Glowforge Owner Bruce: Realtor by Day, Side Hustle by Night
Yesterday you met Marissa, who went from passively making pillows to proactively producing prolific profits with Glowforge.
Today, is all about another breed of small business: the side hustlers.
The weekend warriors. The folks like you, who work their day jobs and then come home and do whatever it is that they love – and make a nice side income while they’re at it.
We first discovered Bruce because he had us feeling major gift-giving inspo with his gorgeous engraved cutting boards.
We can’t think of an occasion where this wouldn’t be the perfect gift.
By day, Bruce is a realtor, helping families buy and sell homes.
On nights & weekends, you’ll find Bruce in his woodshop, where for years he’s honed his woodworking skills making everything from bespoke banana stands to fireplace bellows, and sharing his expertise on YouTube and Instagram.
Bruce was a banker for 14 years and made the leap to become a realtor last July. At the beginning of 2017, he saw a need for realtors he knew to have a source for high-end client gifts, so he began selling his handcrafted cutting boards and serving trays.
For the final custom touch, he had them laser-engraved with the client’s name, but outsourcing the engraving service was getting costly – not to mention inconvenient and time-consuming.
And then, Bruce got a Glowforge and is making hundreds of dollars a month more than he did before.
“When I got my Glowforge, it immediately saved me 20% per item in outsourced engraving costs. But I had no idea all the other ways I’d find to use it and how it would change my business…”
– Bruce
He’s also discovered that with Glowforge, he’s able to fulfill small-batch custom orders that previously wouldn’t have been worth the time. He’s also dipped his toe into leatherworking, and has expanded his business to include custom leather patches for hats, work aprons and backpacks, as well as custom leather bracelets.
Similar to Marissa and thousands of other owners, Bruce didn’t have any experience with a laser before Glowforge.
In fact, Bruce wasn’t even sure what he was going to make. He’s discovered amazing uses just by toying and tinkering.
“When I bought it, I didn’t even know all the ways I would be able to use my Glowforge. Some ways I use it have come from experimentation and creating.”
Newly-minted laser pro Bruce even uses his Glowforge to add a personal touch to his own gifts. Did we mention he has three kids? That’s a lot of teachers to thank throughout the years 🙂
And…how heart warming is this?
“I bought one of the coaster sets from the Glowforge catalog and we made a coaster set for each of my kid’s teachers. In the base of it, I had the kids write a note and then scanned their handwriting in using the Trace feature. Their teachers melted when they saw their handwriting on there.”
Most of all, Bruce told us he loves combining his passion for woodworking with the quick-customization capabilities of Glowforge – make something in the woodshop, then adds a custom finish with Glowforge to sell covetable customized creations.
I don’t know about you, but a lot of my friends have been buying new homes lately. And I think I’ve got my housewarming gifts covered – those cutting boards are exquisite!
Could a Glowforge turn your hobby into a side hustle, or put more money in your pocket from the things you sell? There’s still time before the holiday’s kick into full gear to get your own!
If you want to see more of Bruce’s whimsical woodworking, head over to his Instagram.
I see those wheels turning…
-Bailey
What a great feature. Bruce is a craftsman and is so creative in how he incorporates the Glowforge into his projects. I think the most unique thing he has done was using it to engrave a river stone/rock. But the final touch he adds to the woodworking projects is also nice. Thanks for sharing!