If I Could Start Over
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- čas přidán 19. 06. 2024
- What I'd do differently if I could start my 3D printing business over again.
0:00 intro
1:32 growth mindest vs fear mindset
4:34 diversify marketing
9:16 buy better printers
14:01 what I WANT vs. what my business NEEDS
22:40 don't subscribe - Jak na to + styl
I just had my biggest month of $300 on my 3d printing Etsy business. I first saw your video on your farm months back and inspired me that I could do it myself. Learning 3d modeling has the been the most difficult but learning how to fix the printers is sometimes awful but very rewarding so thank you for the encouragement. Great to see more 'introvert' CZcamsrs that don't yell at me lol. Keep it up and hit the CAD and you will be successful. You have a wonderful workshop which will do you favours too
If you ever need CAD Models Made feel free to reach out to me, or comment back to me and I'll give you my email, I'm an engineer with quite a bit of solidworks experience I can make and send you model files :)
I may take you up on that offer. Shoot me an email so I have your contact info
MartinsonManufacturing@gmail.com
What have you been selling if you don’t mind me asking?
What 3d modeling software do you use
@@Jbzy3000 Fusion360. Very powerful software
After watching many video of fake posers, it is refreshing to see a real dude just sharing his journey to help other people in the same mindset. Thanks keep it coming. Larry
Thanks for the encouragement Larry
As a seasoned entrepreneur ( I own a franchise signshop), I see you making the same mistakes I did when I first started. Here are a couple tips to help you grow. First... create a 5 year business plan, and second, create a cash flow spreadsheet (lots of free templates online) to see where the money goes, and third, create a success circle group. As entrepreneurs we are solitary creatures. Having a circle of similar minded people that help and hold each other accountable helps in growing your business. I stumbled across your channel while researching 3d printers and 3d printer farms, and have found your channel useful. Keep up the good work.
Very helpful tips here. Thank you for taking the time to share. That success circle would be invaluable.
Hey both @dariotrampus9197 and @MartinsonManufacturing! I love the advice Dario provided, and it reminded me of advice in the books and lectures of Napoleon Hill I've redescovered recently and been binge listening to for the last week. I highly recommend you look up "Napolon Hill Live Lecture Series Chicago" and watch this 10 hour video. I know it's long, but it's soo good, like you learn with every single minute passing. If you want something shorter and more digestible to start with, look up "Napoleon Hill Laws of Success Full Length" it's a 2 hours 6 minute youtube video of him. I wish you both good luck! Thanks for sharing your experience.
The best advice I've seen for monetizing CZcams is from Ray of Rainman Ray's Repairs channel. It is necessary to post a new video at least weekly, and the content should be between 15 to 30 minutes long. Of course, Ray posts a new car/truck repair video of about 30 minutes in length every day. As a working mechanic, his videos of car and truck repair give him a source for content of interest to a large prospective audience. That said, it is difficult to follow in Ray's footsteps and attract 12K to 20K views per video.
your story inspired me to work harder and I had my first $1k month in November!
you better believe I'm taking notes while watching this :)
hoping to one day get to full-time self-employment!
So awesome dude!!
I had similar circumstances in the resin printing catgory for my niche. Back in 2019 I had a TON of sales. I bought several more printers (resin and fdm) and all kinds of things for the shop. I foolishly bought a laser on top of everything else because I really wanted it. Jump to end of 2021 and my sales had tanked. I really need to figure out marketing, focus better on needs/wants and the future.
Same. 2021 was great and 2022 was down 35%
Was almost here first, i just started watching your videos today
Ive been thinking of escaping my 6-2 with a venture of this sort. thank you so much for inspiring me and helping me with advice about the business model in general
Would love to see your catalog of Ender 3 issues, could help a lot of us. Please let us see a video on the prusa mini setup too!
