Not so long ago, 3D printing seemed like something you can only see in Back to the Future-type movies. Fast forward to 2019 and anyone can have one of these things in their home. What’s more, 3D printing also opened up plenty of opportunities for those who’ve always dreamed of running their own company. In fact, the 3D printing market is expected to grow by 20 percent in the next five years, making now the perfect time to start your own 3D printing business. But how exactly do you do this? Read on to find out.
Find your niche market
One of the first things you need to do when starting a 3D printing business is find your market. No matter how much time and effort you put into it, pleasing everyone is practically impossible. That’s why it’s a much better idea to find a niche you can specialize in. This will not only allow you to get better in that specific niche but it’ll also help you build a base of customers who keep coming back. If you can’t come up with a niche for your new business, browsing topics about 3D printing on sites such as Reddit and Quora might be able to serve as inspiration.
Create prototypes
When developing a new product, every business needs to create a prototype. In case you are wondering how do I get a prototype of my invention made, you can search on the internet and check reviews of different prototyping companies. Since these prototypes can often get extremely expensive, business owners now prefer having their prototypes printed in 3D. This helps build long-lasting relationships with potential customers, which is always a huge plus. Just think about it – if they hire you to create a prototype for them and it turns out to be a success, there’s no doubt they’ll turn to you again the next time they start developing a new product. Most 3D printing businesses have started out this way and only grew their services later on.
Get your equipment and tools ready
If you want to get your 3D printing business off the ground, you’re going to need equipment and some tools. Obviously, having a good 3D printer is a must and it’s safe to say this is one of the key purchases you’ll have to make. Depending on your budget, you should look to invest in a brand new 3D printer. Moreover, if you want to make only the best prints, you might also want to turn to companies such as The 3Doodler and get a pen that’ll allow you to fill in the gaps in your prints manually.
Set up an online store
Advancements in technology led to 3D printing becoming so popular. With the world of technology evolving at such a rapid pace, it also changed the way people shop. Why only focus on local consumers when you can have people from the entire country or even world ordering 3D prints from you on the web? Setting up an online store is now a breeze and once you do it, you can rest assured your sales will skyrocket. If you want to get noticed, come up with designs internet users will be able to order right away but make sure you also include custom 3D printing in your service.
Don’t forget about marketing
Starting a 3D printing business sure is a great idea but you aren’t the only one thinking about it. With so many 3D printing businesses out there, you’ll have to come up with a powerful marketing campaign in order to get noticed. Luckily, there are so many cheap ways you can market your business in its early days such as creating social media pages and participating in discussions on websites we mentioned earlier. In case you want to take a more traditional approach, you can even try to come up with your own 3D printed promotional products.
Final thoughts
With 3D printing being more popular than ever, now is just the right time to enter the business world and start your own 3D printing business. Follow these five tips and you won’t have to worry about building your customer base and staying ahead of the pack.
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