What to do if you’re dreaming of a laser business?

If you’ve been inundated by ads for Glowforge and xTool – it may have you thinking about starting a laser based business. What do you need to do to actually start a business? Can you make money from a laser based business? In this guide, I’m going to walk you through the 5 things you should do first when dreaming of starting a laser business. 

First – Determine what you want to make

This can really get people stuck – narrowing down what you really want to make. But it is critical to choosing the right laser for your needs. If you decide you want to make earrings and small trinkets – you don’t need a laser with a 51″ bed. But if you want to make giant name signs out of 1/4″ plywood, a diode laser isn’t going to cut it.

So, how do you narrow down all those ideas to the ones to get you started? You don’t have to choose your “forever” right away, but you do need a starting point.

Second – Choose your laser

Many people will choose their laser solely based on price – maybe starting with a diode because they want to make some money first and then upgrade. I don’t think this is the best way to choose a laser.

After choosing what you think you want to make, you are much better positioned to think about the right laser for the job. Price should come into play once you’ve narrowed down the type of laser you need.

There are 4 main types of lasers you will be choosing from:

• Diode
• CO2 (gantry or galvo)
• Fiber
• UV

Each of these laser types are great at specific things.

Third – Think about your branding

Fourth – Design your first products

Fifth – Decide where you want to start selling