Than you very much for provinding impressive videos. I rarely leave comments to CZcams videos, but this one from you is impressive. I just watched your another one about your first $5,000, which really incorages me to start my 3D printing business. I got a 3D printer Ender3 Neo Max 2023 Feb. I fall in love with 3D printing. It was like every moment when I got time, I would look up for learning 3D printing and tips on slicer turning. Up to today, I am still crazy about 3D printing. I always want to start 3D printing busines, so I can make money out of my hobbies, but I did not know where and how to start, untill I learnt what you did, just to post ads on craigslist, which is a great suggestion. I also watched your shop tour, it is mazing to see your shop and printers. Again, thank you so much for the videos. I am a introvert person as well, probably worse than you. Maybe one day I will statrt my own CZcams channel when I am brave enough.
this video is so raw and real. Thank you for being so transparent. I'm about to look into my own business venture and you sharing with us your wishes and regrets helps me be prepared for what's to come already.
I'm in a similar situation and I was about to say the same, the video is a treasure, 100% transparent
Rule #1 I learned from my parents who were both entrepreneurs, when you're starting out "you don't make money by spending money".
It doesn't mean you can't buy a 3D printer to make money, just that you should try to do as much as possible yourself instead of paying for things like marketing (it also means working longer hours).
I always wondered what you would do if glow forge integrated your product into theirs out of the box. That would have been my biggest driver to diversify.
I subscribed before you said it!
You're doing great.
Loving the angle.
I have a business and am expanding to 3d printing and scanning.
marketing is key.
Thanks for that vid and just being real; sharing your thoughts authentically. The ending was awesome btw.
Thank you for sharing these, many people would not want to be so open about their mistakes and those are the one that don’t succeed. So thank you and looking forward to your even bigger progress!
I got my prusa in 2016 and upgraded it a couple of years ago to the 2.5s. Prusas can still fail and have problems but if you buy the kit, and build it yourself it is easy to diagnose and repair yourself cheaply and quickly. I am so glad i started with a prusa. We have lived in an RV for the last 3 years traveling all over the country moving everty 7 days, I still pull out my prusa and print something every week. Larry
I'm glad I stumbled across your videos through the recommend feature, I've watched a few videos and I have no interest in starting a laser cutting business or 3D printing business but here I am. The algorithm is showing me something that is interesting and engaging that I wouldn't have watched otherwise, and a credit to you for making it enjoyable. As you said, it's not sustainable per se, though I was just thinking, you should try to get some affiliates for the laser cutter/3D printers and filament, I think your viewers would trust and use your affiliate links and even be happy to support you another way through the channel and could be extra money for your business globally.
your story has inspired me to get started. I have always dreamed of being my own boss and this video is insightful. I appreciate you sharing your journey and I say continue doing what makes you happy. You only have one life to live so you might as well make it what you want. Sharing your tips and trials and errors are extremely valuable for someone who is just starting so I appreciate you sharing. I also am an introvert and hate being on camera. But I know eventually I have to get out of my comfort zone and start a youtube channel as well and share my experiences to the hispanics out there who don’t speak english but want to try 3d printing themselves so we shall see how it goes. I wish you continued success and hope you go far and never have to work for corporate ever again. Take care and god bless.
you're very down to earth approach on this is very appreciated- I really enjoy your videos and your honesty on this
Great video. Your view of the business is inspiring and I think you have earned your "real-world" MBA over the past few years.
it's a 9 month old video still relateable not out of date, deffinatley from heart spoken, love the content !
1min 30sec later :) hope your new born is healthy and growing fast :) and hope no more breakdowns !
Thank you for your honesty. Very good video! Much appreciated. I'm also starting out (nowhere close to where you are) but starting is the main point!
Great talk, keep going. It's going to be about creating that new product. I said it before I'll say it again. It's amazing how you dived head first into it. I have had experience working with 3D printers from background in product design and just thinking of getting into manufacturing small batches of my own products since seeing your videos.
