How KingGubbyDesigns got started
Introduce your Etsy shop and tell us your story. How did you begin and decide on what to sell on Etsy, and how do you create your products?
We are Buck Van Laarhoven and Brett Littlewood. We make up King Gubby! Buck and I grew up in San Diego together and go way back. Back to middle school, in fact (and even earlier in the future if you want a longer story). Somewhere along the way, we stopped hanging out, but we reconnected during the Great Shutdown of 2020. Buck had just launched his home-based guitar repair business, and though he has been doing guitar repair for 15 years, he finally decided to carve out his own slice of the market and start his own business. I (Brett) had a supplement business that had seen a decent pullback in sales when COVID hit. Buck’s business (Van Laarhoven Guitars), however, had exploded—everyone wanted to play their guitar during the lockdown. And because my availability had just increased quite a bit, our casual reconnecting turned into me being an extra set of hands in the shop. One thing led to another, and we started tinkering with lasers and 3D printers, and Buck had mixed the two by creating a 3D printed upgrade for the in-house Ortur Laser Master 2 we had in the shop, and a lightbulb went off. We now have approximately 60 products for virtually every diode laser on the market, and the number is growing. We are also starting to expand into the CO2, fiber, and galvo laser spaces. We 3D print most of our products in-house and source a few things from distributors here in the States. We absolutely love what we do and are always saying that it is a gift to be able to hang with our best friend and solve problems together.
Favorite items
What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?
I think our "Stackable Brick Feet" is one of the most unique products on the market. It enables someone to use Duplo Legos to build an entire tower one brick at a time. This is super useful because it allows people to engrave on surfaces that are much higher than the laser typically allows. Plus, you get to play with Legos again. We make them for almost every diode laser and have really seen them take off. Our Z-axis adjusters are probably our best sellers, but the brick feet and our air assists are definitely still great sellers. Those three items are an absolute necessity when using these lasers, so that explains why they all sell so well. We actually have a package called the Ultimate Kit that has everything you would need to get your laser running tip-top. The kit comes with a Z-axis adjuster, stackable brick feet, air assist, belt tensioners, and a bunch of other accessories that help with cutting and engraving.
Getting sales on Etsy
How long did it take for you to earn your first sale and how do you currently attract customers to your Etsy shop?
It took about a week for our first sale. We have several methods for bringing customers in. Of course, we have our social media channels like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok, where sometimes we boost and launch ads for times when we have sales. We have also started writing articles on our blog again. With the blog, we try to just answer the main issues that people have with lasers and show how our products can help, but we also try to solve problems that might be software-related or otherwise. We get onto podcasts whenever time permits, like Hot Makes, which is run by Jim from The Edge of Tech. But I have to say that solving problems in Facebook groups and other internet pockets and threads have been our most effective way of exposing ourselves. Buck is a whiz when it comes to diagnosing issues with the lasers, and we spend time going into the "help groups" to answer problems that people are having. We have come up with a few products by doing this as well, so it is a super great way to help out your specific community and also to get inspiration for new products.
Managing KingGubbyDesigns
How do you manage your shop? Are you running solo or do you have any team members? What tools or services do you use to run your shop and how do you handle fulfillment?
So, because we sell on Etsy and a few other platforms, we have a ritual. Get into the shop, hug each other, and chit-chat for a few minutes, then open a tab for each platform that we sell on and review messages, then print orders. We just use the shipping service or option that is available in the sales/marketplace platform itself. Next, we get all of the orders packaged and out in the bin. Then we "clear the plates," where we take all of the newly printed parts off of the printers and package them up—this means applying stickers to bags and putting all of the pieces into their appropriate bags and places. This sets us up for tomorrow's orders; all of the parts are ready for shipping. Then we review inventory and put any parts that are running low on a "to be printed" list. We have:
The future of KingGubbyDesigns
What goals do you have for your shop in the future?
We are currently branching out into other types of lasers, which we are excited about. Now that we have become the industry standard for diode laser upgrades, we want to bring the same great product design and quality to other laser users. But in the long run, we are hoping to get deeper into tools for woodworkers. We want to solve lots of problems that still exist in that space and broaden our scope to include the entire maker community. The beauty of our business model is that if either of us gets into a hobby and finds ways to improve on it, it is a very low investment and a short timeline to get a product tested and available to the market. Another great thing is that, because we are active in the community and we have some brand awareness, we are constantly getting asked to make or design certain things for people, and that has helped us continue our catalog and solve problems that we didn’t know about.
Advice for new sellers
What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?
Make things you like, engage with your community, help them first, and it will pay off; don’t take the negative experiences (that you will have) personally; don’t be afraid to adapt and change; and stay inspired and keep moving forward. Effort over time pays off. Also, check messages before you print shipping labels! Sometimes people will request something about their order, and if you ship it out before you read the message, it can cost you.
KingGubbyDesigns
3D Printed Solutions For Your Life's Problems
