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Product Startup
Product Startup episodes
- 123: Selling A Hardware Product on B2B Platforms
Gil Bar-Lev is the founder of Homeroots, a North American Business to Business product marketplace that connects new innovative furniture products with furniture stores, distributors, and buyers. Earlier in his career he was the one who brought together Amazon and Toys R Us, back in 2002. Today Gil is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can successfully build a hardware product business, then how to start and scale selling through B2B marketplaces online.
Today you will hear us talk about:
- Have passion about what you love in your hardware product startup
- If you develop a product, go all in.
- Never give up, if you are passionate about your product
- Figure out your target audience
- Create differentiation, or an improvement
- Willingness to listen
- Pivot if needed, after listening to customers
- It’s hard to get feedback
- The quality of a new hardware product is critical.
- Stay competitive by keeping quality high
- The industry in business-to-business sales could be multiple times the size of the sexy sales channels like direct to consumer.
- The first order is so amazing
- Don’t price to low originally, as you may lose a lot of interest from bigger buyers as you created too little margin
- Leverage relationships with these buyers when you start getting connected
- Encourage a feedback loop and channel
- Don’t get defensive of feedback, try genuinely to help.
EPISODE LINKS
Gil Bar-Lev / HomeRoots Links:
- Website: https://www.homeroots.co/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilbar-lev/
The Product Startup Podcast Links:
- Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/
- Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/
- Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@productstartup
Kevin Mako Links:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/
- Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/
27 min - 122: Modern Methods for New Product Development
John McEleney is the Co-Founder of OnShape, a leading cloud-based 3D CAD Design software used by almost two million product designers worldwide. He was one of the early innovators at SolidWorks and ended up being CEO there for 7 years before eventually founding OnShape. Today John is going to share some valuable knowledge on what inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can look forward to in modern CAD design tools, and how to best use those tools to get new innovative products to market in an agile way, learning from customers, and thus best ensuring product-market fit.
Today you will hear us talk about:
- Building products is all about iteration
- Cloud-based CAD software is making it far easier
- Don’t worry about opening and working with it
- Control your CAD, and control parts of it
- Everything is saved step by step
- Continue to test and try
- Collaborate with peers in real-time
- Figure out the product-market fit quickly
- Getting products into customer's hands so that you can observe
- Does your product solve a problem or delight a user
EPISODE LINKS
John McEleney / OnShape Links:
- Website: https://www.onshape.com/en/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmceleney/
The Product Startup Podcast Links:
- Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/
- Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/
- Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@productstartup
Kevin Mako Links:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/
- Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/
33 min - 121: Disrupt an Industry with your Hardware Invention
Alexander Manu is the author of many design thinking books, and is a lecturer at OCAD University, where I’ve also had the chance to lecture a few times. He was also the head of a big design studio called Axis for 25 years starting in 1980. Today Alexander is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers should attempt to disrupt and capture an industry, all done by identifying, transitioning, and defining the category for yourself so that your product can be unbeatable.
Today you will hear us talk about:
- The iPhone changed everything, but most people misunderstood what the iPhone really was.
- When you want to be competitive in hardware, you want to define the market yourself.
- Be courageous, trust your gut, think about the long term.
- You want to be the first, the best, or the only.
- Understand what it is
- You are not designing hardware, you are designing behavior enablers
- Is it inside out, or outside in.
- The first step in disruption is Transition
- You cannot judge disruptors by existing lenses, as it’s new.
- Every product is a cultural transformation
- What is the nature of transformation
- Define the category for yourself
- As a hardware startup you need to overcome the natural industry baises
- Think far down the road, what will your disruption change in the future?
- Makes it very hard to compete (WD-40, Kleenex)
- When you disrupt, you need to unlearn.
- Always aspire to be the best, especially these days.
- Don’t compromise on quality. Price is no longer an issue, both in the product, but also in the cost of designing it right.
EPISODE LINKS
Alexander Manu Links:
- Website: https://www.alexandermanu.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-manu-458b7b3/
The Product Startup Podcast Links:
- Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/
- Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/
- Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@productstartup
Kevin Mako Links:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/
- Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/
26 min - 120: People & Mindset at a Hardware Startup
Karin Lindner is the author of the book Make Manufacturing Sexy. She was also an instructor at Sheridan College, and consults many manufacturers on human resources and performance. Today Karin is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can understand the the people needed to succeed in building a hardware company, and the critical mindset both you and your team needs to be the best.
