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Archives for April 2018

Apr 22 2018

15 Partners & Platforms To Grow Your Product-Based Business

If you are manufacturing and selling physical products, you’ll need various partners and platforms to run your business.

Here are some of the most popular tools used by e-commerce entrepreneurs in the Learn To Make A Product community:

  1. Shopify– Get a super-professional, functional website – easy to manage on the backend – and that connects with a bunch of helpful shipping and promo apps!
  2. Fiverr – Fiverr is great for accomplishing low-cost, project-based work, such as simple graphic design projects, product photography, or keyword research for SEO.
  3. Pickfu – Want consumer feedback in minutes? Pickfu makes it easy to get feedback about your product, logo, packaging and more.
  4. Storetasker – Need help building and managing your Shopify store? Find affordable taskers who can assist you.
  5. Packlane – The most beautiful custom shipping boxes! Wow your customers with a branded delivery experience plus get $25 off your first order
  6. Creative Market – Beautiful, easy to use templates for pitch decks, social media graphics, landing pages and more
  7. Design Contest – Let graphic designers compete for your business! Host a design contest for logos, branding guides, product artwork and more.
  8. Aliexpress– Search for things like hang tags, hardware and other components from international suppliers. Lots of private label products too.
  9. Shipstation – Want to make money while you sleep? Use a site like Shipstation to handle all your fulfillment. Just ship finished product to their warehouse and they’ll do the rest.
  10. Shipmonk – Shipmonk is another great way to fulfill customer orders. Just send them your inventory and they’ll ship to your customers so you don’t have to.
  11. Incfile – Planning on trademarking your logo or product name? Incfile handles Trademark applications at a reasonable price.
  12. RocketLawyer  – Customize important legal docs like Non-Disclosure Agreements, Provisional Patent Applications, and a host of incorporation materials. You can also use their ‘Ask A Lawyer’ program to get affordable legal guidance.
  13. Quickbooks Online – It’s VERY important to track your expenses, even when you’re just starting out. Plus, if you’re an LLC, you’ll need to submit a P&L and Balance Sheet to your accountant when it’s time to do taxes. Quickbooks automatically connects to your bank account as well as selling platforms like Shopify and Paypal.
  14. Convertkit – Manage email marketing like a pro. When someone checks out with a product on your website, you can assign them a certain tag, and then trigger a series of automated emails (i.e suggest more products, collect feedback etc) over days, weeks or months.
  15. Build a StoryBrand – Clarify your brand message so that people buy your product. Enough said!
Please note: none of these companies have asked us to promote their products. While some pay a commission since we send a lot of people their way, all of these resources are things we would 100% share regardless. We hope this list helps you grow your business!

Written by Liz Long · Categorized: Branding, Manufacturing, Product Design, Quality Control, Shipping, Sourcing · Tagged: Account, Graphic Design, Intellectual Property, Legal Etc, Suggested Vendors

Apr 04 2018

‘Alexa, Turn On My Jacket’

This article originally appeared on our Forbes blog

Boston-based startup Ministry of Supply is obsessed with merging technology and style. Their signature performance-professional apparel line uses highly-engineered fabrics to deliver comfort, breathability, and the promise of never having to iron your work clothes again. Now, they’ve taken their scientific approach to design a step further with their newest release the Mercury Intelligent Heated Jacket.

Touted as the world’s first truly “smart” coat, the Mercury pre-heats with an Alexa-directed voice command. Or, if you don’t have an Echo, or happen to be too far from one, you can switch on the coat via an app or an interior power button. While saying “Alexa, turn on my jacket” is certainly novel, it’s not the only thing that makes the jacket stand out from other heated options on the market.

A microcontroller system begins learning the wearer’s preferences and behaviors as soon as the jacket is worn, gauging both outer and inner temperatures and monitoring speed and motion. (You can also turn the heat up or down via the app.) Over time, the built-in thermostat becomes adept at optimizing your body temperature for whatever conditions are present, such as jogging or walking indoors after being out in the cold. A replaceable battery delivers the necessary power for these tasks, and the jacket conveniently charges via a standard USB cord for up to a week’s worth of use.

Despite somewhat complex features, the Mercury looks much like a regular coat. It is not visibly bulky and the interior heaters are described by the company as “weightless” and “thinner than a dime.” The entire garment is machine washable.

According to their recent Kickstarter campaign, the public seems excited about Ministry’s concept. The jacket was launched on the platform last month and quickly raised nearly $650,000. Co-founders Kit Harrington, Gihan Amarasiriwarden, and Aman Advani believe the swift support is due to the company’s stated focus on market pull – answering a real market problem or opportunity versus technology push – which is simply invention for the sake of invention. “We saw a clear demand for a sleek, warm, and everything-proof jacket, that gets better with time by using technology. Kickstarter is great because it sniffs out market pull systematically and effectively.”

The next test for The Mercury will come in November of this year, when buyers will receive the first shipment of coats. Even when they work well, first generation products are often quick to evolve. Ministry will likely be monitoring feedback closely and updating future iterations of the product based on usage patterns and customer requests.

The wearable space is indeed heating up, but there is still lots of open space and opportunity. Entrepreneurs wanting to replicate Ministry’s success would be wise to look to market segments that have been historically under-served, such as women’s wellness, maternal health, and tools for the specially-abled. Prioritizing women-led design may also give companies a competitive edge, as it brings a valuable set of perspectives to the table and can fight bias in the artificial intelligence that fuels the wearable marketplace.

One thing, however, is certain – garments and accessories that integrate the latest technology are piquing public interest, and we’re likely to see a lot more of them in years to come.

Written by admin · Categorized: Product Design · Tagged: Entreprenuership, Funding

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