I Tried Starting a Sidewalk 3D Printing Business
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 พ.ค. 2024
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#DIY #business #3dprinting - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
Best advice I can give: LABEL THE PRICES! It's so infuriating when a seller doesn't label the prices. It makes me think you are giving different prices and I'm more likely to keep walking than asking.
Street vending is tough. People have their guard up. I bet you would absolutely CRUSH a farmers market setting. Great video, label me inspired.
I agree, it is tough. From what I can tell this dude did everything right (friendly, answered questions, and showed the process) and still only sold 2 in 4 hours :(
Really cool of him to release the designs also
I think sales in general is tough. You can put a very great salesman behind that desk and he would have sold them all. I agree though a farmers market in Manhattan Beach Metlox, these would sell like hot cakes. I hate plants but these are actually kind of cool. I'd buy one if it was $10-12. $15 may put me past my limit.
@@ryanholcombe8785yea he might have done the things you listed right, but he didn’t do everything right. Everything he did was basic, most important though his pot designs were basic. He could’ve been more organized he could’ve had the plants stacked up on like a stair way thing if that makes sense (like a row on the bottom and then the row behind it stands above that and so on), or shelves, and he could’ve had some unique showcase ones in front. If he chose more unique and creative designs I think he would’ve sold a lot more, and if he had a ton more variety not just 3 types.
he's friendly and looks non-threatening / approachable. those are the pluses. the negatives is that his sales skills are very poor. from the copy on the signs to leading customers into buying, he doesn't do that well at all. just improving those variables could get 5-10x the result. when you're talking with a potential client you're talking with purpose, and leading them into the final goal (sale).
My thoughts exactly. I'm getting my printers ready as we speak!
When picking a locale to sell plants, you have to consider, is your foot traffic prepared to handle the problem of "how do I get this home without destroying it". Farmer's market would be a better fit. Great vid.
It a small succulent, how could you consider destroying it by accident? Carry it and dont load anything over it, simple.
2 pieces of advice for shows. 1) Have clear pricing on everything. It is human nature to just keep moving when the offer is not clear. 2) Stand as much as you can. People engage more when the seller is standing and doing something.
WRONG: Prices are binding and easy to pick up for the competitors. Make a "Get a Quote" bell instead. AND NEVER STAND! It is intimidating for potential customers.
@@swedishpsychopath8795 everytime im on a website and i see a "get a quote" i click off, seems scummy that theyre obviously hiding the price
@@swedishpsychopath8795 Okay both of you have good reasoning, please provide study articles that prove which one of you is the way to go. Thank you :)
Just put a sign saying starting at $15, so they get a base price but still got to ask. Me as a not very social person not going to see any price and move on because I've been taught if you have to ask, then it cost to much.
@@swedishpsychopath8795 As if your competitor will never figure out your price because you don't list them? I doubt it. Definitely he should make his prices clear and open here imo. No price comes across like a pressure sales trap.
Not displaying the price for pots was a bummer, people saw 3D printer and all that fancy tech.
They might've thought it'll be super expensive, that's why many people just walked off by looking.
I'm a vendor here in L.A.... (Hollywood) simple... you need more tables. A longer set up will allow more people to browse and shop.
Also, keep in mind... the weather is a factor to a good day and a slow day. The time of year matters, too. Some months are just slow anyways.
Lastly, price point with large signage is important, too. If you lowered prices... had 3 tables with one price group on each table ... it will be simple to see & understand for the casual passersby.
Also, at least in Germany: At the beginning of the month the salary is paid out and people have more "money in the pocket" than towards month end (Nothing left to spend). So setting up towards the beginning of the month, more likely more people are willing to spend money.
@MorleyKert As a mechanical engineer with a heap of CAD experience across basically all 3D CAD packages used in industry, here's a friendly tip for doing the 3D CAD pot design much faster:
Create a bunch of planes 15-20mm apart, create a polygon shape (icon looks like a hexagon but you can specify the number of sides), exit sketch, go to next plane and repeat but start rotating the polygon shape 5 degrees per plane.
