Bringing a product to market: a maker's perspective
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Fairface Podcast transcript / show notes
INTRODUCTION
Hi welcome back to the Fairface Podcast! It's so nice to get the chance to chat with you again. I hope you are doing well. This election week has been weird for all of us, I think. I'm recording this on Thursday morning, Nov 5th of 2020, and even if you're not particularly worried about the outcome of the election, there's still a weird buzz and anticipation in the air as we wait for the results. We know these results, no matter which way they go, will impact all of us who live in the United States. So I'm guessing we'll hear the news any time or, more likely any day. We're not out of the woods yet, but I think we're all holding our breath a little bit until we find out.
In our last episode, Episode 13: New Fairface Products and Big Dreams, I shared with you the new Fairface product we had just launched, our Fairface Mini's - soft flannel reusable facial pads, to use in place of disposable cotton rounds, that you can use to take makeup off or apply products like toners.
I also shared some of the exciting products we have coming up, and what my big picture dreams are for new Fairface products in the future.
Before I jump in to what it takes to get a handmade product from idea to market, I want to give you a quick update on our new up and coming products - what the progress has been.
NEW FAIRFACE PRODUCTS UPDATE
The truth is, I'm still knee deep in figuring out all the details of all the new products and my head is still spinning and I'm still waking up at all hours...but what really helped was sitting down and methodically writing out all the steps and the details for each product, what had been done, what still needed to be done, and so on, so it wasn't just all fluttering around in my head.
Seriously, if you have things that are taking up too much brain space - I highly recommend taking the time to write everything out. Even if you are shocked by the 10 pages in front of you when you're done, it will now be on paper instead of inside your head and it clears it out. You can think of it as sending it out to the waiting room - it's still there and you don't have to keep thinking about it over and over.
For an update on our Fairface Pillow Cases-
I am currently testing out different fabrics. I have some amazing fabrics. I've made some sample pillow cases, and am still making more, to personally test them out and see how they wear, how they feel, and how they wash and hold up over time.
The Fairface Soft and Stretchy Bamboo Headbands-
I have been testing out the different methods of constructing them and think I have that nailed down. So the next step is getting product labels designed, priced and ordered, and put together so I can set up a time line for production.
For Fairface Good-For-Your-Hair Scrunchies-
I've made samples of a couple of the fabrics and need to make a few more in other fabrics to test out as well. These have been a little challenging to make. The pieces of fabric I'm cutting and working with are more narrow, with little openings and with the fabrics- some are slippery and tricky to work with but I know I want them to be good for your hair so it matters to me the types of fabrics I choose.
As far as any of the other products that I mentioned-
I need to be consistently reminding myself to pace myself because I just want everything done all the products made and launched at the same time. I just know that I need to focus in on the things that I can get done and just systematically go though them. So as far as any products right now, over and above those 3, I think those are the 3 I'm focusing in on right now.
And a question I've been getting a lot, is
Will they be available for the holidays?
And that, I just simply don't know. That's part of what stresses me out. I really want to get them done for you by the holidays, but knowing the limited time frame, I just want to make sure they are done well and if they're not done in time for the holidays, hopefully it will be January or February 2021. But we will see, I will definitely keep you updated.
BRINGING A HANDMADE PRODUCT TO MARKET
Ok, so lets jump in to the behind the scenes of what it takes to bring a handmade product from idea to market.
Are a maker yourself? Or just curious about what this process looks like?
There are a lot of things to consider before launching a new product, and you just can't rush it IF YOU WANT TO GET IT RIGHT. Some say done is better than perfect, but even if you don't initially reach perfection before launching a product, I think getting it to the very best level you can is much better than just getting it done. I personally have to feel totally confident and accountable for the products I bring to market or I won't do them at all.
There are a lot of steps that go into making a product from an idea to selling to consumers, that most people don't really know about, unless you are someone who makes and sells your own products.
IS THERE A MARKET FOR MY PRODUCT
If you have an idea of something you want to make and sell, the first thing you need to ask yourself is if there's a market for what you want to make, if you have existing customers is it something they have asked for or you think they could benefit from?
You could even reach out to some of your existing customers and ask them. If you don't have existing customers, ask your friends or people who you think might be a typical consumer for your product. Like if it's a product for new moms, you could ask any of the new moms you know, or even go into an online group of new moms and ask them what they think of your product or if it's something they think they might use or benefit from.
Ok, lets get down to the details, and these aren't necessarily in order. I tried to think them through logically but you might think of them in a different order.
So, you have your idea and you've decided to move forward making it.
STARTING A BUSINESS
Make sure you have the appropriate business license, reseller permit, business bank account, etc. before you start - check your local government for the rules and regulations.
At this point you may also want to create a logo and brand message, or save it for the product packaging phase. All of this starting a business information could be a podcast episode all its own - so I'm not going to cover that today.
MATERIALS
The first thing you want to consider, after you've decided on your idea, is to figure out what materials you will need to make it. Is it made out of fabric? Is it made out of leather? Do you need zippers, thread, all of the materials you will need to make that item.
