The spirit of entrepreneurship is alive and well, even during this pandemic. In fact, many people have become accidental entrepreneurs as businesses closed across the world and many people were left unemployed. Like many of us, you must have been surprised to find your social media feeds filled with posts about your friends selling baked goods, homemade face masks, or reselling hand sanitizers.
If you’re one of the lucky ones who was able to hold on to the job that you have, and you’re looking for a creative and lucrative side hustle, these are the tools and equipment you would need to get started on your dream. Most require only a minimal investment and, nowadays, financing options from banks and angel investors are packaged to help spur economic growth. Depending on what kind of financial help you need, there’s surely one that can help you out.
Invest in Machines That Can Reproduce Your Artwork
Are you an artist who likes working with different types of materials? You should consider investing in a 3-D printer, a t-shirt printing machine, a pottery wheel or a laser engraving machine.
These printers are all the rage because they can do practically anything. Its uses run from the practical to the creative. At this time when we’re battling a global pandemic, many companies have even offered their 3-D-printing services to create protective gear for front liners and patients. If you’re new to using these printers, you can expect to pay anywhere from $200 to $1500. If you’re in the market for a more professional model, prices can range between $1,500 to $6,000.
Not to be confused with silkscreen shirts, new-age t-shirt printing machines can make your designs pop with vibrant colors or look vintage with “faded” designs. There are many websites that offer to print your designs on a shirt for a small commission. But why settle for that when you can own an Etsy shop where you control everything? Expect to spend less than $1,000 for the machine itself but do note, that you’d still have to find a t-shirt supplier which could ultimately drive up the cost.
High-tech pottery wheels? Yes, indeed. The latest pottery wheels have been designed for the 20th-century user. However, similar to t-shirt printing machines, the wheel itself is going to cost you less than $1,000, but other tools and equipment could drive up the cost, know more about wholesale printed t shirts.
Investing in Studio
As a hobbyist who is just starting out, you could hold off on this investment and work with pottery studios on your free time instead. Most studios offer free slots on the weekends for people who are just starting out to use their equipment: clay, pottery wheel, and kiln. If you’ve been doing this for a while now, it’s time to think about investing in something for the long-term.
Now we’re joining the big leagues. If you’re inclined to doing DIY projects and you enjoy creating designs on woods and metals, this machine is perfect for you. The most inexpensive one could set you back $2,000 but if you have a big project in mind, you’ll have to spring for ones with a bigger working space. Those can cost upwards of $6,000. With the right machine, you could bring those fancy steampunk design of yours to life and making money from it.
While these investments are nothing to sneeze at, knowing that your creative designs are finding their way into other people’s lives and homes make it well worth the expense.