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Thread: I'm a woodworker and college student - considering a laser

  1. #16
    Thanks, Gary. I can see how lowering the price on an already "not expensive" product can diminish the value a lot.

    Jit, that's truly amazing that once you made the decision to price as a luxury brand ( with luxury quality products) that people truly started to see you as such. I think it's easy for us to forget that people are WILLING and even WANT to spend good money on a product/service if it's worth it to them. People (rich or poor) want a quality product, and if you can provide that and your prices are reasonable, no doubt people will choose you and feel good about there choice. We all take pride in being able to purchase a quality product/service!

  2. #17
    Jameson,

    I am also a niche producer who markets only to high end customers, making limited edition mah jong sets and doing restoration work on vintage sets. Who would guess that this could be a lucrative market? But it is, and I can work as much or as little as I want, I can make much more than I ever did with a 9-5 job. To sum up what a couple of others have already said, my advice is to remember the laser is only a tool, and that you must have an excellent product plus expert knowledge of what you are doing. Look for your customers in sites for collectors or aficionados of a specific area - you should share a love of whatever it is. Lurk, find out what they want or wish they could have, design something they cannot live without even though they don't know it yet. Become a guru.

    Jit's work is outstanding in a field of professionals, his work blows away all others. You will only be successful in a niche market if you can do this.

    Your niche market may be individuals, corporate, clubs, industrial or whatever, but in my opinion, it pays to specialize in something. Trying to be everything to everyone will spread you too thin and keep you in a lower price market, especially if you try to make personalized trinkets your main focus.

    That's my personal perspective, add it to the many others you see here, they are all equally valid.

    Good luck, dee
    Epilog Mini 18/25w & 35w, Mac and Vaio, Corel x3, typical art toys, airbrush... I'm a Laserhead, my husband is a Neanderthal - go figure

    Red Coin Mah Jong

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Tennessee
    Posts
    145
    Y'all are talking about the business deal here but I just wanted to make sure you thought about where you're gonna put the laser machine. You mentioned that your living with family members and a laser machine has some needs that might need to be considered. I recently worked where they had a Trotec with an exhaust filter. Pretty good deal compared to my Chinese setup!
    Hobby Laser - 1800 X 1300 dual tube Shenhui (100 and 80W)

  4. #19
    Dee, thanks. It's so tempting to want to do everything and not trust that focus will work - for some reason that's our natural way of thinking?! I made a list of probably 30-40 different items that I could eventually make - not that having a shop that sells many different things won't work, but it certainly seems that it makes much more sense to have a focus. Very good piece of advice that I needed to hear. There are a few things that really interest me that I think will help me decide where to start.

  5. #20
    Hey Jameson! Since you already sell your pieces on Etsy, you might consider joining one the local groups, like Etsy Dallas or the Fort Worth equivalent. They do a lot for the local promotion of makers, like you and your wife.

    I have a studio/shop/showroom near the Bishop Arts District in Dallas, if you ever get that way. I would be happy to give you the nickel tour. Feel free to reach out via PM or one of the social media channels.

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