Making Awesome - 3D Printing, Inventing, Making, Small Business

This week we have my mother, Catherine, on the stream for the first time for Mother's Day! The original maker, if you will, and an all around amazing woman! We are going to talk all about what it is like raising not just one maker, but 2, as I do have an identical twin. Talk about her experience with 3d printing, and all this amazing tech, and generally, share some wonderful stories of our chi...

This week let's talk about budgeting for your clients. This can help them AND you track expenses on the project reducing unknowns, control costs, facilitates decision making, and generally, makes things easier for everyone. You may say, "well Grant, I dont know what things will cost, so how am I to budget for unknown expenses??" Well, I am glad you asked, because it is a skill you wi...

This week let's talk about pricing! We often get comments about how to price a product, a job, etc. Valuing your time is incredibly important and most do not value it enough essentially working for nothing trying to compete at the lowest cost. Often, the average consumer is not your customer, especially if you are looking to take this hobby and go full time job on it, so, lets talk all about p...

This week let's have an extended talk all about Open Source, @Prusa3D , @BambuLab , @Creality3D , and others. The impact of our recent video (https://youtu.be/fTsmf8GrNpI) has sparked some conversations that I think bear reason to continue, in an unedited, live format. I think it is important to have a further discussion about competition, open source, closed source, the history of it all, and...

This week, today actually, April 9th my life changed. 3 years ago, in 2020, I sustained a back injury that would forever change my trajectory in life. Since a lot of you don't know my injury story, and the day is significant, I figured no better time than now to really talk all about it. __________________________________ Do you have an idea you want to get off the ground? Reach out to the Mak...

This week we are talking all about failure. Yes, it happens, and it is INCREDIBLY common in businesses, especially new ones. Some failures are common across any small business, others more focused on the #makerbusiness. Let's talk about them, how to see them before they are a HUGE issue and then how to prevent, and deal with them should that arise. Topics to cover: Lack of market demand: A bus...

This week we will talk with Dan Brunermer of B Jetting, a high end metal binder jetting 3d printing company. Metal Additive Manufacturing is no small feat and Dan is one of the experts in the industry with previous experience at @ExOne3D , one of the largest binder jetting companies on the market. Dan spun off to create the company B Jetting now launching their first machine: The Educator 3D Devel...

This week we will talk with Sean, better known as @3DPrintGeneral ! He is best known for being one of the top creators in the 3D Printing Firearm community! There is MUCH controversy over the 2a community and the 3D printing community around what should be done, vs. what can be done and we will be getting into it and more! He is also an author, you can buy his book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3JNwA...

This week we will talk about arguably one of the hardest things in a business, other than starting it: Getting your first sale. Sure, friends and family can help here, but sustainability involves having some sort of a plan other than doing it live. Working via word of mouth, influencer marketing, paid advertisements, Google, Yelp, etc. all have impacts on your business, good or bad! Lets discuss s...

This week we will talk about built vs. bought. With the advent of many machines coming as mostly or fully assembled it means for 3D printing you can get up and running FAST! But, is there value to these nut and bolt kits from companies like  @ldomotorsjason3488   @Prusa3D   @voron_design  and others?  As a hobbyist, the answer may be pretty clear, but as a busine...

This week we will talk about some of the main types of 3D Printing and why you may choose one over the other. Each has benefits and drawbacks, many being their price, but the tech can unlock new potential for your business and have a much shorter Return On Investment (ROI) than expected.  Topics and types of printers to cover:  FDM/FFF SLA MSLA/DLP SLS MJF LPBF (and other metal based 3D...

This week we will talk about Additive vs. Subtractive Manufacturing, or more commonly known as 3D Printing vs CNC Milling vs Injection Molding. Each has their own value with 3D printing being amazing for short run prototypes, initial small batch manufacturing, and general rapid prototyping. CNC Milling is great when you want to make metal, polymer, or specific parts that are not easily made on a 3...

