5 Things You Need to Make More $$ Per Hour on Every Project

If you’re like most professional printers or engravers, you’re shipping out dozens of custom orders every week. You’re running your machines until 2AM. You’re working harder than you ever have before. But when you look at your bank account, the numbers aren't moving.

You feel stuck.

You want to increase your profit margins. You want to invest in better equipment. You want to finally hire some help. But right now, you’re just a squirrel running around a shop, trading your life for a thin margin.

Marc and I have been where you are.

Over the last 10 years, we’ve built multiple professional engraving and printing businesses. We’ve done over $15 million in sales from engraving alone. But we didn't get there by working more hours. Instead, we got there by making every hour more valuable.

Here’s the hard truth: If you don’t find a way to increase your profit per hour, you will burn out.

You won’t have the cash to fix a machine when it breaks, let alone hire a team.

But good news — there’s a solution. If you fix the five things we’re sharing in this post, you’ll get your time back. You’ll get the cash flow to buy better gear. And you’ll build a business that serves your family, instead of a job that drains you.

No more chit-chat. Here are the 5 "must-haves" to stop treading water and start earning what you’re worth.

Marc & I speaking at the Next Level Laser Conference 2025.

#1 - Reliable, Professional-Grade Machines

A cheap machine is the most expensive thing you can buy.

Marc and I have owned over 20 lasers, 6 UV printers, and 4 sublimation machines over the last decade. And through it all, we’ve learned one important lesson: quality machines last longer and perform better.

When a cheap machine breaks the night before a big event, and customer support won't call you back until Monday, that few hundred dollars you saved on your machine suddenly evaporates. We have four lasers that we’ve been running for over eight years. They operate smoothly while we focus on growing the business, not scouring Reddit for "how to fix alignment issue."

The question you might be asking is, “How do you afford quality when you’re not making much yet?”

Our answer: You have to view equipment as an investment, not an expense. You need a plan to make that machine profitable.

Do the math:

• Yearly Sales Goal: $250,000   
• Gross Margin (50%): $125,000 left for expenses and profit.
• Net Profit Goal (20%): $50,000 in your pocket.
• Remaining for Expenses: $75,000.
• Business Expenses (20% of sales): $50,000.

That leaves you $25,000 specifically for a high-quality machine. When you see the numbers, the "expensive" machine becomes a logical tool for growth.

Ready to upgrade? Check out our line-up of professional-grade UV printers and laser engravers here.

#2 - High-Quality Blanks Built for Makers

We didn’t start MakerFlo because we wanted to sell cups.

We started it because, as professional engravers, we were tired of struggling to find good supplies. We were tired of overseas suppliers sending unreliable products. We were tired of tumblers having giant logos on the bottom that advertised their business instead of ours. We were tired of wasting time unscrewing handles just to do a full-wrap engrave.

We built MakerFlo to create the blanks we actually wanted to use. We travel to the manufacturers, we ruthlessly test prototypes, and we reject anything that doesn’t meet a professional standard.

Instead of buying bottom-of-the-barrel blanks so you can offer the lowest price, get good blanks so you can compete with quality.

Successful businesses don’t win by being the cheapest; they win by providing the best experience.

• High-quality blanks reduce your marketing costs because the product sells itself.
• Reliable blanks save you time in the production room.
• Better features (like our twist-on/off handles) increase your profit per hour by cutting labor time.

If you pick your blanks based on the lowest price, you’re in a race to the bottom (and working with cheap customers who want it all). If you pick blanks based on quality and efficiency, now you’re building a brand.

Check out our best blanks for laser engraving, UV printing, epoxy, and sublimation here.

Marc & I on our trip to China.

#3 - An Organized Business System

Every minute you search for materials in your workspace is a minute you aren't making money.

In a multi-million dollar business, organization isn't a "nice-to-have." It’s the foundation. Every minute you spend looking for a specific jig or checking if you have enough inventory is wasted time. And if your workspace looks like a dinosaur ran through it, your mental space probably does, too.

Start by solving one inefficiency per week.

For example:

• Organize your Jigs: Mark them clearly and give them a designated home.
• Track your Inventory: Know what you have in seconds, not minutes.
• Use Software: Don't track orders in your head. Use Shopify, ShipStation, or another CRM tool to automate the busy work.

If you have no orders today, don't sit idle. Organize and get ready for that next order to come in.

#4 - A Practical Plan to Delegate

I didn’t become a CEO by doing everything myself.

And you won’t grow your profits if you’re the only person who knows how to turn on the laser. To scale, you have to move away from the "work" and toward the "growth." The problem is, if you stop working, the products stop moving.

The solution is delegation. We now have a team of 15 people stateside and over 30 globally. This allows Marc and me to focus on the big decisions that move the needle.

If you’re not sure what to delegate, try the "Daily Diary" exercise.

For one full week, write down everything you do.

• Are you spending 6 hours a day running the machine?
• Are you spending 4 hours on basic customer service emails?

Those are mundane tasks you can teach someone else to do. When you hire someone to run the machine, you "buy" those hours of your time back to focus on social media, sales, and new clients. That is how you scale.

#5 - A Strong “Why” Behind Your Prices

Profitability is just a math problem.

If you don’t understand your "cost of doing business," you aren't running a business—you’re following a hobby that costs you money.

Your price shouldn't just cover the tumbler and a little bit of your time. It has to cover your overhead. Even if you have zero orders this week, your rent, electricity, and marketing software still cost money.

Here’s how to calculate your "Bottom Line" price:

1. Find your Monthly Fixed Costs: (Rent, electric, software, etc.) Let’s say it’s $5,000.
2. Divide by Working Hours: 160 hours a month = $31.50 (call it $32) per hour in overhead.
3. Add your Desired Wage: If you want to earn $60/hour, your base rate is $92/hour.

The Math in Action:

• Engraving Time: 30 mins = $46 (half of your $92 hourly rate).
• MakerFlo 40oz Tumbler: $8.76.
• Total Price: ~$55.00.

When you know your numbers, you can stay strong. You won't waste time negotiating with pushy customers who want a discount. You’ll know that $55 is your bottom line to remain profitable and sustainable.

Build a Business That Lasts

You have the talent. Now you need the systems.

Start today by doing two things: Switch to high-quality blanks that save you time and restructure your pricing using the math above. Once you have those foundations, you can invest in better equipment and start delegating.

You’ve got this. And we’re here to help you move from "maker" to "business owner."