Many people want to find a sustainable way to raise some extra cash on top of their salaried jobs or their main businesses. Although many doubt its viability, a laser engraver has the potential to supplement your income or even be your primary business.
You can use a laser engraver to make money in different ways. In the modern world of marketing and branding, laser engraving has become one of the most in-demand branding techniques, as it serves many purposes.
One of the primary reasons the laser engraving business has grown in popularity is its low starting cost.
There is a large market for laser-branded materials. Even if you cannot manage the initial buying cost of the laser-engraving machine, you can work as a branding broker or agent and still make a decent amount of money.
Therefore, do you want to know how to make money with a laser engraver? This article provides a detailed breakdown of a few ways to make money with a laser engraver.
Just How Profitable is Laser Engraving Business?
Working with a laser engraver can make you a lot of money. However, you must be ready and willing to pay the cost by working hard and going through the due process. Like other investments, you must research your target market before pumping money into the laser engraving business. Find out your target market needs, and devise a strategy to connect with the market.
Lucky for you, you will find several reasons why you should invest in this industry. First, laser engravers are not as expensive as they once were. Thanks to the rapid advancement in technology, you can now buy a high-powered engraving laser machine for a lot less than many people expect.
You will need to be ready to invest in marketing. You may also require a well-designed website to push your products to the market and invest in equipment.
Many people only think of trophies and gift items as the only laser engraving products. These can make you decent money. However, if you need to make real money with your laser engraver machine, thinking big profit is the way to go. You can serve your gift and trophy clients as you rise to the corporate world, where the money dwells.
Different Ways of Making Money with a Laser Engraver
Laser engravers offer diverse ways of making money. It is a high-in-demand business that does not require a lot of money to start. For instance, you can create a website and write laser engraving content. You can also make decent money working as a branding broker.
The market is massive. You only need to pick one of the following laser engraver business ideas.
Sell Laser Engraved Products Online
One of the most lucrative laser engraver business ideas involves selling laser-engraved crafts online. The best thing about this idea is that you do not have to create your website. You can list your laser-engraved crafts on eCommerce platforms like Amazon or eBay. These websites can help you kick-start your business to a point where you can afford to create your business website.
Create a Laser-Related Content and Become an Affiliate Marketer
There is so much more to this idea than just creating blog posts and TikTok videos. You can make a lot of money uploading videos of your laser-engraving projects to YouTube, social media, and other content-sharing platforms. You can also create your blog and share articles related to laser engraving. If this sounds expensive, several websites like Medium and LinkedIn allow content creators to open free accounts and write reports.
Laser-engraved products are fascinating, and people love them. If you are creative and can transfer your creative ideas into your products, your channels and platform will become a crowd magnet. If you can hook the platform visitors with your ingenuity, you can quickly convert them into buyers.
If you become a trusted voice in the field of laser engraving, you can become an affiliate marketer for companies dealing with laser engravers and related services. In addition, you can monetize your channels and platforms and get paid by Google and YouTube ads.
Sell Custom Laser-Engraved Products Locally and Online
You will need a physical location to sell custom laser products locally. You can also use local online platforms to sell your products in the local market. Custom laser items include tumblers, wine glasses, water bottles, and office flasks.
People can order their custom products online or in-store. Add after-sale services like free packaging and delivery to spice up your custom engraved products business. Free consultation and design can also go a long way in making the orders flow.
Create Laser-Cut Designs and Sell Them Online
If you understand how laser engravers work, you can create laser-cut graphics and sell them online. This involves designing vectors of laser-ready files and uploading them on platforms such as Etsy and Creative Market. You can also sell laser-cut vectors in Freepik or on your business website.
To make money with this idea, you must have graphics design skills. You must also have a perfect understanding of how the laser engraver machine works. You can create laser-cut files using Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw. Be sure to create unique and original vectors not already available online.
Laser-cut designs span a wide range, including gift items for building balcony grills. By choosing this idea, you tap into a massive market of hobbyists and DIY artists who want to try different ideas daily.
Choosing the Best Laser Engraver Machine
Making money with a laser engraver machine does not necessarily mean you must buy the machine. You can purchase and engrave the products at a local shop. However, if you want to have control over your business, it is better to be the one offering these services. This means you must buy the machine and secure a physical base of operation.
Consider the following before purchasing a laser engraver machine.
- The price – consider a machine that does not drain your bank account. The machines should also be cheap to run.
- Software compatibility – avoid any machine that is too picky for software and other applications.
- The materials and items you will be engraving – although a universal engraver is the better choice, knowing the materials you will be engraving is a determining factor when buying an engraving machine.
- The machine’s size is mostly relative to the size of your premises. If you have ample space, and enough money, buying an eight-by-four-feet engraver machine is the best choice.
- Consider the computers you have. If you already have computers in place, consider the compatibility of the engraving machine with your computers. Some machines may reject Apple products, while others require wireless connections.
The cheapest engraving machine could cost around $200. However, this is not the right machine to start a commercial engraving operation. Purchase a machine with an easy learning curve if you are a beginner in the engraving business.
How to Charge Laser-Engraving Services
Knowing how to charge for your services is essential if you offer engraving services. This is primarily for those who decide to buy the machine and wait for clients who come with their own materials for engraving.
The best and easiest way to charge is on a per-letter basis. If the design you are engraving is small, you can charge per design. You can also set the time required to complete an engraving process. For instance, you can ask for $1 or $2 per engraving minute. Always aim to make between 30 percent and 50 percent in profits.
It is also easy to have standardized prices if you are not providing the materials. For smaller projects, you can charge per paper size – for example, per A2, A3, A4, etc. For large orders, you can charge per board of eight-by-four feet. You can charge per entire board, half, or quarter board.
Conclusion
Every business has its rich area. You can make real money for engraving machines if you bring a few corporates under your sleeve. You can also make a decent income selling products that can be used as gift items. For instance, engraved mason jars, glasses, pedants, and other gift items could generate much money.
There is good money in selling finished laser engraved items. Whether they are custom-engraved or ready-made for purchase, you can build a reliable stream of income selling laser-engraved products.