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

The holidays are upon us, and that means, for some, a first 3d printer, but the decision on what to get and why is not always straightforward or easy. So many options out there, let's talk about the feature sets you should be looking for and see, maybe, what a good first printer could be.  This will augment an upcoming main channel video talking about our top picks for budget 3d printers, so...

This week let's cover the topic which is seldom talked about in the maker and small business world: Mental health and Imposter Syndrome. Most makers have suffered from some form of it in the past, be it creator burnout, comparing yourself to someone who you feel is better, or just the general ADHD, depression, anxiety, etc. that can be common in the creatives out there! Let's talk with an expert a...

This week let's cover the topic that sparked the idea for this episode:  @CHEP  vs. Geetech. Let's discuss what happened, why it is an issue, and talk about open source vs closed sourced, trade secret and how they really work for makers. Let's discuss the results of the IP problem as well! Topics to cover: Open source -why it is good and bad Closed source -Why it is good and bad Trade Se...

Growing and scaling a business to handle emergency or last minute jobs can be complicated, especially if you ALSO have to account for machine problems, print fails, etc. These are all problems if you are not dealing with it proactively. So lets learn to not be reactive and plan for the growth as well as last minute jobs! At the same time, let's talk about how WE handle it all here at 3D Musketeers...

Back after a week off due to ERRF to talk all about a heavy topic, competition. Many of us would LOVE to do whatever we want in business without anyone being there to compete with us, but the fact is, that would be short lived if at all! Competition is not all bad though as it can teach you some really valuable lessons and even help you grow your business.  Topics to cover: Definition, as I s...

Back this week with another #smallbusiness focused episode all about Price to Performance. Do you really NEED the Ferrari of machines, or can you get by with the decked out Camry? When does the curve of price to performance meet up and diminishing returns kicks in? It may seem daunting for a small business owner to pick the right equipment for their shop, but I promise, it does not have to be!&nbs...

This week we have Brent Britton from  @CoreX Legal  to continue our talk about intellectual property in the digital world! Things are not always clear, and having experts like Brent and his team can be invaluable to those looking to protect what is theirs.  About Brent: Brent C.J. Britton is a Founding Partner of Core X Legal. Since the early 1990’s Britton has been assisting entrep...

Feature Creep, or Scope Creep, is one of the largest factors in a product failing! Let's talk about how to notice it, manage it, and when possible, avoid it. Scope creep can add months, or even years on top of tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of product development, and we are ALL GUILTY OF IT. But understanding how it manifests, how to control it, and how to also listen to it is what make...

This week We are joined by Neil Hengist of the now famous Printer Mate series! Neil is best known for his lovely cosmetic upgrades and companions to some of the major 3D Printers out there like the  @Prusa 3D by Josef Prusa  Mk3s+ and Mini+ as well as the  @Snapmaker  A350T. Recently he did a Ghost in the Shell Tachikoma for the Prusa Mini+ that is absolutely amazing!  Nei...

This week is another solo cast, but is our 2 year anniversary of podcasting! Which is awesome! Business is NOT EASY and I have made a TON of mistakes along the way and learned from them! I will share some with you! This will also be an Ask Me Anything, where commenters LIVE can ask whatever they want and I will answer it (within reason of course!). Thanks for sticking around for 2 years of this cr...

We are joined this week by a previous guest, Sarah Goehrke to talk all about workforce development. She has a diverse background in multiple companies across the 3D Printing industry with a gamut of specialties, including Workforce Development. Let's face it. YOU CANNOT DO EVERYTHING YOURSELF, but growing, or even starting to build a team is TOUGH because no one will love your business like you. S...

By popular demand, another Small Business focused episode! This one all about how the heck to get your name out there?!? This is a difficult question for people, even myself sometimes, but it is a requirement. Let's talk about how to do it, maybe a bit about finding your target market, and lets make some money!  Topics:  Marketing vs. Advertising Maker Challenges Imposter Syndrome Actual...

This week we have a solo cast! The topic of 3D Printing vs injection molding has come up A LOT in the past few months and his is a good time to go through it! Both have their places, but why would you choose one over the other and when! Because the WHY matters much less than the WHEN! Consider this another installment in our small business series!  EDIT: I had some bad info here.. The train w...