Once you've done this on the first plane and then on all the offset ones, use the Loft tool to loft between all the sketches on the planes. Once the loft creates a solid body, use the shell tool to hollow out the body of the pot. In the shell tool, you can define a face override - this is great for selecting the bottom face on the outside of the model and setting its thickness to twice that of the side walls.
There's the pot in 1/3 to 1/4 the time.
To adjust the twist, simply edit the sketches and adjust the rotation of the sketches, then click "Generate to Last" (or whatever your software calls it (sometimes "regenerate")) and its updated.
Exactly!
Next tip is to make the rotation, number of sides and distance between planes into variables that you can tweak. Then you can change the variables and test many variation of your planters in seconds!
ONE OF THE BESY MESSAGES I HAVE EVER READ - WELL DONE
Hi Matthew you probably dont have time for this but, if you could please make a video on how to do this please, Im more of a visualize learner, with words I cannot understand. Thank you
@@zero00tolerance Hi, I've put together a basic video doing everything slowly so its easy to follow (hence its approx 10 minutes long).
Please disregard how bad the plant pot in this video is, I wasn't aiming for appearance or quality, I was aiming to demonstrate the process I described making point of how the loft tool can handle bulges smoothly as well as rotation.
Once you're confident with the process it should take a few minutes only from start to finish.
Lastly, I apologise for the video only being 720p - I put this video together whilst my computer was using the bulk of its CPU and GPU for a multiphysics job.
The video is unlisted so you'll need the following link:
th-cam.com/video/txTYTc4k65c/w-d-xo.html
Enjoy!
@@matthewnirenberg Wow thank you so much for this, I appreciate your time and effort for making this video. Amazing once again much love.
I think it's great that you have the succulents planted already, but sometimes what draws people to buying is the experience. You did have education with the printer being there with it actively working, but if you had a "Build a Plant" with steps and options for people to purchase, I think you would have a better chance of getting people to buy. It's all about the experience for a customer. And yes, street vending, farmers' market, art/crafts shows...they all are long, tedious and arduous! I do agree with some that a farmers market venue would work better for you. People already know what to expect and are prepared for it. Great video! Keep it up!!!
I think that the printing time should be less than 15 minutes to be viable
Disagree. When I go to McDonald's, I do not want the experience of making a hamburger for myself and paying for it.
@@jackgamble6120 I think it depends on where you shop and the expectations for it. For example, McDonalds, you go there and expect them to make food for you. However, if you go to a place where you cook your own food like Korean bbq or a hot pot restaurant, then you wouldn't be that disappointed since you expected it.
@@natperXDyou could also have some already potted up for people that just want a plant
@@zellafae "Build A Plant" table next to "Premade" table: Why not both?
I'd also give them a way to easily carry the pot around since they likely will be walking an hour or more with it. Small box and a bag or a drink holder. Might help.
That would be an added expense.
These are my absolute favorite videos to watch, thank you for making them! I think its such an interesting study on the economics of 3d printing, and I would love to see more of this type of content. Love from Arizona
Hi Morley, I was never a street vendor, what I did was a booth at craft shows where we sold items we made to raise money for "care packages" for deployed military working dogs. We, my friend and partner, did better when we were standing rather than sitting behind our tables. I think people are more likely to stop if they think you are busy (I'm not sure why that is). I hope you are enjoying your travels. Oh, and yes it is hard work to set up and be there all day, and then tear it all down. We had pop-up covers too. Lots of work for sure.
Fascinating!
As an introvert, at least ONE reason why I'd stop by when someone is busy is so I can poke and browse without immediately getting hooked into a conversation. The best thing a vendor can do is make themselves known to be available, but leave me alone until I approach them in conversation, even if I'm right there. It's an odd little unspoken song and dance that both parties need to get right to make a successful conversion.
