Product Startup - SoundSage

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Will Ford is one of the world's top crowdfunding experts. As President and Co-Founder of LaunchBoom, the leading crowdfunding agency for hardware startups, he has helped thousands of inventors and entrepreneurs leverage platforms like Kickstarter or Indiegogo to establish and scale their product empires. Today, he explains why a successful crowdfunding campaign can lead to significantly higher post-campaign investments and increased sales across multiple channels to inform inventors, startups, and small manufacturers. Will also details best practices for raising funds and optimizing crowdfunding efforts, emphasizing the importance of planning, storytelling, and social proof.

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Key Takeaways in This Episode:

Don’t give away too much equity too early in your entrepreneurial journey!
Although it's great to have more money at the start, if you give away early equity, you will erode a lot of your future potential earnings
Convertible debt is a great pathway for raising money for your future valuation.
You can take a prototype and pre-sell it to thousands of people worldwide through a crowdfunding platform.
Raise growth capital after you complete your crowdfunding campaign.
You will raise far more money if you bootstrap for as long as possible before crowdfunding, and you will give out far less equity.
Buyers always want the coolest new products on the market as early as possible. This is why crowdfunding platforms are so powerful for inventors.
You can turn backers who support your campaigns on Kickstarter and Indiegogo into investors after the campaign is over.
Dr. Squatch is an example of a hundred-thousand-dollar crowdfunding campaign.
Prelaunch, test, and then validate the return on ad spend.

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.

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David Brown, one of our talented industrial designers at MAKO Design, is a true expert in hardware product video renderings. With a rich background in industrial design and design engineering, David has honed his product design skills to an exceptionally refined degree. Today, he's excited to share his expertise with inventors, startups, and small manufacturers. Imagine being able to visualize your product idea in stunning detail before it even exists – like a trailer for a new captivating horror movie. That's the magic of 3D CAD video renderings, and David is here to demystify the process. He'll take you through the creation process of video renderings and how they can be a game-changer at every stage of your product's journey. From the initial spark of inventing to the thrill of making your first sale, David will reveal how these renderings can bring your vision to life for investors or potential consumers and set you on the path to success.

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Key Takeaways in This Episode:

Using video renderings is like bringing Hollywood to your product design!
Video rendering is essentially taking 3D CAD designs and making a video with that series of images and data.
It is like setting up a virtual camera that provides a full-scope view of the product in the setting where you would naturally find it.
You must also take into account the environment and lighting!
You can create things with video renderings that cannot be done in real life; this is one of its primary advantages.
Exploded view renderings show how the product comes apart and all of its pieces.
You can use these tools to explain a lot about a product and inform potential consumers.
Product demos and tutorials are other uses for video renderings.
How can you direct your designers to build a great hardware product rendering video for what you need?
The core requirement for making the video is creating a storyboard and ordering the elements to effectively tell the story.
Video renderings are standard these days for a great product, but you also need to develop a prototype!
There is post-processing of the video as well to refine the story being told and how it is presented.

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.

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Hamdy Albana is the founder of Push Analytics, a sustainable growth-centred marketing agency focused on leveraging data to propel brands from inception to millions in sales. Additionally, bolstered by a robust education in electrical engineering at NYU, he possesses a wealth of knowledge salient to hardware startup business owners. Today, Hamdy will share the benefits and nuances of selling products directly on one's own website as opposed to through online marketplaces like Amazon with today's inventors, startups, and small manufacturers. He will also highlight the two most critical aspects of launching a new social media marketing campaign to attract potential customers to your site and divulge best practices for optimizing return on ad spend, enabling you to swiftly and successfully scale your new product business.

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Key Takeaways in This Episode:

How to scale your brand from securing your first few sales to millions of dollars in revenue using your own website to sell directly to end customers.
Squarespace, Shopify, and other popular website building and hosting platforms are great options for building your D2C site.
The biggest advantage of selling through your own website is that you own all of the customer contact and relationship info.
Social media ads are great for getting new prospective customers to your custom website.
Interest is the key part to identify when pinpointing your target audience.
The second most important part of your campaign is your content. It provides different types of messaging that explain your product’s value proposition.
Look for clear signs by analyzing the metrics on each type of ad to know if you’re moving in the right direction.
Use your ad dollars in the early stages to learn what is working and not working to ensure you are continually improving.
50 orders is a notable learning point! You can feed the customer info into Meta's system, and the algorithm will help you find new customers.
Scale, troubleshoot, repeat! This strategy will allow for continuous growth.
Start with $50 per day in ad spend and increase the amount after your first few orders come in.
Focus on a large geography rather than a small region to let the algorithm find where the most efficient and aligned sales are for you.

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.

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Elizabeth Corbett has served as a reliable expert in the packaging industry for a remarkable 30 years. She is currently the President of Enterprise Sales at AE Global, a company known worldwide for its inventive packaging design and manufacturing. With three decades of experience developing creative product packaging and supply chain solutions, she has collaborated with numerous major brands, including Tiffany, Starbucks, and Estée Lauder. Today, Elizabeth will share the wealth of knowledge she has gained throughout her career with inventors, startups, and small manufacturers. Her advice will cover the significance of innovative product packaging design, essential strategies for creating outstanding packaging, and ways to use packaging effectively to enhance the growth of your new hardware product brand.

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Key Takeaways in This Episode:

The primary role of packaging is to protect the product.
Excellent packaging can provide an entire experience to the consumer.
Another important consideration for packaging is that it needs to aptly represent the brand.
Packaging needs to be budget-conscious! Consider if the cost of the packaging itself makes sense for the product you are selling.
You need to take into account how the product will be sold. Different packaging presents different opportunities.
Sustainability is a big part of packaging, particularly in today's society!
The size of the packaging is an important ESG consideration.
Influencer kits and investor kits are very similar – you are essentially creating something special to make the experience of opening the product interesting.
Don't make your packaging too enticing! This could result in stolen packages.
The outside of the box should be fairly utilitarian and basic, but when you open it up, it should be visually stunning and provide an experience.
Product packaging is free real estate to connect with your customers, especially as a founder.

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.

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Are you looking to secure a patent or curious about what kind of intellectual property protection will best protect your brilliant ideas? Tom Dunlap has all the answers you're looking for and more. For 22 years, Tom has been the driving force behind Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig. He also imparts his expertise in patent law at Lafayette College and has developed numerous books on the frameworks of IP protection. Today, Tom is set to share his insight into this important topic with inventors, startups, and small manufacturers. He will detail the distinctions between provisional patents, utility patents, design patents, copyrights, and trademarks, as well as best practices for ensuring optimal IP protection for your new physical product invention.

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Key Takeaways in This Episode:

Securing patent protection for your invention product is absolutely critical!
A utility patent protects the product's function, essentially how it works.
A design patent protects the physical design of a product, essentially how it looks.
Trademarks are another form of intellectual property protection that protects your brand, for example, McDonald's and its gold arches.
Copyright protection protects a range of supportive items, such as code, instruction manuals, and text pertinent to the product.
Trade Secrets refer to pieces of information you want to keep private about your product or brand.
A provisional patent is not really a patent. It is more like a temporary bookmark you have to file within a year of developing your novel product.
One patent application can be submitted for protection in several countries through certain platforms.
What is the difference between independent claims and dependent claims?
All you own by securing a patent is what you have claimed.

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.

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Jon Davids, acclaimed for his book "Marketing Superpowers: Build a Brand So Good That Your Marketing Feels Like Magic", is the driving force behind Influicity. Having stood at the helm as Founder and CEO for over a decade, he has expertly guided hundreds of brands in fostering vibrant digital communities. Today, Jon will generously afford insight into the key pillars of developing a digital community for your new product venture to inform modern inventors, startups, and small manufacturers. He will share when is the best time to begin community-building efforts and effective strategies for generating momentum even before your product's official launch.

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Key Takeaways in This Episode:

What aspect of your product do you believe in? Is it the solution it offers or the way it improves your life? You need to establish Faith in this with your customers.
Action is the next step after Faith. Use what you believe and the experts who support this belief to establish trust when promoting your product.
You don't need to become a content creator. Create content in the form that you are best suited for.
Authenticity is the most important thing, and it’s very easy to do as an inventor.
Consistency in your messaging is important! Keep repeating the message over and over.
Show customers where the payoff is from following your single belief.
If you don’t have anything to sell just yet, then encourage consumers to follow along your journey through a blog, newsletter or social media channel.
Become an undeniable authority in your specific space.
Celebrities don’t just sell products because they are famous, they are successful with their hardware products because they build loyal communities.

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.

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Jeff Lerner is the CEO of Misnomer, a Fractional Chief Marketing Officer and Brand Development Agency. He boasts an impressive career, having collectively raised $400 million through venture capitalists and formerly served as a marketing lead at Google for several years. Today, Jeff will draw on his extensive experience to afford insight to inventors, startups, and small manufacturers looking to sell their inventions directly to larger corporations for promotional use. He will detail effective strategies for identifying how your product can impactfully enhance a corporation's value or improve operations, as well as the various types of promotional products that new product startups and inventors often overlook and their varied applications.

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Key Takeaways in This Episode:

How does selling your product to companies as a promotional product differ from D2C sales?
There are multiple avenues you can take to get your promotional product sold to larger companies.
Find the one person in your target organization that encounters the problem your product solves. Make this person look like a hero by bringing that solution to their team.
Reach out to various members within the company to gain an understanding of the overarching organizational situation and evaluate how your product or service can solve large issues.
How does your product improve the value of the organization?
How does your product add value to their sales process? Every company wants more business and greater revenue.
There are a number of creative ways to determine how your product fits into the promotional products landscape of a corporation.
If your product is new, you have an advantage in that it is unique and has never been seen before. However, the disadvantage is that you will need to educate the customer as to why they need it.
If your product is an improved version of an existing product, it will likely be easier to educate potential customers and thus sell.
Start by selling locally through networking groups or local trade shows; you will be surprised at how many you find.

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.

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Valentin Radu, CEO and Founder of Omniconvert, wrote the book on Customer Lifetime Value – literally. He has collaborated with an extensive range of direct-to-consumer eCommerce brands to elevate their marketing strategies, which informed his development of "The CLV Revolution," a guidebook dedicated to revolutionizing customer value optimization for eCommerce businesses. Today, Valentin will divulge the core frameworks of his guidebook salient to today's inventors, startups, and small manufacturers. He will detail how to differentiate between profit and perceived value – emphasizing the importance of centring your marketing efforts on the solution your product offers – and share strategies for boosting the price customers are prepared to pay for your latest invention.

Click this link for This Episode's Full Info Page: https://www.makodesign.com/podcast/226-maximizing-your-inventions-perceived-value-through-marketing/

Key Takeaways in This Episode:

Nail down the unit economics before you begin developing marketing approaches.
The core formula to use is customer lifetime value divided by customer acquisition cost.
Customer research is a vital step to take before spending money on marketing.
Try to maximize the sales up front! This requires great brand and product messaging.
People don’t buy products for the features; they buy them for the solutions they provide.
It is better to focus on the pain point, as people are more inclined to shell out money to solve these issues.
Based on your marketing approach, you can increase the price people are willing to pay for your product without changing any features.
Harvard Business Review states that most buying decisions are based on emotional decisions, not logic.
Use features and technology to validate your claims regarding how you are improving your customer's life.

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.

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John Conafay entered the manufacturing sector in 2014 after contributing to the United States Air Force for years as a communications and systems specialist. Following a wide array of collaborations with hardware startups and aerospace companies, he noticed a lack of refined communication tools, which culminated in the creation of Integrate – a unique software designed to streamline communication in the hardware development realm. Today, John will share how he made this discovery and how critical segregating communication channels is for modern inventors, startups, and small-scale manufacturers. John will identify the primary stakeholders in product development and elucidate the advantages of a meticulously constructed information framework for hardware product businesses.

Click this link for This Episode's Full Info Page: https://www.makodesign.com/podcast/225-communication-silos-for-product-design-stakeholders/

Key Takeaways in This Episode:

Hardware development requires extensive communication between internal designers, internal engineers, customers, manufacturers, and investors. All of them need the right information at the right time.
It’s important to have a system that controls how information is disseminated to ensure the right information is available for the right stakeholders.
Firewalls are incredibly important for information security in consumer product development.
Make sure you maintain your source of truth!
Ensure that changes that occur in documents are tracked in real time so that all team members are on the same page.
Intellectual property should be protected to a high degree!
You heavily reduce the need for meetings, overhead, and unnecessary administrative work when integrating communication silos.
Risk is reduced if you have teams spread across a variety of places and even a variety of countries.

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.

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Danny Angers, one of the pioneering Co-Founders of VOSKER cameras, uncovered something fascinating regarding how users were employing their products and used it to his advantage to expand his brand substantially. In just 5 years, VOSKER has grown to achieve an astounding $150 million in annual sales across 45 countries and boasts the distribution of over 2 million devices worldwide. Today, Danny graciously affords insight into his experience scaling VOSKER to budding inventors, startups, and small-scale manufacturers. He will delve into the efficacy of listening to your customers to inform the product iteration phase in order to boost the satisfaction of existing clients and identify verticals that you may not have explored without external insight.

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Key Takeaways in This Episode:

Listen to your existing and prospective customers! Oftentimes, your clients will tell you what they need from your product.
Innovation starts coming in from the client.
The way you help your customers help you is by asking them how they are using your product.
As a new hardware startup, you have the liberty to aggressively reach out to your initial customers.
When your customer base increases, you can start sampling a portion of it to get a better idea of who the customers are.
Send customers who send you positive feedback the next version of your product that is designed to help a specific customer persona.
Around half of your customers will respond to outreach, which is more than enough.
Ensure that you listen to customers when customizing the product for each new vertical that you have identified as an opportunity.
You don’t necessarily need to create a product for every vertical.
Focus on an MVP at every stage, and ensure each level is successful so that you can piggyback off that success.
Failure is a key part of the process to success as well!

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.

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For nearly a decade, Tim Uys has spearheaded a diverse myriad of design initiatives as the Director of Design at MAKO Design + Invent. During his 25 years in the industrial design and mechanical engineering domains, he has made impactful contributions in senior design leadership and education roles, as well as to renowned companies such as Dell, Nike Golf, Qualcomm, and Ironman. Today, Tim draws from his abundant experience to enlighten modern inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on the disparities between mechanical and pre-production prototypes for plastic components. He will divulge the essential design for manufacturing prerequisites and offer insight into optimizing the plastic product design, engineering, and prototyping journey for maximum efficiency.

Click this link for This Episode's Full Info Page: https://www.makodesign.com/podcast/223-mechanical-prototype-parts-vs-pre-production-parts-for-plastic-inventions/

Key Takeaways in This Episode:

What are the key differences between a mechanical prototype and a pre-production prototype?
Most hardware inventions are either entirely or mainly made of plastic or have some plastic components.
The mechanical prototype helps validate the primary mechanism of the design and the overall invention idea.
The pre-production prototype is the phase in which you put the product design into its intended final format, suitable for mass production, and work on shaping the components to optimize for that format.
There is a wide variety of different types of plastic, and they all have different uses.
Once you finalize the materials selection, the next step is to choose which processes you will use, such as injection moulding.
A lot of hardware startups skip this entire step and choose to proceed to manufacturing with concept CAD. They are missing 3 key prototyping stages: the Rough Prototype, the Mechanical Prototype, and the Pre-Production Prototype.
Skipping these stages could cost you money and time down the line if something is missed.
The fewer features you have for your starter product as a startup, the easier it is to go through all these steps and the more refined each feature will be.
Keep your feature creep to a minimum. You can add additional features later on!

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.

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In addition to amassing 25 years of experience in the manufacturing industry, Micki Vandeloo has dedicated nearly 15 years to assisting manufacturers with securing government grants to propel the growth of their product ventures. Impressively, as the President of Lakeview Consulting, she has collectively secured over $250 million for clients. Today, Micki will offer invaluable guidance for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers by systematically breaking down the requisite steps and nuances of applying for and successfully securing government grants in the USA. She will delineate the various levels as well as categories of grants available for hardware startups and impart essential advice on preparing for and composing the application to maximize your chances of success.

Click this link for This Episode's Full Info Page: https://www.makodesign.com/podcast/222-securing-grants-for-scaling-up-a-hardware-startup/

Key Takeaways in This Episode:

What are government grants?
You have to plan very far ahead before applying for a government grant.
What is the difference between state grants and federal grants?
Scaling-stage funding is when you are able to prove that you can scale. Most government grants require clear market proof to receive the funding.
There are a wide variety of different grant purposes.
Project design is key to successfully applying for a government grant.
There are 3 core elements to a grant: What are the activities you have to do to make the product business grow? What do you need in order to make the scaling project work? How much money is your product going to cost?
Identify the grant you think you can get, develop a compelling project plan in your application, and then ensure you follow the grant requirements after receiving funding.
There are a variety of grant requirements you must meet after you get the funding, so be conservative with your estimates.

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.

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With more than two decades of experience in manufacturing, Keenan Wyrobek stands as a highly knowledgeable figure in the industry. He is the Co-Founder and CTO of Zipline, an autonomous drone delivery enterprise boasting a workforce of 1,100 individuals that has secured funding in the hundreds of millions. Today, Keenan will divulge his extensive expertise salient to inventors, startups, and small-scale manufacturers. He will share how to best navigate the intricacies of the design for manufacturing phase, strategies for optimizing the product development and prototyping stages for seamless integration with manufacturing processes, and how to smoothly transition from finalizing your pre-production prototype to your first manufacturing run, thereby laying the groundwork for a triumphant launch.

