How I got my first customers: - I kinda cheated because I was my first customer. I needed parts made that no one wanted to make, so I bought some equipment to make them myself. Cash flow negative. - I figured a few of my friends and family would use the service too, since they are all fabricators and into hobbies and cars. Turns out friends prefer to pay in beer and burgers. Cash flow negative, but I got good feedback and learned how to run the operation. - Went to a couple local sheet metal shops and let them know they could sub out to me since I had capacity. That got me a couple jobs here and there. Cash flow negative but building a reputation for fast turnaround - still had capacity and told those shops that I could do all the weird stuff they didn’t want to do (qty 1, weird geometry, Etsy stuff). We said yes to everything. Pretty soon I was getting referrals from a few shops in town. Cash flow negative, but making a little money - built a website and started showing off parts that we made on IG. Got a few followers and they started telling their friends - spent some money on Google search ads. Got lots of clicks, but the work we were quoting was bad. Lots of weird stuff that wasn’t manufacturable. This showed us that we had to teach people how to design for sheet metal, so we started doing lots of how-to documentation and videos. That helped a lot. Nearly break even, not bleeding as bad - covid hit, got a few big orders for sneeze guard parts, battery systems for ventilators, covid keys, other random stuff for social distancing. Break even! (besides Capex investments) - continued to grind and deliver. The best advertising and marketing is a good product. I’ve done paid ads, PR, sponsorships, giveaways, billboards, you name it. The only thing that matters is having a good product and giving your customers what they want. - so far I haven’t found a magic bullet, it takes years to build up trust and loyalty. I haven’t ever seen an ad for McMaster, but they have a helluva product and reputation, so I don’t think they really need to advertise now. It took them a while though. - if I had to do it all over, I’d probably do it the same way: focus on making a great product and customer experience. I always think about those little restaurants with no sign, but they have a line around the block. If you make the best tacos in town, word will get around