Thanks Joe! You describing the business being a vehicle to get to your end goal really hit home with me. We have common goals! I've enjoyed your videos for a long time and have been greatly inspired and encouraged by your journey! Watching one of your print farm videos it blew me away something like what you have going was achievable. And I'm slowly on my way to that. Thanks for being a centered, humble, thought provoking person and for sharing your experiences with us! It helps so many of us out.
That's awesome man, thanks so much for the encouragement. Shoot me an email so I have your contact info and let's check in with each other every once in a while! martinsonmanufacturing@gmail.com
I love that you spill it. Thank you.
Great video! Much much respect for your honesty towards us and especially you. Really great and inspiring
Awesome person and good at explaining and encouraging continue what you doing your a beast :) just bought first printer for hobby and will look toward and experiancing this world thanks a lot for sharing
Btw, I have a Prusa Mini, I've had it for 2 years now, and I've never had any trouble with it other than the room being too cold a couple times cause a couple prints to come off the plate/warp. I've only ever use Prusa Mint or more recently Hatchbox brand filament and never had trouble with either. I stopped ordering Prusa anything because their shipping is ridiculously expensive, even a tiny sensor that cost $15 was going to cost $40 in shipping, they need US based shipping. Even I get a larger printer some day it will either be the Bamboo or whatever the newest version they have, or the new Prusa that took WAY too long to come out. People got sick of Prusa ignoring of the technology developments and customers begging for modern features, then other companies started eating their king of the castle lunch.
As a business owner, I've seen it first hand and you'll see it other places too. The most successful business will invest most of what they are making in growing the business. Often it takes about 10 years to grow it to be self sustaining. It's hard and the whole way through you're going to experience the impulse to quit every now and then. If you can push through you'll keep growing until the stress gets more and more manageable. Not stopping, always pushing and growing will get you there. Faith in your ability of getting to the other side is a big component. Your capabilities will grow and you'll always feel like you're behind, just remember that uncomfortable feeling is you growing and adapting which means that you are doing it!
I appreciate the transparency on these videos just subbed the channel today
Really appreciate you sharing your journey. Keep up the great work!
hey man just wanted to say i watched two of your videos now and looking to get into the same type of business, thanks for the information.
Thanks for the video man! Very informative and super honest! We all certainly appreciate it trying to navigate this sole proprietorship. I just ditched my ender bed slingers for core xy bambus and a lot of this really struck home.
So much value in this video!
I appreciate your honesty and willingness to share your hard earned lessons learned. Thank you for being brave enough as an introvert to make CZcams videos.
I'm in the same place in my auto repair business. I want to automate it with employees so I can focus on 3D printers/printing.
Major introvert here as well. Having to step out of my comfort zone to grow my channel 😅 but it’s great in the sense that I get to talk to alot of people who are interested in the same thing I am. My neighbors don’t care about CAD and 3D printing 😂
Connecting with other likeminded people is definitely one of the best perks of CZcams.
3-D printing is just a hobby and I intend to keep it just a hobby, that said I have been self-employed for over 12 years and please believe me that what Joe wants is just as important as what your business needs. I hope you learn it sooner than later.
Thank you for sharing the experience.
Excellent video. I enjoy your content. I'm about to buy my 1st 3D printer (Elegoo N4 Pro). I have an entrepreneurial mind-set. I hope to use 3D prints to accent my other side gig! Looking forward to checking out your old/new content.
Thank you so much for making these videos and sharing your business journey; what worked, and especially what didn't work. It's extremely helpful and inspiring. Because of you I've decided to take the plunge and start my own small 3D printing/craft business on the side of my normal job. I can't afford to jump head first all the way just yet, but like you said, the best way to start is to start. (And I'm doing it in Germany, so navigating the bureaucracy & taxes - in a 2nd language that I'm still learning - is fun...) Nevertheless, your videos have really helped me get started on the path! Looking forward to hearing more in the future! Warm wishes from across the pond.
So awesome to hear this. Thanks for the encouragement my friend. Glad to hear you’ve started a side business. I wish you great success!
