cutting as well so are business seems to be well rounded. Every day we are blessed with the business that rolls in!

[Kev Williams]

The short version- I needed a laser to help keep up with the work. Had so many metal jobs for the tool machines I couldn't find time to engrave plastics. Got the machine, and once I found out--or more importantly, my CUSTOMERS- found out about lasering anodized aluminum, and Cermark for stainless, wasn't too long before we needed a second machine. Got our third machine, the Triumph, pretty much as a cheap test. It's paid for itself probably 4x over by now...

I'm now seriously looking into getting a fiber laser. But it WILL have to be a used machine if I do...

[Junior hall]

Holly cow Ive been at the flea market set up for 3 weeks and no one is interested in nothing as i got drinking glass wood mirrors even blue jean denim and still nothing People stop and look and that's it Heck my drinking glasses i selling for 5 bucks a mirror is 10 bucks ( 12x12 ) inch wood same thing No one is interested in nothing as i got 5 books with over 2000 different designs pictures The books are the vector art collection. i DO EVERY THING on the spot and no one is interested in nothing What am i doing wrong