How to Find a Manufacturer/Developer for FastLane Ideas??

[alankong]

Hey all!

So I'm curious, how do people start up businesses when they want to invent and/or manufacture something? I've always been curious as to how people go about it because I have had ideas of inventions or food creations. I would google manufacturers to help me create it, but had little success.

So if a start-up wanted to create a prototype of an invention, how does one go about it? How do you find a manufacturer that would mass produce your product?

And if you thought of a food creation, how do you go about manufacturing it? Instead of having it be a giant start up cost to build your own factory, what are other ways to do it? To build your own brand without having to shell out millions for a factory.

Any ideas?

Thanks :smxF:

 

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[rocksolid]

Food is a tough industry. If you wanted to invent a new spoon, for example all you need to do is google spoon manufacturer and you will get many company from around the world. Then you need to go from there.

 

[ItsAllMental]

You can find contract manufacturers on The Thomas Register Directory.
ThomasNet® - Product Sourcing and Supplier Discovery Platform

There are companies there in all kinds of markets that have the systems and machinery in place to manufacture goods to your spec.

For example, if you want to make organic hair care products, just look for contract manufacturers in that industry. They have the facilities, raw materials and formulas all ready in place. All you have to do is contact them and tell them what you want. Some companies will handle small orders, others may only deal with large businesses. Shop around for the right company for you.

There are even contract manufacturers that just deal with packing your products. Some offer fulfillment etc...

Some words you might want to research on Google to educate yourself on this topic:

contract manufacturing
order fulfillment
fabrication
private labeling

Inventing is a whole other ballgame. I think Stephen Key is supposed to have some good stuff on that.

Good luck!

 

[Likwid24]

It all depends on what the product your inventing is and how much you have to invest in it. Is it something cheap like a piece of plastic? is it something totally new and cutting edge that would require expensive parts and high technology? if its food, is it a recipe? or a utensil?

There's so many ways to go about it depending on what it is. If its something that will cost a lot of money to make then your best bet is to license it. If it's something cheap that can be mass produced then you can look into outsourcing it. But only if you have some money to back it up. No matter how cheap the product is, it's still going to cost you $$$.

I would recommend outsourcing to China since it is far cheaper then the U.S. I recently received a quote for a high quality double cavity mold injection for a plastic product for $3500. That would cost me over 10k in the U.S. They also have much cheaper labor. Their average worker gets paid around $300 per month compared to a U.S. worker making that in a few days. The only problem with outsourcing to China is that it is very easy for them to rip you off and you would probably have way too many headaches throughout the process.

If your serious about this, you can PM me and I will give you info on a guy I use who is a manufacturer's agent. Kind of like a middle man. He lives in the States but fly's back and forth to China. He knows how to speak with the manufacturer's and can pretty much produce any product you can imagine. I actually just had lunch with him yesterday. I would think someone like him will be your best bet if you are going to manufacture it yourself.

One thing I would definitely recommend before making any final decisions is to read a few books on it. Check out Stephen Key's "One Simple Idea" and Robert Docie's "The Inventors Bible"

Good Luck!

 

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