The Entrepreneur Forum | Financial Freedom | Starting a Business | Motivation | Money | Success

Welcome to the only entrepreneur forum dedicated to building life-changing wealth.

Build a Fastlane business. Earn real financial freedom. Join free.

Join over 80,000 entrepreneurs who have rejected the paradigm of mediocrity and said "NO!" to underpaid jobs, ascetic frugality, and suffocating savings rituals— learn how to build a Fastlane business that pays both freedom and lifestyle affluence.

Free registration at the forum removes this block.

Finding Manufacturers

RNoles19

Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
156%
Nov 29, 2016
63
98
37
Hi guys.... Quick question. If you were trying to find a manufacturer for wood products (Say, wooden cornhole boards), where would be the best place to start? I've heard ThomasRegistry mentioned. Is there any website (or post that I'm missing) about the best practices for locating manufacturers?

Any help to point me in the right direction would be much appreciated. Thanks.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

JAJT

Legendary Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
549%
Aug 7, 2012
2,970
16,306
Ontario, Canada
I've sent out over 75 inquiries in the past 3 days to quite literally every lead I could find. I've hit up 4 different industries because I wasn't sure which was the correct one for this particular product.

Right now I'm in talks with what appears to be a really, really solid manufacturer that I'm excited to move forward on.

Now, I wouldn't necessarily say that how I did it was efficient or even correct but I had an idea of what I wanted and didn't stop knocking on doors until people started answering.
 

RNoles19

Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
156%
Nov 29, 2016
63
98
37
Ok. Both of these responses reek of ego. I'm not asking for someone to do the work for me. I'm asking if someone, with more experience than I do, could simply point me in the right direction, possibly to an article or a general website that they found helpful. Really not that crazy of a concept. I started with a T-Shirt business, if someone asked "hey, what is the best T-shirt drop shipping service" or "What e-commerce platform would you recommend", I could answer those questions in 2 seconds.

This is supposed to be a community of entrepreneurs where conversations are had, questions can be asked, and not mocked. I understand the "you have to do the work yourself" and "no one is going to do it for you" mentality, but this is also a forum where people are supposed to talk about issues that challenge entrepreneurs. I simply asked a question. I'm sure your mocking responses made you feel good for 2 minutes, so congrats on stroking your own ego. You are both clowns.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Mikkel

Gold Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
186%
Feb 25, 2016
815
1,513
29
New Hampshire
Ok. Both of these responses reek of ego. I'm not asking for someone to do the work for me. I'm asking if someone, with more experience than I do, could simply point me in the right direction, possibly to an article or a general website that they found helpful. Really not that crazy of a concept. I started with a T-Shirt business, if someone asked "hey, what is the best T-shirt drop shipping service" or "What e-commerce platform would you recommend", I could answer those questions in 2 seconds.

This is supposed to be a community of entrepreneurs where conversations are had, questions can be asked, and not mocked. I understand the "you have to do the work yourself" and "no one is going to do it for you" mentality, but this is also a forum where people are supposed to talk about issues that challenge entrepreneurs. I simply asked a question. I'm sure your mocking responses made you feel good for 2 minutes, so congrats on stroking your own ego. You are both clowns.

You sir clearly missed JAJT's answer that was between the lines. So i'll spell it out for you.

Just start calling places. See if they can do what you need.

Asking for a manufacturer that produces "Wooden products" has got to be one of the most general requests on the forum. How do you expect anyone to point you in the right direction?

Shall we assume you want U.S made? China? Philippines?
How large of a manufacturing place?

You gave a very vague request, and JAJT was kind enough to share with you what he was doing so maybe you could replicate his successful actions.

I myself am looking for wooden products, so today I called/emailed 5 different local woodworking shops in my area.

So you don't think I am stroking my ego as well.....

philexport.ph - Couldn't even tell you if this was of any help to you though, with the vague request
 

million$$$smile

Platinum Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
703%
Dec 25, 2012
705
4,956
Midwest
Ok. Both of these responses reek of ego. I'm not asking for someone to do the work for me. I'm asking if someone, with more experience than I do, could simply point me in the right direction, possibly to an article or a general website that they found helpful. Really not that crazy of a concept. I started with a T-Shirt business, if someone asked "hey, what is the best T-shirt drop shipping service" or "What e-commerce platform would you recommend", I could answer those questions in 2 seconds.

This is supposed to be a community of entrepreneurs where conversations are had, questions can be asked, and not mocked. I understand the "you have to do the work yourself" and "no one is going to do it for you" mentality, but this is also a forum where people are supposed to talk about issues that challenge entrepreneurs. I simply asked a question. I'm sure your mocking responses made you feel good for 2 minutes, so congrats on stroking your own ego. You are both clowns.

Asking what is the best t-shirt drop shipping service or the best e-commerce platform is completely different from asking where do I find manufacturers of wood products beyond the general Google search. That could be construed as "who is your manufacturer for your wood products?" if I were in that product line.

Ya gotta dig for it. Gold just doesn't lay on top of the ground. It's called 'Barrier of Entry'

Here is a personal example.
I have a business that markets a brand of tools. My #1 criteria for my own brand was that they be USA made. I don't want my name on some Chinese har-bore freight brand.
  1. Now, the problem is, is that there are few-very, very few domestic manufacturers of tools in this country. You can probably count them on one hand. The big USA names that sell tools for the most part do not manufacture many of their tools because the US forging industry closed down years ago and went overseas.

Do you think a competitor is going to give you the name of the company that makes their product, so you can directly compete against them? Do you think the manufacturer is going to advertise that they make this wood product for XYZ company? MOST are not going to rock their financial boat with a company that orders hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions of dollars for some new upstart outfit.

Unless...

You can prove you are viable in one of several different ways...

  1. You've got a load of money to buy enough initially to prove to them your going to be a serious player...
  2. You have a product that differentiates enough from the competitor to not create an proprietary/brand issue
  3. You can create a large enough vision with the company that they could 'overlook' #1 & #2
I am sure there are other ways that can be utilized, but I just know those three personally as I have used them...

So, bottom line @JAJT was on the money about finding the manufacturers. BUT, its not just finding them. One has to be prepared when they do, and it just doesn't have to do with 'hey, I've got a great product to manufacture'

Not sure if this really fits an answer to your question, but perhaps it might help someone else.

Good luck
 

Walter Hay

Legendary Contributor
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
401%
Sep 13, 2014
3,318
13,305
World citizen
Hi guys.... Quick question. If you were trying to find a manufacturer for wood products (Say, wooden cornhole boards), where would be the best place to start? I've heard ThomasRegistry mentioned. Is there any website (or post that I'm missing) about the best practices for locating manufacturers?

Any help to point me in the right direction would be much appreciated. Thanks.
To a large extent it depends on where you want to buy the products. If it is the USA, Thomasnet.com is the most comprehensive source.

Unfortunately in recent years it has become more difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff on Thomasnet. There are now numerous US companies identifying themselves as manufacturers, without clearly disclosing the fact that they are manufacturing overseas. I am currently drafting the 2017 revision of my sourcing book and that will include step by step instructions on how to find your way through the myriad listings on Thomasnet and be sure that you are dealing with companies that are actually manufacturing in the USA.

It won't be available until spring, but meanwhile I suggest that you treat listings on Thomasnet in much the same way as listings on Alibaba. That means you don't take on face value any statement by suppliers. ..... Such a pity it has come to this, but as million$$$smile says, "The big USA names that sell tools for the most part do not manufacture many of their tools because the US forging industry closed down years ago and went overseas." The same applies to well known brands in many industries, and also to many little-known brands.

Walter
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

OldFaithful

Gold Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
159%
Mar 11, 2016
648
1,031
54
Northwest Indiana
Honestly...how many hours did you spend on Google, searching for manufacturers, before making this thread?
 

JAJT

Legendary Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
549%
Aug 7, 2012
2,970
16,306
Ontario, Canada
This is supposed to be a community of entrepreneurs where conversations are had, questions can be asked, and not mocked.

Other's graciously defended me, but I'll chime in as well.

I wasn't trying to be a dick. Or mock you. I'm sorry you took it as such.

I hate finding manufacturers. It's literally my least favorite thing. In fact, the promising company I mentioned earlier looks like it will fall through because I got a really bad vibe off one of their follow up responses. Back to the drawing board. It sucks. I get it.

The simple answer is that there is no simple answer I'm afraid. No great lists of manufacturers really exists. At least not one that doesn't require tons of vetting. Alibaba is great for finding manufacturers overseas but you also have to wade nipples-deep in bullshit to find the good ones. Thomasnet sounds like it's getting similar will the fake manufacturer tomfoolery.

If it wasn't for how difficult it was finding these guys, I think there'd be a lot more competition in the entrepreneur space. I'm willing to bet that MOST people who get excited about an idea stop after realizing how much it sucks to find a supplier.

Start googling. Hit the shitty directories. Strike up conversations and ask for leads. Go to trade shows. Look at trade show attendee lists. Pay a sourcing specialist. The rabbit hole sucks but you have to dig down into it to find anything worth having.
 

QDF

Gold Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
401%
Jan 1, 2014
363
1,454
Similar to JAJT, I've often taken the shotgun approach when looking for new suppliers.