Click this link for This Episode's Full Info Page: https://www.makodesign.com/podcast/221-how-to-go-from-prototype-to-first-manufacturing-run/

Key Takeaways in This Episode:

Ensure your product is well-designed and has been prototyped numerous times before going into the production stage.
Design for manufacturing is all about hitting optimizations and maximizing manufacturability for each individual component.
Don’t change aspects of the product design once you have begun DFM, the design is done at that point!
Create at least more than 3 prototypes to make sure you have industriously iterated on everything that matters.
You are not done prototyping until you are perfectly happy with your design, and it perfectly aligns with your vision for your product.
Manufacturing design is the stage where you start working closely with your manufacturing vendors.
Make sure you have a strong manufacturing design package to provide your vendors with.
Product reliability is critical, so make sure you have a strong relationship with your manufacturing vendors!
Include the customer in the DFM process, as they will identify reliability issues you may have never identified.

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.

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Akeem Shannon is the mastermind behind Flipstik, a consumer product startup that started with a crowdfunding campaign and has achieved resounding success leveraging the immense power of authentic storytelling. In addition to achieving over a million units sold and robust partnerships with over 3,000 resellers, Flipstik has garnered substantial attention from millions of consumers across various social media platforms, including the legendary Snoop Dogg. Today, Akeem will take listeners through his journey in the hardware startup space and impart valuable anecdotes for inventors, startups, and small-scale manufacturers. He will delve into the significance of storytelling in consumer product promotion, emphasizing its dual utility: leveraging personal narrative as a founder and harnessing customer experiences. Moreover, Akeem will elaborate on how to strategically implement these storytelling techniques to propel the growth of your product business.

Click this link for This Episode's Full Info Page: https://www.makodesign.com/podcast/220-how-storytelling-drives-consumer-product-sales/

Key Takeaways in This Episode:

It always helps to have a genuine love for sales as you are always selling something as a hardware founder.
You can recover from failure if you don’t give up!
Self-belief will take you further than anything!
Most people don’t have big imaginations, so your biggest obstacle is convincing them to buy something they were previously content with living without.
Show consumers how your customer's lives were changed by using your product.
Sometimes, you are not the right messenger for a specific audience, so utilize the stories of others to get your message across.
Find people who love your product and work with them to amplify your message!
Authenticity is the most important thing when telling your own story.
Your story will get you into rooms and meetings that you may think you are too small for.

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.

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Kevin Lavelle, the Co-Founder and CEO of Mizzen + Main, a renowned men's apparel company that has its products distributed in hundreds of outlets and boasts 10 thriving retail stores, has embarked on a new venture: Harbor. Harbor is a pioneering pediatric device startup that recently secured $3.7 million in seed funding. Today, Kevin shares the insight he gained while successfully scaling his product business by imparting modern inventors, startups, and small-scale manufacturers with tips for hiring your very first team members and expounding upon the quintessential attributes to seek in inaugural hires in the hardware startup realm. He delves into discerning characteristics that hold significance, dispelling common misconceptions, and underscores the paramount importance of never sacrificing quality within the consumer product domain.

Click this link for This Episode's Full Info Page: https://www.makodesign.com/podcast/219-hiring-your-first-team-members-at-a-hardware-startup/

Key Takeaways in This Episode:

What foremost principles are the most important to prioritize when hiring?
Can your potential hire survive in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment?
People from large organizations are not typically great fits for very early-stage hardware startup businesses.
Can this hire operate without a team and spearhead decision-making on their own?
Get to know a potential hire beyond just one interview.
Does your potential hire fundamentally understand what they are getting into in joining a hardware startup?
Knowledge gained on the job is an intangible benefit of working for a startup that can also outweigh the compensation.
Never sacrifice your quality when developing a hardware product!
Avoid feature creep in early-stage startups!

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.

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Wesleyne Whittaker is the CEO of Transformed Sales, an esteemed organization dedicated to architecting sales methodologies that foster rapid and maximal growth with an impressive track record of collaborations with over 150 distinguished manufacturers and product brands. Today, Wesleyne will share the extensive knowledge she has accumulated on developing and effectively employing uniquely tailored sales processes pivotal to inventors, startups, and small manufacturers. She will elucidate the three overarching phases of a sales process – outlining the role and salient components of each stage – and afford astute guidance on adeptly executing said process to proliferate sales, client trust and retention, and expansion opportunities for your hardware product business.

Click this link for This Episode's Full Info Page: https://www.makodesign.com/podcast/218-best-sales-processes-for-selling-hardware-products/

Key Takeaways in This Episode:

What is a sales process?
There are three core stages: Prospect, Nurture, and Close.
Prospect involves figuring out how to attract customers.
Nurture is all about taking someone who is interested in your product and transforming them into a buyer.
Close entails getting that pen to paper so you can then work on developing loyalty to turn that customer into a repeat customer.
Educating potential customers is an incredibly important part of prospecting!
The biggest challenge for hardware entrepreneurs is getting the abundance of knowledge they have acquired out of their heads to inform customers.
Have a variety of information prepared for your customer and disseminate it using a variety of mediums.
It’s okay to lose a sale, but not in the same way twice.
Communicate the value of the product, how it solves a key problem, and the risk of not buying your product.

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.

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Yuri Dvoinos is the visionary behind an illustrious portfolio of 15 enterprises that have collectively amassed tens of millions of dollars in revenue. Among his ventures lies the portable Jammy Guitar, a resounding success story that garnered $250,000 in initial funding during its inaugural crowdfunding endeavor, swiftly followed by a staggering $500,000 in its subsequent campaign. Today, Yuri shares how he accomplished these commendable feats and his insight into crowdfunding to inform modern innovators, burgeoning startups, and niche manufacturers. He elucidates the profound significance of customer feedback and delves into how to optimally harness such feedback to drive subsequent product iteration and development.

Click this link for This Episode's Full Info Page: https://www.makodesign.com/podcast/217-using-crowdfunding-for-real-customer-feedback-on-your-invention/

Key Takeaways in This Episode:

Crowdfunding provides instant, high-quality feedback from real customers!
A large factor in their success was that they identified a gap in a market with lackluster products and filled the gap with their product.
The primary reason they wanted to do a crowdfunding campaign was not to secure funding, but rather to get real customer feedback from backers who had pre-purchased the product.
Make sure you celebrate your campaign's successes once it has finished!
After that, leverage your campaign to get interest from important people in the industry.
Customer segmentation can be very valuable when striving to find your ideal target audience, as you can develop a product exactly for them.
Version 2.0 comes after launching an MVP.
Consider leveraging both Kickstarter and Indiegogo!
As you evolve, you will figure out how to reduce costs associated with hardware development.

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.

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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.

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Michael Lebhar is the visionary behind SellCord, one of the world's foremost Walmart Marketplace agencies that boasts a remarkable track record for facilitating sales exceeding a billion dollars for hardware startups and renowned brands on the esteemed Walmart.com platform. In this episode, Michael is poised to impart his vast insight into the power of Walmart Marketplace and its salience to modern inventors, burgeoning startups, and small-scale manufacturers. The guidance he affords encompasses a detailed exposé on the intricacies of Walmart Marketplace, essential tips for seamlessly launching debut products on the platform, irrespective of prior experience, and proven strategies for achieving sustained growth in product sales.

Click this link for This Episode's Full Info Page: https://www.makodesign.com/podcast/215-launching-a-new-product-on-walmart-marketplace/

Key Takeaways in This Episode:

What is Walmart Marketplace, and how does it differ from Walmart Retail Stores?
It is more difficult to get your product onto Walmart.com than Amazon, but that presents an increased opportunity.
Having a website already set up that sells or promotes your product is a huge asset when applying to Walmart.com.
Walmart.com uses a listing quality score to judge the quality of your invention listing on their platform. This affects what page your product will be listed on.
There are Walmart style guides you can access that tell you how to properly structure your product ad. Make sure to follow it!
Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS) is an important feature to subscribe to that is similar to Amazon Prime.

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.

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Alex Back, the innovative force behind Couch.com and the previous founder of Apt2B, solidified both enterprises as influential figures in the domain of affiliate marketing for physical consumer product brands targeting end-consumers directly. In this episode, Alex will provide comprehensive guidance to inventors, startups, and small-scale manufacturers seeking to understand the fundamental principles of affiliate marketing and how it can impactfully boost the success of hardware products. He will elaborate on effective strategies for successfully introducing new products to the market and achieving early sales through this exceptionally useful and rapidly expanding sales channel.

Click this link for This Episode's Full Info Page: https://www.makodesign.com/podcast/214-affiliate-marketing-for-d2c-sales-of-inventions/

Key Takeaways in This Episode:

What is affiliate marketing?
Social media influencers are the most common type of affiliate marketing; however, they represent only a small part of the affiliate marketing landscape.
Sellers know how to sell, inventors know how to invent, and together they can form a mutually beneficial partnership.
Influencers, bloggers, Youtubers, and online stores are affiliate marketing organizations.
The differences between commission-based, traffic-based, display or impression-based, and pay-per-click affiliate marketing.
Your affiliate marketer only sends traffic to your website! You still need to sell your product.
Research the different affiliate platforms that are commonly used and see which ones resonate best with you.
All product review sites are based on affiliate marketing!
To start, be very generous with your commission payout amount.
Affiliate marketing is the Wild West of opportunity.

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.

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Lesley Hensell, renowned for her 14 years of experience in Amazon sales, is the mastermind behind the revolutionary book The Amazon Incubator. Lesley also serves as Co-Founder at Riverbend Consulting, where she has directly assisted numerous Amazon sellers that achieve annual revenue ranging from $500,000 to $500 million by solving pressing issues, optimizing workflows, and maximizing business growth. In today's episode, Lesley shares her extensive insight into the intricacies of Amazon's sales platform and how to improve your chances of sales success as an inventor, startup, or small manufacturer. She delves into the benefits of leveraging Amazon as a product startup, provides strategies for conducting effective keyword and competitor research, and outlines best practices for overseeing a product launch to ensure enduring success as an Amazon seller.

Click this link for This Episode's Full Info Page: https://www.makodesign.com/podcast/213-researching-how-your-product-fits-on-amazon/

Key Takeaways in This Episode:

Two-thirds of the products sold on Amazon are sold by 3rd party resellers.
There are 150 million Prime members just in the US alone.
Amazon has surpassed Google for product research!
The first questions to consider as a hardware startup are; Is your product suited for Amazon, and is there a niche for your product on Amazon?
Find your product description keywords! Build out long-tail keywords by writing out the direct definition and primary descriptors of your product.
The keywords that you use to research your product should dictate how you build your actual listing page, as well as your pay-per-click advertising.
Brand registry on Amazon is important for brand protection!
Have a comprehensive plan prepared prior to your product's launch, including your advertising strategies and materials.

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.

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Jason Friedman serves as CEO at CXFormula, a firm that assists entrepreneurs with elevating the customer experience. With almost 3 decades of experience, he has collaborated with a wide range of budding and established companies, achieving multiple successful business exits along the way. In today's discussion, Jason will share his insight into how modern inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can enhance their offerings and marketing approaches to drive organic growth. He will delve into the significance of understanding the customer journey and share strategies for ensuring customers engage with, purchase, and become passionate advocates for your innovative product.

Click this link for This Episode's Full Info Page: https://www.makodesign.com/podcast/212-the-customer-experience-for-new-hardware-products/

Key Takeaways in This Episode:

Customer experience is key to scaling a new hardware product.
The customer experience refers to the journey they go on with your physical consumer product.
Refine the touch points your customers have with your product and brand to improve their journey.
Pretend to be a customer! Think about method acting as an informative research process to better understand your prospective customer.
Search Amazon for reviews of similar products to collect feedback on what features, or lack thereof, are frustrating people.
Talk to potential customers to identify the exact words they use to describe their wants, needs, and frustrations.
Craft the perfect customer testimonial using impactful words and a lot of detail. Then, reverse engineer the customer journey so their feedback mirrors the testimonial you wrote.

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.

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Nikhil Joshi is the founder of SNic Solutions, a company he has run for 17 years helping scale product manufacturing operations. He has worked with almost 150 factories across 12 countries. Today Nikhil will share valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on how manufacturing has changed, the opportunities that exist, and how to ensure you properly plan for complex manufacturing as a hardware startup.

Here are the key takeaways from the episode:

The manufacturing process is drastically different now than it was even 30 years ago.
Modern consumers seek custom-tailored products that are designed very specifically for them.
The goal is to try to produce a smaller variety of items in the manufacturing process, but it is integral to be more efficient in order to accomplish this.
Try not to customize and scale at the same time unless you can adopt a business model that can support that level of customization.
Talk directly to your end customers, even if you are selling through middle players!
Be agile and flexible, and give the end customer what they want, but at a good price.
Agility, speed, and efficiency are key! Smaller companies will often push these demands to contract manufacturing.
Go from working in silos to developing your own web of information and technology - from ideation through to industrial product design - then begin manufacturing, and then place your focus back on the customer.
You can reduce the time it takes to get to the manufacturing stage when you start considering manufacturing at the design level.
Spearheading comprehensive design, then engineering, then manufacturing is the most logical progression!

Nikhil Joshi Links:

LinkedIn | SNic Solutions

The Product Startup Podcast Links:

https://www.ProductStartup.com/

MAKO Design + Invent Links:

https://www.makodesign.com/

Kevin Mako Links:

Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

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, in addition to the above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories.

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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:

https://www.ProductStartup.com/

MAKO Design + Invent Links:

https://www.makodesign.com/

Kevin Mako Links:

Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

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, in addition to the above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories.

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Ori Yudilevich is the CTO of Materials Zone, a materials information platform for hardware product development. He has a Ph.D. in Mathematics in the field of differential geometry and served as a Lecturer in the realm of higher education for over 15 years before transitioning into the industry. Today, Ori will share valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on why materials research is so important to the hardware product design process, burgeoning trends in materials science, and how to ensure you select the right materials to streamline manufacturing and maximize the efficacy of product marketing.

Here are the key takeaways from the episode:

Materials are in everything!
The product development process for all products requires a lot of research into materials.
Materials research is core to achieving progress with your invention idea.
Materials selection is an integral component of hardware development and is often overlooked by non-designers.
Materials selection is much like selecting ingredients when cooking. You can cut corners to minimize cost, but it will ultimately be noticeable to the consumers!
How to choose materials that best align with your product's purpose and the process of making those materials.
Materials are evolving, so it is important to remain up-to-date on the best materials available today.
Sustainable materials selection is a big trend right now!
Your customers are looking at what your product is made of, so carefully thought-out materials selection will boost its success beyond the manufacturing process.
The supply chain is a critical consideration, so it is best to choose materials that have supply flexibility.
Researching materials regulations according to your location is key, as certain rules need to be adhered to depending on the country you are selling in.
Think of materials selection from a manufacturing perspective and a product sales (customer) perspective.

Ori Yudilevich Links:

LinkedIn | Materials Zone

The Product Startup Podcast Links:

https://www.ProductStartup.com/

Mako Design Links:

https://www.makodesign.com/

Kevin Mako Links:

Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

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, in addition to the above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories.

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Kelley Thornton is the CEO of Tiege Hanley, a direct-to-consumer skincare product brand for men that has sold more than 16 million products in over 100 countries. Today, Kelley will share valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on the importance of materials selection for your new hardware product, how to ensure the use of the best quality materials when working with manufacturers, and why materials are important to both your customers and your product business.

Here are the key takeaways from the episode:

What are hardware product materials, and why are they important?
Make a decision about the level of quality you want to achieve with your product up front, as that will guide your materials decision-making.
Intuitive materials decision-making is salient to having great products.
Understanding the chemistry of ingredients is important to delivering product results.
Calling out the ingredients at the manufacturing level will critically ensure quality.
All manufacturers have strengths and weaknesses, so make sure everyone is on board with the way the product is formed.
Be clear about intellectual property, especially if the manufacturer makes changes that you agree with!
Another key reason you should push for high-quality materials is that you can use the quality as a reason your customers should choose your product brand over others.
You can also use the quality of your ingredients in your marketing efforts!
Always start with higher quality materials and, over time, figure out how to value engineer that into cost savings through scale, innovation, etc., to bring your costs down.
Ensure that your margins are high enough to afford quality, and that should be the case when you’ve got a new proprietary product.

Kelley Thornton Links:

LinkedIn | Tiege Hanley, Inc.

The Product Startup Podcast Links:

https://www.ProductStartup.com/

Mako Design Links:

https://www.makodesign.com/

Kevin Mako Links:

Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

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, in addition to the above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories.

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Steven Weigler is a seasoned attorney and successful entrepreneur who has worked for a number of large corporations in the intellectual property arena. Presently a Founding Attorney at EmergeCounsel, Steven is poised to share immensely valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers. Today, he will delve into the four types of intellectual property protection, how to use these protections to increase the value of your hardware product business, and how these protections work collaboratively.

Here are the key takeaways from the episode:

What are the 4 key elements of intellectual property for a physical product startup?
Growing for an exit or growing to build a market has many similarities.
Intellectual property means intangible assets created by the mind.
Intellectual property carries on the balance sheet as an asset.
Intellectual property can be hard to quantify.
Patents can be either a design patent on the unique design of a product and/or the utility, meaning the functionality of the product.
Patent exclusivity is for the country you file for.
You must have a year in the market before you can patent the product.
Design patents are easier to get than utility patents.
You can improve on your own product and get a patent later.
Sometimes, a patent doesn’t add value to a particular product.
Trademarks protect the brand image, and these types of intellectual property protections can be a very valuable yet understated form of value for a hardware startup.
Brand is identity, and brand is trust!
Your brand is going to grow, even though it starts at zero.
Trademark protection is quite inexpensive.
Copyright protects all works of art; code, product packaging, and many other things can have certain protections under copyright.
The Berlin Convention ensures that many countries honour the copyrights of other countries.
Trade Secrets are not thought of as IP; however, those secrets can be a large part of the intellectual property of a product business.
All of these strategies employed together help prevent other entities from copying your product.
If you enact all of these intellectual property tactics, it will also grow the value of your product business significantly!

