3D Printing as a Side Hustle | Nikko Mendoza

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.

Join the Community
We’d love to hear your comments and questions about this week’s episode. Here are some of the best ways to stay in touch and get involved in The FI Show community!

*