Product Development

How to Develop Your Products

This project guide helps two Sky’s the Limit members work together through four meetings as they collaborate to make your products.

Meeting 1: Research ways to manufacture

Before this meeting:

• Make sure that you’ve had an intro meeting. If you need help navigating your first meeting, visit this Guide to Your First Meeting.

• If you don’t already have a prototype of your product idea, complete the Make My First sale project first. 

• Review: Product Development

In this meeting:

• Make a copy of the Product Development Starter Exercise and use it to think through how you want to manufacture and ship your products.

• Try starting with Alibaba, Printful, or Maker’s Row.

After this meeting:

• Research similar products and manufacturers.

• Note any agreed-upon next steps.

Meeting 2: Get quotes using your designs

Before this meeting:

• Review: Prototyping for Physical and Digital Products

1. Review your product designs. If you don’t have any, you can use Canva or Printful Mockups to start creating some.

In this meeting:

• Create or share your product designs 

• Review the top manufacturers you found in your last meeting. Many have online quote systems, but determine what steps you need to take to receive a quote. 

• Determine if your designs will work for getting quotes. Revise if needed.

After this meeting:

• Start sending your designs to manufacturers for quotes.

• Note any agreed-upon next steps.

Meeting 3: Test out a manufacturer

Before this meeting:

• Review the quotes you received. 

In this meeting:

• Choose 1 -3 manufacturers you’d like to test products from. 

• Many manufacturers will send you product samples. Check how to receive them samples from them. 

• Follow their directions carefully to ensure product quality, and order Samples.

After this meeting:

• Show the samples to your products to your friends to see what they think.

• Note any agreed-upon next steps.

Meeting 4: Choose and manage a manufacturer

Before this meeting:

• Review your product samples.

In this meeting:

• Compare and contrast quality and pricing for each sample and any feedback you’ve received. 

• Determine which manufacturer you would like to use. Consider the following: 

  • Product cost

  • Shipping cost

  • Product quality

After this meeting:

• Determine how many products you would like to have in your first order and place it.

• Be sure to mark your project complete, update your business tracker, and start a new project!