Steven Weigler Links:

LinkedIn | EmergeCounsel

The Product Startup Podcast Links:

https://www.ProductStartup.com/

Mako Design Links:

https://www.makodesign.com/

Kevin Mako Links:

Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

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, in addition to the above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories.

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Dan Shea is the Managing Director of Objective, Investment Banking and Valuation. He has been spearheading mergers and acquisition deals as an investment banker in the manufacturing sector for over 30 years. Today, Dan will share valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on the salience of thinking about the value of your product and product business well before the sale, focusing on a quality product and customer needs, and adding innovation to increase the valuation of your product for an eventual exit sale.

Here are the key takeaways from the episode:

Value to the customer is value for the customer.
Start with the end in mind.
Big companies are spending less money on R&D and more money on acquisition.
There are a lot of advantages to creating a hardware startup, and corporate teams are looking for startups that are finding those opportunities that they missed.
Most innovation is happening at small companies despite large companies getting most of the press.
Innovating every year based on changing customer needs is critical!
Use quality product design and a family of products as a core foundation.
Businesses typically start with one product.
Innovation doesn’t stop when your first product is built.
Create your first product properly, and you create massive institutional value.
Think about what the company has done throughout its history and what that likely means it can do in the future.
Build a culture of innovation from the moment you conceive your hardware startup to maximize the valuation of a future sale.
Charge more for your product as you are innovating, this ensures profitability, and margin is critical to product business buyers.
Overnight successes are usually backed by 10 years in the making.
Reflect on what buyers of hardware product businesses get excited about.
Focus on building great, high-quality products, that is the most important part of a hardware business.
Find ways to get the word out about your product using modest methods to drive early sales.
With a global marketplace, there are lots of ways to sell to multiple pools of people, even with a very niche hardware product.

Dan Shea Links:

LinkedIn | Objective, Investment Banking & Valuation

The Product Startup Podcast Links:

https://www.ProductStartup.com/

Mako Design Links:

https://www.makodesign.com/

Kevin Mako Links:

Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

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, in addition to the above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories.

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Tomide Adesanmi is the Founder of Circuit Mind, an electronics engineering platform that supports heavily improved EE design and development. Today Tomide will share his wealth of knowledge salient to today's inventors, startups, and small manufacturers regarding how electronics product startups are leading the charge, best practices in the realm of electronics engineering regarding consumer product development, and tools for improving the electronics design process.

Here are the key takeaways from the episode:

Electronics products are becoming more ubiquitous, electronics are in everything.
Hardware innovation is happening from startups more than large corporations.
Big corporations are slow, it is harder for them to compete with hardware startups on electronics products.
Smart makers and inventors in their garages are iterating ideas quickly and effectively.
If inventors are not in the hardware industry, they are surprised at how archaic a lot of the hardware technology is compared to software.
Supply chain, agility, quality product.
The high-level design process requires 1 to 6 weeks of iterations, prototypes, testing, and 3 to 10 prototype iterations to get to a manufactured product.
Start with top-level requirements, then major components, then breadboard, then circuit design, then PCB design, then firmware, then many testing rounds to get the product ready for manufacturing.
You have different levels of fidelity, and you need to do them in order.
Extremely experienced engineers have been working for decades to make the process robust and done right.
Tools are constantly being released to improve speed, improve the optimization of your hardware, and also to reduce the number of iterations in the design process.

Tomide Adesanmi Links:

LinkedIn | Circuit Mind | Enterprise Hub

The Product Startup Podcast Links:

https://www.ProductStartup.com/

Mako Design Links:

https://www.makodesign.com/

Kevin Mako Links:

Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories.

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Thomas Ask is a Professor of Industrial Design at Penn College, which stands as a sibling institution to Penn State. With extensive experience spanning over three decades in the realm of hardware product development, he has also played pivotal roles in nurturing two hardware startups. Thomas's academic journey culminated in the acquisition of a PhD in Industrial Design, further enhancing his expertise. Today, Thomas is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on what ethnocentric design is, why it is valuable for a hardware startup, and the process to ensure you do a great job at getting inside the mind of your customer so that you can best achieve both design and sales success for your invention product. Today you will hear us talk about:

Defining what ethnocentric design

Different cultures

Different demographics

Subject matter expert

Inventing something and inventing something for someone

A lot of design and invention has ego, but you should take out the ego. Instead, look at data.

Identify the problem.

Develop empathy for the user. What is going on in their life.

Interview your customer, or prospective customer types.

Formal ethnographic techniques.

Processes, understand the user, ideation, feedback.

Ideation is where you create ideas to match and infuse them to what you have learned from your customer.

Cultural consensus questionnaire

First, ensure your end customers are the correct people.

A structured questionnaire.

Human observation.

Many people don’t want radical change from traditional methods, even if it is better.

If it doesn’t work well and it is not intuitive, people will not use it.

A dynamic feedback loop ensures success.

Thomas Ask Links: LinkedIn | Penn College

Kevin Mako Links: Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

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 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Paul McEnroe is the creator, developer, and leader behind UPC barcodes for IBM. The work he did is still the standard over 50 years later on almost all products worldwide. Since then he has been the head of engineering and eventually President for hardware companies, and sits on a number of boards and educational institutions. Today Paul is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on the type of team you need to build for your hardware product, how to manage that team, and how to ensure smooth communication so that your team can make sure your new hardware product is a big success. Today you will hear us talk about:

When you see someone that has a huge part of the market, and they aren’t doing it well, you know there is lots of opportunity for new innovation.

Innovation and execution does not happen overnight, it can take years to get it built, then to market, then to scale.

The power of team in building a new hardware product

Ensure you have a great technical team in building a hardware product, especially as a hardware.

Have experience in fields that you do not have yourself.

What do you want to do with your product, and how does that bring about a team?

Each team member can not be focussing just on themselves, they need to recongnize the power of the whole.

What do you want others do to?

Communicate openly, in both directions

Individual Skills, Whole goal, and communication.

You have your people, the designers and engineers in the shop,

Explain it in simple terms to people that have the money, or are buying the product.

To improve your business communication among your team, learn some of the skills of a college debate team.

Put your mind in the place of the person you are communicating with, not just your own perspective.

Ensure that everyone on your team is in full understanding.

Help out the quieter people in the room, as their insight is potentially just as important.

Make yourself, as the leader, as available as can be.

If someone comes up with an issue, do not let it bubble up, especially interpersonal issues.

Paul McEnroe Links: LinkedIn | Book

Kevin Mako Links: Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

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 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Suresh Sethi is a Professor in Industrial Design at the University of Illinois. Prior to that he ran a product design studio for 15 years, and before that, was a VP and Design Director at Whirlpool, among other high-level design roles at various companies. Today Suresh is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on why customer storytelling is so important in the early development phases of designing a new physical consumer product invention, and how to best maximize the success of your product through the findings from his Ph.D. thesis on this very subject. Today you will hear us talk about:

Creating products is about connecting to the business world.

Feasible in terms of cost and the ability to sell in the market.

Optimized material for least waste in designing the product.

Remove ego from design.

Understand the client’s story and meaning for the product.

No product designers work in isolation, so you create an ecosystem that works together.

Ability to understand and to communicate.

What lead a designer to loving the form of their design?

By focusing on the story and making a better product to fulfil that story, you will inadvertently create a more profitable and marketable product.

It is the connection between people and the opportunity of the product.

Evoke emotions

Building a connection with your product

People remember stories, not products

People remember experiences, not products

Creating a product that people want.

Communicating clearly

If your product doesn’t make profit, your story doesn’t work either.

Products come out of your own life experiences.

Use narratives to design and build a product to

Think about the business, not just the product.

Connect emotionally with your customers.

Create a name that is memorable.

Design simple and timeless forms.

Suresh Sethi Links: LinkedIn

Kevin Mako Links: Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

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 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Lamees Butt is the Senior Vice President of Zoovu, a 250-person e-commerce data platform company that works with hardware startups all the way through to some of the leading hardware brands in the world. She has spent over 15 years in the world of e-commerce tools, working with brands such as Mercedes Benz, 3M, Microsoft, and more. Today Lamees is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on what product discovery is for e-commerce products, how to get potential customers to find your product, and how to maximize the success of return on ad spend for scaling up e-commerce sales for your new hardware product invention. Today you will hear us talk about:

Bridging the gap between retail stores and e-commerce

How to understand Product discovery (potential buyers finding your product)

The human factor behind product discovery for a new hardware product online

The power of having a connected customer experience online via e-commerce

Different demographics of potential customers use different mediums and techniques to discover new products that can solve their pain points or help them with their opportunities.

Websites are just indexes, you need to branch past that

Enhancing the e-commerce experience to increase conversions

Understand your product data

Product information management platform

There are many formats for humanizing the technical specifications

Developing trust with your customers

Time is precious, so if you can save time to help your potential customers find your product, so you increase the retention rate of those customers

Understanding your customer, even post-purchase is quite important to figure out how to sell to your future customers.

Use AI to identify common threads with your paying customers. What is applied AI to find the answer.

Customer-first methodology.

Over time segment your customers so that you really understand your different groups of people, so that you can best advertise to those groups of people.

Once you capture the views of potential customers, how do you capture them into paying customers.

Lamees Butt Links: LinkedIn | Zoovu

Kevin Mako Links: Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

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 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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David Brown is a design engineer at Mako Design. He has both a product engineering and an industrial design background. Today David is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on what photo-realistic product renderings are, how they are designed and produced for hardware products, and why they are so valuable for hardware startups whether you are using them to raise money or using them to capture new hardware product sales. Today you will hear us talk about:

There are many different types of hardware invention renderings

Low fidelity renders

CAD renders

Great renders first require the foundation of great computer-aided design.

Rendering is a whole art, and is no simple.

Renders determine the materials, finishes, lighting, reflections, background, etc.

Video can be quite exciting, especially for investors.

Hero shots, zooming in and out, fading, exploded view.

Exploded view is very powerful.

David Brown Links: LinkedIn | Mako Design

Kevin Mako Links: Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

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 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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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

Kevin Mako Links: Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

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 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Ethan Escowitz is the founder of Arris Composites, a company that makes advanced manufacturing processes and materials. He also sits on a number of boards in the hardware space, given his 20-year history in the industry working with many Fortune 500 companies and hardware startups. Today Ethan is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on what short-run manufacturing is, why iterative manufacturing is so important to hardware startups, and how to scale through feedback on low-volume production runs of your new hardware product invention. Today you will hear us talk about:

New manufacturing capabilities that unlocks opportunities for product developers

How do you produce product as quickly as possible.

Low volume parts that don’t require the up front tooling cost

How do you use technology to enable low volume production

Consumer-facing products vs non-consumer-facing products.

Consumers want beautiful parts that look very close to high-quality manufactured products

Technology that enables beautiful parts, with unique surfaces, that are different from conventional molding methods.

The manufacturing world traditionally does not accommodate

Use a first production run to learn how the customers will buy more units, and how the engineering will be improved.

Product engineering is hard enough as it is. So as soon as you start to introduce new capabilities and technologies, it becomes more difficult, but also that’s where the rewards are too as you can figure out amazing technology.

Both an innovation, and a new technology, lead to extremely high equity valuations for your product invention and the technology behind that invention.

Hardware startups have a huge advantage of being more agile and innovative.

Don’t feature creep on your first version, used your customers.

Steve Jobs pushed the idea of knowing that there is an unmet need, so also consider your own path and communicate your idea on a product which is new and never been really seen in this way before.

Ethan Escowitz Links: LinkedIn | Arris Composites

Kevin Mako Links: Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

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 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Yohan Jacob is the Founder and President of RetailBound, an agency that helps emerging hardware brands get into major retail stores and sales channels. RetailBound has been around for 14 years and has worked with over 4,000 product companies. Yohan himself has spent 30 years in the industry, including being a major buyer for Sears and Office Max. The last episode we talked about scaling up when in retail stores. Today Yohan is going to explain to inventors, startups, and small manufacturers why retail is a huge sales opportunity in 2023, how to overcome objections to going the retail store route, and how to smartly begin your relationship with a retail store chain. Today you will hear us talk about:

Retail stores are not dead

Retail stores have got better at being omni-channel, where they also sell online and in collaboration with their physical stores

There are many elements of value of selling an invention through retail stores.

Leverage the presence of your product in retail stores to use that media to increase the value of your product online and with various stakeholders of your product and product business.

Think about selling to distributors who then sell to retailers

A basic marketing plan

Start small when going into the retailers, then grow.

Profitability

Leveraging online sales to sell more product

Dont overcomplicate things, and don’t have fear.

Yohan Jacob Links: LinkedIn | RetailBound

Kevin Mako Links: Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

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 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Brian Thompson is the head of CREO CAD software at PTC. He spent the first 16 years of his career doing CAD design engineering for hundreds of products, many of which are still in production today, then the last 14 years building CAD software solutions to allow designers to make better hardware products. Today Brian is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on what the leading trends are right now for design for manufacturing so that products can be designed, engineered, prototyped, and manufactured faster, more efficiently, and at better quality. Today you will hear us talk about:

Customers are re-engaging in using new technologies in design.

Simulation integrated into design tools.

Additive manufacturing.

The markets are more competitive than ever

Hardware products can’t afford to have manufacturing issues, to have quality issues, to take long to get to market, etc.

Design for manufacturing in additive tools in CREO.

Significant increase in model-based product development.

Design is an iterative process

The standard definition of model-based.

Simulation, NC toolpaths, tool design, manufacturing fixture assembly, marketing. brochure development, etc.

Pushing manufacturers to utilize the 3D CAD data.

Brian Thompson Links: LinkedIn | CREO | PTC | Onshape

Kevin Mako Links: Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

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 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Neha is Project Manager Lead at Meta for Ads Manager Reporting. Before this, she spent 5 years with Google in a number of roles including Google Analytics manager and Head of Merchant Growth. She also invests in a number of startups. Today Neha is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on what direct-to-consumer digital marketing is, best practices for leveraging organic content to prepare for paid ads, and how to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of paid digital advertising for amplifying your new hardware product’s growth. Today you will hear us talk about:

What is direct to consumer digital advertising

Direct to customer allows you to preserve your margins

As a hardware startup, how t

Focus on organic content to start selling units, this helps you establish product market fit.

Generative AI has made the cost of organic content much less, faster, and easier.

Interview experts in your area that surround your product, and that will drive organic content.

Blogs are helpful, but people have changed the way they interact with them. Use both audio, video, and written blogs.

Find out which customers are your fan, and get them to tell your story, get lots of reviews.

Think about experimentation when you start to run ads.

Most people start with one type of ad. Instead, try multiple different ads, and try different types of advertising.

You can again use AI to create a lot of options for testing your ads.

Customer segmentation and target audience

Customer needs, preferences, and pain points.

Build personas based on the job to be done or the skill level of your customer, and target that audience

Branding and positioning.

You don’t need a lot of money to build a brand.

Word of mouth is powerful for brand building

Data driven decision making. Measure the effectiveness of your spend.

Influencer marketing can be much cheaper than traditional marketing.

Be creative on how to drive customers to your hardware product.

Ensure you set up digital tracking early on. Every customer touch point needs to be monitored.

Run A/B tests, then block time in your calendar to identify the insights.

Three key things for hardware sales on digital platforms are campaign objectives, audience targeting, and ad performance analysis.

EPISODE LINKS: Neha Bansal Links: LinkedIn

Kevin Mako Links: Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

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 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Greame Whitehead is a client of our very own Mako Design who invented the CNCT Cooler, an ultra high-end cooler that has won 3 international product awards including Indigogo, CreativePool and the NY Product Design Awards. He is a corporate Vice President that invented, designed, manufactured, and sold his product as a side-gig, still to today. Today Graeme is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on how to design a quality consumer product, tips for getting to manufacturing and working with manufacturers, and how to leverage influencers to gain early product exposure and traction in the marketplace for your invention idea. Today you will hear us talk about:

Identify what you don’t know.

Focus on quality

Know that you are a customer yourself

Ask the right questions from your design team

Manufacturing is a key stakeholder as we get into production

Manufacturers push back because they don’t want to do things.

Talk to multiple different manufacturers

Focus on getting to production

Multiple awards

Manufacturing in the USA

Leveraging influencers

Shipped product for free to influencers and got free coverage

EPISODE LINKS: Graeme Whitehead Links: LinkedIn | CNCT Coolers

Kevin Mako Links: Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

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 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Nick Allen is an industrial design at Mako Design. Nick has been designing products for 15 years, working with over 100 products and earning multiple design awards including the coveted Red Dot award. Today Nick is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on how to start working on a project with your hardware product development partner so that you can maximize the value of the relationship, thus leading to creating a top notch product and even more important, a successful hardware startup business Today you will hear us talk about:

Focus on your vision. Know what you know, don’t worry about what you don’t know.

Leverage your experience.

What the product needs to do and what it needs to do.

Write it down.

Have a basic sketch of your idea

Bullet point notes on your customer

Must have, must not have.

Design intent

Accept pushback from the design engineers.

Must have vs want to have features / MVP

Work with your design team to reign in the feature creep.

