✨ Laser Out of This World:
⇢ Aliencell 40w Laser
(Codes: LASERLADY $100 OFF ; Add-ons: LASERLADYACC 5% OFF)

✨ Supplies:
⇢ Large Wood Veneer MDF Sheets
⇢ Wood Stain (Non-Toxic)
⇢ Rust-Oleum Clear Coat Spray

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If you are trying to start a laser business, you are likely wondering, “What is more profitable – making a whole lot of something or making one big expensive thing?”

We’re going to get into the cost and work needed to batch build repetitive wall hangings as well as custom business logo signs and see which one makes the most money in the long run.

Let’s dive in!

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This post is sponsored by Aliencell. AKA, a giant UFO disguised as a 40w diode laser destined to take over your workshop. 🛸

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We’ll be making the custom sign first, but I wanted to introduce you to the supplies I’ll be using today.

So, I have this Aliencell 40w beast of a laser. I even had to craft an entire new work area in my extremely limited space so I can laser out ginormous things, while still having my little reading and chill-out nook. Mission accomplished.

After perusing JP Plus for some MDF Core fancy Veneer Wood Sheets, I got 3 sheets – Maple, Cherry and Walnut, all 18″ x 24″. They were roughly $25 each. They cut well and are exceptional woods. One coat of varnish and they are top notch.

One half of this wood is going toward a $275 custom commission. The other half is going toward $140 worth of batch-produced decor. Today, we’re finding out which business model actually puts more money in your pocket.

And, with these large sheets paired with the 400x600mm (about 16×24″ cutting area) bed of my Aliencell space laser, we should be able to cut and engrave more all at once, without having to stop for a material change over and over again.

Round 1: The “Big Ticket” Custom Sign ($275)

Now, I must admit, I have been working with CorelDraw for over a decade, so turning this logo/illustration into a layered vector design only took me about 20 minutes. But! If you have watched my other videos (which I recommend) you may have heard me talk about a minimum graphic design fee before.

This is essentially having a minimum fee for a task paid for by your customers. For graphic design, I typically charge a base of $40, which is $20 per hour, with a 2 hour minimum. Then there is a file creation fee, that’s $10. So, to get any custom file made and designed, that’s $50 out of the gate.

I’ll assure customers that is a one-time fee, should they want to reorder this design later on. This gives them more value with the project and helps solidify possible future projects.

For this, I am making a 12″ sign for a local coffee shop I’ve been working with.

If you ever wondered if us wacky laser businesspeople were pulling your leg when it came to the advice of taking a sample product to a location to try and get a business deal cooking, I assure you – it works.

After I found this coffee shop, and after I saw they didn’t have any tumblers for sale, I mentioned to the owner that I can engrave tumblers (coffee + tumblers = perfect match). I brought in some samples, and bing-bang-boom we’re in business. Literally.

Now it’s time for another project. I am going to use a couple of woods for their sign. Some will need to be painted; we’ll dive into that soon.

In the Aliencell program, I can take a picture of the large bed with their dual camera system and arrange all the pieces to fit the material perfectly. I always use the framing function to ensure everything is truly a fit.

The machine self-focuses to your material for easier reliable results. Perhaps one of my favorite features. I only need to vector etch (which is like a low-level cut line that is essentially a kiss-cut of the shapes I need to perfectly align the lettering) and cut out this sheet so it goes pretty fast.

Being the 40w laser head moves this project right along. Luckily, there are other laser heads, should your projects require a change.

After some painting and whatnot, this sign really came together in the end. I used a little old Christmas Tree from the Dollar Store to finish up with the foliage. I figured a 3D and textured addition to this design would give it some personality. All in all, the total cost for supplies is almost exactly $41. Not too bad.

Let’s go over some pros and cons when we consider the longevity of custom signs as a business model.

• Pro:
  • High Margin. Not only can I optimize large materials for large designs, but often buying in bulk is where the savings come from.
  • Plus, I love using these little bits leftover to make magnets, keychains and little freebies – which could increase the order value without adding to material costs.
  • Since this coffee shop is downtown amongst other big-building businesses, it serves as a calling card for others to get their logos made.

• Cons:
  • For the most part, it’s a “One-and-Done”. It’s unlikely I’ll be making another sign like this for them, although not impossible. I can alter this design to make other projects for them or leverage it to make more PRODUCTS for them to sell. Selling money-makers is usually easier than signage – like those tumblers.
  • Another con is if you mess up a layer, you lose your profit margin on material replacement. This will lessen as you gain experience.