Today you will hear us talk about:
- Creativity in manufacturing
- Figure out what you want in a team to start
- Find out what people are personally interested in
- Ask lots of questions to all of your hires, stakeholders, vendors, partners, etc.
- Make people feel special.
- Build an org chart, but build it upside down, with the President serving everyone else and so on upward.
- Mindset - Think about what you want, not what you don’t want.
- Figure out what kind of a team you would like to create
- Build resilience and grit.
EPISODE LINKS
Karin Lindner / Make Manufacturing Sexy Book Links:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinlindner/
- Website: https://www.amazon.com/Manufacturing-Mindset-Passion-Production-Executive-ebook/dp/B007Z4UJ7I
The Product Startup Podcast Links:
- Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/
- Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/
- Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@productstartup
Kevin Mako Links:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/
- Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/
30 min - 119: Planning for the Unexpected in Product Design
Kelly Schmutte is a dual degree graduate and a lecturer at Standford University at d.School. She has also worked at IDEO and on product development of many hardware products, including designing and running her own product called PerfectFit, one of the world’s leading professional dance shoes, and is the co-author of the design book Navigating Ambiguity. Today Kelly is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can understand ambiguity and unexpected circumstances within the product development journey, and how to maximize the value of your product through prototyping and testing before going into manufacturing.
Today you will hear us talk about:
- Defining ambiguity - The quality of being open to more than one interpretation
- How does it apply to hardware product design
- Framing the problem, then asking why that problem is important
- How do you then go about solving the problem.
- What is some of the academic research around ambiguity in design
- How do you use this in hardware design
- The importance prototyping
- Prototype to learn at first, then prototype to figure it out, then prototype to perfect it and validate it.
EPISODE LINKS
Kelly Schmutte / Navigating Ambiguity Links:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-schmutte-a29b614/
- Website: https://perfectfitpointe.com/
- Book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/623448/navigating-ambiguity-by-andrea-small-kelly-schmutte-and-stanford-dschool-artwork-by-reina-takahashi-photographs-by-andria-lo/
The Product Startup Podcast Links:
- Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/
- Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/
- Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@productstartup
Kevin Mako Links:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/
- Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/
28 min - 118: Behavioral Science of Subtraction in Product Design
Leidy Klotz has his PhD in Behavioral Science and is a professor at the University of Virginia. He is the Author of the New York Times bestselling design book called Subtract. His research has been featured in many publications including the front cover of Nature magazine. Today Leidy is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can both understand what it means to think about subtraction in your product development process, and also learn what the best practices are for ensuring world-class subtraction thinking for your product.
Today you will hear us talk about:
- Science explains why we don’t think of subtraction
- This is a problem baked in evolution
- Simple is hard, and requires improved cognition
- Balance Bike / Construction Cinder Blocks
- How do you do Subtraction better
- Give yourself Reminders
- Next time you have a design decision to make, try and think just as much about subtraction as you do about addition
- Build subtraction into your design process
- Put design rules into play for being great at subtraction
- First you have to think of it, then you have to choose it.
- Highlight in your design what is not there
EPISODE LINKS
Leidy Klotz / Subract Links:
- Website: https://www.leidyklotz.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leidy-klotz-a00b01150/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Leidyklotz
The Product Startup Podcast Links:
- Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/
- Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/
- Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@productstartup
Kevin Mako Links:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/
- Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/
31 min - 117: Successful Equity Crowdfunding for Hardware Startups
Peter-Paul Van Hoeken is the Founder of FrontFundr, one of North America’s top platforms for equity crowdfunding for startups and small scaling businesses. He is a TEDx speaker on Investment Crowdfunding, is a member of the Securities Commission, and is an advisor to both the Private Capital Markets Association and the National Crowdfunding and Fintech Association. Simply put, Peter-Paul is the person to talk to when it comes to crowdfunding capital for a hardware startup. Today, he is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can use crowdfunded equity platforms to raise capital to grow a hardware product business.
Today you will hear us talk about:
- The difference between equity crowdfunding and product crowdfunding
- Equity funding requires work, which starts with prep.
- Throughout the campaign, continue to talk to your potential updates via updates.
- Ideally you have a great product to show, but even better, show some sales.
- Post campaign, it is important to keep your community excited by keeping them up to date with what is going on.
- Create trust with your audience by being honest with your progress.
- Reach as many people as possible through a platform
- Build and leverage your community, be clear on your key messages with your product, choose the right media to amplify your message, organize events, identify influencers within your industry.