Team effort in original features

You can always release version 2.0

EPISODE LINKS: Nick Allen Links: LinkedIn | Mako Design

Kevin Mako Links: Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

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 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Toph Day is the CEO of Elevate Ventures, a Venture Capital firm that has many hardware companies in its portfolio of over $220 million of investments under management. He has founded 8 companies with over $600 million in transactions over the past 30 years. Today Toph is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on what venture capital funding is, if VC funding is right for you, and some advice on how to plan for and pitch your hardware startup to VC firms. Today you will hear us talk about:

Venture capital is later stage, more sophisticated, and usually beyond

Make your pitch and plan to be very tight.

It is important understand what your venture capital firm invests.

Make sure the venture capital firm invests in hardware technology.

Relationship build with your investors about a year in advance.

Keep your pitch to the pitch, don’t embellish

Structure of Venture Capital funding

When you start your company, start with a very clean legal structure.

Use a convertible note for your investors

When raising capital, check out all the programs and grants available

Don’t include grants as revenue

Hardware startups can grow to be successful slowly

You can also grow hardware companies much quicker

Surround yourself with partners, rely more on partners than hiring.

Prototypes require multiple iterations

Narrow and deep plays into hard tech, keep the product’s first version simple

EPISODE LINKS: Toph Day Links: LinkedIn | Elevate Ventures | Rally Conference

Kevin Mako Links: Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

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 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Brad Pedersen is a founder of the hardware product Lomi which raised almost ten million dollars in crowdfunding as his most recent hit success of many. In his earlier years, he developed many new products and also distributed thousands of other hardware products all over the world, mostly in the toy and sports product fields. Today Brad is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can learn what the 3 most important elements of an emerging hardware startup are, how to avoid key pitfalls around each of those 3 areas, and how to scale your product to become the next big hit invention success. Today you will hear us talk about:

People, Systems, and Cash

Growth is a double-edged sword

You must constantly re-invent each of the main 3 primary scaling failure areas

When you find product market fit, how do you ensure that will go the distance, and people is the biggest lever

You start with generalist and move to specialist

Single-digit growth is annually, double-digit is quarterly, and

Don’t become the bottleneck of everything.

Systems allow you to best utilize your people

4 key things to a hardware startup: Smart founder and a great idea, marketing plan that is different not better, a team (your people), and execution (the systems).

Hire people that are smarter than you, even pay them more than you, especially in the early days.

Get the cash you need to get to your MVP

Perfection is the enemy of progress

Build, measure, learn.

Consider selling direct to customers

EPISODE LINKS:

Brad Pedersen Links: Personal Website | Lomi | LinkedIn

PTC Links: https://www.ptc.com/ OnShape | Creo

Kevin Mako Links: Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

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 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Michael Solomon is a Marketing Professor at Saint Joseph’s University, has written over 30 books, and teaches the Engage marketing course on Teachable. He is also a fellow writer with me at Forbes Magazine. Today Michael is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on what the AIDA marketing method is, how to understand each step of the marketing funnel, and how to best ensure you convert potential customers into product sales. Today you will hear us talk about:

AIDA Model

4 Stages of Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action

It doesn’t happen overnight

Marketing is a funnel

Selling attributes where customers are buying benefits

Focus on the problem to identify the solution

Simple is better, both in product design but also in new product marketing

Attention is arguably the most critical part of marketing

Attention requires both Novelty and Relevance

Make your hardware message clear

There is a sensory overload for information, so you need to stand out with your initial messaging

Having an interested physical product consumer is the holy grail, put a lot of value onto the fact that you have a person interested in your product.

Consumers are always looking for ways to minimize risk in the purchase

Unique Selling Proposition. What is the one thing that sets you apart from the competition? Again USP is based more on Benefits than Features.

The Interest phase is primarily cognitive, Desire is the emotional phase.

To create desire, show people what will happen in their lives if they use your product.

Think of your ad as a makeover to that person’s life

The overlooked importance of early adopter customers

The 80/20 rule of revenue

The call to action may be a feedback loop

The number of touchpoints to make a sale

Invest in the relationship to sell long term

Think of the value of the customer beyond the first sale

It is 7 times more expensive to attract a new customer than to re-sell to a prior customer

EPISODE LINKS:

Michael Solomon Links: Course | LinkedIn | Past Episode

Kevin Mako Links: Instagram | LinkedIn | Quora | Facebook | Twitter

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Robert Irwin is currently the lead industrial designer for Origyn consumer appliances, a division of the multinational company Haier. He was the past Senior INdusdtrial Designer at Amazon for their shopping cart products. He is also a fellow lecturer in the design industry. Today Robert is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can first understand how to manage your product design and prototyping team, then work with them to develop physical prototypes to perfect your product for both manufacturing and the end-customer. Today you will hear us talk about:

Empathy in the design process with various stakeholders

Listening to your potential customer, but also to your design team and other product development stakeholders.

Be careful about compartmentalizing features, they need to all come together via a hardware product prototype.

Iterative loop in design, engineering, and prototyping your hardware product

Good prototyping relies on great design, and design that is done right to start with.

After a professionally built CAD design is done as far as you can push it, then build a physical prototype of the invention, but keep that first prototype relatively rough and simple, such as through 3D printing.

You don’t need to make a fully functional prototype to start getting feedback

Never skip the iterative process in developing the product, and ensure to use multiple prototypes that increase in complexity and quality as you get closer to manufacturing.

You are de-risking the failure of the product by properly developing your product.

Fail early and fail often

EPISODE LINKS Robert Irwin Links:

Past Episode

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Mike Morton was an Industrial Design Senior Principal at Dell for many years, and before that similar roles at HP and SunBeam, along with working with many physical consumer product inventors and startups along the way. He has also been a mentor at Capital Factory and Techstars, in addition to working with Mako Design too. Today Mike is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can understand the importance and best practices around the different types of prototypes, how important prototyping is to the product development process, and how to use prototypes to ensure a product is successful both in the market and in manufacturing. Today you will hear us talk about:

The importance of physical product prototyping for an invention idea to go into production with

Rough product prototype

Mechanical product prototype

Refined product prototype

Pre-production prototype or production sample prototype

Prototype early and often

Test your prototypes out for both problems AND opportunities

Some of the best designs and engineering ideations come out of the prototyping phases.

Never skip prototyping steps, but rearrange them or do side prototypes to best suit the needs of your product.

Bring in manufacturing as you start getting into the more serious mechanical prototypes, especially as you get into pre-production or refined prototypes.

Manufacturers want you to be successful, it helps everybody.

EPISODE LINKS Mike Morton Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-morton-design/

Past Episode: https://www.makodesign.com/podcast/064-preparing-and-executing-your-products-first-production-run/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Jim Cermak has spent over 30 years helping hardware companies educate, navigate, and conquer selling their products at hardware tradeshows. He is also the Founder of Trade Show University, an organization that educates and consults small businesses on winning at trade shows, including his new video series which answers 7 key questions on how to tackle a trade show. Today Jim is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can plan for launching or scaling your hardware product at a hardware trade show, and how to maximize success when it comes to managing your tradeshow booth at the show. Today you will hear us talk about:

Trade shows are one of the most efficient and effective ways to get your product exposure.

Figure out why you want to go to a trade show

Pick the right trade show to launch or scale your product

Understand what you have to sell.

Be clear in your messaging at the Trade Show

Be big and bold

Speak the hardware buyers’ language

Plenty of pre-show marketing for your invention idea at the trade show

Get appointments or stop-ins ahead of time

Reach out to the show and see what extra showcase placements they have available. Sometimes they are even free.

Ask people at the show to give a quick testimonial about your product.

Tips for being on the floor of the show

Have your qualifying questions ready, be very specific.

As a team, find out what the top questions you are getting asked are, have your top 20 tradeshow questions for your invention idea.

Do not work the tradeshow by yourself, even if you’re just an inventor.

Take a video of yourself after a great tradeshow conversation

EPISODE LINKS Jim Cermak Links:

Website: https://tradeshowu.biz/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimcermak/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Morgan Teachworth was the head of Hardware at Meraki, a company that was acquired by Cisco for $1.2 billion dollars, and is now the VP of Engineering & Supply Chain there. He has been involved in the development of hundreds of physical mass-manufactured products leading to approximately 16 million units of his products being sold around the world in his 15-year tenure with the organization. Today Morgan is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can understand the difference between developing a product to sell as a startup to then developing products to sell as a growing scale-up brand, and what you can do to best strategize for this kind of explosive hardware company growth in the product space.

Today you will hear us talk about:

How the customer changes as you scale your hardware product business

Your customers become your salesforce in the very early stages

Your next tier of customers are the wholesalers, distributors, resellers, etc.

What are some new stakeholders

Think about the factory, the installers, the resellers,

Micro stakeholders and macro stakeholders

You can tune the product design, the packaging, the product experience, the manufacturing, all around multiple stakeholders

Simplicity is an important part of design considerations, but also in all other stakeholders this should be considered too.

Keep your product simple, it’s actually easier to do as a small physical product business than it is as you grow, so start now.

As you grow, you become the big incumbent now that other small innovators are trying to take on.

Cross-functional initiatives help as you scale.

EPISODE LINKS Morgan Teachworth Links:

Website: https://meraki.cisco.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mteachw/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Michael Corr is the Founder of Duro PLM, a product development management tool for centralizing the entire communication process of development to production. They have thousands of users improving their design for manufacturing process. Today Michael is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can understand what Design For Manufacturing is, what is required to fill the gap between product development and your first production run, and how to communicate effectively with all manufacturing stakeholders, especially on a first production run. Today you will hear us talk about:

What is DFM Design for Manufacturing

How do you efficiently and effectively manufacture

Hand-based manufacturing vs automatic manufacturing in PCB / electronics parts

Design both for functionality AND for manufacturing

Think about manufacturing at the early phases of development

Increase the amount of DFM work as you get closer to production

The further along the manufacturing process, the more it will cost to fix the problem.

Each product has its own nuances and unique elements that should be ironed out

Manufacturers have your best interest in mind, but they don’t know the product nearly as well as you do.

Incorporate your manufacturers into your processes, especially as you get closer to manufacturing.

Make sure that communication channels are into your manufacturing process.

Be sure you have transparency and trust in the failures that are occurring in manufacturing.

This can be done in a social contract, or a technical contract.

Communication for DFM should be in real time, and also fully disclosed.

EPISODE LINKS Michael Corr Links:

Website: https://www.durolabs.co/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelgcorr/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Hussain Almossawi has worked as a senior hardware director or designer at Ford, Adidas, and Apple for many of their hardware brands. He is also the author of The Innovator’s Handbook, and the Founder of the creative agency Mossawi Studios. Today Hussain is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can develop new hardware products beyond their first innovation, how to scale your brand beyond being a one-hit wonder, and how to best figure out what your next hardware innovation should be. Today you will hear us talk about:

What options are there beyond your first invention

Expand your existing innovation

Create an evolution of your product

Create accessories for your product

Pros and cons of each category

How do you decide which way to expand your hardware product

Look at semi-related industries to see how they expand, this is the very realistic ways that other industries have expanded. What can you use from this?

Always ask what-if questions (blue sky). These are the crazy ideas.

Tips and tricks for innovating a hardware brand

Intersect ideas and technology to innovate your hardware product

Be a curious sponge

Feedback, in combination with blue sky ideas and similar industry ideas.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you evolve.

Be laser-focused on your development, focus on the one key feature.

First principles method of product development.

Keep your product simple, and keep the next innovation of your product simple.

EPISODE LINKS Hussain Almossawi Links:

Website: https://mossawistudios.com/

Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/173785080X/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hussainalmossawi/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Chris Moe is the Co-Founder of Cartograph, a digital marketing agency with over 150 million dollars of client sales per year on Amazon. They have grown a number of CPG brands from zero to millions of dollars in sales, and many of them in just a few months. Today Chris is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can understand what Amazon Marketplace is, how to launch your new hardware product on Amazon, and how to understand the algorithms and marketing avenues to increase your Amazon sales. Today you will hear us talk about:

How does Amazon work for selling a new invention hardware product?

Using Amazon to sell products is very seller friendly.

Make sure that you are ready to launch, and make sure that the timing is right.

Have the first wave of product market fit.

A lot of the time product negative feedback may just be messaging, not even in a flaw of the product.

Pricing is a “triangulation exercise”.

If you are cashflow constrained, make sure you price at the right price.

Taking a low-price strategy likely doesn’t make sense for an inventor on Amazon.

How does Amazon actually work?

How to launch (pricing, competition, timing).

How to scale.

Amazon Marketplace for inventors, hardware startups, and small emerging manufacturing brands.

Fulfillment by Amazon Network (this is how you get that Amazon Prime Badge)

The difference between standard shipping size, and oversize shipping size.

Invest back another 20% or so into advertising on the platform.

How the Amazon algorithm works

Paid ads on Amazon

Amazon reviews, along with content (the Moat on Amazon).

EPISODE LINKS Chris Moe / Cartograph Links:

Website: https://www.gocartograph.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismoe1/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Don Skaggs founded the manufacturer US Biotex Corporation, which he started on a farm back in 1991 and grew to over 150 products in production over 22 years before being bought out. Don has also been the President of the Inventors Network Kentucky for nearly 20 years now. Today Don is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can start their own manufacturing facility locally for their invention idea, then how to grow and scale, and what benefits there are for taking this production path. Today you will hear us talk about:

See if customers would buy samples, and learn from them.

Bootstrap to find out what works.

Start with a small batch so that you can test the market.

It’s easier to manufacture locally than you think, just start with a basic part of the manufacturing process.

Design using as many Original Equipment Manufactured parts as possible.

As you scale production, there are a number of benefits from running your own manufacturing operation.

Your own manufacturing gives you a lot of solutions.

Find an innovation where it’s common in one industry, but not discovered in another.

Stay close to R&D and close to marketing and sales, so that you can put the two together.

Time, money, and wisdom.

Learn from your mistakes, and from your customers.

When you’re small, you can connect marketing, sales, R&D, and production.

Find the intersection of what you are passionate about, and what you are good at.

EPISODE LINKS Don Skaggs / KY Inventors Network Links:

Website: https://www.kyinventors.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donskaggs/details/experience/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/EmpoweredInventing

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Mike Deigan is Vice President at Global Link Sourcing. He has been working for 10 years on sourcing products and consulting on products for 15 years before that. Global Link has helped with manufacturing well over 100 products for hardware companies, leading to tens of millions of their sourced products selling around the world. Today Mike is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can understand how to prepare your product’s development to get it ready to present to overseas manufacturing partners and the pros and cons of sourcing through an agency and sourcing direct with manufacturers in China and elsewhere. Today you will hear us talk about:

Preparing your product to work with overseas manufacturing

Concept design vs design for manufacturing

A design that you can truly use to go to production with

Going direct vs through a sourcing company

Logistics, time, finding a real factory, financial benefits

The problems with finding a manufacturing partner through Alibaba or similar

Rectifying issues with a manufacturer.

EPISODE LINKS Mike Deigan / Global Link Sourcing Links:

Website: http://www.globallinksourcing.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-deigan-25b02918/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Scott Brogan is the founder of Company Expert, a sales process consultancy that has worked with over 100 emerging brands. He has spent over 30 years in sales, including working for 7 Fortune500 companies in sales capacities. Today Scott is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can start to build a process around identifying partner companies to sell to, preparing how to give your pitch, and how to improve your sales process over time to rinse and repeat. Today you will hear us talk about:

How do you start selling a first product to

A system and a process for sales

Sales is solving problems for your end-customer

Leveraged sales partner play

Start with a goal

Figure out who specifically you want to call, then how to position yourself to that buyer.

Write down your sales process and strategy

Competitors are, distribution, strengths, weaknesses, threats

Who within a prospective buyer company should you be calling

What are the buyer’s pain points and opportunities

7 people are usually involved in a purchasing process

The multiple stages of competency in sales

Start the sales process by learning at the beginning

Feedback loop in sales.

Always write down objections that are asked, and how you respond.

Enthusiasm is powerful and can help you overcome mistakes as a new seller

Have the personal story of why you made this product ready

Bringing the science into sales.

The sales industry is not mature, there are lots of improvements you can capitalize on.

EPISODE LINKS Scott Brogan / Company Expert Links:

Website: https://companyexpert.com/

Tools: https://companyexpert.com/product-sales/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottpbrogan/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Nigel Southway is the author of two books, the most recent is called Take Back Manufacturing, and his original was called Lean Manufacturing. He has spent 55 years in the manufacturing space. He was the chair of a chapter of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, which I was also a part of starting over 10 years ago. Today Nigel en is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can decide between offshore and onshore manufacturing, what the pros and cons are for each choice, explain short-run manufacturing for new products, and how we can bring back manufacturing to local communities. Today you will hear us talk about:

Look at local vs offshore carefully

Run the numbers of manufacturing

Benefits of on-shore manufacturing

Technology that is enabling local manufacturing for new physical products

Short run manufacturing

Take back manufacturing: Political, Educational, and Technology

The difference, on average, is only about 10%

EPISODE LINKS Nigel Southway / Take Back Manufacturing Links:

Website: https://nigelsouthwayauthor.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelsouthway/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Marc Inkol is the President of Explorer Research, a North American shopper research consulting firm that works with emerging physical product brands and massive product companies like Walmart, Kraft, Google, Pepsi, Uniliver, and many others. Mark has spent 30 years in the retail industry including leading divisions at Kraft and Maple Leaf. Today Marc is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can develop and position your product for big success at retail stores, how to captivate buyers while on the shelf, and how to scale your brand via retail stores. Today you will hear us talk about:

Consumers have the power now

A consumer buys 200 to 300 products out of a food store per year

You have to be very clear on what your selling proposition is.

