Hi there. Happy cinco! Not the best question - as it's not technical - more of one for a beer in hand chat rather than here - but I thought I'd toss this out there...
More of a lurker than a poster for the most part - but because of shared knowledge here and elsewhere online, I've been operating a laser out of my garage as a side gig for the past year or so. Thanks to you folks, I've been happily cutting and engraving all manner of things, but my laser stuff has taken an unexpected turn - and I'm at a loss for what to do.
I'm more of a maker. I really enjoy small micro-controllers (arduino, raspberry pi etc...) and making parts that enable me to build toys and gizmos to teach my daughter things. The laser works great for that, and on the side - we do stuff for her school, and oddball things for the kids in the neighborhood - it's mostly for play. I have done a few things for other folks - after seeing a neighbors gun collection I developed a couple of custom gun accessories, and apparently I stumbled on a little niche product - but this wasn't a focus - simply something that bought more materials, and kept a few beers in the fridge.
Well - the gun accessories thing went better than anticipated - and I had a friend who would take them to gun shows and sell them. Each unit had my contact info on it, and that lead to more calls and sales - and I know there's a business there, as folks still track me down. I did try going to the gun shows with the intent to maybe one day set up a stall and sell - but it's just not me - my time is full, and my weekends are precious. I've got a full time job - one involving extensive travel - and I love my free time for my family - so this just isn't a fit for me now. That said - my phone still rings with folks calling to buy something my heart's just not into turning out one after another. I enjoy more the thrill of the design process, sharing that with my daughter, and creating something new vs. simple mass production.
Anyway - If I was at a different stage of life - if I was retired or unemployed - or not my current skewed work / home life balance - I'd chase this thing down, as I think there's a business there, as despite my efforts at neglecting it - customers manage to find me. So I'm at a crossroads, and not sure what to do. I'm not looking to leave my career - I love what I do for work - but there's this growing side gig that part of me feels bad when I ignore an opportunity to make a few bucks and despite my continued neglect - folks still call looking to buy.
So that's the guts of it. You guys are smart. ...and I'm sure some of you have faced this type of thing before. What do you suggest? What did you do?
Thanks for your time and your input.