Overtime isn't worth the Lost Time

[Mason Welds]

I mentioned in my introduction thread that I had a product idea and was currently getting the ball rolling. Here is my progress so far.

-My product has been designed by a friend of mine who knows how to model in 3d
-

Thats it. Since he goes to school full time, he doesn't really have time for my idea, which keeps me at a stand still, so id like to chronicle my progress here.

First, i know nothing. Quite literally. Nothing about paid ads, marketing, or SEO, or even 1/10th of the acronyms people use here. But this is me TRYING.

My first goal is to have the drawings for my product, in my own hands. Ive just contacted him asking for the raw CAD files for it. After which, I am going to research some manufacturing facilities that can produce two functioning prototypes for me, which at that point, I cant test whether or not this idea will even work. At that point, refining the design would be the next biggest step. Not to perfection, but enough to get it out there. I can refine as feedback comes in. My next step (which im sure is the wrong step but as i mentioned, complete newb), is to find a way to generate funds. With my salary, there is no way in HELL id ever be able to afford a full product launch, however im very fuzzy on how to actually deliver said product. Shopify? Amazon? Also... How the hell do i even target my audience or gain interest? Which makes me think Kickstarter? And if I have interest, what then?

Any input is more than appreciated.




This past week it finally hit me. Im slaving my youth away, and I'm done.

My boss handed me my weekly check, and as I scrolled through the vacation hours and what not, I noticed I had received a pay raise. By a mere $0.50. Some would be happy, others would be content, but not ME. Because this same week, my boss started a side job through a local rock quarry company, and in the two weeks he would be on that job site, he would be making 10x my annual salary. Yes, 10x, in only two weeks. And here I am, busting my butt DAILY, for a .50 cent pay raise, and budgeting my a$$ off just to afford the gas to and from work. Whilst this is going on, my other boss hired his brother (I'm guessing for at least 2x what i make), with the statement "Once i get these signs quoted, ha, you'll never leave you'll be fabricating all day and night". Like. Hell.

Thank GOD I've learned this at 23 year old.

Overtime isn't worth the lost time.

 

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[Spencer Norton]

I'm glad to hear you've learned that lesson. I had the exact same realization exactly a month ago, but i'm 25.

You can spend your entire life doing what people tell you to do, and be grateful for it. or you can make your own path and never look back.

The revelation that I had at the exact same time as this one was a simple yet often overlooked one. mobility. At the age of 25, I have the time freedom, personal freedom, and liquidity to go literally wherever I want. I have nothing to keep me stuck in a particular place or motion. If a job isn't teaching me to grow and become successful, I'm out. Do not sacrifice mobility and liquidity for comfort.

Do what makes you happy.

 

[AnAverageJoe]

Overtime isn't worth the lost time.

Working overtime is a badge of honor in my field. "I worked 60 hours this week!" Who cares? That's 20 more hours of your time you're giving your time to someone else for just a few extra dollars. Good for you to come to this realization so early.

Now just dive in head first. There are enough threads around here that you can learn anything you need to start your business. If you haven't read the books, read those first.

Welcome and good luck!

 

[Mason Welds]

You can spend your entire life doing what people tell you to do, and be grateful for it. or you can make your own path and never look back.

My thoughts exactly. While i am very grateful for my job, dont get me wrong, its not my own path. Living my life simply doing what im told does not interest me. Once your eyes are opened to the world of not being forced to live 9-5 for 50+ years, you cant go back.

Working overtime is a badge of honor in my field.

Same here. As a welder, the number of hours of your life you spend at your job, the wiser or more "put together" you are. As if having no spare time for whats important, is what truly matters... And if you work anything less than 50, youre an abomination who lives on ramen and pond water just to survive.

I have read the books but its been a few months since i finished Unscripted . I plan to go through it once more while i keep sludging along. Good news is that i now have the .step file for my product and have started researching some prototype manufacturers that will churn out two functioning prototypes.

 

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[Mason Welds]

Progress update! Ive contacted a prototyping company about getting my product built. Theyve set up a time next week for an engineer to call and he will tell me exactly what i need to get started and what not. My original plan was to get my product CNC Milled out of aluminum simply for strength, but as i think about it, maybe a polymer would be a better option? Not sure yet.

Much thinking to be done. So little time.

