The Financial Independence Show

3D Printing as a Side Hustle | Nikko Mendoza


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Today's episode features Nikko from Nikko Industries.
What a cool and unique guest who is on his way to making $250k this year off his 3-D print business.
This business was no easy task as Nikko didn't become a U.S. citizen until he was 25.
What started as Nikko just trying to be an awesome dad, quickly turned into a life-changing money endeavor.
Listen, learn, and let us know what you think about this awesome episode.
Episode Summary
Nikko's Background
Nikko's parents were not good with money
Nikko and his family immigrated to the United States
At a young age, he made a vow that he would not be the same way
He would provide and be smart with his money for him and his children
Due to being an immigrant, he wasn't able to think about college or many things until he was 25
Nikko joins the military after getting married and becoming a citizen
Then he realizes how much more money he could make on the outside
From there he takes a traditional commercial role but keeps an eye on entrepreneurship
Nikko's Entrepreneurial Journey
Nikko talks about all the failures he had along the way
He had so many setbacks that at one point he just quit
But then things turned around for him
He says, When I stopped chasing money, money started chasing me
Nikko says you really have to love what you do to be successful
The business venture that really turned things around for him was 3D printing
Birth of Nikko Industries
Nikko's drive was to find something that helped him enjoy his time with his kids
His son loved things like Thor and Iron Man etc
Nikko came across someone on Instagram who had printed pieces to a costume
He put the 3D printer on the back-burner for a month to make sure he was serious
After a month he couldn't stop thinking about it and bought one
He started by building a community and youtube channel
Then he started looking to actually sell products
Scaling a Business
Nikko admits that he doesn't know how to design these products from scratch
He leverages others to make the designs and market it
His biggest skill is delegation and making sure he's tapping into the right products
His 1st year he made 50k in revenue
2019 his revenue grew to $130k
In 2020 he's on pace to make over $250k in revenue
Most of this revenue is just off of the digital files
He says that he spends about 4 hours per week
And now he's coaching others to build 3D printing businesses
Then a person can take these files and use their own printer to make them
Nikko also has a big focus on giving back
During the Covid outbreak, he was printing free face shields for frontline workers
 
Key Takeaways
Stop Chasing the Money: Nikko talks about how things started turning around when stop solely focusing on the money.
Maximize Your Skills: Nikko never designs a file yet makes so much money on them, he uses his skills of delegation to the max
Call to Action
Just go educate yourself in 3D printing. Whether it's Nikko's side hustles, medical advances, or even housing solutions, it's such a cool topic that everyone should check out.
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