@@infered5365Thanks for the reply. I am an introvert as well so the booth was difficult at first. When my friend became ill, I had to take it on myself. But mainly I want to say how I admire your woodworking skills. Turning pallets into furniture is magical.
@@infered5365 "leave me along until I engage in conversation" - this is called anti-social behavior not introversion lol.
@@chrishayes5755Being an introvert means being social costs energy. Therefore sometimes it just is not worth it.
Congrats on the Elegoo sponsorship man :)
I'm surprised you didn't sell more. I would have bought one!
Hey Morley, awesome video - fair play for posting the results.
As a long time watcher it would be great to see more of the woodwork projects back on the channel! I think these videos were also your most watched
as a flea market & art show vendor, I have found you set up one with the packaging...plants are hard to carry, so If they "see" you thought about that, they will get one. And similarly, you set one up to look like a perfect quick gift with a cute bag and blank gift card. Also buy 2 and get a discount kind of thing.
You had a great idea. Especially taking along the working 3D printer. Thanks for the detailed tutorial. Totally enjoying your journey.
Man I was so hooked on your woodworking videos because of your creativity. I'm still a beginner in woodworking so I'm focusing on that but I still rewatch your old videos because I learn a lot on what I should and don't do. More power to you and your wife. Keep grinding and good luck on your journey!
This was soo cool and interesting to watch. I personally have taken part in multiple craft shows selling different hand made items and can totally relate to your experience! I love it so much when you upload. I am hoping to start a TH-cam channel soon and have taken a lot of inspiration from you!
As a plant lover I wouldn't necessarily spend $15 on a plant just because it has a nice pot. The pot would need to be something that I really want. I have seen 3D printing create some pretty functional stuff. And having the 3D printer there makes it for a great conversation piece. Since you're there at a social event you could try selling things like 3D printed toys. My kids love those things and don't cost much to make. Kids always ask "can you buy me that"
13:08 thats the ballin dude, phycadelic! OML
Haha yeah, I recognized him as well! Good spot
@@rosserobertolli same on you!
fr i spotted him too and went down in the comments to see if anyone else did lol 🤣🤣
I commented before I saw this comment lol@@Sv3ks
@@Sv3ks same
Love the concept of this and seeing you out on the streets!
I think the eye popping way to do a business like this would be printing on site or even on demand (huge library of fun planter designs) with a tiny bonkers fast printer. Small succulent pots could be 5-10 min prints no problem, and watching it would be part of the attraction.
Any pot of a decent size would be impossible to print in 5 minutes on a small printer. You would need a very large printer to print something that fast.
By large , the extruder , the cooling , hotend would have to be very high end
@@Techno4more Up to 2g/min is doable with very basic hotend and CHT. The hard part is not flow but motion system capable of utilizing that. An upgraded V0, the 100, upgraded mini bedslinger, or mini delta or quantum delta would be candidates.
@@daliasprints9798 the flow is always the limiting factor. The motion system doesn't have to be fast at all.. I guess it depends on what nozzle size you want. For a larger planter you could do .4 layer height .7 layer width on a .6 nozzle. The limiting factor would be plastic extrusion
@@Techno4more If you want it to look good and have any kind of detailed pattern or texture, you need extreme acceleration get through these quick. A 5 minute benchy, which is comparable plastic mass to what you'd need for a smallest-size succulent pot you see in stores, takes nearly 100k mm/s² acceleration to pull off, but under 40 mm³/s of flow. Flow is only dominant for large and/or super simple prints.
What an absolute legend, goes and does this as an experiment- then provides the files afterwards for others to try! New subscriber for you mate!
Tip for beginner 3D printing enthusiast. ALWAYS remember the print time, because after people say ohh and ahh that will be their first question. "How long did that take?"
That was a very interesting experiment, thanks for doing it and uploading it. I've got a few succulents that need repotting so I'm going to build one of your designs. Thank you and good luck with everything you do.
