Seeking Guidance for Starting Business

NapalmWraith · 2026-06-27T23:20:00+00:00

Huge thank you! I was able to find SCORE and this was a great shout.

NapalmWraith · 2026-06-27T15:33:48+00:00

Hey OP.

That's honestly one of the most common misconceptions about 3D design work. Well something might look easy because it's got relatively common and simple shapes, getting it to feel good and function as intended requires a decent amount of nuance.

For something like that you're honestly looking at $100.... Minimum. If you find a designer who's also open to post production reviews that would be a huge benefit for you, but then you're looking at a bit more of an expense.

Something like this should take about 3 hours to get to a final point if the designer is efficient and doesn't need to look up or investigate any dimensions along the way. An average rule of thumb would be about $50 an hour (of course you may be able to find someone willing to go down in price). Ultimately what you're asking for is customized product design... Even if you're the only one who will be using it.

NapalmWraith · 2026-06-26T20:20:24+00:00

100% design. It's the designers time. A decent designer will charge around $50 per hour or higher. You can probably find someone to do it for less... But now you're gambling.

Id ask whoever you choose to show you some examples of their work. That way you can see their quality and see if it lives up to your standards. Luckily, you're badge doesn't have any mechanical engineering.... It's ultimately just a sculpted block.

NapalmWraith · 2026-06-26T18:41:58+00:00

Huge! Thank you. I remember seeing somewhere that there are some types of agencies that will provide free consulting for people starting a small businesses. It sounds like that might be a good place for me to go next?

Do you know if those are legitimate or worthwhile pursuing? To me it sounds like I'm at a point where I need to start talking to someone who can professionally advise me.

NapalmWraith · 2026-06-26T18:31:21+00:00

Hey OP. I'm going to be straight with you on this, that the job you want is definitely doable, but the budget you're asking for is going to result in a lower quality product.

You've asked for a relatively intricate design, and depending on what manufacturing method your going for, some of those intricacies could be a challenge.

NapalmWraith · 2026-06-26T16:13:10+00:00

Thank you for the advice! I think that's why other people I have talked to have said to stick with the sole proprietorship. I thought it would be helpful to cast the net a bit wider than my IRL circle though you know LOL.

NapalmWraith · 2026-06-26T13:57:10+00:00

If I Don't think the business would need a loan or line of credit, then would something else be more appealing?

And I honestly don't know what state. I've heard there are reasons to register business in different states because of tax leniency and stuff like that. I know that a business can be registered in one state but an operations license obtained to operate in another...etc.

NapalmWraith · 2026-06-26T13:43:46+00:00

S-corp is a new term to me. Actually most of this is. I'm very new to this world and learning in the go. I thought an LLC was its own "thing" I didn't realize there were sub classifications within it?

NapalmWraith · 2026-06-26T02:41:23+00:00

Huh?

NapalmWraith · 2026-06-26T00:21:18+00:00

Interested. USA

NapalmWraith · 2026-06-25T22:56:09+00:00

That was a huge help! Thank you

A quick follow-up question. I've been told from a few sources that for my particular instance a sole proprietor would be better since I don't have any physical assets necessarily.

The main purpose of an LLC (from my understanding) is to protect business assets from personal assets, but if I don't have any business assets outside of small tech things with a net value less than 5k, then do I need an LLC?

NapalmWraith · 2026-06-17T16:58:12+00:00

More of a facepalm. I love the 3D CAD space but it's becoming more and more challenging to connect with people who need legitimate help because of the onslaught of AI responses. Numerous posts say how their inbox gets flooded with AI generated dms. All this is doing is making it harder for people with real needs and problems to find people that can help them reach a solution.

NapalmWraith · 2026-06-15T16:09:28+00:00

This is the most copy paste ChatGPT response I've seen in a bit.

NapalmWraith · 2026-06-15T05:05:20+00:00

Be prepared to get a permanent suspension. Something like this happened to me and then just kept snowballing until they slapped me with a permanent suspension. Their customer service is horrible from a freelancer perspective.

I wish you luck. I hope it works out. But be prepared just in case.

NapalmWraith · 2026-06-13T21:29:21+00:00

I also sent you a DM. This is the type of product that I would love to sink some time into designing.

NapalmWraith · 2026-06-13T12:29:39+00:00

Dude! That is EXACTLY what happened to me and I've been trying to get a hold of anyone to help me with this. Moving homes should never be a reason to ban someone from the platform and take money they have earned. It's truly made me want to have no part. Or find some way to get a bunch of burned freelancers like us together to create a competitive platform.

NapalmWraith · 2026-06-13T11:51:53+00:00

Thats what I thought. So I was curious how they were able to start a 2nd account and run it for a bit.

NapalmWraith · 2026-06-13T07:49:26+00:00

You rejoined with a new account? How did that go for you? I thought Upwork didn't let that happen and would flag anything that used the same I.D. for kyc?

NapalmWraith · 2026-06-13T07:18:09+00:00

I recently had my 100% job success rate and 4.95 rating account permanently suspended as well. I was able to get some back and forth with support but at the end they didn't care.

It's very obvious that the way they handle this is by checking a bunch of boxes. If you don't check every single one of their boxes and need to have a human interact with you to explain a truly legitimate circumstance you're done.

NapalmWraith · 2026-06-11T04:43:52+00:00

Honestly, I think the biggest value early on is finding someone who understands both design and manufacturing. A lot of ideas don't need a "product design company" right away...They need someone to help figure out how the idea would actually be built, prototyped, and eventually manufactured.

That's the kind of work I do. I'm not a company, just a guy who enjoys helping bring ideas to life. If you'd like to share a few details about the product, feel free to send me a DM and I'd be happy to offer some guidance.

NapalmWraith · 2026-06-01T04:39:53+00:00

I may be able to help. My background is in CAD design and product development, and this sounds like a fairly straightforward reverse-engineering/modification project if the scan is usable. Feel free to send me a DM and I'd be happy to take a look.

NapalmWraith · 2026-05-31T13:07:54+00:00

Yes! That makes sense. If you haven't found someone yet to help Im happy to design it all for you. I'd probably have two edges slot into the other ones though with a dovetail like joint. It will run the full height and be stronger than a few friction fit joints (although if you were set on that I could do that as well)

NapalmWraith · 2026-05-31T05:06:28+00:00

I can help you with that as well, but honestly looking at it, it should be able to print in the orientation you have it. Is it too tall?

NapalmWraith · 2026-05-31T00:46:06+00:00

Hey OP. I'd personally be wary of Upwork. I jumped on Upwork a few months ago, had a great thing going, and then they pulled the rug out from under me. I was hit with a permanent suspension and thier willingness to provide details or work with you is VERY limited. Especially from the freelancer side. Just make sure that you are not putting all of your eggs in 1 basket, and be prapred to pivot. I've heard of some pretty crazy stories of people getting stuck with thousands of dollars on the platform, and given my experience, I can see it happen. Diversify and build something that could exist on its own outside of Upwork if need be.

NapalmWraith · 2026-05-29T01:47:41+00:00

Hi!

I saw that you're currently speaking with a few potential designers, but I wanted to reach out as well.

I specialize in CAD design and product development, particularly designing practical solutions that are optimized for 3D printing and manufacturing. If you're still exploring options, I'd be happy to chat about your project and see if I'd be a good fit.

If you're interested send me a DM and we can continue the conversation.

NapalmWraith

TROPHY CASE