Hello,
Im a disabled veteran and am going through a program with the VA that can help train and fund me to start my own business.
I’m in the beginning steps of starting my own print business with the intention of creating cosplay props, as well as providing general print services. I’m trying to find statistics on the average income of businesses like this to create a proposal plan.
I need to to find as much data as I can to show the VA a good plan. If successful, they can help fund the purchase of hardware and material stocks as well as pay for training.
I would greatly appreciate any info my info or links to data sources
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cobnut
2
Hi @nevadajack87 it’s really difficult to give accurate stats for something like this because there are so many factors involved. Orders from customers come in all shapes and sizes and material requests so, for example, if you had a FF Creator Pro printer you may not be able to process some orders because the build area is too small. If you had another printer you may not be able to process because it didn’t have a high enough detail level (layer height) or because you didn’t have the right colour filament, and so on. Then there’s the issue of choice - you’re unlikely to be the only Hub in your area and even if you are, if the client has the part(s) shipped, you could be competing with Hubs some distance away.
So, while it might be possible to say “how many orders are out there and what’s their average value”, it’s really impossible to say how many you might receive because those orders vary so much. It’s a bit like saying “I’m going to open a restaurant, how many customers will I get”. You can probably guess how many people might come to any restaurant, but to be accurate you’d have to define the food type, any specialities, whether you’ve got great staff or surly waiters, etc.
Worse, you really can’t just start by offering every possible option. You could end up with a lot of kit (some of it quite expensive) then find it doesn’t get used.
I think it’s safe to say that there are orders out there for virtually anyone. I’m not really pushing my service as much as I could, but I’m getting enough orders to make me wonder if there’s a real business there and to consider investing more time/money (I’ve just ordered a second printer).
3D Hubs has some excellent trends data here: 3D printing trend report | Hubs and if you get in touch with them directly they may be able to help you with some more specifics for your area.
Sorry I can’t be of any more help.
Jack
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Thank you so much for taking the time to write all of that. It helps me narrow what I need to look for.