Love the spirit behind this channel
Awesome video my man, love the elegoo Neptune platform 👍
Great video the pots look really great. Thanks for sharing
Thank you for this. I really learned a lot about actual 3D printing. I was so skeptical before and didn't understand anything about 3D printing.
How have I not found this guy on TH-cam before?! As a 3D printer hobbyist, I love your content man!
You have a good energy and mindset!
Thank you so much for your generosity, I'm 79 just bought a Bambu X1 Carbon, and learning Fusion 360, don't think I will ever get to your level, Thanks Again!
Loved your video and learned from your experience. Thanks for sharing.
Love that magician for sharing a tip with you. That is kindness. Great video.
What a great ad idea. Kudos
Another banger Morley love the attitude and the hair!!
Maybe you could design the pot with a water reservoir that would slowly self-water the plant? That'd be cool and useful 😊
Having a professional stand with branding and clear pricing is major key. Ive been selling handmade products at markets for a while. I see much future success in this!!
Great job!!dont give up!!
Interesting, because we are super used to 3d printers, but the general public still don't know much about it. I worked as a Street Vendor for a time, when I was younger, it has good things but there's a lot of annoying ones, for example, when start to rain, or crazy people that lives in the streets comes and starts to annoy you, you have to keep an eye in everything you placed in the street because of thieves, etc...
I always love these videos
This channel is so nuts for me. I watch van life and also 3D printing and the algorithm took years to feed me this awesome channel.
💯💯
I'm new to 3d printing and wondered what to do next. I'm inspired bro!
Loved your videos ❤❤
Hi! First time viewer. What an interesting experiment! I have no idea why TH-cam suggested I watch this. Maybe because I've been trying to start a side hustle myself lately, who knows, the algorithm is a mystery to everyone. But anyway I really enjoyed it! I'm surprised you made so few sells, but your attitude towards it all was amazing. That positive attitude is infectious in the best possible way. Thank you for creating this. I enjoyed it. Makes me want a 3D printer.
Love my elegoo Neptune 4
Thanks for the free downloads! Im totaly gonne check it out as research to make my own type.
I love plants and often have ofshoots that I like to give away.
I was not a fan of your draining hole tough. I get the why, but I would HATE water stains on my things.
as a plant lover and someonewho loves succulents and have intrest on 3d printing
I can say this video is beautiful what a cool idea
Cool ideas doesn't always translate into money makers!
Great video. Thanks for sharing. I like your super positive mindset. Many people in your place would have been very disappointed and sad after such a day.
I'm impressed by the quality of the 3D printer you used. it seems there's really no need to spend 1000+ dollars for a decent 3D printer.
Imho you should ask a small fee (say 2 USD) for all 3D printing plans together.
This was delicious. Awesome segment!!
I wasn't a street vendor, but I would table at art markets. I can't imagine how much harder it is to do it out on a street. You had a wow and engagement factor with the 3D printer, that's good. It draws people in, which can be hard to do with just the products you have. You had a great attitude and interacted with the customers really well! I struggle with that 😅 I think maybe the booth itself could have been nicer, but you did it all in a short amount of time. It looked as good as it it could have. I think you did a pretty good job! Better than i ever did at the markets 😂 it really is hard to be a vendor. There are so many factors that could make or break the day(s)!
This was interesting, thank you. I want to do craft shows (seem less hectic than street vendors) but even then still scared to, the only advice I can give is from others I know who do, and that is to not sit lower (or at all if possible). Higher-up chairs bring you to the eye line and are more engaging. So I am told. But I always love when you bring the machine out in public.
I can't use F360 but watching I still learned. I tried it in Blender, and while only pseudo-parametric, I was able to create something similar in about 4 minutes.
I gotta show this one to my business class as well….
:-)
Brilliant 🙂 True entrepreneur. Source your plants for less and pass the savings on to the buyer. Also, provide a little shopping bag - costs you nothing. (A branded one would be even better). Great video!
And people are after food, that's y food makes money .
