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Surprise! A 7th Email! Since this subject isn’t exactly “intro to 3D printing” material, I decided to send it out as a “bonus” email for anyone who might be interested. The Final Email: How to Start a 3D Printing Business Obviously, I can’t teach you everything about starting a business in a single email (partially because I don’t know everything about it) but I’m going to cover the basics, and provide you with a path to continue this journey for those who are interested! Step One: Find Something to Sell The first step in starting a 3D printing business is finding something to sell. Some online CAD files include a “commercial” license giving you permission to print and sell them yourself. However, online marketplaces like Etsy are cracking down on people selling designs that aren’t their own, they actually don’t even allow it on the platform anymore. Etsy is where I got my start, and while it’s not the only way to start a 3D printing business, it’s the fastest way to get your products in front of consumers without spending excessive money and time. As a result, I don’t recommend starting a 3D printing business today without having your own designs. You could always open a Shopify store with a free commercial license, but then you’d need to find a way to get your product in front of customers. Maybe start a Youtube chanel. Why 3D Printing Is So Scalable One of my favorite things about 3D printing is how easily scalable it is. A single printer that costs $250 and takes up approximately 1 square foot of space can make HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS A DAY in parts depending on what you’re selling. Get too many orders for your current scale? Buy a couple more printers and a few days later you’ve tripled your production capacity. That’s pretty hard to beat if you ask me! How to Price Your Products One of the harder parts for me personally was deciding how much to charge for my products. Pricing is mainly a function of two things, material cost and time. Bambu makes both of these incredibly easy to find when slicing a print, showing both estimated filament cost as well as time to print! But, one thing people often forget to consider is the cost of their own time. Processing, packaging, and shipping all take additional time, and they need to be considered when pricing your products! I aim for roughly a 40% profit margin on the products I sell. I can’t tell you how much to value your own time, that’s something you’ll have to figure out for yourself, but once you’ve figured that out it shouldn’t be too hard to set a price for your store. If Your Product Feels Too Expensive… If you calculate what to charge and you think it’s too expensive, you need to figure out ways to lower the cost by either making the product faster to print/process/package, or by reducing the amount of material it uses. Depending on the specific use of your product, decreasing the material might not be an option (many of my products are printed at 40%+ infill to ensure the strength necessary to do their job). Try orienting the print in different ways to improve strength without increasing the infill, or changing the design to minimize supports and post-print processing. A Full Course On Starting And Scaling a 3D Printing Business Now, I know this only touches the surface of starting a 3D printing business, but I’m not going to leave you here with no path forward. My friend and fellow YouTuber Travis at Shop Nation recently released a full paid course to teach you how to start your own print farm. He started with an Etsy store as well, but he’s now got a print farm of 70 printers generating 7 figures of income. The Print Farm Academy: https://www.printfarmacademy.com/a/2148037306/Nh82suWD In addition to over 7 hours of video content covering all aspects of building a successful, sustainable, and profitable 3D printing business you will receive:
Now That’s Actually Everything You’ve officially completed the 3D printing mini-course! You should be incredibly proud of yourself for taking the initiative to start a new hobby, and potentially even a new side hustle or business! There’s a ton of great resources out there to continue your journey, and if you find any great resources out there that I didn’t mention, please consider sharing them with me so I can add them to this course! The 3D printing community is all about lifting each other up, so please do your best to do the same! One last thing before I go, here’s all of my affiliate links to the products mentioned in these emails (and a few more) all in one place. I did my best to link each product as I mentioned them, but it can’t hurt to put them all in one place too. //PRINTERS// Bambu H2D - https://tidd.ly/4hAgX0c Bambu P1S - https://tidd.ly/48QCmQJ Bambu P2S - https://tidd.ly/4qygMa0 Bambu X1C - https://tidd.ly/43Ia3QQ Bambu A1 - https://tidd.ly/4hATrQJ //ACCESSORIES// AMS 2 Pro - https://tidd.ly/4qB5pOo (for P1S users) Upgraded Hardened Steel Hotend - https://tidd.ly/4nuawNO (for P1S users) Upgraded Hardened Steel Extruder Gear - https://tidd.ly/47rW7vy Textured PEI Bed - https://tidd.ly/43rOe8n Smooth PEI Bed - https://tidd.ly/4nuaJ3y Electric Cost Meter - https://amzn.to/4eSE5oQ Filament Dryer - https://amzn.to/3Ya9nQQ Heat Set Press - https://amzn.to/4fh0coI Dremel - https://amzn.to/430Fg1C Budget Calipers - https://amzn.to/3AdyFpb Better Calipers - https://amzn.to/4hGlnmC Rechargeable Duster - https://amzn.to/3JCWFXt //FILAMENT// PLA Basic - https://tidd.ly/48VZHR6 PLA Matte - https://tidd.ly/4qFuurQ PLA Silk+ - https://tidd.ly/4hAj04o PETG - https://tidd.ly/4ojNsTd PETG-CF - https://tidd.ly/4ozvxbn PETG Translucent - https://tidd.ly/3X1pW15 ABS-GF - https://tidd.ly/3L9BH32 ASA - https://tidd.ly/4oIKE1z PA6-GF - https://tidd.ly/4oi5QMcn TPU - https://tidd.ly/3LBZxV2 TPU for AMS - https://tidd.ly/47KMZDz Multicolor - https://tinyurl.com/6s4v3a7n Metallic - https://tinyurl.com/49n35zck Nebula - https://tinyurl.com/4xcjvc2n Fusion360 for Makers Course - https://iliketomakestuff.podia.com/ //FREE FILES FOR WOODWORKERS// Dewalt Battery Holder - https://tinyurl.com/mrurzj9t Makita Battery Holder - https://tinyurl.com/7vxmd4yu Milwaukee Battery Holder - https://bit.ly/40f9ayi Festool Battery Holder - https://bit.ly/3Yesut7 Ryobi 18v Holders - https://tinyurl.com/3jb9d8hm Table Saw Miter Bars - https://tinyurl.com/bdzdzuxh Surf Prep 3x4 - https://tinyurl.com/5chu36fz Festool - https://bit.ly/4hhwwJF Clamp Rack - https://tinyurl.com/3txrthpa Clamp Stop Block - https://bit.ly/4dU7bCJ 707 Hose Adapters - https://bit.ly/3AbM8xI Flat Hose Tunnel - https://tinyurl.com/y8r2bd78 2.5" to 4" Adapter - https://bit.ly/3BTfxgT Set Up Blocks - https://tinyurl.com/3kf5k79h Chisel Sheath - https://bit.ly/48hB92w Chisel Holder - https://tinyurl.com/mvn6jrce Chisel Plane - https://tinyurl.com/mr26t9ey Epoxy/Paint Mixer - https://tinyurl.com/wd4f3r42 Starbond Glue Holder - https://tinyurl.com/5ajd5tbw JessEm Router Lift Inserts - https://bit.ly/4fcw1yQ Self Centering Drill Guide - https://tinyurl.com/9f5p8yht Drywall Anchor - https://tinyurl.com/4uvr3nxn Stackable Battery Holders - https://tinyurl.com/bzvc5hax Bandsaw Inserts - https://tinyurl.com/5rwkrbsr SawStop Drawer - https://bit.ly/3Yi8fdV Jig & Fixture Handle - https://tinyurl.com/bdeu8yb9 F-Style Clamp Stand - https://bit.ly/3Ajkkrd Milwaukee Square Holder - https://tinyurl.com/42f4pfrh Reduced Size Dominos - https://tinyurl.com/43ben5b6 Glue Bottle Tips - https://tinyurl.com/5fzpbrpt Micro Systainer Bit Case - https://tinyurl.com/5e8fxv2r Festool - https://www.printables.com/@Festool Matchfit Fixtures & Knobs - https://tinyurl.com/5ej43b3s Ratchet Strap Winder - https://tinyurl.com/3u26zpef Gridfinity - https://www.printables.com/@m3dmkr/collections/2022182 Keep printing, keep learning, and remember—every great 3D printing business started with a single part. I can’t wait to see what you create! I hope you've found these emails helpful, and I hope 3D printing changes your life as much as it has changed mine. Last thing: We created a PDF with all these emails in one place, so if you're interested you can download it here. |
