As a fellow small-business owner, I know running a small business takes up a lot of time, money, energy and passion. I also know that if I can save time and money on anything to do with running my business, I will always explore the option.
I’ve been successfully running a crafting and craft blanks business for many years now, and I’m here to tell you that no matter what kind of business you run, adding a precision cutting machine to your tools will save you time and money in the long run and add a creative and personalised edge to your business that could make you stand out from competitors.
A precision cutting machine is a machine that cuts all kinds of shapes and creations from various materials from vinyl to felt – you name it!
These machines, however, can do so much more than just cutting paper. They can also write and they can also emboss.
One of these machines can really open up the creative possibility within your business and your offering. Here are four examples of how:
1. Personalisation for customers
If you stock products, with a cutting machine you could offer personalisation as an additional add-on for your customers. All you would need is your machine, some vinyl and a template which you can easily create on Canva for free!
You could even offer options for the customer and allow them to select the colour and font for the personalisation.
You would likely be able to recoup the cost of the products pretty quickly and start turning a profit with it taking an additional 15 minutes of your time (10 if you use the hacks on my socials!). We love that.
You could also look at launching your own personalization collection to complement your current products. I often tell beginner crafters to start creating personalised gifts for their friends and family, and once you find an item you love personalising, your first collection is born.
2. Organisation of your stock or your store
If you have a warehouse or your stock stacked up in a storage room, then you’re going to know where I’m going with this. A precision cutting machine can also be used as a high-level label maker. You can use it to create signs, labels, swing tags – whatever you need to get yourself more organised. Doing so is a huge timesaver and would hopefully make pick and packing so much easier.
3. Professional branded materials
We all know embroidery and any kind of professional printing is expensive. Much of the cost for professional printing comes from pre-press and die-cutting your logos and shapes – which is where having a precision cutting machine can really save you some money.
You can create uniforms through Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV), stickers for your orders or products, decals for your windows and so much more. If you really wanted, one of these machines could even write your thank you cards to make them all look handwritten.
4. Corporate gifting
Gifting after a year of working with a client is a great way for them to remember you. A personalised gift is next level. Not only is it an extra special touch, each time that a customer uses that item, they will remember you and the fact that you went through the extra effort to thank them.
Now don’t get me wrong, aside from the upfront cost of the machine and materials, learning how to use your machine and the cost of making mistakes can make it seem not worthwhile at the start. If you are creative and you do have the passion and time, adding a cutting machine to your small business’ tools really can save you time and money with a bit of persistence.