This week we will talk about Finding your Niche, or Target Market, and figuring out who your customers are. Having a Niche is incredibly important to a business as without one it will aimlessly continue until it fails. A niche is a group of people, businesses or government that you say "I want to work with them" and then actively work to obtain. A niche can change throughout the lifetime of a busi...

This week we will talk about Quality Control and why it matters. Machines may work great, material may work great, but every now and again a lemon gets out. Lets discuss how to deal with this in a proper manner. Consumers and Businesses both have different needs, so QC issues can either be mission critical or not a problem at all. Lets talk about it! Topics to cover: Why is Quality Control an issu...

This week we will talk about Market Validation and Business Validation. These are 2 MAJOR things you need to have DOWN before you go down the path of your own business, be it 3D Printing, Making in general, or other type of business. If you don't know who you will sell to, that is a recipe for disaster. So, lets talk about market validation and why it should matter to you! Topics to Cover: What is...

This week we will talk about that jump from Hobby to Professional. When should you take it and why?? Many people in the 3D Printing industry have dreams of living off their creations, let's talk about how to make that possible. The time to switch is not always obvious and there will be some clues to help you get there, let's discuss them! Topics to cover: Should you turn your hobby into a job? Wha...

This week we are joined by Amy Wenslow of  @productstoprofits1159 . Amy is a successful product developer with some amazing stories to tell about how to get your ideas out on the market making money! Want to stop the 9-5 grind and make money yourself? That idea you have had in your head is a great place to start! Topics to cover: The value of ideas Basics of Product Development Biggest mistak...

This week we will cover what it takes to make a 3D Printer ready for a business use case. An off the shelf printer is seldom fit to get put into a business and knowing what you need to upgrade, replace, and keep on hand in case of service. Business is a whole different range where any downtime means you lose money.  Topics to cover: What reliability means for a business Why it should matter t...

This week we will cover my thoughts on 3D Printing in 2023 and beyond. The future of 3D Printing is amazing and I am excited to see where it goes, but for the first podcast of the new year I felt the need to talk about my predictions for 2023 and what the state of the 3D Printing and 3D Scanning market will be.  Topics to cover: Price vs. Value Bambu and their value to the community  Pri...

This week we will cover the importance of family in 3D Printing. Many of you may have gotten a 3D Printer for someone in your life, others sharing theirs, but being involved is so unbeliveably important and a necessity for growth of young minds! Let's talk about it! Topics to cover: How to get involved with your family How to motivate your kid to enjoy 3D printing Projects projects projects Advice...

This week we will cover something so important to me: What you should know BEFORE buying a 3d printer. So many times expectations are not set correctly meaning the experience is not going to be great. This can lead to frustrations, delays, returns, or worse. If you know what you are getting into BEFORE you get into it, well, that works out to a good relationship, no matter what it is! Topics to co...

By popular request we are going to talk about 3D Printing in the home. If you are a parent looking to get a 3D Printer for your home, be it for a child or not, there are some things you may want to know! All sparked from an idea my father brought up on his last appearance on the podcast: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giXF6CP2Kb4). While he has a son in the industry, who knows what they are doin...

We have spent some time talking about things you SHOULD do with 3d printers and 3d printing, lets talk about things that maybe you should avoid. It is easy to get into the upgrade syndrome but it can leave you with a MASSIVE project that you may not be comfortable undertaking, especially as a business.  Topics to cover: Sunk Cost Fallacy Constant Upgrading Buying cheap and fixing Expanding to...

With the previous episode talking all about best printers for beginners and businesses, let's discuss the best first 3D scanners! Lots of options out there, but not many that are considered affordable by consumers. Some offer long range, others high detail, and some even just use the tech already in your pocket! 3D Scanning is amazing and the prices are coming down, a bunch! Should you buy used, n...

With the previous episode talking all about best printers for beginners, let's discuss the differences for a business. Is it good to get a cheap Ender 3? (no) but where does that value line get drawn here between part cost, reliability, warranty, customer service, and more. A business has different needs than a consumer and they can't just fumble around waiting for parts to arrive or tuning settin...