How to make money with a vinyl cutter
If you are here, it means that you want to know how to make money with a vinyl cutter. You probably have a vinyl cutting machine and feel confident about using it, or you are looking into acquiring one. Eventually, you might be just a curious mind passing by and looking for ways to provide you with additional income while having fun at the same time.
In this article, I will talk about all the essentials in order to start making some money using a vinyl cutting machine. If you don’t know what is this device, then here is a link to an article that can explain to you all what you need to know about it.
Therefore, I am not going to talk about which products to go for and which ones to avoid. However, you will notice that I have a bad habit of talking about stickers in almost all of my examples. This doesn’t mean that it is the only product you could sell for your business. Let’s get started then!
Contents
Before you start
Before we start, there are things which needs to be clear on your mind.
Investing in a vinyl cutting business doesn’t require a lot of money. With 500 $ bucks, you can get decent equipment to get started. Apart from that, be aware that this isn’t a “get rich quickly” schema.
Your business will evolve depending on the efforts you put on it. What is interesting in this business besides the entry money you put in, is the margin you could make by just selling stickers. If you want more details on this subject, I highly recommend you to watch the first 3 minutes of this video.
Getting the right piece of equipment
That is right! In order to make money with a vinyl cutter, you need to have a vinyl cutter. No surprises so far! However, picking a suitable machine could be a game changer.
For that, I highly recommend you to choose what is suited for what you want to craft. If you are looking for cutting large designs, you are not going to limit yourself to a machine with 12 inches cutting area. Alternatively, if you want to just cut small stickers buying a 1000 $ banners’ cutting machine won’t do you any good.
Choosing the right machine will depend as explained above on the creations you want to try to sell. However, there is also an important factor to consider: the ease of use.
In general, most vinyl cutters come with their proprietary software. In many cases, professional users criticize the lack of flexibility and options in these apps. If you are just a novice, I highly recommend you to stick to the provided software.
Feeling confident enough? In this case, your best option is to buy a machine which can be used with an advanced vinyl cutting software.
In a nutshell, with your initial investment, you should get the following items:
- A vinyl cutting machine
- A vinyl cutting software. Usually, the machines are sold with their softwares
- An image editing software. Usually, the vinyl cutting machines software have what is required.
- Vinyl sheets
- Scissors, X-Acto knife, putty-knife tool, tweezers
Of course, you will definitely need a computer. I am assuming that you already have one.
If you don’t have any of those, I highly recommend to buy a kit including all of the equipment.
Selling the right products at the right moment
What is a business without a good product? Nothing!
The better way to get started is to look at what your competitors are doing. Try to mimic their products and sell them at a lower price.
Having a business isn’t only about having a good product. It is also about having it available at the right moment.
You have absolutely to surf on trends and hypes. Here is a concrete example: In April, the last season of game of thrones will be released. There is a huge number of fans following this Tv show including me. Creating stickers related to this universe and selling them online seems to be promising. In sum, you should design something
Do not wait for customers to come, look for them
If you want really to find good opportunities, do not limit your customers to individual persons. Contact companies and try selling for them.
Concrete example: Look for local events and contact their organizers to provide them with stickers. You can go further by contacting participating companies and offer to provide them with goodies that you can craft using your machine.
Remember, having a business isn’t only about producing good quality products. It is also about reaching out to customers and looking for prospects and opportunities.
Here is a quick list of eventual events you can look for:
- Schools graduation
- Christmas parties
- University graduation
- Political events
- Associations events
- Business events
- Parties
- Weddings
One of the coolest ways to reach a large consumers base is to be present on the most important social networks, namely Facebook and Instagram. Do not hesitate to share your latest creations to let people know about your company.
If you want to boost your audience a bit you can spend some money on some Facebook ads.
Be organised
Take note of everything even when know that you can remember. If you are getting an order via a phone call, cross check with your customer about his requirements. You don’t want to end up with a non-required product. This is a loss of time and money. However, if you are getting your orders online, there is little room for mistakes.
You can note your orders in a notebook or in a spreadsheet. Take into account the name of the customer, his phone and email, his order, when he made his order and when he is expecting to have it.
You need also to take note of all your expenses in order to control your margins. You can for instance measure how much money you get with a sheet of vinyl paper.
Keeping track of everything will help you optimize your business if you want to.
The importance of feedback
Every time you fulfill an order, ask for feedback from customers. Even though they can be harsh some times, they will provide you with valuable information.
If you notice that a customer is angry you can always try to win him back by giving him a reduction coupon, or maybe a replacement. In the end, your customers are your main ambassadors! Keep them satisfied and they will spread the word for you.
Conclusion
That is it. I think these are the most important pieces of advice about how to make money with a vinyl cutter.
If you have any suggestions or comments, please do not hesitate to drop a comment below.
