Issue link: https://nbm.uberflip.com/i/1491554
A fter investing in a laser engraver, store rental (unless you've cleaned out the garage to install your equipment the way I did to start with), a bunch of wood, plaques, leather, glass, and everything else you think you're going to be selling, you've spent a lot of money to get to the point where you can hang an "Open" sign. And now comes the time for hoping that orders are going to start rolling in. To restate what I said in the February issue of GR APHICS PRO — orders prob- ably aren't going to just appear. Regularly visiting potential customers is key. Don't email them unless they've asked you to or you're confirming an appointment, for example. e personal touch with person- alized items is not only appropriate but, in my opinion, essential. When you're vis- iting, remember to take samples of your work with you. In my usual "round all the houses to get to your front door" approach, that brings me to my first point. Spend your first few weeks, or a month — whatever time it takes — to become comfortable with what you think your core business is going to be. Your machine supplier may very well supply you with a database, a G R A P H I C S - P R O. C O M M A R C H 2 0 2 3 • G R A P H I C S P R O 7 3 As you can see, this is a well-used table, currently set up to do name tags. Using a factory-supplied table only makes sense — it is designed to fit; the machine knows it's there; and alignment of your work pieces fits directly with the parameters of the machine, i.e., zero on the table makes it a no-brainer to get the work piece in line with the zero position for the head.