7 expert tips for starting a business

“Implementing a business idea is an exciting, challenging journey. In my view, every business founder should plan this journey well. Define your vision and at least have a good idea of what your first two milestones will be. In my view, it’s extremely important to: Always differentiate yourself from your competitors. How do you do that? In the best case scenario, you do this with an innovative product idea. Solve a “problem” in your customer group that nobody else has solved well to date. Or differentiate your business by means of a very specific service portfolio. Communicate your “unique selling points” simply and clearly so that they become your company’s DNA. The key question is: Why should the customer buy from you and not from your competitors? If you can clearly and simply answer this question, then you’re on the right track.”

“You won’t always hear positive things. But use the criticisms, learn from them and constructively transform them into something positive. Adjust your sales strategy and the associated measures, and always remain flexible. You can only come to understand what your clients really want if you have an active dialogue with your potential customers. Knowing exactly what your customers expect of you and meeting those expectations is the key to success. That’s how you create real customer benefits.”

“The training you receive during installation means that you are well prepared to start your business, and then it’s “learn as you go by doing!”. The better you know your laser and the application technology, the faster, more efficient and more cost-effective your production will be. Trotec support you in gaining this competitive advantage with various training courses and tutorials. Our lasers are robust, low-maintenance and easy to service. Take care of your laser and always check the mirrors, lenses and air vents daily, and clean them if necessary. With the Trotec Protection Plan & Service package, you don’t have to worry about maintenance costs and you can extend the warranty of your laser machine for up to 10 years.”

“You have an idea, you know which products you want to offer – so it's time to "get close" with your laser. Be creative and don’t be afraid of doing something wrong. This often results in realising new concepts and finding new ways of working. Design ideas and graphic templates can be found in the Trotec DIY gallery or on various online platforms, such as Thingiverse, Pinterest or Facebook. Our Trotec JobControl® laser software offers you numerous practical functions: Thanks to the material parameter settings that have been tested and supplied by Trotec, you don’t have to search for a long time to find the right laser settings, and the JobTimeCalculator even calculates the laser time for you in advance. This is a real benefit in calculating job times and assisting with pricing.”

“When first starting out with your business, it can be difficult to know how to price the laser time. $2.00 per minute of laser processing time is a common calculation basis to begin with. Start with simple products. Personalise picture frames, glasses or wooden spoons. My visit to IKEA in 2017, where I was able to observe the effect of laser personalisation for end users showed clearly that personalisation using the laser turns ordinary everyday objects into something special – this often increases the selling price many times over.”

“A good web presence is a company’s business card in todays world. If you sell your products online, rely on a respectable shop solution. Make sure that your customers know how to find you – search engine optimisation, inbound marketing, paid advertising and content marketing are the key issues that you should cover. Ask yourself, which channels can I use to best reach my customers? Wherever it is that your customers do their research, is where they should be able to find you quickly and easily.”

“In my opinion, excellent customer service is the key to success. As banal as it sounds, it is the “supreme discipline”: Treat your customers well. I’m not talking about offering drinks and snacks. Give honest and fair advice, for the benefit of the customer. Excel with good reachability and boast an excellent response time. It will pay off; these customers will become your regular customers and recommend you in droves.”