Product Startup

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Partner: PTC’s best-in-class software solutions Onshape: The only cloud-native product development platform that delivers full-featured computer-aided design (CAD), integrated product data management (PDM) and enterprise analytics in a single system, and Creo: 3D CAD solution that provides designers with the most innovative tools to build better products faster, such as generative design, additive manufacturing, real-time simulation, IIoT, and augmented reality.

Producer: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer ...

216: 5 Key Tips For Starting Your Product Development Journey

Product Startup

03/11/24 • 27 min

Wade Harmidy, an esteemed project manager at MAKO Design + Invent, dedicates his meticulously cultivated expertise to guiding inventors and hardware startups through their product development journeys. Armed with an impressive academic background that includes an Honours Bachelor of Science degree and a Post Graduate Certificate in Quality Assurance, in addition to a prestigious Six Sigma Black Belt certification in Project Management, Wade is a beacon of knowledge in his field. Today, he graciously shares key tips for modern inventors, startups, and small-scale manufacturers. He expounds upon how to best navigate the beginning of your product development journey by revealing 5 indispensable strategies that will ensure you succeed in your product venture.

Click this link for This Episode's Full Info Page: https://www.makodesign.com/podcast/216-5-key-tips-for-starting-your-product-development-journey/

Key Takeaways in This Episode:

What are the core factors that dictate how your product journey will go?

Having a definitive vision for what your invention will achieve or what problem it is solving is integral.

The clearer your vision is in the initial stages, the more likely it is that an experienced team will be able to help you realize your vision.

Write down your product vision! Shoot for fewer words than more words.

Have something tangible to bring to the product engineering firm. You don’t need to be an artist! Just get the idea down.

Make sure to consider the end user and what your product accomplishes for them.

MVP design is a key tenet.

Setting realistic deadlines is incredibly important!

Cutting corners often leads to failure!

Plan for the big picture and all of the key milestones you need to hit.

MAKO Design + Invent: www.makodesign.com

Kevin Mako: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevmako

Producer: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. We also help our clients with business and product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories.

197: Go From Hardware Startup to Scale Up

Product Startup

10/12/23 • 23 min

Roland Siebelink, with a background in scaling companies from 10 to over 1000 employees, started his journey in the 90s with internet hardware. With over 30 years of experience, he's aided numerous hardware startups and tech firms in transitioning from startup to scale-up. As the CEO of Midstage Institute for almost 8 years, he specializes in helping startups grow. Today, Roland will share insights for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on the timing of transitioning from startup to scale-up, navigating high-growth transformations, and ensuring success in scale-up hardware companies.

Here are the key takeaways from the episode:

Transitioning from a startup to a hardware scale-up
The growth journey of a new product development company
Identifying the right time to stop acting like a startup
Shifting focus from exploration to exploitation when traction is visible
The potency of a small proof of market for new hardware brands
Prioritizing growth and exploitation in scale-ups, not just exploration
Recognizing that gaining traction as an inventor is just the beginning of the scaling process
Emphasizing the building of a business, not just a product
Consider involving someone with a scaling mindset for technical or inventor-focused roles
Transition from being the smartest person in the room to hiring even smarter people
Acknowledging the non-binary transition from startup to full-scale corporation with a middle stage
Implementing processes as a means to scale efficiently
Utilizing the 80/20 principle to achieve optimal results
Maintaining the entrepreneurial spirit during mid-stage growth
Leveraging the competitive advantage of being a lean startup with a strong vision
Avoid launching a second business prematurely
Identifying opportunities within a small niche in a larger market
Initial focus on visionaries and early adopters within the market segment.

Roland Siebelink Links:

Midstage Institute

The Product Startup Podcast Links:

Mako Design Links:

Kevin Mako Links:

Producer: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients,...

210: Using Ad Funnels for D2C Product Sales

Product Startup

01/19/24 • 17 min

Taylor Frame is the Co-Founder of Focus Funnels, a direct-to-consumer marketing agency that has been around for over 8 years and successfully collaborated with hundreds of businesses. Prior to this venture, he drove direct-to-consumer product sales for prominent brands, including The Gap, J.Crew, and Adobe. Today, Taylor will share the extensive knowledge he has amassed throughout his time in the product sales space integral to inventors, startups, and small manufacturers. In particular, he will detail the four core pillars of a direct-to-consumer funnel, how to ensure a sales funnel is built correctly, and the best practices physical product startups seeking to launch their first consumer product online should employ to maximize their success.

Here are the key takeaways from the episode:

What are the frameworks for bringing new hardware to market?
Positioning is how your product is differentiated in the market.
Placement is key! Put time into researching where your audience is spending their time online.
Have a good understanding of what your audience cares about.
A focused acquisition funnel is always best!
Strive to achieve a customer journey that persuades someone to buy something.
What are the three critical aspects of delivery for ads?
Content is about your core pillars; build content that aligns with them to effectively sell the value of your product.
Once you have content developed, get it out there fast!
Paid ads versus organic ads.
The barrier to entry on sales has been lower than ever recently, making it easy to get in front of eyeballs.
A key step is to ensure that when someone clicks on your content, you have a product landing page that promotes the product's value.
Keep your advertising simple, as if you’re talking to a friend about their problem and your solution.
Keep your ads simple at the beginning, and then begin to test more complex pieces of content.
Test 3 or 4 different types of ads every week or two.
It is better to have more information on your website to ensure your page tells a whole story.
Startups have a sizeable competitive advantage over big box retailers, as they have authenticity behind their product!

Taylor Frame Links:

LinkedIn | Focus Funnels

The Product Startup Podcast Links:

MAKO Design + Invent Links:

Kevin Mako Links:

Producer: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering,

185: Building a Successful Hardware Startup Multiple Times

Product Startup

07/21/23 • 16 min

Rich Walsh is the CEO of CorVent Medical, which is the eighth company Rich has helped build. Prior to CorVent, Rich was a part of many different companies building them from early phases right to exiting through either acquisition or going public. He has been in the space for over 25 years. Today Rich is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on how rewarding building a hardware startup is, how to move fast to accomplish big goals much faster than big companies, and how to be a repeat serial hardware startup entrepreneur.

Today you will hear us talk about:

Hardware startups are leading the pack for innovation in 2023
The hardware world is extremely rewarding when done right.
Startups are very nimble, they can develop far faster than a big company, even though big companies have so much more money.
Company vision is key to bringing on many different stakeholders.
Build a quality product and sales and financing will come.
The culture of your startup and the stakeholders you work with will be important.
The sooner you start, the better. Even young people can have multiple exits before they even hit mid-career.

Rich Walsh Links:

LinkedIn | CorVent Medical

The Product Startup Podcast Links:

Mako Design Links:

Kevin Mako Links: