Mine started with buying an old "heath" style pantograph. It was dirt cheap & operational. I bought it as just another handy tool to have around once in a while. It wasn't a month till the very company I purchased it from was running behind on their own orders. Asked me if I wanted to make 200 gussets for them & told me what they would pay for them. With time calculated on them I was making apx $46.00 per hour. Ox/A coming out of that netting $39.00 per hr.
I asked a few other industrial manufacturers for small parts. Got an occational piece here & there. After inital orders were delivered & the quality was as good or better than they were used to. Turn around time usually lots better.
Most of my stuff is from 3/8 1/2 5/8 3/4 & 1" material. I got the bright idea to build a big hexagon drum to use as a tumbler. Works like a charm. It will tumble about 750# of parts per cycle. Only takes about 5 min. with only the parts using themselves as media. Noise level is beyond belief. So I only run it after hours behind closed doors. But it did get rid of all the grinding on heavier parts.
Pretty much the same approach as alliance metal.
I am at the point of keeping someone at that old pantagraph 30 hrs a week. I'm currently building a CNC table I am rapidly coming to the point I will have to turn down work if I don't get a CNC table going.
Moral of the story: If your turn around time is good & you stick to quality in your parts. Once word gets out. Work will most likely find you.
If it works.....Don't fix it!