Products should be both unique and meaningful

Features are not primary

Simple design is better

15% of a shelf is viewed, package is seen for only 2 seconds

5 or 6 words max is what they see

Constantly innovate on fewer than broader and more

Packaging, supply chain,

You only can say three things on your packaging: Who you are, what you sell, and why better

Color, Shape, and Size for packaging.

How do you engage people in the product.

10-15 seconds once they have actually picked up your product

Clear seller proposition

EPISODE LINKS Marc Inkol / Explorer Research Links:

Website: https://explorerresearch.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-inkol-4944723/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Stew Redwine is Vice President Creative Services at Oxford Road, one of the leading audio advertising agencies in the world. They ran the ads behind unicorn physical product success stories such as Quip Toothbrushes, Theragun, Tommy John, and many more. Today Stew is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on what audio platforms are out there to advertise your product on, how to get started in the audio advertising space for hardware products, and how to make a great audio ad to make your product invention the next big success. Today you will hear us talk about:

What are audio ads for hardware products?

The different platforms for audio: Podcasts, radio, XM radio

Crisp, clear, and clever messaging

Self serve audio advertising programs (Gumball and Podcorn)

True Native Media for a more concierge service

The key things to have in an audio ad

A person is not fully convinced until they can feelthe product has been demonstrated

9 key things for a highly successful audio ad for a new physical product invention

You don’t have to stress about being perfectly clever.

180 word max for a 60 second ad.

Most podcast consumption happens around the episode drop.

EPISODE LINKS Stew Redwine / Oxford Road Links:

Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stewredwine/

WhitePaper: https://soundsprofitable.com/update/copywriting-ads-that-sell

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stewredwine/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Matt Selbie is the President of Opiniator, a software platform that collects real-time feedback from product customers. He has spent over 25 years researching, strategizing, and implementing customer feedback programs. Today Matt is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers should properly collect customer feedback, when to do it, how to do it, and the importance of it, along with breaking down clear actionable steps you can use for maximizing the right kind of feedback at your product launch. Today you will hear us talk about:

Companies don’t consider feedback in their corporate strategy for their physical hardware products

Ask the right people.

Ask as close to the experience as you possibly can.

Ask the right product feedback questions, figure out exactly what you specifically want to find out.

The fallacies in customer feedback.

Breaking down the feedback into clear actionable questions.

It is better to focus on clearly data-driven answers rather than general intent open-ended questions.

Ask two questions about one feature on your product. Vulnerability analysis.

Think about feedback not just for product development, but also for how to sell.

Feature creep without consulting customers

Hardware product feedback at a product launch

Give the respondents the eventual data

Qualify the respondents.

Make the feedback 2 minutes or less.

Retail store camouflage of your product

The one thing to make someone consider buying

EPISODE LINKS Matt Selbie / Opiniator Links:

Website: https://opiniator.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewselbie/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Jem Bourouh is a Partner at Accelerated, one of Europe’s leading direct-to-consumer e-commerce advertising agencies. Jem has won many awards, and has had 7 products hit 7 figures in sales in just the first 30 days of their campaigns. Today Jem is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on the different types of Google advertising for a new hardware product, the structure and tools needed to launch your first campaign, and tips for maximizing the success and growth of your Google ads campaigns to sell directly to end customers. Today you will hear us talk about:

The many types of Google ads channels

How can people sell things via Google ads

Transactional campaign

Navigational campaign

Informational campaign

Why Google Ads

Start with keyword recommendations

What do you need to sell on Google Ads

Google Quality Score for hardware products

Landing Page Experience

Expected Click-Through Rate

Ad rank for your ad

Top of funnel, middle of funnel, bottom of funnel

What are some trends happening today with Google adwords for physical hardware products

Once you figure out these tools, you have a huge competitive advantage.

Start with a low budget, experiment, and continue refining.

EPISODE LINKS Jem Bourouh / Accelerated Agency Links:

Website: https://www.acceleratedagency.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jem-bourouh/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Jake Schmidt has sold over five hundred million dollars in products online for customers. He is the CEO of Structured Agency, a digital marketing firm that specializes in performance marketing for hardware brands direct to consumer. In his early years, he was the online sales guy behind the fidget spinner, which they ended up leveraging to then get into major retailers like Best Buy. Today Jake is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can understand the different strategies to marketing online, what platforms are most successful and how that is changing, and how to spin up simple at-home ads that convert into real customers for your new physical product. Today you will hear us talk about:

Performance marketing agency, which is driving revenue for your brand.

Paid Media

Push vs Pull marketing

Retention marketing: Email and SMS Marketing

Community building: Content Marketing

It all starts with a quality product

Social media likes unique content, meaning new invention ideas are promoted much heavier.

TikTok is similar to what Instagram was 5 years ago

Repurpose your content to amplify the digital creative work you are doing.

Show the value proposition within 2 seconds

Keep the product simple, so that you can sell it extremely quickly

Authentic video ads are easy to shoot, and the market loves them right now, and that opportunity may not last.

Consider coupon websites, affiliate selling programs, etc.

EPISODE LINKS Jake Schmidt / Structured Agency Links:

Website: https://www.structured.agency/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-schmidt-a495b513b/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamjakeschmidt

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Bill Dickinson has spent over 35 years selling business to business, building sales teams, and working with CEOs on optimizing their sales processes for many hardware suppliers. From building access machines to communication equipment to IT components, Bill has helped build a number of companies to multi-millions in new sales. Today Bill is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers should apply sales to getting your product going, start with your first sales hire or sales partner, and scale your product business through sales teams, especially when selling to other business like retailers, distributors, and wholesalers. Today you will hear us talk about:

Sales is critical to any hardware start-up or scale-up, from selling yourself, selling the business, selling

Hiring for personality is better than hiring for product or industry knowledge

What type of product are you selling

What methods are you going to use to sell

Sellers need a quality product, at a fair price, that has great service and/or support.

Before you start selling, first ensure you have a need.

Timing, luck, and skill, in that order, when doing cold calling.

Make sure you have a product that is at least a little bit different, and unique.

Spend time and effort finding detailed lists.

Relationship selling. Build credibility and trust early, and in a small way.

If you can make the purchaser’s life simpler, they will buy a lot more, and more new products

3 sales streams - Straight sales, existing customer sales, and business development

Some new, existing, and future.

More connections to a buyer, the higher the probability of an eventual sale.

EPISODE LINKS Bill Dickinson Link:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-dickinson-31678a67/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Jacob Anson is the CoFounder of AgencyJR, a firm that has helped sell tens of millions of dollars worth of product for product companies. Today Jacob is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can understand email marketing, learn the different types within, and know how to use email marketing effectively. Today you will hear us talk about:

What is email marketing

How does it fit into overall digital advertising

Email lists from buyers, email lists from almost buyers, and email lists from cold lead generation

How do you do email marketing well

Cold leads need to be advertised harder and more aggressively

Warm leads need to be nurtured as a community

Paid ads are the key to generating leads and their emails

For products that are repeat purchases, keep the profit low

For one-time buy products, add more value

Simplicity is key to promoting value

Think of 3 tips to solve a problem, then promote the product

There are a variety of offers you can provide

The "Value-value-sale" system

List segmentation

Focus on paid ads to get those emails, then ensure to use automation.

The two easiest automation programs are checkout abandonment and a popup on your online sales channel.

EPISODE LINKS Jacob Anson / Agency JR Links:

Website: https://www.agencyjr.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-r-anson-a92597186/

Software: https://www.klaviyo.com/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Todd Drouillard is the Science and Technology Business leader at HED, which is one of the world’s leading architecture firms for manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution center buildings. Todd has been in architecture for 25 years, has his Masters in Architecture, is an AIA director, and is on the Construction Code Commission Board of Directors in Michigan. Today Todd is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers are changing the way they move products to their end customers, and what inventors with construction-related inventions can do to succeed in getting their innovations to market. Today you will hear us talk about:

Warehousing innovation is becoming increasingly more important to the success of a scaling hardware product business

Construction inventions and innovations are happening very quickly in new building design, fabrication, and maintenance.

How do you get your construction product into the market to get into new or renovated buildings.

Less labour, more product. This is prefabrication, and there is a lot of room for new construction inventions in this space.

Product manufacturing and architecture are merging

To pitch your construction innovation, show that it reduces risk, increases quality, is more reliable, is easy to install.

A big advantage when designing your product, is to either make it easy to work with other products, or include what used to be multiple products into one

There are lots of problems on a construction site, solve them with your construction inventions.

EPISODE LINKS Todd Drouillard / HED Links:

Website: https://www.hed.design/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-drouillard-aia-b9a7a629/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Jos Harrison is the global head of design and brand experience at Reckitt, the firm which owns many big brands including Lysol, Veet, Finish, Durex, and more. He has been in the design industry for over 25 years. Today Jos is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can learn what ESG is, why doing good for the world is beneficial for an emerging hardware product, and how to start with implementing ESG in your emerging or scaling business. Today you will hear us talk about:

Defining ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)

Why ESG is important for a small hardware business

Why ESG is important for the world.

How hardware startups can do ESG well, and how to do it early on

What can hardware startups and scaleups learn from big organizations that do this well.

The idea of a consumer is old, that is changing.

Manufacturing options, packaging, materials all can be done smart for sustainability and environmental reasons

Think about iterative design to become more and more ESG friendly over time

Educate your users

Buyers are willing to pay more now, for a product that lasts longer; however, there is a caveat in selling

Small business have a huge benefit over big corporate, as society believes that startups were there to solve a core problem.

EPISODE LINKS Jos Harrison / Reckitt Links:

Website: https://www.reckitt.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josharrison/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Tim Bucciarelli is a Director at IronPlane, an eCommerce agency that works with many large product brands. Tim has been a leader in the eCommerce space for almost 30 years. Today Tim is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can understand what eCommerce is, how to choose a great eCommerce platform for your current and future product needs, and how to do a good job of building out your platform, especially around business to business sales. Today you will hear us talk about:

What is eCommerce

How do you choose the right platform to sell online

Back end platforms explained, and how they connect to front end

How do you do it well

Understand your customer

Understand investment

Wordpress and WooCommerce is an easy way to get started online

Shopify is a SaaS, a central piece of software

BitCommerce is a SaaS that is a bit more opened up

Adobe Commerce / Magento is larger and more customizable

EPISODE LINKS Tim Bucciarelli / IronPlane Links:

Website: https://www.ironplane.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-bucciarelli/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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John Carter was the Chief Engineer for Bose for over 12 years, most notably being the name behind noise-canceling headphones. After that, he founded TCGen, and has spent 22 years working with some of the biggest hardware brands in the world on improving their product development processes. He is also a fellow writer with me at Forbes. Today John is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can use best practices from the leading hardware development teams in the world to improve your product design, launch, and scaling journey by understanding what it takes to succeed in the long run, utilizing customer feedback, getting to market fast, and many other development secrets. Today you will hear us talk about:

To figure out how to make a great product, he worked all around the world to find out how the best in the world did hardware product development.

How do you know what areas you should focus on for innovation

Innovation is not free, it takes a tremendous amount of work, sustained effort, and a budget.

Focus on one key innovation.

Don’t share with customers too early, design through the concept first.

How do you reduce risk that is out there.

Don’t feature creep

Get to market, then reiterate and improve.

Principles of agile development and how it applies to hardware consumer products.

Empower your team

The importance of industrial design

Try rotating feedback in hardware

EPISODE LINKS John Carter / TCGen Links:

Website: https://www.tcgen.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcartertcgen/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Piotr Zajac is the CEO of Untitled Kingdom, a 55-person mobile app development company that focuses on apps for physical hardware connected devices. They have built and launched over 75 full-scale apps for hardware products. Today Piotr is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can understand how to best manage the design and development of your hardware device’s app, and what are the best practices for making a connected device’s app great. Today you will hear us talk about:

IoT, MedTech, and FemTech

Building an app for your hardware product

Think about your end-users

Onboarding new users with your application

Intution takes time to develop to your user base

Create a habit in your user

Buy their hands, their hearts, and their brains

Feedback is key

Quality of apps, FDA Certification, ISO Certfication

Quality is much more valuable, and far less expensive, in the long term

Security

Technology protocols

Simplicity in your features

You can change the world with your product ideas

EPISODE LINKS Piotr Zajac / Untitled Kingdom Links:

Website: https://www.untitledkingdom.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zajacp/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Tom Pupo is the founder and head of Moonlighter Fab Lab Miami, which Mako Design just partnered with on a new 8,000 square foot hardware makerspace right down Miami Beach. Tom has a Masters Degree in architecture, and been running makerspaces for many years. Today Tom is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on what a makerspace is, what makes one great, and how hardware startups can benefit from them in many ways beyond just space and machinery. Today you will hear us talk about:

What does a hardware makerspace do

What makes a space great

What are the benefits

Space, tools, people

Design, prototype, test, get feedback, and redo

Coworking, fabrication lab, and STEAM learning centre

Learning design thinking in the design process

A makerspace is such a pure experience to get to learn about the product development hourney

EPISODE LINKS Tom Pupo / Moonlighter Miami Links:

Website: https://moonlighterfablab.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tpupo/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Mark Maybury is the Chief Technology Officer at Stanley Black and Decker. He is also a member of the Defense Science Board and was a Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force. Today Mark is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on what makes a consumer product great in 2022, and how to consider these things from the design phase, through to production, then onto scaling up. Today you will hear us talk about:

What makes a great new product in your industry

Innovative, valuable, and scalable

Environmentally and socially

Big companies look at innovators and inventors to be the change master

Scaling a hardware startup business

There are many parts to scaling, not just sales.

Pitching to Stanley black and decker

Genuine need, real value created, and a great team (humility)

Secrets of innovation

Observe carefully, listen deeply, think outside of the box, experiment with purpose, and collaborate.

EPISODE LINKS Mark Maybury / Stanley Black and Decker Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-mark-maybury-28532/

Website: https://www.stanleyblackanddecker.com/

Submit to Stanley: https://www.stanleyblackanddecker.com/submityouridea

Accelerator: https://www.stanleyblackanddecker.com/article/stanleytechstars-accelerator-announces-open-application

Stanley Ventures: https://www.stanleyventures.com/

Stanley Impact Challenge: https://www.stanleyblackanddecker.com/social-responsibility/people/impact-challenge

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Dougal Grimes is the Vice President of Innovation and Inventors Relations for SpinMaster Toys. He leads a team of people who review product pitches from inventors just like you. Before this, he worked for over 10 years as a leader in many different roles at Hasbro. Today Dougal is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can best pitch to large product brands like SpinMaster, and what you can do to best prepare for, deliver, and expand your product’s success with this type of partnership. Today you will hear us talk about:

Developing the toy idea out

A great idea can come from anywhere

Big ideas come from the mass market, not in-house design teams

The process of meeting inventors is quite freeform

Pitching the idea well is important, and applies to all type of industries

Have a quick pitch, then a proof of concept physically, then prove feasibility of manufacturability, that it is safe, that it is viable, and possibly that it has intellectual property protection.

Look for toy fairs, conferences, reach out via LinkedIn, find the invention submission areas of the company.

Remember, a product pitch is a promotion.

Don’t lead with the technical aspects, lead with the features.

Remember, you are bringing a solution to a company when you pitch.

The inventors vision and passion can help push a product through to greater success even after a licencing deal is struck

Timelines for toy inventors getting to market

EPISODE LINKS Dougal Grimes / SpinMaster Links:

Website: https://www.spinmaster.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougalgrimes/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Ryan Lewendon is the Co-Founder and Partner at the law firm Giannuzzi Lewendon LLP. They have 30 lawyers, 1,500 product companies they work with, and hundreds of finance deals run by them per year, in addition to a number of other legal and advisory services to scaling product companies. Today Ryan is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can raise their first big fundraising round of 1 million dollars or more, how to plan for it, execute on it, then spend the money smart when it comes in. Today you will hear us talk about:

How to prepare for big-league funding

Make sure you have a well-vetted product before going to production

How to make sure you have the right investors

Work on the right terms

Explain why this round is so important

SAFE agreements or Convertible notes agreements for physical consumer products

How to raise that funding

How to scale with those funds when you get them

Build out your human capital, and start with the people where your weaknesses are.

Remember, your investors are very experienced in this.

Build out your supply chain

Build out your distribution network and partners

If you are going to raise more rounds, when do you start planning the next fundraising round

EPISODE LINKS Ryan Lewendon / Giannuzzi Lewendon LLP Links:

Website: https://gllaw.us/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-lewendon-3ba01111/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GiannuzziLewendon

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giannuzzilewendon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GiannuzziGroup

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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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:

KID Group Website: http://www.kid-group.com/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Bob Christopher is the founder of Pleo, a massively successful robot dinosaur kids toy with hundreds of parts. This is one of his many products and product companies over a long and successful history in the product innovation world. He was also the director of innovation at Panasonic, and sits on a number of advisory boards at hardware accelerators. Today Bob is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can understand what it takes to design and develop complicated mechanical and/or electronic consumer products, with many development lessons he has learned along the way. Today you will hear us talk about:

Being close with your design and development team

Engineering for half full, not half empty

Define what the end experience should be

Test and refine

Prove your worth to the manufacturers

Ensure your different types of designers work together

Be willing to learn, both the founder, and the designers

Build and break your prototypes

Listen to your stakeholders, especially further down the development process before you go to market.

