Starting a laser business is FUN! But you could burn a hole right through this dream if you go into it blind. I’ve had a laser business since 2014, and I’m going to tell you everything you need to consider before starting your own laser business.

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Step 1 – Figure Out Your Intention

There are a bunch of reasons people buy a laser. A laser is not a budget crafting tool, it is quite an investment. Perhaps you just like fun gadgets. Perhaps you invested in something expensive to hold yourself to a financial responsibility as motivation. 

Either way, I highly suggest you ask yourself these questions at the start of your journey for a Laser Business.

1. What do you want to sell?

You might not have a definite idea, and that is ok. It IS important to have at least have a general idea, so you get the right kind of laser.  The technology has come a long way, but so has the competition and amount of ads out there trying to get you to buy their laser. 

For example, a name brand diode laser can do a lot of super fun things, but if you want to engrave and cut out 20 wood keychains, it’ll take hours and hours. I have a 40 watt co2 laser, and I can make 20 wood keychains in maybe a half hour or less. Do the research for the laser that would best benefit your products.

2. You’re just dinking around.

Maybe you don’t have a passion that is consuming you. Maybe you just like crafts and want to make some with a laser? That’s great! I am not going to tell you to not waste your time, because that is how I started. I started with no idea and just played around with ideas and materials, and that got me to where I am today. Little things can lead to big things. Don’t let anyone talk you out of it.

Step 2 – Where Will the Laser Go?

No matter which type of laser you end up going with, it needs a dedicated spot in your house. They aren’t easy to move around and you will soon find out that they are no fun when it’s time to align the dang thing.

Go through this checklist to find the perfect spot for a laser:

1. How will you vent the fumes? It will need to be near a window or vent to blow the fumes outside. Otherwise, you will need to look into the expense for an indoor filtration system. ($$$)
2. It will need an adequate and dedicated power source. If you have an outlet like the one in my kitchen that won’t let the coffee maker and microwave be on at the same time, you need to find a new place for it.  Losing power halfway through a job is not good.
3. I recommend a low traffic area. A place where large pets can knock into the table, or mess with the tubes for your air assist or water cooling system is not a good place.
4. I can’t stress enough – Lasers aren’t a power tool you can easily just get out when you need it. They need a nice, cozy, permanent space.

Step 3 – How Do You Plan on Selling Your Wares?

There are a million ways to sell handmade goods. The best and worst thing about researching this on Youtube is people can make something out to seem better, or even worse, than it is in real life. Trust your judgment and especially trust those who you are close to you that may have some insight.

In the meantime, think about these questions on where to sell your crafts, because a lot of them are an additional cost to consider.:

1. Do you want to sell on marketplaces online, such as eBay or Etsy, etc? Just know that these can have some costs upfront, though they are convenient because they come with ready-made store fronts and customer base.
2. Do you want to start with your own website? I didn’t have my own website for the first 2 years. I did, however, have a url for my business name, I just redirected it to my etsy shop. Making my own website is nice for a bunch of reasons, but it takes a lot of time to maintain and I have to send people there personally.
3. Do you plan to just sell to friends and family? That is a great place to start! You will be surprised with how much word of mouth marketing the people close to you will help you out with.
4. Do you want to sell at craft fairs and markets? Most of these do cost money. I have done craft shows that cost anywhere from $20 to $400 for a table.

Step 4 – Do You Really Have Time for This?

This is a question you really need to be honest with yourself about. Making things with a laser is not as simple as clicking a button, no matter what “Big-Laser” has to say about it. Let’s go over each step, so you can get your laser ducks in a row.

1. Will you be buying laser files or making your own? If you are making your own, consider how long that will take. Heck, even if you are buying files, shopping around will take some time, especially if you don’t know exactly what you want to make.
2. Projects can take a long time to be lasered. Remember what I was saying about diode lasers? A laser isn’t like roasting a rotisserie chicken. There is no set it and forget it! You can’t leave a running laser to go pick up your kids unless you want your house to burn down, or worse – your laser project ruined.
3. How long will it take for you to complete the final product? Maybe it’s ready right out of the laser, maybe it needs to be painted, dried, glued, dried, varnished, dried, you get where I’m going with this.
4. If you are selling online, when will you have time to take listing pictures, edit them, then come up with the title, keywords and description?
5. Maybe you’re not going to sell online right away, but there’s that craft show coming up! How long will it take you to make enough products to fill your booth?
6. If you like social media, then you are going to love all the time it takes to find your audience and constantly be making content that drives them to your product! (or not…)
7. Perhaps that is sounding like a lot, and it is, but remember, you also have to plan for the future. So if you think this season is winding down and you deserve a little break, just know that the next one is only a few months away, and you need to come up with all those products – yesterday.

Step 5 – Why?

People would say this is the 1st question you should ask yourself, but I disagree. For us wild crafters and free spirits of the world, dreaming of a fun new adventure occupies my mind rent free. All the time, I am thinking of “What if’s”, and that is the whole point of the 1st part of all this. If you can get this far down the rabbit hole of imagining a new business journey, then it’s time to ask yourself – Why? 

Why do you want to start a laser business? 

1. Is it because of a success story you saw online? If it sounds too good to be true, then good for them. But the people who don’t succeed usually don’t make a youtube video about it.
2. Have you been thinking of it for a long time? Do it. Do it now. Or, do it when you can. This IS quite an investment.
3. Is it just for funsies? Maybe you just want to make a bit more money or enough money to fund your crafting hobby. That is fine. Not everything needs to be a money making empire. “Hustle Culture” can be toxic so it is best to avoid it if it’s not your flavor.
4. Don’t play it like the lottery. If you are in dire financial woes and think this is the missing piece to your monetary future – stop. Go step by step. I have started tons of businesses with the hopes that this one is the one, and they failed. I’m not saying don’t do it, but don’t go into a wild debt for something you haven’t done yet. If there is a laser at your library, try that first. Or find a maker-space and get a membership to see if any laser product you make can sell.

My laser business journey was slow initially because I didn’t start with much money. But as things sold here and there I slowly gained momentum, and here I am! However, I can honestly say that out of the hundreds of items I have made over the years, only a few of them really made me any money.

I have meticulously analyzed why these products just wouldn’t sell, which is why I made this post.

Happy crafting!