How Produce & Manufacture a Product
This project guide helps two Sky’s the Limit members work together through four meetings as they collaborate to make your products.
Meeting 1: Research ways to manufacture
Before this meeting:
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Make sure that you’ve had an intro meeting. If you need help navigating your first meeting, visit this Guide to Your First Meeting.
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If you don’t already have a prototype of your product idea, complete the Make My First sale project first.
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Review: Product Development
In this meeting:
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Make a copy of the Product Development Starter Exercise and use it to think through how you want to manufacture and ship your products.
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Try starting with Alibaba, Printful, or Maker’s Row.
After this meeting:
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Research similar products and manufacturers.
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Note any agreed-upon next steps.
Meeting 2: Get quotes using your designs
Before this meeting:
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Review your product designs. If you don’t have any, you can use Canva or Printful Mockups to start creating some.
In this meeting:
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Create or share your product designs
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Review the top manufacturers you found in your last meeting. Many have online quote systems, but determine what steps you need to take to receive a quote.
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Determine if your designs will work for getting quotes. Revise if needed.
After this meeting:
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Start sending your designs to manufacturers for quotes.
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Note any agreed-upon next steps.
Meeting 3: Test out a manufacturer
Before this meeting:
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Review the quotes you received.
In this meeting:
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Choose 1 -3 manufacturers you’d like to test products from.
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Many manufacturers will send you product samples. Check how to receive them samples from them.
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Follow their directions carefully to ensure product quality, and order Samples.
After this meeting:
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Show the samples to your products to your friends to see what they think.
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Note any agreed-upon next steps.
Meeting 4: Choose and manage a manufacturer
Before this meeting:
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Review your product samples.
In this meeting:
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Compare and contrast quality and pricing for each sample and any feedback you’ve received.
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Determine which manufacturer you would like to use. Consider the following:
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Product cost
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Shipping cost
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Product quality
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After this meeting:
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Determine how many products you would like to have in your first order and place it.
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Be sure to mark your project complete, update your business tracker, and start a new project!
Want to talk to someone who can help?
Sky’s the Limit members are connected to a community of volunteer business mentors, more free tools and guides like this one, and exclusive funding opportunities.