But I love plants. You did a great Job! And your so positive!!
U should put a flat like sign part with the Santa Monica writed and maybe something cute to be sold like a souvenir for tourist, maybe it would sell more for people just visiting and wanting a cute gift or souvenir, only the plant 🪴 is one thing but a cute plant in a cute 3D printed vase and with Santa Monica writed is another level, keep it coming 🤛🏻
the lemonade stand has leveled up
Welcome to Venice. Glad to have you here.
It was so fun.
LOL I get the SAME questions all the time at Train Shows when I bring my Voron. I make stuff for Model Railroading, buildings, rolling stock ect.
I was really rooting for you to sell all or at least most of them. I am not much of an indoor plant guy (okay, I have none), but I did like the design of the vases.
Whenever I get potted plants, I leave them in the little plastic pots, and put the whole thing in the decorative pots. Then the water drains from the inside pot (which usually has little "feet") so I don't have to worry about drainage, and I also don't need a plate or similar under the pot. Long story short, I avoid decorative pots with drainage holes. Do with this information what you will.
Also, love the video, all the videos, both of you, and your lovely pets.
Conversely my wife is big into house plants and will only buy pots with bottom drain holes.
@@Natefirethemagnetsit's easier to add a hole than to remove one 😊
Great story. Super interesting! Mahalo for sharing! : )
Spraying them with some like metal spray paint would look cool. Like that spray paint that’s used for mailboxes or patio furniture. The stuff that looks metal but also has texture.
Excellent review. May need to have an ice cream truck alongside to pull in more people. The idea is they have to wait but at the same time sum up what else is being sold.
Your ending talk was interesting. Because I find myself sorely disappointed (occasionally) that I'm not longer fascinated by my 3D Printers -- they're just "tools" now. Awesome tools, yeah, but just tools.
I'm sure that most makers can relate to me in that first few days or weeks of 3D printing, being totally fascinated by the whole thing, and checking every 10 minutes to see what this "magic machine" was doing (and also thinking "man, this is slow... worst faster!!!")
Now, I check every couple hours to make sure nothing is going disastrously wrong, but a lot of the magic is gone. I miss the early days of fascination, because it really is insanely cool technology.
Elegoo is everywhere even 3d printing crazy
😮build working place before door to have natural light for video mind blowing 🤯
This type of video is best
Natural light is the best!
Your just the nicest person ever
16:00 I have given classes in using/building and maintaining 3D printers and the energy i got back from that was just mind blowing. I think you forget just how few people are out there that can oversee every aspect of 3D printing and do design to printing to product. My products are focused on industrial solutions and I didn't realize i was doing something special until i was offered 5K for a retrofit of a few defunct servo's.
Fun video Morley!
Love your content man, pleasure to meet you near Sedona!
You too!! Enjoy your travels
I’m so impressed with the wealth of vending advice in the comments! 🙌🏾👏🏾👍🏾😂
I lived up Venice blvd in an apartment up the road from where you were. You didn't get your shit stolen and that's a win unto itself! XD
You should make more pop up 3D printed repair videos. Those were always really interesting.
The upside of that printer compared to a p1s or carbon is that people can actually see what's happening. I guess that's the one downside to a fully enclosed printer! Thanks for sharing your experience Morley :)
Fun video idea, try a new product maybe... I don't think I would want to carry around a plant while walking around at the beach.
But I really love that 2 tone sign idea. Could have used that a few days ago
I have the Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro and it's a great printer. Possibly my favorite part is they didn't rip off Klipper to make their own proprietary version. Open source Klipper is awesome.
I use FreeCAD and it's probably not good for pottery CAD, or at least I'm not good with those features because I use CAD for structural parts. I've used OpenSCAD to make complex geometrical arty parts with swirled polygons lofted into 3D. It probably seems weird to most people to write code to generate 3D objects but the process is interesting and fun. Do one step at the time and watch it develop in the 3D space. Draw a polygon. Do it in a loop to stack polygons. Add a rotation each time for a lofted twist. Add other modifiers on each loop to modify the diameter. Adding a sine function can add some complex visual detail with very little effort. It's amazing how quickly the design becomes visually complex.