Very Heart felt & honest. Thanks!! 🙂You are in a great position to look a few miles down the road. From the book Makers by Chris Anderson he talks about learning to learn to fail faster. Your a good designer and engineer and you're in a great position to come up with great new products faster. If it fails, then make another. Good luck on your Prusa's.
Learning to fail faster. That’s good. I still need to figure out how to fail more because I still find myself afraid of it. It has slowly been getting a little easier though.
Thanks for the encouragement Richard!
Thank you for sharing. Great insight 👍
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and information, very valuable and relatable! I love how you show your journey (with the struggles and hurdles) and the business side of things.
Just ordered my first 3d printer after watching a ton of videos over numerous channels with the idea of more tinkering and earning some money :)
One tip/idea that might help you is a businessplan, doesn't have to be elaborate, a vision board or goals is enough. Set the goal for next year and break it down to smaller steps.
Main goal; 20% more sales, ok what smaller things am I going do to achieve that, ramp up production, test new products, run ads etc. You can even continue to break those down to daily/weekly/monthly tasks. If you have your dream/vision on top that will be the driver to also do tasks that you're more scared of or don't like to do so much. And failure is part of running a business; just call it learning and gaining insights. Your effort and time is not lost you gained valuable insights into you market or product (and yes some 40k learning experiences are a bit more expensive than others :P but you're still here and selling, and not back to sitting in a cubicle).
The main thing that let me pull the trigger on ordering my 3d printer; I have that same urge as you I want to create functional stuff that helps people, doesn't really matter what it is. I think it is amazing that you can create and test the market with your own products, without needing large companies and R&D en mold making etc. Before I even got my printer I have 3 product ideas ready in my mind to create.
I get the anxiety and lack of interest to test new things, you get that with every field or business (lack of interest to branch out, you feel comfortable with what you have, you don't have time to invest now and countless other reasons).
Just stay open minded and listen to your customers, like that 8 inch adapter; you have the materials, knowledge and opportunity to test a small batch of 10 fairly cheap because you have everything in place already; you know you have 1 customer, but just create a batch of 10, list on amazon and see if it sells. For 20~50 dollars of material and packaging you get valuable insights in your customers and if there is a market for it, if you sell only a few you make even or only a 50 dollar loss. Worst case scenario you can slowly increase batch sizes because they do sell ;) (And you get closers to my fictional goal of 20% more profit.)
PS; I see there are only 4 tags on this video, same for your community video. For youtube you might want to just add some more tags in your default upload settings to get more reach "it's free real estate" xD
start with your name; Martinson Manufacturing, ad 3d printing tags, add 3d printing business tags add about 20 and then you still have some space left for video specific tags.
It's a one time 10 minute "marketing" task but it will help your SEO a ton on youtube and in google search (it's in the youtube studio under settings > default upload settings)!
I get that your focus isn't youtube, trust me your videos are very insightful and valuable and the more reach you get, the more people get those insights you are sharing. Which I believe is the goal of you making videos as well, otherwise you wouldn't make them. You might even make more money of youtube in the end (even small things like this can get you closer to my fictional goal of 20% more profit as wel).
This may be the most helpful comment I’ve ever received. Thank you for taking the time to write this out. You have some really good business sense about you that will serve you really well when you start going with 3D printing.
I absolutely loved your thoughts about a business plan/vision board and then breaking it down in chunks. That is exactly what I need. I have lots of goals, but often struggle to implement them through a logical progression. I write them down on various notebooks that get lost and shuffled around and need to get this in front of me.
I might have to hire you down the road to be my business advisor haha. I screen shot your message and will be referencing it from time to time. Thanks again man and I wish you the best!
love the genuine honesty.
Love it! Please keep going!
I always enjoy to watch your videos. Your journey is really interesting also for people who are not into 3d printing like me. In case you do not already know it, I could recommend the book to you. It matches perfectly the topic of your video.
