January 26, 2010 at 1:49 am

Possibilities of a Glass Etching Business

If you have heard of anything about glass etching; odds are that you have probably heard from glass etching companies stating the high demand for this type of service.  So is it really that large of a demand and with chances of high profitability?

I have been seeing every few weeks someone trying to sell their expensive glass etching equipment, which was probably for a business venture.  Just as you have great creativity in etching or designing glass etched art, you need to have creativity in your marketing and business skills.  It really can be profitable once you have a system setup or develop a great business connection.  As with all businesses, you need to work hard.  Some business ideas require you to work harder than others because it depends on the demand.  And if the economy is poor as it is now, it will be even harder to start a business doing glass work.  My insight is that etching glass isn’t a need and doing business in a market that is of need will be much easier to do sell your product or service.  But you can also take in other aspects into perspective, such as the amount of competition a market has.  For the most part, glass etching doesn’t have alot of competition, so that is a positive part. 

But with persistence and continuous hard work, something good will always come out of it.  It may not be today or even this year, but through consistent beating on your craft, you may find or develop a business relationship with someone that needs your service.

I always find that business to business relationships are the best since every time they have a job, they come to you to fulfill your part.  You don’t have to constantly market your work to people.  The work keeps coming in; that is if they keep the work coming in though.  So either way, you should always have a backup plan as well.

I had a chance to talk to a known glass etching artist in Florida and he does work for people with high incomes on windows and shower doors for the home builder market.  Sometimes when the home builder remodels or builds a house, they need him to come and etch some of the windows.  This gives the house some unique class.  Its different you know; maybe it helps sell a house better.

My thoughts are, if you want to etch glass for a business, then start it as a side business first.  Once you start getting yourself known throughout the community, then you can go full time.  My advice is to offer small business shops a partnership deal which offers their customers personalized etchings.

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2 comments so far

  1. KellyCraig

    June 8th, 2010 at 2:13 am

    If you can promote yourself in a unique way, you up your chances of success. For example, how many people know of someone who walked through a closed sliding glass door? Adding something as simple as pin strips could make the difference between safety and a disaster.

    Glass etch can totally alter an otherwise dull view, or enhance a great one.

    Interestingly, I’ve dabbled in glass etch for over thirty years. To this day, you can find a thousand stained glass hobbyist for every one glass etch artist. To me, that means – opportunity. Windows everywhere are dying for your attention.

  2. Eric Robert

    June 8th, 2010 at 7:08 pm

    Kelly that is so true. There does seem to be many more stained glass artists out there. I think etched glass art isn’t known as much so figuring out a way to present this different art to people may start getting consumers interested.

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