Being a digital creator or writer is brutal right now. The market is flooded and everyone’s scrambling for clients, gigs, and eyeballs.
Everyone has a newsletter.
Everyone drops threads.
Many creators sell similar templates, courses, and outlines.
Attention is fractured, algorithms flip overnight. You build momentum, then poof; you’re invisible again.
Then there’s the burnout from sameness. Infinite competition drowns even your best work in noise.
Lately, I’ve been asking: What if I stop competing only in pixels?
What if I build something that can’t be endlessly duplicated or algorithm-buried?
Enter: a physical side hustle.
My husband has been experimenting with laser engraving, and he’s made some amazing pieces, like leather bags (which he says are too expensive and labor-intensive to scale profitably). But there are easier, cheaper items that produce well: think wooden signs, tumblers, keychains, coasters, phone stands: popular, high-margin, beginner-friendly winners.
Is there still a market for this in 2026?
Physical personalization is actually growing strong. The personalized gifts market is projected to hit around USD 34 billion in 2026, with a steady growth rate as people crave unique, meaningful items over mass-produced stuff. Laser engraving fits right in; gifts, decor, branded pieces that feel truly theirs.
Why laser engraving suits creators pivoting from digital:
- Low overhead, high margins: Make-to-order means minimal inventory.
- Differentiation: In a sea of identical digital products, physical objects stand out. Someone holds your work; they don’t just scroll past.
- Real customer feedback & satisfaction: The material truly responds. Wrong settings? Instant burn or scar. Nail them? Crisp, permanent lines with genuine depth, weight, and texture, no screenshot can fake that feel.
- Sensory escape: After endless screen time, the hum, faint burn smell, and dust remind your body it’s alive.
- Accessible entry: Affordable beginner-friendly CO2 or diode machines are still widely available in 2026, with a quick learning curve.
Laser engraving is ideas born online, and finished in the real world.
The real benefit? It’s not just extra income, it’s reclaiming agency.
Digital feels temporary. Physical gives tangible proof of your time and skill.
If refreshing feeds feels hollow to you, maybe it’s time to get more hands-on in the physical world.
You gain new revenue streams, deeper connections (people love owning custom stuff), and a break from pure pixels.
Laser engraving is forgiving to learn, unforgiving on quality (which pushes you to level up), and deeply rewarding when someone says, “This is mine” about something you made.
I’ll share our early attempts, flaws and all.
What’s one physical thing you’ve thought about making or selling? Or if you’re eyeing a pivot, what’s drawing you in?
2026 feels like the right time to lean back into what’s authentic and real-world again.