Round 2: The “Passive” Batch Production ($140)

So, we have $275 under our belt. Next up – Batch Production items. I do a lot of craft shows and conventions. For these, I love to bring repeatable items that are quick and easy to make. Quick to make, quick to sell. That’s the goal!

Using the rest of that second piece of Walnut Veneer MDf from JP Plus, I’m going to cut out 3 wall hangings.

Again, Aliencell’s program makes this silly easy. It’s super intuitive and, again, the 40w cuts through this stuff faster than a jackrabbit on a hot date.

While that was engraving, I got most of the painting and whatnot done on the sign. The more you can stack a task, the faster it will get done.

Luckily, you can easily alter the speed, power and interval settings to suit your needs. Since I have the 40w diode laser head, you can really up the speed with great results.

The 2nd board will actually be the same sort of material, but 12×20. This piece cost about $15 (rounding up with shipping cost) to make a total of the wood materials to $27. I’ll estimate the little bit of stain, varnish and hooks will up it to an even $30. Simple, especially when bought in bulk.

Because of the fancy woods I chose, not all of these will need to be stained. For the ones I will stain, I do like me some of this wood stain in particular. It’s non-toxic, so I can put that on indoors.

I’ll complete the varnishing stage outside with this Rust-Oleum Clear Gloss, however. In no time, these are ready to party.

I have a lot of cat events this year. I just used this same batching method to get ready for a cat themed fashion show last weekend, and you’d probably be surprised how well I ended up doing for such a small show.

Side note – never underestimate a small gig. When the choices are limited, you have a good chance to sell more because there is almost no competition. Plus, the booth fee is usually pretty low, as well. That’s what we in the biz call a “win-win”.

Let’s go over the pros and con of laser cut and engraved batch builds:

• Pros:
  • These are easily repeatable. Any initial time taken to design pays you back tenfold. When I run out, I make more. Rinse, repeat.
  • Consistency is key. You can use the same stain, the same settings, and the same packaging. It’s a factory mindset instead of constant attention to new details.

• Cons:
  • Volume is as volume does. You have to find 7-10 customers instead of just one. Depending on your sales tactics, this might not seem as hard as it sounds. Online or in person events, are what these products crave.
  • Lower Perceived Value. People expect repeatable decor to be cheaper than custom branding. You can get a good amount of money for work that speaks to a certain customer, but never as much as a custom build.

The Math & The Winner

Math time folks, I’ll make it easy on ya!

• Custom sign – $275 minus $41 materials – $234 profit
• 7 Wall hangings (plus 2 magnets) – $140 minus $30 materials – $110 profit
• Walk away money for everything – $344

Depending on how you like to calculate things, these numbers will mean different things to different people. All said and done the custom sign was 6 hours to design, cut, paint and glue. The single wall hangings were much less, at about 3 hours total.

So which route is best?

If I only have 6 hours a week with a side hustle model, the custom sign wins. But if I want to sleep while my laser makes money online or make and sell 20 of these at a craft show – the batch production wins.

In my personal business, the batch production method wins far more often. I am open to custom jobs here and there, but only if the customer is willing to pay what it takes to make a dang good product.

You may be inclined to charge low when you are just getting started but think about this. A new plumber and a seasoned plumber will charge you the same amount to fix a faucet, it will just take one half the amount of time as the other.

You might not be an expert with your laser yet, or the best designer, but you have a skill and that skill is worth money to others.

So, Which is Better?

That’s a great question and the answer is no better than a horoscope. Apparently, Mars has begun transiting my solar eleventh house, recently. What does that mean? I have no idea.

Which method of making is better? It just depends on your business. Part time, full time, either which way goes. If you want my recommendation – You can use both. The custom signs pay the bills, but the batch products build the brand and the inventory.

Sorry to say, I’m one of those wild silly-willy’s that tells you to try it all out and whittle it down to what actually works for you. Daily trial and error gets you a lot further in the long run, than assuming now what future you is facing.

Everything that does end up working for you should be rewarded with just as many experience points as what does NOT work for you.

By taking these steps forward you will likely end up somewhere you didn’t even know you were heading – so stay as loose as a goose and as open as a waffle house in a hurricane.

If you need more tips on what to DO to these laser projects to guarantee they sell, then check out my 3 Qualities Every Laser Product Needs to Sell Fast post next.

And, if you’re tired of being limited by a small laser bed, learn more about this giant Aliencell laser HERE—it’s the only reason I could finish all these projects in just one day.

Thank you so much for watching and happy crafting!