1. Who you serve
Write down the two or three kinds of buyers you want most. A plan that names everybody usually ends up reaching nobody. Start with the buyers that fit your machine and your town.
| Shop type | Buyers to start with |
|---|---|
| Wood carving and signs (CNC router) | Homeowners and gift buyers, wedding and event planners, churches, businesses that need signs, realtors, breweries and restaurants, farms and ranches |
| Laser engraving and etching | Sports teams and booster clubs, schools, companies that give employee and client gifts, award and recognition buyers, event organizers, retail gift buyers |
| 3D printing (filament) | Hobbyists and gamers, inventors and product developers, small businesses that need fixtures or displays, schools and clubs, repair customers who need a part that is no longer made |
| Machining (metal and plastic parts to a drawing) | Local manufacturers, oil and gas service companies, agriculture equipment owners, repair shops, engineers and inventors who need prototypes or short runs |
My shop type: ______________________
My top three buyer groups: 1. ______________ 2. ______________ 3. ______________
How far I will deliver or ship: ______________
2. What you offer
Pick a short list of product lines you can make well and quote fast. You can always add more later. A short menu makes it easier for a customer to say yes.
| Shop type | Product lines to consider |
|---|---|
| Wood / router | Custom house and business signs, family name signs, carved plaques, cutting boards and charcuterie boards, church and ranch signs, cornhole boards, wall art, cabinet and furniture parts for other woodworkers |
| Laser | Engraved tumblers and drinkware, awards and plaques, name badges, promo items with a logo, cutting boards, leather patches, ornaments, custom gifts, acrylic signs |
| 3D printing | Replacement parts, prototypes, cosplay and tabletop pieces, custom brackets and organizers, small-batch products, display and point-of-sale pieces, school project help |
| Machining | One-off parts from a drawing, prototypes, short production runs, repair and replacement parts, fixtures and jigs, second-operation work for other shops |
My three main product lines:
1. ______________________ Starting price: $______
2. ______________________ Starting price: $______
3. ______________________ Starting price: $______
Things I will NOT take on right now: ______________________
3. How to price a job
Every job has four parts. Price all four every time, even on small jobs.
- Materials. What you paid for the blank, stock, or filament, plus a little extra for waste and test cuts.
- Machine time. How long the machine runs, times your hourly machine rate. The machine rate covers wear, bits and tooling, power, and paying off the machine.
- Design and setup time. Your time drawing the file, fixing customer artwork, setting up, and finishing. This is the part owners most often give away for free.
- Margin. Profit on top of cost, so the shop can grow and you can buy the next machine.
The formula
Worked example (EXAMPLE numbers only, replace with yours)
A carved cedar family name sign, 24 inches wide.
| Line | Example math | Example amount |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | Cedar board, finish, hanging hardware, plus waste | $18.00 |
| Machine time | 1.5 run hours x $25 per hour (example rate) | $37.50 |
| Design and setup | 0.75 hours x $40 per hour (example rate) | $30.00 |
| Cost subtotal | $18.00 + $37.50 + $30.00 | $85.50 |
| Margin | Example 40% margin: $85.50 x 1.40 | $119.70 |
| Quoted price | Rounded to a clean number | $120.00 |
Fill in your rates
My machine rate per hour: $______ (covers tooling, power, maintenance, machine payment)
My design and labor rate per hour: $______
My target margin: ______%
My waste allowance on materials: ______%
4. Minimum order and rush fees
A minimum order keeps tiny jobs from eating your day. A rush fee pays you for moving other work around. Write them down and put them on your website and quote form so nobody is surprised.
Minimum order: $______ or ______ pieces (whichever is right for your shop)
Design fee for custom artwork: $______ (credited to the order if they buy? yes / no)
Normal turnaround: ______ business days
Rush fee: ______% or $______ for delivery in ______ days or less
Deposit required: ______% up front on orders over $______
How to say it to a customer
5. Startup and next-machine path
Plan your equipment in steps. Buy the next machine when your order book shows you need it, not before.