I'll contact lots of relevant suppliers, and I usually mention a particular product of theirs I saw, I mention that I'd like to see their full product catalog, and I leave off with several ways to contact me, including Skype, email, etc.

I can usually spend an hour contacting many suppliers using this method, and receive more responses than I can handle over the next couple days.

From here, it's just a matter of weeding through them, which you can do fairly quickly (sometimes not). This has worked best for me for overseas suppliers using directory sites like Alibaba.


For your wooden products, I'd say you probably want to look at U.S. suppliers, which are a little different. I've only worked with a few U.S. manufacturers with prototype runs a few times. With U.S. manufacturers, I've used ThomasNet and Google - picking up the phone and calling these U.S. companies is usually faster than emailing them, and often times they will help point you in the right direction (sometime even to specific companies) if they can't help you.

I'd check your local area for woodworkers and give them a call, and maybe even check out www.makersrow.com as well.

EDIT: Write out all your requirements in detail beforehand if you can; it will make weeding companies out and the whole process a lot faster.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

RNoles19

Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
156%
Nov 29, 2016
63
98
37
Fair enough. I appreciate the responses. I think there was a bit of a communication breakdown. Like I said before, I sincerely wasn't asking to have someone do the work for me. That goes against everything the Fastlane stands for. I truly get that. I wasn't trying to snake anyone's supplier or anything like that. I just literally didn't know where to even begin my search, so I asked what I thought was a normal, harmless (albeit vague) question. I took the direct link to Google.com and the @JAJT 's response to be mocking/dismissive, when it sounds like they weren't intended that way at all. So that is my fault. I probably (definitely? haha) overreacted. My apologies.

I am looking for a US supplier FYI. Thank you for the responses. Now I know that the consensus answer sounds like "there is no roadmap. Just trial and error", so it's time to start contacting suppliers via ThomasNet, MakersRow, etc, and seeing where that leads.

Sidenote: I'm surprised manufacturing companies/supplier don't lurk in these forums. You would think they could make some serious connections.

Thanks again everyone.
 

Mikkel

Gold Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
186%
Feb 25, 2016
815
1,513
29
New Hampshire
@RNoles19 you got the right idea. Sometimes you end up stumbling across things. Today, I contacted a local woodworker, was asking for a prototype to be made so I can send it to a larger manufactuer later down the road. Turns out, he has some contacts for me to use to send me on my way after we finish prototyping the product.

I will have to check these places out myself, but some level of vetting has been done as I assume(still have to make sure.) I'm assuming he has had good experience with the manufacturer if he is going to send them business.

Moral here, just plug away. More likely than not someone will point you in a direction. You just have to determine if that direction is the right way to go.
 

Ultra Magnus

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
194%
Oct 9, 2015
94
182

LateStarter

Gold Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
206%
Jan 26, 2015
637
1,311
49
Toronto, Canada
...so it's time to start contacting suppliers via ThomasNet, MakersRow, etc, and seeing where that leads.

Don't underestimate the value of walking into a local business and asking a bunch of stupid questions. You'd be surprised by how willing some people are to try and help a clueless stranger. I didn't know shit about one of the industries I'm currently in. But I called up people out of the phone book and knocked on doors until I found people who liked my initiative and helped teach me some basics. We're still learning a lot, but in a few short months I can now talk the lingo and found a manufacturer that got our costs down by 1/3. Right now they're putting me in contact with material suppliers, designers, and a host of others that I need to really take this to the next level.
 

RulesForRebels

New Contributor
Read Fastlane!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
238%
Jan 2, 2017
8
19
41
Chicago, IL
Hi guys.... Quick question. If you were trying to find a manufacturer for wood products (Say, wooden cornhole boards), where would be the best place to start? I've heard ThomasRegistry mentioned. Is there any website (or post that I'm missing) about the best practices for locating manufacturers?

Any help to point me in the right direction would be much appreciated. Thanks.
I used to make and sell cornhole boards. I got into it before they were mass produced back when the only way to find them was in peoples from yards who made them. Once Walmart, Walgreens etc started selling them it kind of killed the market for me. You can find them on Alibaba but honestly I think the shipping is gonna kill you. Better off making them yourself it doesn't take many tools and is very easy even for a noice. That or find a local guy who will make them for you and split profits.
 

Post New Topic

Please SEARCH before posting.
Please select the BEST category.

Post new topic

Guest post submissions offered HERE.

Latest Posts

New Topics

Fastlane Insiders

View the forum AD FREE.
Private, unindexed content
Detailed process/execution threads
Ideas needing execution, more!

Join Fastlane Insiders.

Top