You’ve seen the “pay off your laser in 30 days” posts, and honestly, most of them are full of it.
Why This Matters
I see these viral posts all the time. Someone buys a laser on Monday, films themselves working 18-hour days, and claims they paid off a $4,000 machine by Friday. The comments are full of people asking “how did you do it?” and the answer is always vague motivation instead of actual steps.
Here’s what they don’t show you. The prep work they did before they even ordered the laser. The existing customer base from another business. The spouse covering bills while they grind. The fact that they’re counting revenue, not profit.
I’m not saying you can’t make money fast. I am saying your first goal shouldn’t be paying off the laser. Your first goal should be proving you can hit $500 in actual profit while learning your machine and not burning out.
That’s a realistic number. It teaches you the process. And it sets you up to scale without the fantasy pressure that makes people quit in week two.
Steps to Your First $500
1. Pick one product and make 10 of them
Do not start by offering custom everything to everyone. Pick something small that your laser does well. I started with wooden coasters because they’re fast, cheap to prototype, and easy to ship.
Make 10 versions. Test different woods. Try different designs. Figure out your actual time per piece, including setup, running the job, and finishing.
2. Price it to win, not to get rich
Take your material cost and multiply by 3. That’s your starting price. It won’t make you wealthy, but it will get you sales while you learn.
A $2 coaster blank becomes a $6 coaster. You’ll adjust this later once you know your real costs, but right now you need movement, not margins.
3. Sell to people you already know
Your first 10 customers are not strangers on Etsy. They’re coworkers, neighbors, your kid’s teacher, the person who cuts your hair.
Send a text. Post one photo on your personal Facebook. Bring samples to work. Do not overthink this. You’re not building a brand yet. You’re learning if people will actually hand you money.
4. Deliver fast and ask for photos
Ship it or drop it off within 3 days. Include a small note thanking them and asking if they’d send you a photo of it in use.
Half of them won’t. The half that do just gave you free marketing content. Save those photos.
5. Make the same thing again, but fix what sucked
Don’t jump to a new product yet. Make 10 more of the same thing, but faster and cleaner.
Did the engraving take too long? Adjust your speed. Did the finish look cheap? Try a different wood or add a coat of wax. Did packaging take forever? Buy better mailers.
6. Reinvest $100 into materials
Once you hit $500 in profit, take $100 and buy more blanks or better materials. Do not buy another tool. Do not upgrade your laser. Buy more of what’s already selling.
This is the loop. Make, sell, reinvest, repeat.
Common Mistakes
- Waiting until your Etsy shop is perfect before you sell anything
- Spending $200 on business cards and branding before you have a single customer
- Offering 47 different products instead of one thing done well
- Pricing based on what you think it’s worth instead of what it costs you
- Buying a second laser because the first one is busy (you’re not busy enough yet, I promise)
- Counting revenue instead of profit and thinking you’re killing it
- Comparing yourself to someone who’s been running their business for 3 years
What I Do in My Shop
I didn’t hit $500 in my first month. I hit it in month two, and only because I spent month one making garbage I couldn’t sell.
My first product was wooden keychains with custom text. I thought they’d be a hit. I sold 4 of them to family members who felt bad for me. Then I switched to coasters and sold 40 in two weeks because people actually wanted them.
The lesson wasn’t “coasters are magic.” The lesson was “stop guessing and watch what people actually buy.” I still make keychains sometimes, but only when someone asks. Coasters taught me my process, and that process works on anything now.
I took that first $500 in profit and bought a sheet of Baltic birch and a box of acrylic blanks. I didn’t buy a rotary attachment or a new lens or a fancier exhaust fan. I just bought more of what was already moving.
Next Step
Make one thing 10 times this week. Not 10 different things. One thing, 10 times. Then text 5 people and ask if they want to buy it.
If you want to see how I set up jobs to keep cost down and speed up, check out the Monport-specific air assist article and the material basics guide for settings that actually work.
And if you’re setting up a Monport and want to skip the trial-and-error phase, use code BMS13 at checkout for a discount, then head over to MonportSupport.com for the walkthroughs the manual skips.