The journey is part of the fun

EPISODE LINKS Bob Christopher / Pleo Links:

Website: https://www.pleoworld.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ugobe2/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Andra Keay is the Managing Director of Silicon Valley Robotics which supports the innovation and commercialization of robotics technologies. She has headed up Venture Capital rounds, is a fellow lecturer, TedX speaker, and an XPrize judge. Her office is also just down the hall from our Mako Design California office at CircuitLaunch. Today Andra is going to share some valuable knowledge to help inventors, startups, and small manufacturers understand how robotics is becoming a mainstream part of new electronic mechanical products, the future of the consumer robotics industry, and tips for anyone thinking about a robotic product or even incorporating basic robotics into their new hardware product. Today you will hear us talk about:

Robotics industry today

Robotics 2.0

A lot of hardware development is included in this topic

Commercialization of robotics

Robotics founders are slow to commercialize because they spend too much time researching, but then slow to execute

Three stools of robotics hardware companies going to market

Funding, product-market fit, manufacturing

People underestimate the value of spreading hardware to the world

Hardware is long-lasting, takes a while, but has profound value when done well

EPISODE LINKS Andra Keay / Silicon Valley Robotics Links:

Website: https://svrobo.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andra-keay/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKRT4z1I9fAn8LUgUaOQACA

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobotLaunch

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Yohan Jacob is the Founder and President of RetailBound, an agency that helps emerging hardware brands get into major retail stores and sales channels. RetailBound has been around for 14 years and has worked with over 4,000 product companies. Yohan himself has spent 30 years in the industry, including being a major buyer for Sears and Office Max. The last episode we talked about how to get into retail store chains, and today Yohan is going to give best practices on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can scale up their product sales once they land a retailer by building a buyer relationship, enhancing product exposure, reviewing your placements, and more. Today you will hear us talk about:

Buyers want three main KPIs:

Drive sales
Improve profits
Turn more times in the store

Three ways to increase sales:

Marketing / PR / Influencers
Training
Ensure the product is on the shelf

Marketing calendar of the retailers

Tools the retailers have to help drive sales

Adding value as you grow

Push hard for sales in the early days, worry less about cash flow or profit

How profits grow as you scale your product

EPISODE LINKS Yohan Jacob / RetailBound Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yohanjacob/

Website: https://retailbound.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/retailbound

Twitter: https://twitter.com/retailbound

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Tim Uys has spent 25 years as a senior leader and lecturer in the industrial design and mechanical engineering world. He has worked for Nike Golf, Dell, Qualcomm, Ironman, and many others while the director of design for IDOne, which was one of the top Austin design firms back in the early days before it was acquired. For the past 6 years, Tim has been the head of design for our very own Mako Design out of our Austin, Texas office. Today Tim is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can understand the importance of design for manufacturing, 3 big tips on how to succeed in doing it, and where DFM fits into the overall product development process. Today you will hear us talk about:

Concept design

Engineering

Prototyping

Design for Manufacturing

Keep positive and think nimbly about your project going into production

Have a clear idea of what is important to your product, in priority

Speed, quality, cost, features

Perfection is the enemy of success

How to communicate from final engineering and prototyping to the manufacturer

Bill of materials

Materials specifications

CAD

Prototype

2D drawings

Animations

EPISODE LINKS Tim Uys Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-uys-382b934/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Marco Torres has been selling online for clients for 25 years and has sold over a billion dollars through direct-to-consumer internet marketing. He has 75,000 followers on his two Facebook Groups dedicated to online selling and affiliate marketing, and is the owner of Marketing Boost, a company which helps thousands of clients with free upsell coupons to their customers. Today Marco is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can use a single landing page sales funnel to launch a new invention product or to improve an existing product’s online sales, and some tips and tricks to best optimize conversions. Today you will hear us talk about:

Landing page / sales funnel

Different sections

Remove navigation and unnecessary stuff

Adding credibility to the page

Sell benefits, not features. How does it solve the customer’s problem?

Testimonials

Overcome their objections

Add a guarantee to remove risk

Don’t have too much to get them distracted

FAQs - Frequently asked questions

Affiliate marketing

Putting an incentive in addition

EPISODE LINKS Marco Torres / Marketing Boost Links:

Website: https://marketingboost.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/6101960marcotorres/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/marketingboostofficial/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/144488025586731

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Kapil Kane is the Director of Innovation at Intel and founded Intel’s internal hardware invention incubator. Prior to that he was a Product Design Lead and Manager at Apple. He is also a fellow keynote speaker, and he has done two TedX talks. Today Kapil is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can learn from how the biggest hardware companies in the world prioritize and qualify new invention ideas. He is even going to walk through the step-by-step pillars that all Intel incubator innovations go through to prepare their idea for market success. Today you will hear us talk about:

Developing engineers to think in the business way

Think about the market value

Business model canvas

Look for assumptions in your plan

Identify pain points

Validation plan

Testing MVP / Prototypes

Customer discussions (get out of the building)

Financial case

You need to have a lot of conviction to the product you are building.

Think about solving problems, not saying it cannot be done

3 things you need to succeed: Technology, User experience, Business model

In hardware, when pitching, don’t just talk, show what you have built

Are you coachable or not.

EPISODE LINKS Kapil Kane Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kapilkane/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Alex Dantas is CEO of CircuitLaunch, one of California’s top hardware accelerator facilities. CircuitLaunch is an almost 40,000 square foot hardware innovation space and makerspace for inventors, hardware startups, and hardware companies. Mako Design is also a long-standing partner in the space. Today Alex is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can utilize facilities like Circuitlaunch to develop their invention product ideas, then scale them to the big leagues. He is also going to give his advice on what really works to ensure startup success given the hundreds of startups he has watched come through their doors. Today you will hear us talk about:

Alex’s background of persistence in the USA

The power of hardware incubation facilities for hardware startups

Makerspaces are evolving into co-facturing

The value of hardware labs for product startups

The value of education around hardware communities

Short-run manufacturing for North American hardware startups

EPISODE LINKS Alex Dantas / CircuitLaunch Links:

Website: https://circuitlaunch.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrfdantas/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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EA Csolkovits has founded multiple product businesses, which in total, brought 75 new products to the market in the health and wellness space. He has been in the business of building hardware teams for 40 years, is the founder of GIVERS University, is a radio host, is an author, and is even a fellow plane private pilot. Today EA is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, product startups, and small manufacturers on the importance of building great product business teams early on, and how specifically to choose great product team members for building and scaling your hardware business. Today you will hear us talk about:

Categories of team members

The importance of mentorship

The importance of the inner circle

Get a mentor that has been successful

Relationships are the most important in a fast-moving world

The single most important thing you can do to succeed is to develop a great team

Don’t listen to what people say, see what they do.

There are 3 different categories of team members

Key points to develop your inner team

Decide, Invite, Seed, Convene, Establish, Rotate, and Numbers

EPISODE LINKS EA Csolkovits / GIVERS University Links:

Website: http://www.giversuniversity.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giversuniversity/

YouTube: https://YouTube.com/GIVERSuniversity

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Welcome back everyone. Today, I’m very excited to introduce Rich Goldstein to the show. Rich Goldstein is the founder of Goldstein Patent Law. He has landed over 2,000 patents for his clients over the last 25 years. He is also the author of the book the ABA Consumer Guide to Obtaining a Patent. Today Rich is going to share some valuable knowledge to inventors, hardware startups, and small product manufacturers on the types of patents you can obtain for an invention, tips and tricks along the way, and how to continue to protect your intellectual property as your hardware product evolves over the years. Now onto the episode... Today you will hear us talk about:

Utility vs Design vs Provisional

Time constraints of each type of patent

Steps that you need to take to preserve your rights

Over time, what do you do to protect with your ongoing development?

You want to make your claims specific enough, that it is still relevant to the marketplace

Filing a continuation in part to an improvement to your product over time

Filing a continuation, slightly different than a continuation in part

EPISODE LINKS Rich Goldstein / Goldstein Patent Law Links:

Website: https://goldsteinpatentlaw.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardwgoldstein/

Podcast: https://goldsteinpatentlaw.com/podcasts/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Bryon Bhagwandin is a 20-year medical device entrepreneur with over a half dozen products in the market. He has won a number of awards, including the Top100 in R&D Magazine. He also has a PhD from the University of Washington in Medical Devices and Hardware. Today Bryon is going to share some valuable knowledge for hardware startups, inventors, and small manufacturers on the difference between a medical device and a wellness device, and if going the medical device route, what are the steps and best practices to get certified. Today you will hear us talk about:

The difference between medical devices and a wellness device

What are the benefits of a medical device (you can’t market into the clinical space without FDA approval)

Benefits of a wellness device over a medical device

What are the steps to get cleared as a medical device

Safety

Efficacy processes / user data of the prototypes

Manufacturing process

If you are already in the market with a wellness device, create a new improved medical version of the device.

EPISODE LINKS Bryon Bhagwandin Link:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryonbhagwandin/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Patrick Daly is the author of the book Just Start Up. He has built over 20 products from invention idea to market over the past 25 years. Today Patrick is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can get their first products sold by selling directly to other businesses such as wholesalers, retailers, distributors, or other brands, and then how to accelerate your ongoing product development and sales through those channels. Today you will hear us talk about:

How do you start selling B2B (Networks and referrals)

Watch out for exclusive deals, they are great, but there are ways to protect yourself

Speed is critical (startups should be speed boats) Speed boats vs Super Tankers

Retain your identity, even with licensing or white label sales

Only then, switch to reaching out to cold prospects, but do it via phone

Think of innovation at all levels (Different Selling Point)

Listening to your buyers

Planning forward

Connecting engineering with sales

EPISODE LINKS Patrick Daly / Just Start Up Book Links:

Website: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Start-Up-Building-Startups-ebook/dp/B095KZRS2W

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricknoeldaly/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

Just Start Up - A Guide to Building Startups

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Scott Evans is the Director of Inventionworks at the University of Texas, just a few blocks away from our Mako Design Austin office. Inventionworks is a 23,000 square foot product design and development facility with lots of fun machines and a team of 40 experts to help get student inventions off the ground. In addition, Scott has spent 25 years in the prototyping and product manufacturing industry. Today Scott is going to share some valuable knowledge on how student inventors and startups can start their invention idea journey, and how to maximize the value of what colleges and universities have to offer. And today isn’t just about students, but also how anyone in the industry can get involved with their local schools both to help and to learn from them. Today you will hear us talk about:

Look around campus (student to student, faculty, entrepreneurial programs)

Product development in combination with an entrepreneurial mindset

How can people in the community be helpful for universities hardware incubators

Continuous learning, regress back to the role of a student to learn

Blur the lines between education and professional practice

EPISODE LINKS Scott Evans / Inventionworks Links:

Website: https://inventionworks.engr.utexas.edu/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/r-scott-evans-34a6512/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Nic Beique is the Founder and CEO of Helcim, a North American payment processing company that has over 10,000 small business clients, and processes over four billion dollars of transactions per year. In fact, Mako Design is one of his clients. Today Nic is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers should understand the importance of payment processing, and how to best use it to improve the experience for both your end customers and your business-to-business wholesale transactions. Today you will hear us talk about:

High level of what payment processing is

Why does payment processing matter to small hardware manufacturers?

Tips for small new products and existing manufacturers

Direct to consumer online, in-store, and B2B

The new wave of wholesale direct sales

EPISODE LINKS Nic Beique / Helcim Links:

Website: https://www.helcim.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-beique-45084424/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helcim/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/Helcim

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Helcim

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Donna Griffit helps write pitches for hardware startups and small manufacturing companies to raise millions of dollars in funding. Before working with small product businesses, she used to do corporate pitch investment decks for Samsung, Cisco, Microsoft, Google, Visa, and more. She has raised over $300 million for hardware companies alone. Today Donna is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers should think about how to write a perfect investor pitch through storytelling, and what specific story model to use to land the big bucks. Today you will hear us talk about:

There’s simply a lot of funding activity right now.

The importance of telling a story.

The formula for a great story.

Relevance is key, why should an investor invest today as opposed to later.

Find how you fit in three trends: Social, regulatory, and big things happening in or around your space.

Bring undeniable value to the potential investors.

Stories have both resonance and a structure, both are key.

Use your personal story as part of the story.

The framework: The pain/need/opportunity, then the hero, then the business potential, then the vision for the future.

EPISODE LINKS Donna Griffit Links:

Website: https://www.donnagriffit.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnaabraham/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Steven is the Founder and CEO of FundThrough, a North American accounts receivable firm that has provided billions of dollars in bridge financing to help small businesses scale. His firm is also a fellow recipient of the Best Places to Work Award. Today Steven is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can understand how big buyers like wholesalers, distributors, and retailers use credit terms when purchasing your products, and what you can do to bridge the gap between delivering your product and getting paid, something which is quite important for a small and scaling consumer product business. Today you will hear us talk about:

Bridge Financing, Accounts Receivable financing

It allows you to pay your suppliers

The clock doesn’t start ticking on you getting paid until the invoice gets through.

Get your invoices paid faster

How bridge financing helps with scaling

Small businesses that land a big sale

Larger customers have a lot more control on how they get paid

Use Quickbooks Online, makes financing very easy

EPISODE LINKS Steven Uster / FundThrough Links:

Website: https://www.fundthrough.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenuster/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Amy is the Founder of Mozzafiato, a large e-commerce health and beauty product store. She has over 1,000 products on her platform, and it only launched a year ago. Before this, she spent 20 years as a university executive and an attorney. Today Amy is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can join with other emerging consumer products to create bundles of products to sell online, thus giving your product much broader market access and bigger potential sales. Today you will hear us talk about:

Press launch for a new brand, and for social credibility.

Create a group of products that doesn’t compete with anything else.

How a new product can get into people’s hands that they never would have been able to on their own.

Can market your product in a different way when bundled.

Powerful partnerships with other great brands that compliment your product brand.

Margins can be good as perceived value is high.

Shipping savings.

Subscriptions when bundling.

EPISODE LINKS Amy Parsons / Mozzafiato Links:

Website: https://mozzafiato.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amybuildingmozzafiato/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IAmMozzafiato/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iammozzafiato/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChi6mU-l-gFdYkKJz5_gm7w

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Will Russell is the Founder of Russell Marketing, a New York marketing agency that specializes in launching new consumer product inventions. He is also a fellow writer with me for Forbes. Today Will is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers learn to identify the main consumer buyer objections when purchasing your product, then how to overcome those objections when you launch your product to the market for the first time. Today you will hear us talk about:

What are the types of buy objections when selling B2C

Omnichanel product launch strategies

Lots of the strategies today can be used in many sales strategies, including B2B

How to create launch systems

Cost, positioning, brand, technical, apathy

EPISODE LINKS Will Russell / Russell Marketing Links:

Website: https://russellmarketing.co/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willrussellmktg/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Jim Cermak is the Founder of Trade Show University, an organization that educates and consults small businesses on winning at trade shows. He has been both in the trade show industry for 30 years, but also in the consumer product development and marketing business for many years. He also is the host of the Trade Show University Podcast. Today Jim is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can first choose a great show to exhibit at, then how to do a great job at landing big sales at the show itself. Today you will hear us talk about:

So many big products had their first big hit at a trade show.

What is a trade show and how do they work?

Figure out which is the right show you should be at.

CES, National Hardware Show, etc.

The people who are there are really wanting to be there.

Trade Show Roadmap

EPISODE LINKS Jim Cermak / Trade Show University Links:

Website: https://tradeshowu.biz/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimcermak/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Dan Soviero is the Founder of Signature Athletics, a highly successful sports gear company selling products all over the world. Dan is also a Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient, and like me, started his business while back in school. Today Dan is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can use the power of truly understanding a customer’s pain point, and using that understanding to create and sell highly successful products. Today you will hear us talk about:

A popular concept vs a problem-solving concept.

Used the process of creating value to create more products

Tried whitelabelling to other brands, but couldn’t best solve the end-client’s pain points.

Used innovation from the end-client.

Use one sentence to solve a pain point for your end-customer.

You can come up with an invention idea by focusing on a problem and thinking hard about how to solve it.

EPISODE LINKS Dan Soviero / Signature Athletics Links:

Website: https://signaturelacrosse.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-soviero-signature-athletics-3945b0a8/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Yohan Jacob is the Founder and President of RetailBound, an agency that helps emerging hardware brands get into major retail stores and sales channels. RetailBound has been around for 14 years and has worked with over 4,000 product companies. Yohan himself has spent 30 years in the industry, including being a major buyer for Sears and Office Max. Today Yohan is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers get into the big retailers, including the 3 major tips on what retailers are looking for these days, and furthermore, how to succeed and scale once you are on the shelves with your invention. Today you will hear us talk about:

The difference between retail and marketplaces

Three traits retailers look for: Unique, capitalized, nice people.

Three metrics retailers look for:

Revenue, profitability, inventory turns
Past sales history
What are you going to do to build awareness

It’s not just about sell-in, but it is about sell-through.

EPISODE LINKS Yohan Jacob / Retail Bound Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yohanjacob/

Website: https://retailbound.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/retailbound

Twitter: https://twitter.com/retailbound

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Toccara Karizma is the Founder and President of Karizma Marketing which is Hawaii’s leading digital marketing agency. She has spent 14 years in the industry, building many 7 to 9 figure product brands through online marketing and sales. Today Toccara is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can use the internet to sell directly to end-customers. She talks about how an inventor can broadcast your messaging to the world, the types of purchase audiences, how to research other brands around your product, and using video and influencers to increase your invention sales. Today you will hear us talk about:

Never has it been easier to grow a brand online.

Ecommerce skyrocketed over COVID

Paid ads vs organic.

Sales psychology

The Cow method. Customer’s own words.

Research other brands and what they are doing, then use the reviews on those to start using the keywords both positive and negative.

Using micro-influencers to sell

Using video to sell

4 types of audiences for selling products direct to end-buyers

Facebook ad library, and getting access to it.