 

[Mason Welds]

Woah! Its been a while. Progress update, the company I contacted reached out to me, but their quote was simply out of my budget. By alot. So, plan B, I contacted a really cool online machine shop about getting my part cut out of aluminum, but ive seem to run into a bit of a road block at the moment. To have two parts machined out of aluminum, it costs around $250, and for a product that will be marketed and sold at around $40 a set, well; you see the problem. As I stated earlier, my experience with prototyping and product design is bare minimum at best, so ive reached out to them again and instead of aluminum, ive requested that it be machined out of Plastic.

I understand that injection molding the parts would be the ideal way to go, but im simply being realistic with my options. If i knew for certain id be selling 50,000 of these things, I.M. would be the obvious choice, but as a conservative estimate, I'm hoping to sell around 500 in a year. Could I sell more? Absolutely, however I dont want to inflate my numbers too much. So getting them machined at the moment is what seems to be the best option. If I can get these made at a cost that is in the double digits, we will be in business.

Life update: I quit my job. My manager got to the point where it was impossible for me to build anything based on the instructions he gave me, and when a mistake was made, I kept getting railed for it. I put up with it because the money was simply a means to fund my idea, but it got to the point where I just couldnt take it anymore. At the moment, my source of income is farming. I grow lettuce believe it or not and sell it at the local farmers market, which I deeply enjoy, however ive been offered an interview as a nuclear welder. Good money, alot better management, set hours, benefits. However i am extremely hesitant to accept it because, well, its a great JOB. One you stick with. And if i have a stream of income equal to that of my last job, I could make this work.

I know not many people will read my lame execution thread, but its just me chronicling my progress.

 

[minivanman]

Atleast you got .50c. I had moved in to an apartment next door to my job so I could basically work 24/7. I never made any mistakes (that they knew about) and got everything out as needed and on time...... they gave me a .10c raise <<<<< THAT was the moment I knew a J O B was not going to work for me and that is when my mindset changed. It took a few years but life came around when I least expected it. Keep your chin up and don't push anything that isn't 'to be'. Everything will fall in to place for you. Good luck!

 

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[Mason Welds]

Progress update! Ive ordered the two prototypes and had them made out of Acetal Plastic. Cheaper option for testing out my idea, and after a little thinking, Aluminum would be wonderful but, unnecessary. Turnaround is 16 weeks which gives me time to think about some WHAT IF's because the one thing that scares me the most, is if this product works. Since i have NO experience in entrepreneurship or creating a product, I simply do not understand how to market my product and sell it. My main idea as of this moment is kickstarter. It will give me some idea of how much people want my idea and if there is even a market for it, plus, if it gets funded, ill have a means to do X (Find a manufacturer, make a website?, sell through Amazon?, other distributors?). Its very confusing to me.

So my question to all the wonderful people on here is... what are some resources to learn this stuff? Do you recommend any books? Courses that are reasonably priced? (Dont really have hundreds to drop on a course, nor do I want to, as information is everywhere... FREE, its just a matter of digging it up).

I understand that what im about to ask will sound like Im lazy and dont want to do research on my own, but id rather learn from others than dive into something and make foolish mistakes. So, how the HECK do you research and find manufacturers for products. For example, my product is, technically, two pieces. The shell, and a magnet inserted into a cavity, and screwed in. I am completely dumbfounded as to how to research manufacturers (US or foreign) that will not only produce my product, but install the magnet as well. Or do I install the magnet myself? Which is a huge pain in the long run? But i guess thats a bridge to cross at a later time.

Any resources would be much appreciated!

 

[Mason Welds]

Progress update!

As of 2 days ago, I received my first "prototype/design" from the machine shop and boy oh boy is it ugly haha but it seems like it'll function perfectly. Tonight I plan to go test it out, and really work the details out. I forsee a problem in strength around the handle, as it was cheaper to have it milled out of Acetal plastic rather than aluminum, but I don't know until Im able to test it out. Another problem is the magnet.

Without giving too much detail, it's a curved piece of plastic, with a handle. And inside the piece is a hole milled out for a magnet to sit in, and as of right now, I only have a flat magnet. It should work just fine but I need to figure out how to get a specific magnet made for this pieces, and that should smooth out the design quite a bit.

I can't believe I'm holding an idea I had. Just one year ago, I remember thinking of how much easier it would be if this was magnetic and now I'm holding the solution in my hands. I'm so excited to keep working on this. I really believe alot of people will benefit from this. But that's not up to me