Maybe you sketched it on the back of a cocktail napkin or jotted it down in the
middle of the night. Maybe it has been in the back of your mind for months—or even years. It’s a brand-new product idea, and you have a hunch it could be a success.
Transforming that inspiration into concrete reality—much less a product on a store shelf—can seem like a pipe dream. But with perseverance and plenty of research, you can design and manufacture a quality product that will resonate with customers and help you start your business. We’ll cover all the main steps in this blog.
Having a great product idea is an exciting first step, but turning it into a real product you can sell requires manufacturing I’ve helped over 50 brands bring product ideas to market, so I want to share the complete step-by-step process for manufacturing a new product successfully
Finding Manufacturers and Understanding Costs
The first step is researching manufacturers. I recommend looking for ones located in the USA whenever possible to simplify logistics and quality control. Search for “product manufacturers near me” to find ones located closest to you first.
Overseas manufacturers, especially in China, do have lower labor costs. But when you factor in shipping costs, taxes, customs, duties, and the communication barriers of coordinating across time zones, the total costs are often comparable. Lead times are also much longer overseas.
Expect to invest around $30,000 to go through the full manufacturing process. Costs range wildly though based on the complexity of your product, with apparel on the low end around $20 for a t-shirt prototype, up to $400 million for an advanced product like SpaceX rockets.
Ensuring Your Idea is Viable
Before investing in manufacturing, validate your product idea Manufacturers require minimum order quantities, so you need confidence it will sell
I’ve found having a single hero product instead of 10 related ones helps minimize upfront costs while you learn the ropes. Get one manufactured and sold first before expanding your product line.
Pay attention to pain points your network complains about. Unsolved annoyances can become great product ideas! Protect your IP with non-disclosure and non-compete agreements before seeking feedback.
Designing and Prototyping Your Product
To manufacture a product, you need a design. Hand sketches work early on to convey the concept. As you refine it, use product design software like AutoCAD or tap online freelancers.
Eventually, you’ll want to create a prototype. Options include 3D printing, finding a local craftsperson able to make one unit, or contacting a small scale manufacturer able to produce a small test batch.
Test the prototype yourself and get feedback from others. Tweak the design based on input. If satisfied, you’re ready to move forward with mass production.
Protecting Your Idea with Patents and Trademarks
Patents prevent others from copying your invention. Trademarks protect your business name and brand. Apply for both before mass production so you own your design and identity.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office reviews applications based on these criteria:
- Utility patents protect functional products and processes. Design patents cover ornamental aesthetics.
- Inventions should be novel, non-obvious, and useful. Prior art can disqualify an application.
- Trademarks apply to names, logos, slogans. Evidence of use in commerce helps approval odds.
Filing fees start around $300 per application. Hiring a lawyer raises costs but improves chances of success.
Creating Detailed Manufacturing Specifications
Manufacturers need extremely detailed instructions to fabricate your product correctly. These specifications are often called a “tech pack” or “cut sheet.”
Everything must be meticulously outlined: technical drawings with precise dimensions, a bill of materials listing required raw inputs, embroidery files if applicable, etc.
Leave absolutely nothing ambiguous. Assume the manufacturer knows nothing about your product other than what’s contained in your spec sheet. Clear communication is vital.
Sourcing Raw Materials from Suppliers
You’ll need to locate suppliers able to provide the raw materials for manufacturing. Search industry directories like ThomasNet and IndustryNet to find suppliers of textiles, metals, plastics, electronics components, ingredients, etc.
When possible, choose American suppliers to simplify logistics. For small minimum orders, try craft stores, Amazon, hardware stores, recycling centers. Only consider overseas if essential materials are unavailable domestically.
Order samples before committing to large material purchases. Confirm quality, colors, technical properties, etc. are as expected.
Comparing Quotes from Manufacturers
With detailed specifications and information on required materials in hand, you can now request quotes from potential manufacturers. Cast a wide net early on.
I recommend starting with local manufacturers you can visit in person, then expanding regionally and nationally before looking at overseas options. Don’t focus solely on price. Also consider:
- Production capacity – can they scale with your growth?
- Lead times – how quick from order to delivery?
- Quality control rigor – what testing do they perform?
- Shipping costs – frequent cross-country shipping adds up.
Manufacturing domestically enables tighter quality oversight as you learn the ropes of production. Request product samples before finalizing a manufacturer.
Negotiating Manufacturing Terms
Manufacturing is a collaborative long-term partnership. Seek win-win relationships where both parties succeed through fair terms.
Typical contract considerations include:
- Pricing per unit. Larger orders often get discounts.
- Order frequency and size minimums.
- Exclusivity clauses around market competition.
- Shipping costs and logistics.
- Payment timing – deposits, net 30 terms, etc.
- Order cancellation policies.
- Manufacturing location – impacts lead times and quality control ease.
Work through contract details methodically. Consult a lawyer before signing anything.
Overseeing Production and Handling Logistics
Your manufacturer will now produce the full order based on your specifications. Check in periodically for progress reports and to answer questions.
When the order is complete, the products will ship to you. Inspect thoroughly upon arrival to catch any defects before sale. Reject damaged goods – selling them tanks margins.
