[wespiser_2018]

I wrote this after running a small 3D printing side business for ~8 months. It worked in the sense that I got steady orders and revenue, but every part of the process required me (design, printing, assembly), so it never really scaled beyond my time.

I'm interested how others think about this boundary, at what point does something go from “side project” to “business”? And how do you tell if it’s worth trying to scale vs just leaving as is?

[NordStreamYacht]

Unless you can turn the process into something you can delegate to an employee or set of employees it will not scale up to be a business.

Anything gated by the founder's personal availability is what the VCs used to call (dismissively) a lifestyle business.

[stevage]

A one person business is still a business.

[boothby]

I've been contemplating the nature of the rat race lately. If you can do it all, and you're enjoying what you're doing, why should it scale? If it's your side business, I presume you want it to remain that way until there's enough demand for it to be your main business -- and even then I wouldn't want to scale beyond demand.

[wespiser_2018]

I agree, and a big practical reason I walked away was that I was spending my weekends and nights doing this, and there were other hobbies/interests I wanted to pursue. After so many order, it was also getting pretty boring to print the same thing out, over and over, but I could have always raised prices and decreased order that way.

I'm still 3D printing, but now focused on problems like dog and kids toys where I can give away the results.

[marcosdumay]

> why should it scale

Because you need your business to be big enough to pay your bills, not just theoretically net positive.

I have made some designs that I thought of selling too. For something like that to work, you need thousands of customers over the time.

It's ok to spend an year or two of weekends working into something that can replace some of your main income. It's really not ok to do that for something that can't.

[boothby]

It sounds like you're wanting the the side-project to take over and replace your day job. Which is fine, but different from what I've been picturing for myself. Nevertheless, with that being your target: suppose you've grown big enough to pay the bills. Does the business still need to scale?

I see that as a bit of a trap, because people pass on what (to me) seems to be fulfilling work that could support a modest lifestyle and make big-growth choices that either crash them out or saddle their business with debt its market can't sustain.

[cortesoft]

If the whole point of starting your own business is because you want to get out of the ‘rat race’, doesn’t it need to at least pay your bills? Otherwise, you are still in the rat race, just with even less time.

[boothby]

I don't see all businesses as a rat race. Tech is. The business that I've been building skills towards starting is a fun hands-on product, which involves a bit of artistry and a fair amount of labor and materials costs, and brings people joy. Tech can keep paying my bills, unless my side project gets bigger than I foresee. And if I lose money, I made some nice art along the way and had fun learning new skills.

[cortesoft]

Sure, but then I am confused as to why the mention of 'the rat race' at all. If your business is a fun hobby, then it is unrelated to you having to still be in the rat race. It would be no different than taking up reading or photography as a hobby. You are still in the rat race, you just also have a hobby.

[marcosdumay]

Not replace, but it should free enough time to run it. There's a minimum scale for something to actually free some time.

> suppose you've grown big enough to pay the bills. Does the business still need to scale?

No, that's the acceptable size.

[renewiltord]

Why to scale? Because hours of work for $300 is not worth it lol.

[AndrewKemendo]

The biggest thing I’m confused about is where the order demand was originating

“ This 3D printing business started with the help of my dog, at the time a puppy, and his desire to see my neighbor’s puppy. We (the humans) began talking, and as we ran through a conversation about dogs, the topic came to his trading card business. He’d source cards all over the internet for his daily WhatNot auctions with thousands of followers. Impressive—not only a home business doing real volume, but a lens into a world I had no idea existed.

I eventually noticed he had a 3D printed card stand, and with a printer at home, I offered to make him one myself. “Great,” he said, “I can sell them.””

So a guy selling playing cards started selling the things you 3D printed?

Is that the business?

[wespiser_2018]

Yes, exactly. It was through a neighbor. He had a functioning trading card business to start with, I sold my first order to him, then his clients started asking for prints.

I'd argue that's a "business", there were sales, supplies, a bottom line, et cetera, it's just the front-end part of the business was in collaboration with someone else.

It was pretty random, but there's all sorts of other 3D printing businesses like this for D&D supplies, tool attachments, et cetera.

[AndrewKemendo]

Thanks, that’s definitely a business, I just had to kind of infer it and that’s why I asked

[herbst]

I went from side project to business so often that I don't make any difference there anymore. However 3D printing is doomed to stay a hobby for me at this point in time with zero revenue (other than free maker points and therefore new printers, woohoo)

Thing is as many pointed out it's either to expensive compared to molding, simply the wrong choice of material or to labor intensive to actually turn a profit.

[WalterBright]

> at what point does something go from “side project” to “business”?

When you get serious about making a substantial profit.

> And how do you tell if it’s worth trying to scale vs just leaving as is?

If you can make more money flipping burgers at McDonald's than the business, I'd try something else.

[coldtea]

>If you can make more money flipping burgers at McDonald's than the business, I'd try something else

If you can make the same or slightly less money way more leisurly and with way less demands on you than working a McDonalds, it's still a fine lifestyle for many.