- Now: Write down what you already own and what it can make. Machine: ______________ Work area size: ______ Materials it handles: ______________
- Must-have add-ons before selling: safety gear, dust or fume handling, basic finishing tools, a scale or calipers for quoting, a way to take clean product photos. List yours: ______________
- Signal it is time for the next machine: you are turning down work, your lead time is growing, or one product line keeps selling that a different machine would make faster. My signal: ______________
- Next machine I would add: ______________ Estimated cost: $______ How I will pay for it (savings, profit set aside each month, financing): ______________
- Monthly amount I set aside for equipment: $______
6. Sales plan: go after repeat buyers
One-time gift buyers are nice, but repeat buyers keep the machine running. These groups order again and again. Pick two to work on first.
| Repeat buyer | What they buy | When they buy | First move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports teams and booster clubs | Awards, tumblers, signs, banners, trophies, fan gear | Before each season and at end-of-season banquets | Contact the booster club president or coach with a sample and a team price list |
| Schools | Awards, name plates, classroom and office signs, spirit items, club gifts | Start of school year, graduation, staff appreciation | Call the front office and ask who handles awards and purchasing |
| Insurance and other agencies | Client gifts, closing gifts, branded promo items, office signs | Holidays, anniversaries, client events | Drop off one engraved sample with their logo on it |
| Realtors | Closing gifts, "sold" signs, family name signs, engraved keychains and cutting boards | All year, every closing | Offer a closing-gift program with a set price per gift |
| Breweries, bars, restaurants | Tap handles, menu boards, signs, coasters, branded merchandise | Openings, new menus, seasonal releases | Visit during a slow hour and bring a sample tap handle or coaster |
| Manufacturers and local shops | Parts, fixtures, jigs, labels and tags, machine plates, prototypes | Ongoing, whenever something breaks or a new product starts | Ask for the maintenance manager or engineer and offer to quote one part |
Script: first contact with a repeat buyer
Follow-up email template
7. 90-day launch plan
| When | Focus | Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1–2 | Get set up | Fill in this plan. Set your prices and minimums. Claim or update your Google Business Profile. Set up a business Facebook page and Instagram. Make three to five sample pieces. |
| Week 3–4 | Get seen | Photograph your samples. Post two to three times a week (see T2, 30-Day Social Media Program). Tell friends, family, and past customers you are taking orders. Join local community Facebook groups. |
| Week 5–6 | First repeat buyer | Pick one repeat-buyer group. Visit or call five of them with a sample. Send the follow-up email the same day. |
| Week 7–8 | Online sales | List your best three products on one marketplace (see T3, Where Your Customers Are). Ask every finished customer for a Google review. |
| Week 9–10 | Second repeat buyer | Pick a second group. Contact five more. Plan one seasonal product for the next holiday or school event. |
| Week 11–12 | Review and adjust | Look at your weekly numbers. Which product earned the most per machine hour? Drop what did not sell. Raise prices on anything that keeps you too busy to take other work. |
| Week 13 | Plan the next 90 days | Write down what worked, what did not, and your goals for the next quarter. Decide whether it is time to start saving for the next machine. |
8. Numbers to track every week
Pick one day a week, such as Friday afternoon, and fill in this table. It takes about ten minutes. Over time it shows you what is working.
| Number | Why it matters | This week |
|---|---|---|
| Quotes sent | Shows how much interest you are getting | ______ |
| Orders won | Compare to quotes to see how often people say yes | ______ |
| Sales dollars | Money in the door | $______ |
| Machine hours run | Shows how busy the machine is | ______ |
| Materials spent | Keeps your costs in view | $______ |
| New customers / repeat customers | Shows whether your repeat-buyer plan is working | ____ / ____ |
| Where each order came from | Tells you which channel to spend time on | ______ |
| Reviews received | Builds trust with new buyers | ______ |
| Posts made | Keeps you honest about staying visible | ______ |
9. One-page summary
Fill this in last. Tape it on the wall by your machine.
Shop name: ______________________ Town / area served: ______________
Shop type: ______________________ Main machine(s): ______________
We make: ______________________________________________
For: ______________________________________________
Top three products and starting prices: ______________________________
Machine rate: $______/hr Labor rate: $______/hr Margin: ______%
Minimum order: $______ Rush fee: ______ Turnaround: ______ days
Two repeat-buyer groups I am going after: 1. ______________ 2. ______________
Where I post and sell: ______________________________
Weekly sales goal (my own target): $______ Monthly equipment savings: $______
Next machine and when: ______________________________
Date written: ______ Date I will review this plan: ______