Funny you mention the pier. I've only been to LA twice. The only time I bought something from a street vender was on a Santa Monica Pier.
Great project. Great video.
You mentioned the social phenomenon of interested people drawing in other interested people, and that's actually a valid sales-technique, where one of your friends plays the 'interested customer' and starts asking questions when he sees other people approach. ;)
I am looking for a way to make extra money and thought this was a great idea. Then got to the end of your video and having second thoughts. I do think it's so cool you had your 3D printer out there with you making a pot so they could see. Maybe I will just make some 3d things and bring them with me doing the same thing. I will look up what's selling and see what happens. Great video bud, I also am a TH-camr but very small. This is a good idea for my channel as well. Thanks again. :)
Man love the video Morley such a fun experiment, also taco lady is a savage showing you up by selling your gift to her 😅
Haha she knew what was up.
I feel like a clear plastic box to keep them in so people can just throw what they buy in their back pack. My first thought is I'd buy one at the end of the day so I don't have to carry it around or be gentle with it all day. Great idea tho. Definitely inspired me haha
Good job and you're spot on about where to sell; I've had the same issues/problems, bein gin a location that's not "Art minded." Potential buyers have to be in your space with the thought of going there to see/buy art-not vegetables, surfboards or food-they need to be looking for art-or else, they're brain sometimes doesn't even see you/your art. Street vending art is a tough gig...I'm still trying to figure it out....
Focus!! If you were at a plant sale, you would have nailed it. Sadly, too many people looking for too many things in a street.
Hello Morley, nice to see you doing great, love your experiments! Just an idea, perhaps you can give people the design data -- your name card with QR code to stl files -- that way if they ever get a printer or have a printer at home and want more pots they can just print them.
You lost me a 3 inches. 🤣 Imperial! Kidding. I know some that sell 3Dprinted keychains and people actually buy them because it's not hard to carry around unlike a plant.
Worth the insights in the comments on first-person sales.
At around 7:49 , I had to go back and really listen 😂I thought he said "bull shit" 😂😂
I came for the premisse, but I stayed because of the quick Fusion360 tutorial. Good job dude!
What a video, it was a great idea to see set up and breakdown of how to do something like this. Just a thought, you have some business cards on the side that people can pick up so they can order later, that would increase your ongoing profits... one of the issues with street vending is portability (who wants to carry a plant pot into a nice restaurant/café or while shopping). Otherwise maybe make a nice simple basket to carry it in so its easier and eye catching. Just a thought :-)
Holy wow, that is cheap for a beautiful handmade planter AND a plant?? Wish I was in that area!
Pricing perfect. I sell jewelry and have an Etsy shop and you said exactly what price I’d start out off the top of my head! Btw I’m a newby 3D printer!
After years of streets and flea markets, people respond to an offer. Having something interesting going on like the printer will attract people interested in finding out more. Putting up prices will bring in buyers. Put up prices and you'll have customers coming up with cash in hand already having decided what they want to buy.
If you want to entertain then make your stand entertaining, if you want to sell then put out an offer with big, clear prices.
You could print some small gifts to hand out.
Or sell more diverse products. Like some miniatures or toys alongside the plants.
Plot twist: This was advertisement, and he's still selling these pots/plants online.
Nice video, well done.
Thank you for getting me into 3D printing. its awesome!
Wow this was a amazing video. I think you might like going to a plant nursery craft show.
Also one thing to consider. If I'm out and about on the boardwalk, I don't want to pick anything up that I would have to carry a certain way. I would buy things that I can keep in my pocket or throw in a backpack.
Very cool concept and very unique. You should post prices so people don't have top ask. Seems like the Elegoo printers are doing well with the Neptune series.
What a fun video this is