EPISODE LINKS Toccara Karizma / Karizma Marketing Links:

Website: https://karizmamarketing.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toccarakarizma/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Taylor Ryan is the founder of Klint Marketing, a mid-size marketing company that has worked with many consumer product companies. He is a six-time startup founder himself as well. Today Taylor is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers should use video to showcase their hardware invention, and some best practices when creating your first product showcase video.

Today you will hear us talk about:

What, why, and how for an invention explainer video.

The importance of a physical consumer product video.

Highlighting the founder, team, story, etc.

The first few seconds of your product video.

The value of using an invention video for getting to market.

EPISODE LINKS Taylor Ryan / Klint Marketing Links:

Website: https://klintmarketing.com/

Website: https://growthsecrets.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorryan/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Will Ford is the Co-Founder of LaunchBoom, the world’s largest crowdfunding agency. He also has built multiple successful companies prior to LaunchBoom. Today, Will is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can use smart testing before launching their product on Kickstarter or Indiegogo, and how to use that testing for both marketing feedback and product development feedback. He will also talk about the upcoming Crowdfunded Summit, a completely free online crowdfunding conference with over 20,000 attendees, a conference which I will also be speaking at on Oct. 5. Today you will hear us talk about:

Mitigating your crowdfunding risk by focusing on pre-launch testing

Using feedback from testing to make your product launch optimized

Using feedback from testing to improve your product prior to launch

The Free Crowdfunding Summit coming up Oct. 5, 2021

EPISODE LINKS Will Ford / LaunchBoom Links:

Crowdfunded Summit: https://crowdfundedsummit.com/

Website: https://www.launchboom.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-ford-6b48a94/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/launchboom/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Luke Levene got into augmented reality and virtual reality back in 2014. He was an early adopter to build both hardware and software to disrupt the real estate industry. Today, he is the Vice President at XR Applied Technologies, a leader in VR and AR integration. Today Luke is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can think about integrating AR and VR, and how they can educate and sell new technologies in emerging markets. Many of these lessons are relevant for any type of product that is new or disrupting an industry, as most hardware inventions aspire to do. Today you will hear us talk about:

Using virtual reality and augmented reality in consumer product development for invention ideas.

VR/AR improves collaboration, experimentation, and imagination

How to sell disruptive technologies and inventions in established old industries like Luke did with early VR/AR technology.

EPISODE LINKS Luke Levene / XR Applied Technologies Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-w-levene/

Website: https://xrapplied.com/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Joseph Fung is the Founder of Uvaro, one of the leading training platforms in the world on training how to be a great salesperson for your product. He has spent 20 years as a leader in the field, selling everything from small ticket price items to multi-million dollar single transactions. Today Joseph is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can use simple processes to ensure highly effective sales pitches, which applies not just to selling your product, but in pitching every part of your product business to all of your different stakeholders. He will then dive into best practices on hiring your first great salesperson to expand your sales capabilities. EPISODE LINKS Joseph Fung / Uvaro Links:

Website: https://uvaro.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephfung/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josephfung/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/josephfung

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Jacob Rothman is the CEO of Platform88, a manufacturer that helps startups with their first production runs in Asia. Platform88 is a division of Jacob’s 8 manufacturing conglomerate called Velong Industries, which has 1,500 employees. Today Jacob is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers should factor in manufacturing and product sustainability, how to do sustainability well, and what types of sustainable options are out there for your physical product.

Today you will hear us talk about:

Built an 8 factory manufacturing conglomerate in China, now with 1,500 employees.

Look at the world as a planet, not as individual countries.

Big companies are being a part of this, not just for sales, but for improving the world. Target, Metro in Germany, Walmart, Woolies. Buyers at these places care, they are getting younger and more actively involved in sustainability, so are the end-buyers.

Sustainable Materials: Algea/organic materials, ocean plastics, recycled stainless steel, recycled trash.

Make the manufacturing environment sustainable (power, waste management, education).

EPISODE LINKS Jacob Rothman / Platform88 Links:

Website: https://platform88.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/platform88_shanghai/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shanghaiplatform/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Paul Rowan is the Co-Founder of Umbra, a household product company that designs, manufactures, and sells hundreds of consumer products all over the world. You likely have at least one of their products in your home right now. Paul ran Umbra for 37 years, starting the entire company with just one product. Today Paul is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can use both strategic purpose and higher purpose to create a great first product and your first product business. From there, how do you leverage those principles to scale into a global product brand as he did with Umbra. Today you will hear us talk about:

Purpose, and how to find it in your business

Professionalism - Start early and make it quality.

Started with one idea, so put everyone in the market.

Get connected to your first customers.

The first product doesn’t need to be perfect, it needs to be professional and of reasonable quality.

Come up with something of a necessity for yourself. It is far easier to come up with an idea that solves a pain point that you have.

Those customers will want more products from you, especially if you do the first one well.

Once you get rolling, do more and more products so that you don’t worry about the few products that fail when you have many that succeed.

As you are scaling, you can work with your vendors, employees, customers to perfect exactly what that purpose and vision for the company is.

Every person along the line is a stakeholder and involved in your product.

Look at new technology. That can be a huge advantage to your product

EPISODE LINKS Paul Rowan / Umbra Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-rowan-976927b/

TedX Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feoQvELLWRY

Umbra: https://www.umbra.com/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Michael Solomon has been teaching marketing for 40 years. He currently is a marketing professor at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. He has written almost 30 books including many marketing textbooks. His most recent book is called The New Chameleons, and is all about modern marketing lessons. Today Michael is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can learn the fundamentals of modern-day marketing, and learn how to apply these marketing tactics to your new invention products.

EPISODE LINKS Michael Solomon Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsolomon/

Book: https://www.amazon.com/New-Chameleons-Connect-Consumers-Categorization/dp/1398600040/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+New+Chameleons&qid=1627326873&sr=8-1

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

The New Chameleons: How to Connect with Consumers Who Defy Categorization

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Ben Drury is the Founder of Yoto Play, a connected hardware toy product for kids. Yoto just recently raised $17 million in Series A financing. Before that, Yoto launched their physical product via a successful crowdfunding campaign. Today Ben is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers grow and scale their products after they finish their crowdfunding campaign in order to get to big time worldwide sales. Today you will hear us talk about:

Going from 750 units to 50,000 units.

Launching via crowdfunding.

Start with a starter product as a stepping stone scaling.

Using crowdfunding success to scale after a campaign.

Use crowdfunding to learn, it’s far better than traditional test marketing.

Think about leveraging your hardware to sell secondary add-ons.

Be connected with your first customers, get a few units out there, then use this traction to raise funding.

Using the crowdfunding success and feedback to create a better product for your next version, and figure out how to make it cheaper now that you can produce at scale.

Give a big discount to your Version 1 customers to get them to Version 2.

EPISODE LINKS Ben Drury / Yoto Play Links:

Website: www.yotoplay.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bedrury/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yotoplay_us/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/yotoplay

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yotoplayUS

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Brett Fox has a long history of raising millions of dollars for both his own startup and for many other founders. Brett also sat as an entrepreneur in residence for a major Silicon Valley Venture Capital firm. Today Brett is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can raise seed funding and venture capital funding - How to eventually raise millions of dollars to grow and scale your product after you have first got to market.

EPISODE LINKS Brett Fox Links:

Website: https://www.brettjfox.com/mako/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/foxbrett/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Steve Grundahl founded Midwest Prototyping back in 2001. Today they are one of the biggest private facilities in the United States for additive manufacturing of new physical products. Steve is also hosting the Wisconsin version of Make48 at their shop. Today Steve is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can use 3D printing and additive manufacturing to actually produce your first production runs, and the advantages of manufacturing this way.

EPISODE LINKS Steve Grundahl / Midwest Prototyping Links:

Website: https://midwestproto.com/

LinkedIn for Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-grundahl-91aa234/

LinkedIn for MidWest Proto: https://www.linkedin.com/company/midwest-prototyping/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/midwestproto/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midwestproto/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/midwestproto

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr3iFkFFyuEryAS8XTcQacg

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Rob Irwin just wrapped up almost 3 years working as the lead industrial designer at Amazon creating the Amazon Shopping Cart. Before that, he worked for many years as a freelancer, with agencies, and at large corporations doing industrial design and leading physical product design teams. Today Rob is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can ensure that your product development goes smoothly and creates the best version of your product by knowing how industrial design and product engineering can best work together.

EPISODE LINKS Robert Irwin Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertirwinid/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

About: 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, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

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Rhett Silverstein is the Founder of Hegemon, an agency that represents consumer product manufacturers in partnering with big brands, celebrities, and athletes. Before founding Hegemon, he was a brand licensing agent at Beanstock, and before that a New York lawyer. Today, Rhett is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can license big brands and celebrities for your products. Today we talk about:

What is inbound licensing

Why would a product startup want to consider it

What should a product company have ready before reaching out

How do you work with an agency to get in front of these people

How are these deals generally structured

EPISODE LINKS Rhett Silverstein / Hegemon Links:

Website: https://hegemonagency.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhettsilverstein/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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Blair Severn worked for 4 years as the national manager for Sony Stores. He managed not just marketing, but also how to best drive product sales in those stores. Before that he worked for years doing a similar thing at Consumer Gas Appliance stores. He really knows in-store product sales. Today Blair is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can think about how to best design and promote your product to be able to beat the competition and sell more units after successfully getting a deal into a retail store chain, and a lot of this is applicable to online sales too.

EPISODE LINKS Blair Severn / Enabling Ideas Links:

Website: https://enablingideas.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairsevern/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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Jan Cavelle was the Founder and CEO for 20 years of Jan Cavelle Furniture Company which designed, manufactured, and sold their own furniture to wholesalers all over the world. She is also the author of Scale for Success, a book that helps startups go from their first sales to becoming a multi-million dollar empire. Today Jan is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can make their first sales by just picking up the phones. She will then go into some tips on how to scale your business, and how to learn from some of the best sales techniques in a very old industry.

EPISODE LINKS Jan Cavelle / Jan Cavelle Furniture Company Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jancavelle/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jancavelle

Website: https://jancavelle.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JanCavelleWriter

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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Tom Patterson is the Founder of multiple companies in the hardware space. 1. He owns a number of e-commerce brands and even owns his own manufacturing facility for one of his clothing lines. 2. He also owns an e-commerce agency that helps products scale from zero all the way up to 9-figure online sales. Today Tom is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers should consider selling directly to customers to start building their product line, and how to do it well. EPISODE LINKS Tom Patterson / Wknd Digital Links:

Website 1: www.wknddigital.com

Website 2: www.wkndagency.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tommypatterson/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-patterson-61a808199/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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West Stringfellow rose the ranks in the early days of Amazon emerging as Head of Product. He has also been an executive in innovation at Target, Paypal, Visa, & Rosetta Stone. He even ran a Techstars incubator for a couple years. Now West runs HowDo, a completely free education platform to help anyone become a successful entrepreneur. Today West is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers should focus on understanding the customer to gain strong insight into early product development and marketing planning. He will explain how some of the best customer-facing companies in the world do this, and how you can learn from that to do this for your next hardware product. EPISODE LINKS West Stringfellow / HowDo Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weststringfellow/

Website: https://howdo.com/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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Bill Carlin runs a massive hardware product warehouse, fulfillment, distribution, and logistics company called ShipMate Fulfillment. They do everything from receiving your shipment from the manufacturer, to sorting and packing, then getting individual units to your customers, handling all returns, and everything in between. Simply put, Bill is a great knowledge resource for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers to understand, plan for, and best execute on their fulfillment logistics.

EPISODE LINKS William Carlin / ShipMate Fulfillment Links:

Website: https://shipmatefulfillment.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-carlin-2100b5189/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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Victoria Wieck started from nothing and grew her jewelry business to over $500 Million in sales. She has over 30 years of experience in retail sales, and 20 years in selling on TV. She was a weekly host on the HSN and QVC for many years, and now a monthly host on the ShopHQ TV show. She is also host of the Million Dollar Hobbies podcast. Today, Victoria is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can turn their hobbies or invention ideas into multi-million dollar international businesses - Best practices for coming up with your innovations, getting them to market, scaling them into becoming a brand, then conquering the market.

EPISODE LINKS Victoria Wieck Links:

Website: https://victoriawieck.com/

Podcast: https://victoriawieck.com/podcast/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriawieck/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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Rob Crowder is the Head of Product at Nutromics, a high-growth medical sensor device company. Rob has over 20 years in the product development field. He has worked for General Electric, PWC, and more. Today Rob is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can learn from the best practices on user journey mapping for medical devices - How to apply these MedTech best practices to your next product, whether it’s a medical device or any other physical product invention.

EPISODE LINKS Rob Crowder / Nutromics Links:

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robcrowder/

Company Website: https://www.nutromics.com.au/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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Mark Pecota is the author of Crowdfunded, the leading book on crowdfunding. He is also the Co-Founder of LaunchBoom, one of the first and leading crowdfunding agencies, an agency which has raised hundreds of millions for hardware startup clients. He also founded and runs LaunchBoom Academy, an educational platform for going from start to finish of a campaign, and runs the Crowdfunded Summit. Today Mark is going to share some valuable knowledge about what Crowdfunding is, how to best prepare and test for a campaign, how campaign marketing works, how to scale your funding round, and best practices in campaign messaging. EPISODE LINKS Mark Pecota / LaunchBoom Links:

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markpecota/

Company Website: https://www.launchboom.com/

Crowdfunded Summit: https://crowdfundedsummit.com/

LaunchBoom Academy: https://www.launchboom.com/academy/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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Chrystal Clifton is the Founder of Chrystalize, a company that helps luxury consumer product brands grow and monetize their marketing and brand authority. She also led the charge on growing a wine brand from nothing to the number eight wine in the world, which is just one accomplishment among 20 years in the premium and luxury product industries. Today Chrystal is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers should think about their new product as a premium product, even if it is not in a typical luxury industry. She explains why this is so important to a new and growing brand, then explains best practices on how to pull it off the right way to ensure your product leads your industry in both reputation and success.

EPISODE LINKS Chrystal Clifton / Chrystalize Links:

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrystalclifton/

Company Website: https://www.chrystalclifton.com/

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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Jamie Libregts is the Director of Product Marketing for Reliable Corporation, a 65 year old manufacturing company that produces high quality consumer and commercial garment care products all over the world. Today Jamie is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can best compete - both with a new product, and when updating an existing one - Simply put, how do think about the market and scaling your product, right from the product development phase, all the way through to multiple manufacturing runs. Finally, how do you continue to innovate to always be leading the industry.

EPISODE LINKS Jamie Libregts / Reliable Corp Links:

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-libregts/

Company Website: https://reliablecorporation.com/

Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reliable-corporation/

Company Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reliable/

Company Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReliableCorporation1955

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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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Joe is both a CPA and a lawyer from the manufacturing sector. He has worked with many emerging and established manufacturing operations, including a major turnaround of Jefferson Electric, which went on to go public. Since then, Joe has spent the past 10 years research how to financially scale hardware companies and is now working to launch Dream Exchange, a way for small companies to go public. Today Joe is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers think ahead to how they will finance and scale their product, but also what an acquisition or go-to-public exit looks like, and why it’s always good to think about that soon in the product startup journey.

EPISODE LINKS 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/MakoInvent

Joe Cecala / Dream Exchange Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joececala/

Company Website: https://dreamex.com/

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

Kevin Mako’s 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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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James is the author of the book Ramping Your Brand, which helps high-growth consumer product companies accelerate their growth. He also has his Ph.D. in Anthropology aka Human Behaviour from the University of Wisconsin, and was a Harvard Grad before that. Today James is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can use best practices in marketing to rapidly scale their product business - Specifically, we are going through the four Ps of marketing for hardware startups.

EPISODE LINKS 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/MakoInvent

James Richardson:

Book: https://www.rampingyourbrand.com/

Company Website: https://www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/premiumgrowthsolutions/

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

Kevin Mako’s 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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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Brett is the President of Goodlawyer, a law firm tailored specifically to startups. Today Brett is going to share some valuable knowledge on business law considerations for when starting and scaling a hardware startup. There’s two main fields of law for a hardware startup, one, is the intellectual property protection, aka patent law, and the second is business legal issues, things such as partner agreements, Non-disclosures, financing agreements - Today, we’re talking about the latter, legal considerations of your product business itself. What legal considerations should you be making, but almost more importantly, what legal things should you not be spending big bucks on. EPISODE LINKS 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/MakoInvent

Brett Colvin / Goodlawyer Links:

Website: https://www.goodlawyer.ca/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettrcolvin/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodlawyerinc/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodlawyer.ca

Twitter: https://twitter.com/goodlawyerInc/

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

Kevin Mako’s 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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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Peter-Paul 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 raise funding to scale their product businesses, especially in modern times as there are a lot more funding opportunities than ever before. Today you will hear us talk about:

Alternative forms of capital for consumer product startups

What has happened in hardware startup funding over the last 5 years

What technology you can leverage to raise capital

How to best finance an invention idea through modern fundraising options

EPISODE LINKS 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/MakoInvent

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

TedX: https://www.ted.com/talks/peter_paul_van_hoeken_investment_crowdfunding_invest_in_business_you_believe_in

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

Kevin Mako’s 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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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Deirdre is the President of Growth Boss, an e-commerce strategy agency. Her team helps product startups scale to 6 and 7 figure online product businesses. Today Deirdre is going to describe which online digital sales platforms are the best for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers that are looking to sell their product directly to end-customers, along with some best practices on those sales platforms. Today you will hear us talk about:

What are the platforms

What are one of the biggest misconceptions new business owners have when marketing their product directly to consumers?

What is human connection and tribe building? What does that even mean?

How a hardware product gets sold on e-commerce platforms.