This week we are joined by Frank of  @Frankly Built  and  @Frankly Reviewed ! He is known worldwide for his amazing cosplay, specifically Iron Man! Over 500k subscribers on Youtube and over 1.5 Million followers on Tik Tok, Frank is NO STRANGER to Making Awesome!  Check out ALL his links here:  https://linktr.ee/Frankly_Built This also marks EPISODE 100 of The Making Aweso...

This week we are joined by Denise Bertacchi, a professional 3D printer Reviewer for  @Tom's Hardware . Denise has looked at and reviewed tons of machines in her days there, but that is not where her skills stop! She is neither an engineer nor a professional graphic designer so she approaches 3D Printing from the vantage point of a pure hobbyist. Denise is a 3D printer reviewer for Tom’s Hardw...

This week we are joined by THE INVENTOR OF THE SECOND BEST SELLING CARD GAME IN THE WORLD, Phase 10, Ken Johnson. Ken is the epitome of the American Dream, however it was not always easy and success is NEVER guaranteed. We are going to talk about success, failure, and how the decision that Ken made has resulted in Phase 10 celebrating 40 YEARS in 2022! Ken's big success came in 1982 when he set ou...

This week we are joined by the man himself, Mr.  @Chris Pirillo ! A twitch streamer by night, Chris has been printing for a few years now during hangouts on stream and most recently started MakerDeck a 24/7 livestream of making that you can watch live!  Having started his entrepreneurial journey in 1996, Chris Pirillo has been a pioneer of the passion economy - living the life of a conte...

This week we are joined by Seth Polansky, an IP attorney who is no stranger to the more unique situations in law. Seth is also an AVID geek playing Tabletop Games like Dungeons and Dragons and working of the movie Of Dice and Men. Being an IP lawyer means understanding the nitty gritty and going over the hard subjects is not something that is foreign. Working on everything from Entertainment Law t...

This week we are joined by Steph, Mateo, and Steven, some of the awesome people from  @3DQue – Automated 3D Printing & AI ! They are responsible for not only the AWESOME AI Fail Detection QuinlyVision, but also The Quinly system for automated printing. Yes, it not only starts prints on it's own but also clears the beds after the print and starts again! Excited to talk to the team all abou...

DONT PANIC This week we are joined by Marc, Harris, and Rod of DiamondBack Nozzles and it's parent company, Champion X to talk all about how the heck DIAMOND nozzles are made, the way they came to this idea, and what it means for the future of #additivemanufacturing high strength polymers! Check them out:  http://diamondbacknozzles.com/ Amazon (aff link):  0.4mm: https://amzn.to/3NoWNpf...

This week we are joined by my father, Kenneth Posner for a WONDERFUL Father's Day Special! We did this last year, so let's make it a tradition! Now the Associate Dean of Students for Housing & Residence Life at  @Ringling College of Art and Design  much has changed in his life since last year! With over 30 years of professional experience, Kenneth has become a powerhouse in the Colle...

This week we are joined by Courtney of  @FilamentStories  someone who is NO STRANGER to filament! With over 100k followers on Tiktok and Youtube, Courtney is the venerable expert when it comes to filament colors! Let's get to know the lady behind the videos and learn how this all came to be!  Software developer turned filament obsessed 3D printing enthusiast, Courtney created Filame...

This week we are joined by Ty, the Architect (and humble farmer) of  @TableFlip Foundry . They are best known for the CONES OF CALIBRATION, one of the easiest to read calibration prints for your resin 3d printers.  Ty Mansfield is a small business owner based out of Omaha, Nebraska called TableFlip Foundry. The business started as an etsy store with some pre-support services on the side...

This week we are joined by Fotis Mint, an amazing self taught Pixologic ZBrush sculptor who makes both fan art and original pieces available through support on Patreon! Fotis, based in Greece, has no formal training in sculpting and took it up as a fun hobby a few years back. Now, with amazing levels of dedication, he pushes through chronic pain and injuries to pump out tremendous models monthly....

This week we are joined by Andrew Soderberg of the well known Hero Me part cooling solution. We are going to be talking all about the history of Hero Me, the iterations, the design process and so much more. Also, expect some  @Wham Bam Systems  Mutant talk as well! Andy has an EXTENSIVE background. Andy’s 3D Printing Links: https://twitter.com/mediaman3d -Twitter https://www.youtube.com/...