Creating a product can be intimidating. I am no expert by any means but currently working through the process, wanting to post the status and steps taken so far to help people if they’re going to create their own. This is for a physical product.
Start writing down product ideas – whenever something popped into my head, I would type it into Evernote. There was a product idea that I liked, and I knew it had to be verified.
Verify the market – There are some early phases to help ensure your market idea is worthwhile. Ask some of your friends “if they would buy this for X”. Facebook ads and google trends are good ways to ensure an audience for the device. You also want to verify what your margins and cost will be on the product. The Noah Kagan link below has some good ideas on confirming the market.
Make the design – I googled a similar product to try to figure out the materials needed. I wrote on a sheet of notebook paper whatever designs came to my head (I am a terrible drawer). I then got a person on Fiverr to help make AUTOCAD files to have a more concrete model.
Manufacture a prototype – I looked first by just googling “plastic injection molders” in the area. Then I looked on Thomas.net and found some prospects that could create my device. I have been trying to keep it in the US to get the iterate the prototype fast. The next plan is to look for similar products on Alibaba and Aliexpress to find an overseas manufacturer.
These steps are in cycles – I have written down product ideas, worked on manufacturing, verified the market after starting. There have also been periods that I didn’t work for a week on the product status. I continue to keep working after, and trying not to overbeat myself up.
Remember, there will be ups and downs – I have had wondered during this process, “do I have what it takes.” This is so harder then I thought; it was so easy in the video. I keep remembering if it would easy, everyone would do it. I also get shiny object syndrome thinking about working on something else. I have been working on this through meditation to keep it under control.
Current status – I am currently waiting for a prototype to be verified and manufactured. I have reached out to six manufacturers and waited for one to respond if it can be done. I have had multiple say they required a plastic mold. Some that said it wasn’t in their capabilities. If not, I have manufacturers I am targeting, but very optimistic about this one when I talked to him on the phone.
Resources – Verifying Market and building a Prototype
Verifying the market – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS1Bx7yYBCU
Building a prototype with minimal costs with revisions – https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/biggerpockets-business-podcast-73-chris-meade
Find Manufacturers – Thomas.net & searching plastic molding on google in my local area.
Ideas to help to figure out material and spec (hint: google similar products) – https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/how-do-i-develop-and-manufacture-a-physical-product.87449/