I just finished reading that book! Some of what I shared was influenced by it. Really good stuff.
Very encouraging piece of advice. Keep up the good work!
Thanks so much for sharing, these are helpful videos. I appreciate you sharing your fears, many of which I have, it encourages me. I'm starting a CNC router side hustle, I have a couple of unique ideas no one else is doing and I think there is a decent sized market for. I'm an IT guy for my day job and work at home, so I'm setup for it. I understand that fear of losing people and things, I had the same thoughts with my wife and two young kids! 😀 I'm also an introvert and I am trying to start my CZcams channel.
That’s awesome man, I hope your CNC router side hustle takes off!
Hey Joe,
Thanks for taking the time to create this video. I am preparing to order one of your inserts but while trying to determine exactly what would be the best fit for my basements reverse hopper window “ learned that today 😂 “ I ran across your inspiring video.
Thanks for sharing, I am very new to the laser business myself but I’m inspired by what I have seen others create.
After 20 years of being a city road supervisor, I made the hard decision to take an early retirement from the construction industry about 2 months ago because I have some serious health issues from the physical labor.
Now, I have taken a small part of my pension and invested in my first laser to begin my small home business.
I appreciate you taking the time to express how your journey has come along.
Thanks for your comment Kevin, it’s awesome to hear that you were encouraged by it. I commend you for valuing your own health and well-being and stepping out to try something new. That’s huge! When I quit my job for health reasons I had no plan whatsoever. Just a Glowforge and a 3D printer. I floundered for several months trying to find direction in this new arena I found myself in, but I eventually found it and I’m so glad I took that difficult step into the unknown to try something new. I hope you can look back a year from now and say the same thing!
Very insightful and humble! As i mentioned on your Shopify Video, leaving a platform for another one was definitely a mistake, combining them and utilizing the powers of all of them and expand marketing strategic would have instead raised your sales for sure. Your marketing company you mentioned in the Shopify Video should have advised you properly, especially as you already have an audience.
I see it unfortunately a lot with many of our clients doing similar mistakes. I can certainly give you some tips ( free of course ) if you like.
I think your really great in front of the camera by the way. Keep it up!
As one hardcore introvert to another, glad to see you're still hanging in there Joe. Would be interested in hearing what the main failure modes are on the Ender3s. What have you been servicing or replacing the most on these? I'm kinda in the same boat. Have a few Anycubic Mega 3s's, ended up selling off a couple after I got tired of tinkering with them (and when it seemed like the cost of repairs weren't worth the extra time.) Generally they've been pretty rock solid printers, but I think they could be better if they were direct drive as opposed to a bowden setup. I did pick up one of their 4 Max Pro2's after I had read that having a printer where the bed only does Z is more precise (was looking at QIDIs as well.) And it's definitely a phenomenal printer... when it was printing. The prints were definitely better on this than I've been getting off of my Mega S's. However, it's been down now for a good 6 months while I figure out what to do with it. The extruder seems to be the weak point and now it's not printing consistently (just stops feeding filament even thought the printer thinks it's still feeding fine.) And so now I'm crawling the forums to see what other people have done. Apparently you can retrofit it with a BMG extruder, so that's the next plan, but here I am tinkering again. So been thinking about getting a Prusa 3 to see if they were more reliable and easier to maintain. Curious to see your experience with them. For your Prusa 3, did you get the kits or the fully assembled versions?
Thanks for sharing your experience with different kinds of printers. I’m always learning about some new printer I’ve never heard of before from people.
My Enders mainly have hotend oozing issues because I bought the knock off version instead of the Micro Swiss. Did not save money in the long run. Z limit switches being unreliable. Fans go out, and weird random mainboard issues I can’t explain.
I’m hoping the Prusa’s will need less of my time. I bought the assembled Mini’s but the MK3 kit. That was a mistake. Took me three months to put it together. Very very involved.
