Thanks @tim I’m hoping so too!! fingers crossed
Thank you @Xabbess my thoughts exactly…only where I live it’s 25000 to 30,000 then during summer…who knows where those numbers are…lol
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The creative aspect of me has laid dormant for ages. Making some cash wouldn’t hurt my feelings, but for me, a new and inspiring avenue of creative expression will give me more satisfaction than any amount of money.
I feel fortunate that I am under no pressure to generate an income from my expenditure for a change.
I identify with @likeablejerk regarding making a lot of the same items for sale - BTDT - even though the Laser would make that easier than ever.
As I explore the machine’s abilities and merge with that tool, I see commissions as the most likely and most satisfying possibility for generating any money from this journey.
You guys have already built a fantastic machine that has given me inspiration I haven’t felt in decades, and that is something money can’t buy… with the exception the $2000 did give me a ticket to ride! 
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Specifically, are you thinking side business or full-time?
A side business, but I wouldn’t mind if it turned full-time. I am lucky enough to be in circumstances that allow for either to work for me.
Are you thinking of selling items made with your Glowforge or renting time on it (or both)?
Both. Why not offer time rental? If it were too time intensive or complicated, I would eliminate renting.
Is this supporting an existing business or would you be starting a new one?
This would be a new business.
Are you aiming for meaningful income, a side-income, or just a few bucks here and there?
Anything would be nice. Again, I happen to not require it to be meaningful, but I would love it if it did take off.
How will you market your business?
In person at conferences and such as well as electronically through a website, social media, e-mail, etc.
Are there any features that we could build that might make your life easier?
Something that could help calculate an estimate for my costs for a job. (Actual laser time cost) + (Cost of Proofgrade™ Materials or manual entry of cost) + (catalog design cost estimate or manual entry of this value) + (other stuff that I can’t think of fast enough to include)
Also, the job logs that have been mentioned previously for renting the laser would be extremely helpful for renting time.
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Glowforge’s Highest and Best Use ($ wise…)
This has been a question in my mind for awhile: What is the highest and best use of the Glowforge from a simple $/hr perspective. I know many people are buying the GF for artistic or creative reasons, but from a purely economic/business point of view, I want to map out the most profitable use of the Glowforge.
To that end, I have created a dead simple Google Sheet that anyone can edit. You can enter the product or service in the A column and the profit for that activity in the B column. I’m trying to isolate the Glowforge’s value, so try to only include the value that the Glowforge is adding for the righthand column. i.e. Don’t include material costs, etc. If you make 100 widgets in an hour, and the Glowforge adds $1.00 of value per unit, put $100/hr.
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Enter as many items as you like
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Try to be as specific as you can without giving away something you don’t want to - Engraving iPhones vs. Engraving electronics vs. Engraving
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Remember, this is just about utilizing a capital asset (read filthy lucre…) so please enter what you realistically expect to charge/make for that use of the Glowforge.
Thanks!
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I think it would be great to be able to make enough profit from items I make in the Glowforge to at least pay for the machine, but realistically I know that’s unlikely. Mostly because I’m retired and not interested in working really hard anymore. Any items I do make to sell would probably be related to my other interests: card making and stamping (rubber and polymer stamps of my own design, laser cut greeting cards); beading and jewelry making (jewelry boxes, laser cut wood and/or acrylic jewelry, laser cut etch mask on silver) and stained glass (laser assisted scoring, lamps and frames). We do currently have an Etsy shop so it wouldn’t be difficult to add items to it as a test. And for pricing purposes, a system of tracking time on the laser (as mentioned by others) would be useful. Also some way of assigning time value to any parts (such as the tube) that are expected to need periodic replacement.
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I purchased the GF for personal projects but may do some selling if the opportunity presents itself.
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Hopefully, I will make some money with my Glowforge! For the past 25+ years, I’ve been a self employed bead and leather artisan. At some points along the way it’s been a part time gig, at other times (like the last decade or so) it’s been my full time job. I make an odd mix of wearable art jewelry, accessories and costume pieces, and up till now I’ve done all of my leather cutting by hand.
Several years ago I was in a car accident that did some major damage to my right shoulder - which really put a damper on my productivity. For the most part, I’ve learned to work around it, but I can definitely feel the strain after a busy Halloween and/or Christmas season! Hopefully the Glowforge will support my existing business by increasing production, taking a lot of the strain off my shoulder, and enabling me to try out some new/larger scale designs. In addition to my handmade work, I have a second website where I sell vintage/antique beads and jewelry supplies. While I don’t expect the laser to help with those products, I do think it will enable me to create some cool packaging and fun shwag to include with orders.
Marketing is not my strong suit, but over the years I’ve managed to establish two websites and Etsy shops, repeat/regular customers and a couple of social media accounts that I fumble to update with some regularity. Maybe the laser will free up a bit more time for me to beef up my marketing skills.
As to features, I’m really excited about the trace feature. I’ve created many MANY of patterns over the years, and the idea of scanning and editing them all is daunting. Simple as it is, that trace feature has the potential to save me a whole lot of time and frustration! I’m a laser-newb, so I value anything that will help to ease my learning curve and get me up to speed quickly.
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Me too!
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Besides making all sort of laser stuff for fun I will be making cash on the side by doing custom work locally.
Also I want to work with my sister to put her art work onto various materials. She only just worked up the courage to try selling stuff for people to hang or color, but I think they would look amazing lasered onto wood and such. http://www.lizzielunaart.com/ if anyone was curious.
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Very talented, she should have no problem selling her art.
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Having seen your work so far I’m sure you will have great success at this approach.
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I’m loving Etsy, not many sales from people finding me there but a great place to send people.
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Not for profit at the moment. Definitely making things to sell but for a church gift shop. Mainly as a marketing tool doing small items as mementos. Like wooden nickels or key chains. Patron saint stuff. You know how hard it is to find a statue of Saint Cunigunda?
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Yeah, I have used an Etsy shop to sell custom wooden mirrors when the buyer contacted me through my website. I thought using Etsy was beneficial to both me and the buyer.
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My goal is for the GF to break even. I have a pretty solid background in Dfma and 3d modeling. So I think I will enjoy getting involved with the GF catalog. Trying to design products that look good, and also assemble easily at home with little to no tools will be a fun challenge.
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Well lets see, I enjoy making signs and a whole slew of other things and every time I make something I end up making more items for friends. So I think I will make & sell some items to help pay for my habit. I just made a black walnut ring with copper inlay & I hope I will be able to engrave the inlay channel in the ring. Attached is a picture of the ring.
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Answer: I really hope so.
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I’m actually shinning an MOU with my local library to showcase new technology in our little and e very rural state. They take care to the up keep and forge I just paid for it 
I do hope they arrive by the new year because I’d really like to make some stuff for my wedding.
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I am a do woodworking as a hobby and had been doing wood carvings on small boxes like this.
When our little Yorkie died of renal failure, I had planned to make a small box with an engraving of her to keep her ashes for my wife. While looking around to find someone to do the engraving, I stumbled across ads for the Glowforge and that is what hooked me. After seeing all of the things that I can do I am very anxious to try numerous projects.
This is Buttons who we lost.
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