Episode Links 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/MakoInvent

Deirdre Tshien / Growth Boss Links:

Company Website: https://thegrowthboss.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deirdretshien/

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

Kevin Mako’s 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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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Jefferey is the Founder and President of The Open People Network, an organization that invests in early stage companies, including many hardware startups. OPN simultaneously runs pitch nights, entrepreneurship communities, and expert panels for startup funding education. Jeffery also has been an Angel Investor for many years. Today he is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can fund the growth of their product business - From invention development all the way to raising millions of dollars of growth capital, and all the funding stages in between. Today you will hear us talk about:

Pre-Seed and Seed Financing for hardware startups

Best practices for considering outside or professional funding

Professional Angel Funding for Consumer Product Startups

Venture Funding, Series A, Series B, and Series C Funding

Episode Links 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/MakoInvent

Jeffery Potvin / Open People Network Links:

Company Website: https://opn.ninja/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jefferypotvin/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Opeoplenetwork/

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

Kevin Mako’s 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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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Mike ran a design firm in Hong Kong back in the 90s, then was A Senior Design Lead at Sunbeam, then a manager at Hewlett Packard, and then spent 10 years with Dell running their entire business desktops design division. He has made over 50 trips to China for manufacturing sourcing, and has consulted dozens of hardware startups on overseas production. He is also a mentor at Techstars and Capital Factory. Today, Mike is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can best plan for and best execute on their first overseas manufacturing run. Today you will hear us talk about:

Great manufacturing starts with great design.

Don’t try and do it all as a hardware startup.

Have a boots-on-the-ground relationship with your factory overseas.

You may be able to work with good factories when you have strong connections.

What to think about in regards to financing your product development and manufacturing.

Episode Links 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/MakoInvent

Mike Morton Links:

Company Website: https://www.mortoncg.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-morton-design/

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

Kevin Mako’s 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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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Michael spent 22 years with Apple from 1988 to 2010. He is the author of Live from Cupertino, a book about how Apple created their winning messaging. Michael also was the Managing Director of LittleBits, a great hardware startup success story. He is now the Executive Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Indian River State College. Today Michael is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can learn from the best practices of Apple - Lessons you can apply to your product business, from one of the biggest product companies of all time. Today you will hear us talk about:

How Apple used strong product focus, even to sell to literally everyone.

How to create messaging around your product like Apple did

What the future for the startup hardware industry looks like over the next 20 years.

Episode Links 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/MakoInvent

Michael Hageloh Links:

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Live-Cupertino-Performance-Worlds-Machine/dp/1642931705

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhageloh/

Website: https://hageloh.com/

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

Kevin Mako’s 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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

Live from Cupertino: How Apple Used Words, Music, and Performance to Build the World's Best Sales Machine

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Eric is the President of The Five Echelon Group, a full-stack marketing agency. He is also the host of the Virtual CMO Podcast which educates businesses on how to maximize their marketing and messaging efforts. With 30 years as a marketing executive, Eric today is going to tell us how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers should market their new product, and how to cut out all potential resistance points along your potential customer’s buying process. You’ll hear Kevin and Eric talk about:

How to market your new product in the modern world.

How to perfect your product's marketing message.

Best practices for smoothing out the buying process for product purchasers.

And more.

Episode Links 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/MakoInvent

Eric Dickmann / Virtual CMO Podcast / Five Echelon Links:

Company: https://fiveechelon.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edickmann/

Podcast: https://fiveechelon.com/the-virtual-cmo-podcast/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FiveEchelon

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virtualcmopodcast/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi1Sd6Wf5JEtLJN0kaEVA1Q

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FiveEchelon/

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

Kevin Mako’s 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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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Alison is the inventor and founder of Clasp Magic, a consumer product to help users with putting on bracelets one-handed. Alison came up with the invention idea, got it developed, and then hit the ground running by using 5 different product sales channels and strategies to really make sure her product succeeded. We explore what those channels were, and how to win in them. Clasp Magic is now sold all over the world. Today’s episode is about how to succeed in launching your new product, from the perspective of a home inventor, loving wife, and mother of 4. You’ll hear Kevin and Alison talk about:

Being your brand - Take your product everywhere.

The 5 sales channels Alison used to ensure her product invention launch was a big success.

Best practices for successfully executing in each of those 5 sales channels.

Crowdfunding through platforms such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

Episode Links 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/MakoInvent

Alison Brett / Clasp Magic Links:

Company: https://www.claspmagic.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/claspmagic

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clasp_magic/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi1Sd6Wf5JEtLJN0kaEVA1Q

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-brett-5699bb5b/

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

Kevin Mako’s 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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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Tom shares valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can license their inventions and products to get into the market - How licensing is actually done properly and professionally to get into the distributors, retailers, or big product brands with your product. You’ll hear Kevin and Tom talk about:

How far do you need to develop your product in order to start talking to potential licensing partners and brands?

Protecting your intellectual property, and when to do it in the licensing cycle.

Which partners, manufacturers, and brands to first reach out to with a new product.

The best product tradeshows to showcase your product.

Tom 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. Tom also is the President of Handy Camel, a company that distributes client products all over the world. Simply put, he is one of the big names in the North American product startup space.

Episode Links 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/MakoInvent

Tom Gray’s 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

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

Kevin Mako’s 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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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Today Sajag Agarwal talks about how he went from $0 to $2 Million in eCommerce sales for his products, then back down to $0, all because of failed quality control in manufacturing. Now, Sajag runs a quality control company that ensures overseas production runs smoothly from raw materials all the way through to final product loaded onto a container. Sajag joins Kevin Mako to share valuable insights about how inventors, product startups, small manufacturers, and product developers can ensure their products are manufactured overseas without defects. You’ll hear them talk about:

The different stages in a production run where quality control is required.

How costly failed product quality can be.

Tips for ensuring your quality control personnel will do a good job.

How to ensure quality control matches your interests as the buyer.

Episode Links 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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

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/

Sajag Agarwal Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sajagagarwal/

Company: https://movley.com/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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Today’s guest on the Product Startup Podcast is Mark Shanahan, a top expert in consumer product distribution and retailers. Previously, Mark had a successful 25 year career at Staples, where he started as a junior product buyer, moved up to running entire product categories, eventually becoming a Vice President. Mark joins Kevin Mako to share valuable insights about how inventors, product startups, and manufacturers can get in the door with buyers at major retail stores, and how they can sell their product once they’ve crossed that threshold. You’ll hear them talk about:

What entrepreneurs can do with their physical products to get the best chance of success with major retailers. Mark shares tips and tricks from an insider’s view as a long-time Staples buyer.

Questions that buyers often ask entrepreneurs. They will want to know your target market, what your value proposition is, and why you’re legitimate.

The components of a well-done pitch. Always remember to be concise, clear, and transparent.

The importance of being honest with a potential retailer. The buyer needs to know that you are reliable and can be trusted.

Things to consider when meeting buyers: maintain eye contact, don’t get too personal, take notes, and be as brief as possible.

Resources Mark Shanahan on LinkedIn | Twitter Kevin Mako on LinkedIn | Twitter MakoDesign.com

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Kevin sits down with Jonathan Schloo, the Founder and Inventor of the Car Generator. An ingenious device, Schloo created the first ever car generator when in need of hydro while camping with his family. Soon after, he recognized that there was an opportunity to build a successful business by helping people power their homes during stormy nights with the cars parked right in their driveway. Throughout the episode, the two discuss how Schloo took his initial invention to a product selling on Amazon and in big box retailers, and all the lessons he learned along the way. First time product founders - this one’s for you.

EPISODE LINKS 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/MakoInvent

Jonathan Schloo / Car Generator Links:

Company Website: https://www.cargenerator.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schloo/

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

Kevin Mako’s 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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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In this episode, we’re changing things up a bit. Filip introduces you to your new host and sponsor of the show, Kevin Mako, Founder and President of Mako Design + Invent. The two discuss Kevin’s journey into the startup world and his vision for the future of the Product Startup podcast. They also mention the biggest mistakes, opportunities, and feedback that early-stage product founders can make when building their businesses.

EPISODE LINKS 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/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

Website: https://www.makodesign.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

Kevin Mako’s 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/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

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This episode is based on the following article: 6 Methods To Generate New Product Ideas and And Kick-Start Your Creativity Many people assume that they aren’t good at coming up with new or creative ideas. They say,

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We also get into telling a story with your product to increase engagement with consumers.

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Today we will focus on manufacturing and quality assurance - answering some of the most popular questions that we get asked. Also, how to know when to call it quits, and how much money or time to invest...

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Competing with companies much larger than her small business and why success isn't straight line.

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Testing their product with their target market and finding the right suppliers and co-packers for their product.

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We talk about going from prototype to manufacturing and validating the market and also cover Tim's tips for launching on Kickstarter.

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The application process for startup companies to get funded and what investors look for in companies.

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What direct response television (DRTV) marketers look for in consumer inventions and how an at-home inventor can get a product to market without breaking the bank.

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We talk about the top reasons why owners typically want to sell their business. Also - accounting issues that business owners may be blindsided by during a sale: reoccuring expenses and perishable inventory calculations

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We get into solving that unmet need, validating their idea and creating the initial prototype. We talk about creating a refined prototype, sourcing manufacturers in the US and abroad and placing their first order.

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Johannes Roselius is a development engineer with 10 years of experience in Product development. He has worked in design engineering, manufacturing, and product management and loves to find simplicity in the most complicated problems.

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Why Exodus Wear does not use an online customization tool - and instead prefers to have students hand-draw their jackets designs. Why Elyse isn't worried about competing on price. Not starting a culture of discounting.

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General findings of the mfg.com survey and the do's and don'ts of submitting designs for quote to manufacturers.

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We talk about creating the early prototypes and import constraints and regulatory approvals. What Stacy wishes she knew before she started.

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The acoustic and manufacturing properties of different woods. Other design factors that Jay h.ad to consider. Testing the speaker components and selecting the right manufacturer

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The most common deduction people miss on their US tax return. How you can hire your children over 7 years old, and aging parents to work for your business and deduct their wages.

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The process that Tim followed to build the initial prototype and how Tim found the manufacturer for his equipment. We also talk about Tim's deep understanding of the industry and the huge advantage of working as a contractor using the equipment for oth...

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How Farah comes up with new designs for her products and starts a new collection and validating creative ideas that are subject to interpretation (beauty is in the eye of the beholder).

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Where Ruth got the inspiration for her first product and how she kicked off her production run of 100 units to test the market. Why she was comfortable creating a product in "someone elses' sandbox."

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Why Green&Blue doesn't use a "one stop shop" approach to manufacturing. Keys to maintaining good relationships with retailers through product quality, customer service, product news, soliciting feedback.

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Finding your target audience using social media and asking them questions and what to do if your message isn't resonating with the audience. Using what your target market says about your product to create call to actions and one-liners.

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What are your core motivations for starting a business? This needs to be something that you don’t have to remind yourself of every day – it should be a part of you.

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Raising money for building a prototype vs raising money for the full production run. An early crowdfunding failure - getting the positioning wrong, and how Khierstyn corrected this to have a $600k funding success.

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Jill Bong is an entrepreneur, homesteader, and inventor of Chicken Armor - a different chicken saddle. She is also the author of over a dozen books on homesteading and self-reliant living. In this episode, we learn about

Why Jill and her husband created their product despite established competition in the space
Differentiating the product from competitors
The design drivers - few components, washable, easy to manufacture, and low cost
The process of working with material suppliers
Keeping startup costs low - "We almost had no choice, we had to work with a shoestring budget, or almost no budget in this case"
Why it's rare to come up with your final product on your first try and the iterative part of product design process
Taking a year (multiple seasons) to test the product
Jill's experience getting laughed out of a gardening forum - and landing her first user who was also a business owner with a similar experience
Selling Chicken Armor on eBay to validate the market
Handling customer objections and their perception of quality through money back guarantees and up-front education
Why Jill and her husband abandoned pursuit of a patent
Why they haven't scaled up to large scale manufacturing and distribution or branched out into other designs and target markets
When sales actually picked up and Jill's solution to marketing and outreach (especially for unique products)
The product sales as a result of mentions in large broad publications versus small targeted outlets
Their most successful marketing tactic - pitching to the editors of publications and appealing to their audience worked better than influential bloggers and magazine ads
Some of the other passive income streams that Jill has started
How to know when you should continue validating your market, and when to quit

Links and resources mentioned in this episode

Website
chickenarmor.com
byjillb.com
Social Media
Twitter: @chickenarmor
Facebook: facebook.com/chickenarmor
Instagram:
Pinterest: pinterest.com/chickenarmor
Google Plus: +Chickenarmorsaddles

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The business case behind starting the company with an existing product instead of a new design. We also get into the process of purchasing a one-way valve from a medical company in the USA and incorporating it into new drinkware.

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We explore how Josh started the business with infinite possibilities (near infinite scents) and broke down other brand's successes. His early challenge: educating customers on unisex scents

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Having a focused impact on smaller problems - you don't need to find a cure for cancer or end world hunger. Changing a cultural behavior to address to root of a problem. Common characteristics of social entrepreneurs - courage, persistence,

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How Lisa tested her products against competitors and stayed objective to improve her product's performance. We also cover Lisa's approach to protecting her ideas, patenting and trademarking what she can and publicly disclosing ingredients to put her cu...

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How Brandon focused on the crowdfunding aspect after his own product launch to help others grow their business. We cover the three main mistakes most people make on crowdfunding campaigns and what makes a really good video that captivates your audience.

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Why creating a multi-height shoe was a design and engineering problem (it took 2-1/2 years of research and development to solve) and how Tonya used feedback and testing to improve on the designs, early in the development process.

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Why Robson turned down a large licensing deal after 1-1/2 years of negotiations to manufacture, market and sell the product himself and how the company chose its product line by identifying markets that were doing well in the 2008 downturn.

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Terry got into social entrepreneurship by volunteering at an animal rescue. We learn how he started through Instagram account and Kickstarter. We also get into finding manufacturers and getting better pricing on smaller orders.

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How Tamar tested the market and developed a personalized product to help everyone feel better. We also talk about how Tamar creates a genuine, personable experience for customers.

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Creating an ecommerce strategy for your product-based small business, including making the most of social media, emails, and customer feedback.

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How Megan developed the prototypes for WINK based on publically-available research and started her small business for under $2000. Megan talks about testing the proof of concept with a small group of users and finding a contract manufacturer and fulfil...

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Why Matt and his wife decided to buy Joan's Caramels and how they are working with local wineries to infuse caramels with their wine. We also get into increasing sales for both businesses by creating a unique product and selling to companies direct vi...

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How Susana and Caroline saw a niche in the market and formed a partnership - as cosmetologist and client. How they developed and tested products for almost a year, and created multiple products for the main concerns - and narrowed down a list of produc...

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Why Jennifer and her partner thought they could improve on the design and sell it for more than the existing models. User-centered design and how they worked with over 300 users to refine the product - including going to grocery stores with them and in...

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Damien is ex-Australian Special Forces, a former City headhunter, a single dad of two and stage 4 cancer survivor. Learn how he landed a contract with the world's largest catering company, Compass Group, to get into universities in the UK,

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How Luke and Chrissy got started without any experience in the food industry for under $2,000. We talk about selling wholesale to cafes and restaurants and how they tested recipes and found their target market and validated their ideas by talking to th...

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How The Party People partnered with 3M on new products (their best selling item). About issues in releasing a new product - false starts and customer "teething" and the emerging personalization / customization trend.

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We learn to focus on our secret sauce, "Take what you know, listen to customers, and spot trends....build a product that doesn't re-create the wheel"

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How Kelly got her "Lightbulb Moment", launched, and sold her first product in five months with under $5,000 in funding and why Puppy Cake manufactures product in-house.

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Hear the different ways each founder validated their ideas and confirmed (as best they could!) that there was a market. Also hear their best tip for bringing a product to market.

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The importance of testing your idea, and how Tony did it on a minimal budget. Why you can't worry about people stealing your idea and Tony's battle to get on Shark Tank (and how the publicity from appearing on the show didn't live up to expectations).

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A solo episode on validating product ideas, the true value of an idea and creating prototypes on any budget.

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We also cover advertising - implied endorsements vs. fair-use, trade secrets, patents, trademarks, and copyrights.

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How Doug got the $80k in financing he needed to start his business before Shark Tank. We get into applying for Shark Tank, legal stipulations for appearing on the show, and preparation and coaching guests get before they appear in front of the Sharks.

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How Fabienne orchestrated a $100k+ Kickstarter campaign on her own (and why she doesn’t recommend it to everyone). The three pieces of advice from successful Kickstarter mentors that helped her be successful

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How Kelsey found a deeper problem that needed solving and created a product to solve it - "it's OK to be indecisive." The path a swimsuit takes from idea to prototype to market and how she was able to recruit collaborators and designers to work with he...

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How Mat got the idea, prototyped, and started selling miniature cinder blocks. How they 3D print, prototype and test ideas for under $500. Their strategy for quickly growing revenue and how they decide which products to develop.

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Brad Summey created Savage Jerky Co., an all-natural, craft jerky brand to fill the void for spicy jerky in the marketplace without any food industry experience.

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Heidi Pungartnik is a designer went entrepreneur. She writes and talks about the importance of graphic design in business. theproductstartup.com/episode3

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How David came up with his idea and tested it himself, the design tradeoffs he had to consider, and how testing helped him with those decisions. Why he chose to manufacture it abroad, for now. How he interviewed patent lawyers and picked the right one...

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Why is now the best time for DIY Product Development? In short - access to consumer data, access to rapid Prototyping equipment, simplified computer design tools, popularity of crowdfunding, simplified e-commerce growth of online brokers.

Product Startup: Recent Episodes

Kevin Mako of Mako Design + Invent