@@MartinsonManufacturing Ah good to know. I'll need to reconsider going with the kit on the Prusa.
Good on ya mate! Seems you’re going down the path that’s in a book called “The E-myth: revisited” by Michael Gerber. It helped me focus on my business and not working in my business. On the journey with you!!!! Persevere!
Seems like introverted make amazing CZcams videos! Very good content!
Thanks for sharing!
I 1,000,000% feel you on the hard-core introvert thing. I HATE when someone asks me for a picture. I am also trying to get into the 3D printing market with some designs (eventually) and have started an Etsy store with some 3DPrintFarm products as an authorized seller. This is temporary until I can get the free time to create something myself. I have a few ideas, but I was curious. Have you ever had what writers call "writers-block" when it comes to trying to think of something else to design? How did you get around that? And what do you do going forward to mitigate it so you don't feel burdened by fear?
Glad to see another hardcore introvert out there haha. I’ve struggled with the writers block thing for almost 2 out of the 3 years I’ve been doing this. What’s been really helpful for me is to put myself in a social media vacuum and not look at what other people are doing. Seeing other people create cool things kills my own creativity. I find that there’s stuff inside me I just need to give it space to come out.
czcams.com/video/yslqwZ6yvsE/video.html
I think if you buy the Bambu Lab P1P printers, you will be able to print faster with less downtime. The P1P is equivalent to 3 Ender 3 or other standard 3D printers. All my prints on the Bambu Lab P1P were great. With the use of liquid glue for the build plate, all problems of the print coming out of the plates is solved.
Thanks for the video!
good content thanks i learn a lot
Great video, only feedback I have is did you consider any other machines? You seemed to bin off the Enders and went to Prusa. I have chanced it and got rid of 5 Enders and bought a Bambu Labs X1CC and the speed alone confirms for me it was the right choice, it is literally 4-6 times faster than all my other printers. Just feel that you missed a great opportunity to go faster turnaround / multi material / Nylon / CF etc with a hardware refresh.
I’ve never heard of this printer before. Thank you for telling me about it.
Great shirt
I just want to say thanks. I need to learn a modeling software. I have paid friends for designs. I have made enough to pay for my printers. I just need to figure out I want to make and design it
Get Prusa Mk4s :)
You know what? I subscribed 😉
So I have a product in mind and have experience with an old 3d printer. I want to buy a new printer to get better quality to be able to sell the product but found out that cad software like Fusion 360 or Solidworks either you pay small amount and they limit you on how much you can make like $2,000 a year or you need to already have a business to get the commercial or pro edition which cost a lot of money. Do they own the design that I make? Should I just pay a 3d modeler? Any insights or advice will be appreciate it.
+1 on the printer upgrades to make your life easier. Even from a hobbiest perspective, i tell all my friends who are interested in getting into the hobby to completely ignore the lower price bracket. Cheaper printers have a hidden cost of additioal time and effort that people often don't consider. Having both owned a cheaper 2-300 dollar level printer and a Prusa, the Prusa has justified it added cost many times over because it just works every time. When scaling up to a farm scale that idea gets even more important as you find the best way to invest your limited time. Keep up the great content, I enjoy hearing about your experiences and what you've learned and observed from your experience!
Honestly I can’t stand it when people start their videos with please subscribe. But bc u didn’t start the video with that I did sub ✌️
I'm curious, did you patent anything?
I’m curious if you would consider a bamboo labs P1P? I’m happy with my Prusa mk3s and mini, but the P1P prints so much faster and seems like it does excellent quality, reliably.
I actually never heard of that one, I’ll check it out.
@@MartinsonManufacturing awesome! Let us know if you get one. The basic is only $700.
Great vid! I am curious as to why you left Amazon. And if you believe it's not the best decision, do you consider to return?
Leaving was a complete mistake because my sales fell off a cliff I’ve since returned. I left because I didn’t feel like I had control over my business.
I have a commercial property and want to do something here. I need a nitch.
I've been following your videos quite avidly and feel moved to share an observation. You have this unique way of narrating your experiences and challenges that pulls viewers in. It feels so intimate and real, almost as if we're two friends engaged in a profound conversation, with no camera in sight.
Even though we've never met, I sense that you're someone who loves to fully immerse themselves in life's experiences, process them, and later share them in your unique way. You have a knack for storytelling that seems to outshine the more technical and tangible aspects. This trait could be a beacon for burgeoning entrepreneurs who are kick-starting small businesses from their homes. This community is on the brink of a significant expansion, and they would greatly benefit from your honest depiction of the emotional highs and lows that come with the territory.
Why not channel this talent into a blog centered on entrepreneurship? This could lead to additional income through course referrals, Google AdSense, and potentially even your own tailored courses. Moreover, it might pave the way for something even larger. How about creating your very own 'skool' - a hub for shared learning and growth? I'm certain that you would find enthusiastic individuals ready to collaborate with you in making this vision come to life.
P1P is about the best printer for your money imo. They print fast and good quality and if you want better longevity just turn the speed down. It would be nothing for a p1p to crank out parts at 80mms.
I recently bought 8 of them! Truly remarkable machines.
@Martinson Manufacturing indeed I still need to dive in and get my feet wet selling prints. But I have a couple enders and got a x1 carbon about 2 months ago and love it. The thing cranks out prints so fast it's hard to keep all the filament it needs on stock lol
I'm so sorry... but I subscribed :).
Thank you for your very inspiring videos.
Lol. Awesome man, glad you got something out of it.
Curious about Why you quit Amazon. You metioned in another video that Amazon helped a lot because it can help you fulfill the item.
I left because I didn’t feel like I had control over my business. Leaving was a mistake and I’m content to learn to work with the particulars of Amazon and learning to adjust to changes they make.
Oh the age old issue of Enders being a bottle neck.
Your next product is going to just end up being used ender 3s lol
That’s hilarious. Maybe I’ll create a product listing on my website for used Ender 3’s lol.
Not sure if there’s good profit margins there though haha
Hi CZcams wise try and make 8-12 minute long videos. And please use some text and images in between edits. Other than that your content is great and inspirational. I have that fear of loss too. Covid has destroyed everything and most of us and our plans were shattered. You must also be politically correct on CZcams. Do not watch my content! You will not understand because you do not have the context. :/I am an introvert too and maybe more confused than you are. But I wish you good luck and happy 3d printing.
Introverts R Us. I’m the same way and interestingly enough, I find many introverts are into similar hobbies as mine. Strangely I have been in customer service most of my adult life and have taken the majority of my customers with me when changing jobs. Working for small and large businesses, the successful ones are diversified, not necessarily only with products but with customers as well. One big account is great until they find someone else who is cheaper, faster, etc. Look up Maslow’s triangle for an interesting view that may be self evident but sometimes forgotten. Many people will tell you that the customer comes first. In my experience, I ALWAYS take care of my employees and workforce first. No exceptions. They will be happier, more productive and organically, the customer will get taken care of automatically. The customer and employees are all part of the same triangle. In this case, since you are every employee and CEO, take care of you as well. Joe thanks for inspiring thought and for provoking me to use my brain and look at things from different angles. I know I have to do something and even though I don’t know what it is yet, at least I am thinking freely again. I appreciate it.
Thank you for being so candid, the issues you describe relate to so many businesses. Often backward steps are necessary before moving forward again. And sometimes the day-to-day is so demanding or distracting that strategic development isn't possible until there's a break and you get a quiet space to focus on future things.
It's happened a few times in my business, and it's always a disheartening period full of self doubt and zero creativity until I can come up with plans and start working towards the future journey. Then things become exciting again and passion returns (even if my business metrics look poor).
Hope you will share your journey through 2023 because so many of us here will appreciate the knowledge
Thank you for such an awesome comment my friend :)