Your 3d printer business will PROBABLY fail if you let customers send you work.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 พ.ค. 2024
- You might be trying to figure out how to offer a service or product with your new found 3d printing skills. I have built several businesses and I can tell you that a business that revolves around subjective components is often DOA. Instead focus on concepts that are repeatable, scaleable and something you can train someone to do.
No comments? Oh, I have one. This video hurts because it's so true. Hagglers, morons and people who don't respect other people's work and time are killer of business. They make you want to drive your head into the wall and stop doing anything!
Yes, scaling is very important. If we are working in automation (3d printing, cnc, etc) our brains already are in the scaling mode: use robot to do routine work, save time and invest it into innovations and marketing. I totally agree with that. When you say that custom creative work is horrible all around, it's a bit radical. Graphic design and such requires different mindset, it's all about picking high profit clients and marketing yourself. When scaling via automation offers us to be competitive on price, custom creative work must be based on selling your time at the highest price possible. Ford business model vs custom sport car business model. Both are profitable but must be approached very differently. Do you have ideas for scalable businesses that actually work? Greetings from Yura in Russia.
This hits home for me. Just What I needed to hear. I just finished 3d printing an order from a customer you just described. I heard the same arguments. I prefer throwing it away that delivering it. The money I'll make from this will just cover the filament used. What hurts the most, is that I had to deal with the exact same types of customers as a computer technician and I though it might be different this time.....
Thank you for the comment. It really does take time to find out how to find clients if you're going to do custom work. Learning human behavior and habits of people help make the job more digestible. Picky, undecisive, annoying, whinny I can go on people are actually the majority of the consumers. Most work a mediocre life and will get by. The problem is when they want to deal with someone like yourself and want to nickle and dime and annoy because they think buying at wal-mart is the same as buying from you. You can raise prices and push away many turds, this will result in less calls, but also less turds. In my opinion to really MAKE MONEY you need to create or print something people want that is repeatable and that can be very rewarding. It can also be applied outside of prints, for example Pizza. Or lets say your building custom dog houses. Once you get a receipe and know where to find the right clients it becomes rinse and repeat. Remember this feeling of this shi**y customer and make a pivot now. If you throw it away and refund use that anger to fuel your next change. These people are everywhere learning how to navigate them is where the $$$$ is at.
One other tip, sometimes its easier to pretend to be an employee and NOT the owner. When someone wants a deal you say, "well the boss isnt here and he never gives a discount" it WORKS! Goodluck!
BTW its just like being a computer technician. Anything technical turns into this.
I agree 100% I do alot of custom 3d printing work out of my facebook page. I have banned so many fools from my page with in minutes of talking to them. You have to go with your gut. Its just not worth it. The other thing is I never show completed customs or work or even 80% of the stuff I do. Not worth it. As soon as you have a decent idea there is always some one out there to copy it. Instead I have a solid group of clients that know my work and thankfully keep me busy enough to make a living.