EPISODE LINKS
Peter-Paul Van Hoeken / FrontFundr Links:
- Website: https://www.frontfundr.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterpaulvanhoeken/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frontfundr/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frontfundr1/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/frontfundr
The Product Startup Podcast Links:
- Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/
- Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/
- Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@productstartup
Kevin Mako Links:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/
- Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/
27 min - 116: How to Turn an Invention into a Product Business
Tom Gray is the Founder and Executive Producer of the Make48 TV Show, a show where contestants have 48 hours to come up with an invention idea and build a prototype to showcase it to the judges. The show is on PBS, Amazon Prime, and many other networks around the world. I will actually be one of the judges on the upcoming season, so stay tuned for that release date in coming months! Today Tom is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can grow from being an inventor, maker, tinkerer, or product ideator into being a real product business success via either product licensing or starting a product manufacturing business.
Today you will hear us talk about:
- Two choices: License or build a startup
- Licensing still requires you to move down the
- 4 things to present an invention idea
- Your first prototype is never the final one, do a few to get it right
- Make sure to have a quick and clean video
- Sales sheet, just one page
- Some IP protection, done well
- Small stepping stones in developing the product
EPISODE LINKS
Tom Gray / Make48 Links:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-gray-a0948a77
- Company: https://make48.com/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/gomake48
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gomake48/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Make48
The Product Startup Podcast Links:
- Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/
- Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/
- Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@productstartup
Kevin Mako Links:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/
- Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/
38 min - 115: How to Successfully Design & Launch a Toy Invention
Dan Klitsner is the inventor of the super-popular toy Bop It, along with over 300 other toy inventions of his that are out on the market. Bop It alone has sold more than 30 million units. Dan has been in the product game for over 25 years with over 500,000 followers on social media. Today Dan is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can use best practices from his success in the toy industry to build and launch a successful toy product, and how those lessons can apply to success in any hardware product vertical.
Today you will hear us talk about:
- Failures are the best way to lead to success
- Toys blended with industrial design
- Toys are generally creating opportunity, where products solve a problem
- Don’t just think of products as a problem solving tool
- Everything is RITE (a formula for how to evaluate your idea)
- Relationship, Idea, Timing, Execution
- Meetings that are failures, they can be learned from
- A great idea is only one part of the puzzle
- Pretend that your idea is only a 5 out of 10, then improve it
- Timing is not luck, you can gauge this via research
- Relentless listening to everyone and everything throughout your product journey
- Knock on the right doors, and enough doors, to find a good fit
- Listen to your prospective buyers
EPISODE LINKS
Dan Klitsner Links:
- Bop It Website: https://bopitforgood.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-klitsner-4b0bb52/
- Instagram: @bopitinventor
- TikTok: @bopitinventor
The Product Startup Podcast Links:
- Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/
- Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/
- Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@productstartup
Kevin Mako Links:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/
- Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/
32 min - 114: Designing an MVP for a New Consumer Product
Magnus Skold is a 20-year industrial designer. He started in designing ultra-high-end interiors for private jets for international royalty, then worked with commercial airlines, then worked with Dell and a number of other brands, and then for the past few years, is a senior industrial designer with me at Mako Design. Today Magnus is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers should think about the importance of a minimum viable product when developing their first product for the market. How MVP is important for cost, simplicity, modern design, production smoothness, and even onto benefits and feedback from end-users.
Today you will hear us talk about:
- MVP design defined
- Levels of complication
- Has it been thought through
- Free vs costly choices
- Keeping things clean/tidy/elegant
- Matching the aesthetic of the environment
- Nothing more, nothing less
- Purity of purpose
- The true costs of complexity
EPISODE LINKS
Magnus Skold Links:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/permagnusskold/
The Product Startup Podcast Links:
- Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/
- Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/
- Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@productstartup
Kevin Mako Links:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/
- Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/
29 min
About Product Startup
From the publisher's feed
The Product Startup Podcast is the hardware product development industry's #1 podcast. From invention idea to getting onto store shelves, and everything in between. Hear how inventors, product…
startups, & small manufacturers created their inventions and launched their physical product businesses. Learn from the industry's top industrial designers, mechanical engineers, PCB designers, consumer product managers, manufacturers, patent attorneys, hardware investors, product sellers, wholesalers, retailers and more. Learn about industrial design / product design, prototyping, 3d printing, additive manufacturing, product manufacturing, marketing, selling, patenting, logistics, and product business scaling. Hosted by Kevin Mako, the leading strategy and fundraising consultant for hardware startups at www.productstartup.com. Sponsored by TriMech Group, offering a comprehensive range of design, engineering, and manufacturing solutions backed by expertise that is unrivalled in the industry.