An idea is actually the best place to start! At this stage you can do everything right from the beginning. We get far too many inquiries from people who have already made errors they regret - bad design decisions, disappointing suppliers, ineffective marketing campaigns etc. The earlier in the process we work together the better. 

Yes! The main way we work with early-stage product entrepreneurs who have already launched is by conducting a Brand Audit. We will look at your supply chain, pricing, competition, website, branding, messaging, photography, and order experience, and then give you an overview of key takeaways, weak spots that need improvement, and specific to-do’s and next steps. We’ll also suggest vendors and resources to help you improve based on your budget.

Please contact support@learntomakeaproduct.com to discuss options for existing businesses.

Our platform is unique in several important ways:

1. Unlike other services that require you to have monthly calls or use blocks of time at once, our help is “on-demand”. You can check it any time via phone or messenger, and there’s no minimum time amount. So if we spend 4 minutes and 20 second answering a question over email, or 10 minutes and 45 seconds on the phone, that’s all that comes off your support time! We’ve designed it this way so that you can get high-level advice - whenever you need it -  in a cost and time efficient way. 
2. You are not limited to a certain manufacturing region! We’ll help you evaluate domestic versus overseas production and then guide you through the one that is right for you. You are not restricted to certain country, and you’ll be better informed knowing all of the pros and cons of various scenarios. 
3. Work with someone fully invested in your success. Our working relationship is not just about sharing technical advice; I understand the unique experience of running a company and all of the highs and lows that come with it. I’m here to coach you through each challenge you may face as a maker and help you come out on the other side feeling stronger and supported. (You can read more about my background here.)
4. It’s affordable. Affordability is a relative term and of course not everyone can afford our packages, but we've designed them to be within reach for many new makers. You don't need to pay a consultant thousands of dollars or invest in an expensive program; because of the structure of our service, we can deliver value at a reasonable price. 
5. We help with more than just manufacturing! Production is where most people start, but it's just part of the puzzle! You need help with branding, business set up and launch strategies. We'll cover it all.

Yes, you’ll be working one-on-one with Liz as you launch your project!

Depending on the package you choose, you'll get 90 minutes or 5 hrs of personal support each month. You can access support via phone or email. There is no minimum time requirement for each call or message. If you only need 5 minutes of time to get some important info, that is all that is deducted from your package.

This system is specifically designed to give you high-level, ongoing support, whenever you need it. We want to move your project forward and complete actual tasks like finding trustworthy parters, negotiating prices, figuring out your packaging and so on. This is best accomplished by frequent contact rather than infrequent calls with a set time duration (which is how most consulting is done).  We are here to help you get stuff done!

Yes! We have spent years finding and building relationships high-quality, reasonably priced vendors who are great for new and early-stage produce entrepreneurs.  We are happy to introduce you to these people to help you succeed.

Yes, we can discuss funding options, however remember that there is no magic wand! We’ll discuss friends and family funding, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer lending and other strategies, as well as the ‘slow and steady’ approach where you self-fund over longer periods of time.

Most clients work with us for 6-12 months, however that is not a requirement. Some people come in for just a month or two to get high-level advice or introductions that move their project forward. There are other people who have been with us for 2-3 years as they grow their business because they find the insight and guidance valuable. However you choose to use the service is up to you.

We recommend that, if you are serious about launching a product, you consider at least one month of the 1 hour package. There are important, basic things you should know when it comes to protecting your time and money, and we can almost guarantee you will save this money in the long run by getting some initial guidance.

We are sourcing experts and have a wide network so it is very likely you will find a factory with our help. That said, we do not guarantee that you will meet partners, as each project is unique and sometimes certain design or budgetary requirements make it difficult to source a particular item. In this scenario, we will likely make suggestions about how to adjust your product or pricing goals to be more production-friendly.

Yes, this is absolutely something we’ll cover. We’ll discuss pricing, shipping considerations and other factors that will help you make a decision about if you should produce domestically or abroad. Sometimes we may suggest a hybrid strategy, where you use both domestic and overseas suppliers, and other times it may make sense to take a phased approach, where you start off manufacturing domestically with a plan to outsource in the future.

Probably, yes! Our framework is designed for a wide range of consumer products including apparel and sewn goods, home decor, toys, pet products, jewelry, furniture and more. We don’t service food, high-tech electronics, or heavy machinery.

We use software to track your time used down the second! If it takes just a few minutes to get you the info you need, that’s all that comes off your package. This is part of what makes our service unique - you get advice when you need it at a fraction of the cost of a full-time employee or consultant.

Our packages are designed to be flexible! You can upgrade, downgrade, pause or cancel your membership at any time. As long as you cancel before the date your plan renews, you will not be charged for the next cycle.

We do not typically sign NDA’s. We hear from lots of people and do not want to be liable for two ideas being the same! That said, if you have privacy concerns we encourage you to reach out directly to discuss at support@learntomakeaproduct.com. We are experienced at guiding projects, even when some details are kept under wraps.

We have worked with hundreds of makers like yourself and developed a proprietary framework for taking a product idea from concept to launch. We are experienced in a variety of product categories and with both domestic and overseas supply chains. Our process has been used or featured by MIT, Forbes, Babson, General Assembly, HOW Design University and other leading organizations.