About StrazXMade in Byron Center, Michigan

My last name is one of those that nobody wants to attempt. Growing up, people would take one look at it and give up — so I was always just "Straz." Add an X and you've got StrazX. It stuck.

I'm Brian, an IT guy by day and a tinkerer by nature. A few years ago I got curious about 3D printing, picked up my first printer, and I've been down the rabbit hole ever since. This is my fourth printer — each one a little better than the last, each one enabling something I couldn't do before.

Laser engraving came next on my list. The problem? They're not cheap. So instead of waiting, I decided to start selling what I could already make — and use the revenue to fund the next tool. That's how StrazX was born, out of a basement workshop in Byron Center, Michigan — making custom gifts for West Michigan and beyond.

My five-year-old son Bryson has been my business partner from day one. He helps where he can, which mostly means quality control and strong opinions. He's already planning his first product line — stickers — and I'm not going to be the one to tell him no. A sticker printer may be coming sooner than I expected.

The goal isn't just a side hustle. I want to build something Bryson can grow up in — learn responsibility, understand what it means to make something with your hands and sell it. My wife is part of this too, and the dream is giving her something she can run from home.

We just added a CNC to the shop. I designed a crystal display stand, printed a version already, and a wood version is coming. There's always a next project. That's kind of the point.

Every piece that leaves this basement is made by us — no dropshipping, no outsourcing. Just a guy, his kid, and a workshop full of machines that keep getting better.