Rising Stars: Meet Nick Conklin, PMP

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Conklin, PMP

Hi Nick, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Nick has been 3D printing and 3D scanning for 10 years and has seen the technology evolve over that timeframe. His first job in the industry was at a shop that produced these figurines on a now legacy color 3D printer. He saw the demand for people getting themselves and their pets 3D printed however the technology was not up to the task. The printer in question used gypsum (wallboard material) and a binder that was very fragile – if they got knocked over on your desk they would shatter. In addition to the fragility the prints lacked detail, the color was very dull, and they were incredibly heavy. The limitations were not just on the 3D printing side, the 3D scanning technology was also a barrier to mass adoption of bespoke figurines. Nick used to chase people around with hand-held 3D scanners and any movement (such as sneezing) would require him to start over – often taking multiple hours to complete at a sup-par, very expensive, digital file needed to print from.

Nick spent years mastering 3D scanning to print workflows and won 3rd place in the US Air Force Advanced Manufacturing Olympics reverse engineering challenge. He recently completed a Chief Operating Officer Program from MIT and was pursuing business opportunities to allow him to execute on the skills that program taught. He discovered Shrunk 3D and was amazed at the quality from the combination of a custom-built scanner that is mobile (trailer based) and scans people in 2 seconds, eliminating the need to hold perfectly still for a long time. The 3D print advances off of HP’s color printers are equally as impressive. The material is now nylon and incredibly robust, vivid, and lightweight – we turn these into ornaments as a frame of reference. It was the confluence of the advancements in these two fields along with Nick’s experience producing these figures in the past and seeing the demand that led him to open a franchise territory of Shrunk 3D.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been speed bumps of various sizes throughout the startup process, luckily most were related to the one time setup challenges and will not be encountered in day-to-day operations. An example of a small speed bump from my first event is that we thought our point of sales device was set up correctly with the correct sales tax amounts and categories. We realized after that there is a toggle switch on the website that was not flicked on so we will have to eat the cost of sales tax for that event as it was not charged to our customers. A larger speed bump during the startup process was Nick lost his job at the start of 2024 which led to requiring special financing options. Luckily for Nick, his mother Sheri, is a Certified Financial Planner™, and has been featured in Fortune Magazine. She helped Nick with the ROBS process, a financing tool that allows the use of retirement funds for investing in a business startup. Nick has started a job with The Franchise Consulting Company as a franchise consultant and is excited to use his experience to reduce the speedbumps others might encounter in pursuing a franchise investment.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As a reverse engineering expert Nick is most proud of the multi-professional impact that his knowledge has. He has worked with orthopedic surgeons to develop novel surgical tools. Nick has sold scanning technology to national laboratories in pursuit of nuclear safety and cleanup efforts. He has even helped make a toy for the Denver Zoo’s baby rhino! The most exciting part of being a practitioner in this field is you never know what type of project will walk through the door next.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
The best part of Shrunk 3D is how many ways we can work with individuals, teams, and companies to create value. On the athletic front Shrunk 3D can create a storefront for athletes to sell figures via Name, Image, Likeness deals. We can create eye-catching product advertisements for storefronts. For individuals we create impactful memories, a photo with an added dimension, preserving life’s best moments, from graduations, to weddings, to youth sporting victories, even your pets!

Pricing:

• Depends on size on number of people
• A ballpark range: ~$100-$500
• Orders over a single unit are discounted due to a one time design fee

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shrunk3d.com/denverwest
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shrunk3d_denverwest/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Shrunk3DDenverWest/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoHY_0urW96webBeNc2WK3Q
• Other: https://www.thefranchiseconsultingcompany.com/nick-conklin