For overseas orders, arrange customs brokers, duties, tariffs, etc. Work closely with your freight forwarder. Their expertise smoothing international logistics is invaluable.
Domestically, you can save costs picking up orders yourself. Just make sure to bring enough vehicle space and labor for loading.
Final Packaging and Preparing Inventory
The last manufacturing step is packaging finished products for sale. You can design custom branded packaging or buy ready-made generic options.
For custom, hire a packaging designer to create attractive, protective packaging showcasing your branding. For generic, companies like Packlane and Uline offer all types of bags, boxes, tubes, clamshells, and labels.
Prep your packaged inventory for easy order fulfillment. Organize storage logically for quick access. Remove any remaining defective units. You’re now ready to start selling!
Key Takeaways for Manufacturing a New Product
The path to manufacturing success includes:
- Researching manufacturers, estimating costs, and validating market demand first.
- Protecting intellectual property like patents before outsourcing production.
- Developing comprehensive specifications and sourcing all required materials.
- Thoroughly vetting potential manufacturing partners on costs, quality, reliability, etc.
- Carefully negotiating contract terms for pricing, exclusivity, cancellations, etc.
- Closely overseeing production quality and handling shipping logistics.
- Finalizing brande
0 Protect your idea
Once you have a concrete product idea to introduce to potential investors, suppliers, and manufacturers, take proactive steps to ensure you retain ownership and creative control. At this stage, it’s a good idea to consult an attorney.
- Create an NDA. As you begin sharing your concept and seeking manufacturing bids, a well-crafted non-disclosure agreement (NDA) helps to protect against improper use, copying, or sharing of your idea or the information you’ve collected and created in the process. An NDA also requires any designers or producers who work on your product development to return materials they’ve created or used once their work is done, ensuring that your trade secrets stay secure.
- File a patent with the help of an attorney. If you believe your idea is inventive, you can research existing patents and publications to determine whether your product may be patentable. With a patent, you can prevent others from making, using, or selling your invention without your consent. A patent can cover both your product and any innovations in materials or processes you use, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. A working prototype is not necessary before filing a patent application, so making early preparations to file can streamline the process and save on legal fees when the time is right.
- Protect your branding. Consider obtaining a federal trademark registration for the name, logo, or other branding of your new product once they’ve been created. Where applicable, you may want to make a copyright registration for any associated artwork, creative designs, or original music.
- Make sure you’re in the clear. If you’re building on someone else’s technology or incorporating existing designs into your products, run a check on existing patents, trademarks, and copyrights. That way, you’ll avoid accidentally infringing on others’ work and can obtain any required licensing upfront, without needing to pay costly fines or legal fees.
In addition to preventing others from copying or stealing your work, these safeguards may come in handy when selling via retailers and third-party marketplaces. The U.S. government has identified more than three dozen online marketplaces as hotbeds for counterfeits and pirated products. In response, multiple marketplace sites have begun vetting sellers to ensure they own or have permission to use intellectual property associated with their wares.
0 Build a good-enough prototype
With solid research, a concrete product idea, and legal protections in place, it’s time to make the physical product for the first time. Start with a prototype, which can be a single item or a limited-production run to test how your idea actually works in real life.
- Hire professionals to help. You may need to enlist engineers, designers, artisans or other experts to build your product. This will enable you to obtain a reliable and realistic prototype that you can confidently show as an accurate representation of your idea.
- At the same time, don’t wait for perfection. In fact, you may want to use the concept of a minimum viable product (MVP) to guide development. Rather than waiting until every detail is exactly right, you can create an MVP with the most essential product features and begin collecting feedback from testers to shape the final version. If speed to market is a factor—e.g., a competitor is planning to launch a similar product and you’d like to be the first to market—you may even decide to launch the MVP version to the public and add other features in an upgraded edition later (though tread carefully).
- Think about product packaging. Use your prototype to start designing the product packaging. Bulky or oddly-shaped items might be costly to transport, and extra labels and materials may be necessary to pack component parts, so getting an early start on packaging can influence the product design itself and inform the initial price of your product.
How to Create, Design and Manufacture a Product from Scratch
How to have an idea manufactured?
If you’re wondering how to have an idea manufactured, you need to understand a little about product development. Coming up with an idea and beginning the manufacturing phase have several steps in between, including determining whether your idea is actually economically viable.
How do I start manufacturing a product?
Before you can begin manufacturing your idea, you must fully understand the product, including the materials needed for production and how the product will be made. To get your idea ready to manufacture, you’ll need to develop both a prototype and a manufacturing plan.
Do you have an idea for a product?
Almost everyone has an idea for a product, and using manufacturing is how you can turn your idea into a reality. The problem, however, is that the process of getting an idea ready for manufacturing is very complicated, and many inventors don’t know how to complete this process.
What are the benefits of manufacturing a product idea?
Provide job opportunities: There are often multiple individuals involved in one manufacturing procedure, including design and assembly personnel. Creating an effective product idea can offer people the chance of financial gain in the future, which may increase your reputation in an industry. Here are the key steps for manufacturing a product idea:
