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.
- 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...
- You've got a load of money to buy enough initially to prove to them your going to be a serious player...
- You have a product that differentiates enough from the competitor to not create an proprietary/brand issue
- You can create a large enough vision with the company that they could 'overlook' #1 & #2
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