Decide where you will source it, or in other words, where you will buy these materials.
You can set up business accounts to purchase at wholesale prices so you just need to look around and see where you can buy the materials you need.
PRODUCTION
The next thing you need to decide is regarding production. Who will make the item that you want to sell?
You probably want to have a sample made first. Where can you have a sample made or are you going to make it yourself?
If you sew, you can start a lot of this yourself. If you don't sew, you need to find someone who can sew you a sample, generally with the materials and instructions you give them. Or maybe you need to find a pattern maker first, or a designer to help turn your idea into a drawing with instructions.
So how much will it cost for this initial start (if you're looking for patterns, samples, instructions, and whether yourself or hire someone to do that)?
Are you planning on making this product in mass yourself, once you begin production? Or will you hire additional help?
You can figure out during this time how they are to make. How is the fabric to work with? Is it stretching correctly, laying right, are there any drawbacks, or other alternatives you need to consider?
All of this will come out as you make your samples, or have them made, so it's great time of learning and tweaking things if you need to make any changes.
TESTING OUT YOUR PRODUCTS
The next part is important, to test your products.
*(This type of testing is not referring to the professional testing of fabrics or goods regarding safety, etc.)
I know not everyone does this, but I feel very personally accountable to test the things I make before selling them, to make sure they are what I claim them to be.
Do they wear well?
Do they wash well?
Do they hold up over time?
Are there other quirky things that may make themselves known only by regular use and wear of something?
This is also a great time of learning.
I know Fairface Washcloths use well and wash well and keep well because I have used them myself for years.
If something doesn't stand up to the test, it gets modified until it does or it isn't used at all.
PRICING YOUR PRODUCTS
The next area can be tricky for many people, and this is about pricing.
How much does it cost you to make it?
At what price should you sell it?
What will your margins be?
Will it be a profitable product?
Will it be something your company can keep making and help your business grow?
You'll want to consider what I like to call, "pricing that the market will allow" and what I mean by that is the market and consumers will only "accept" (for lack of a better word) certain price points.
For example, you can sell a handmade leather bag for $200 but you can't sell a handmade silk eye mask for $200. That's not in the market's acceptable price point. What consumers pay for an item is generally in a price range that is deemed acceptable for a certain item or type of product. Does that make sense?
You could look at other people who sell similar products to the ones you want to make. Look at what their prices are. What makes your item different than theirs? What is the window of pricing, or the range that looks accepted by the market for that particular item? You can decide, will yours be in the middle of that range, lower or higher?
Pricing can be tricky.
You always want to make the highest quality products but if they cost you too much to make, you won't have a business and you can't make anyone anything. It all comes down to the numbers and what margin you are willing to accept for that particular product.
My suggestion is to shop around to find the best prices for the best quality materials. And just accept that at first it might cost you a little more to make the items, than later, after you've had time to get your product out there and can find even better pricing on materials that helps you continue to grow your business.
PRODUCT LABELS
The next thing to consider, and you might not know this, is that there are requirements for selling most, if not all, made goods in the marketplace. There's a requirement that you have to have a product label.
Find out if you need to have Product labels attached to your product or if the information can just be on packaging.
There are rules and regulations about what information needs to be on your product labels and I will link to one of the sources that I know of, in the show notes. [*see resources at the bottom of the page]
So the next thing you need to do, once you have figured out the information about your labels, is to design the product labels, decide how you want them to look, create or have a vector image created of your logo (in non-technical terms I think that means without a background - your logo or design on a transparent background).
You can also decide what types of materials you want your labels made of. They make woven labels, they make tyvek labels, you can have printed labels on different types of materials. Our Fairface Washcloth Labels are printed on a silky white satin ribbon.
Find a vendor who can print those for you.
PRODUCT PACKAGING
The next thing that I want to discuss with you is product packaging. This is another topic I could have a whole podcast on.
Product packaging can sell your product.
It can be cute and creative, unique and EXPENSIVE. Product packaging can be very expensive.
The trick is to keep your costs in balance and focus on what's most important to you and being able to maintain healthy enough margins to keep making and selling your products.
If you pour your money into high quality product materials to make your products (like we do at Fairface) your product packaging may still look professional but may be more modest.
Some companies pour their money into packaging and sell a so-so quality product. Others mark their costs up really high because they choose expensive fancy packaging - and that's really what you are paying for, the cost of the eye cream is only a small percentage of what you are actually paying for.
You're paying for the heavy weight glass container and fancy box that it came in, not so much the cost of the actual product. And that's ok - it's just another approach.
I recently listened to a podcast on How I Built This that featured Mark Constantine, the founder of Lush Cosmetics and he said while other companies in his industry at the time were pouring heaps of money into product packaging, he opted to go a simpler route, packaging their soaps like you would at a deli counter, with pieces of thick paper and string. He made the choice to pour his money into the products themselves, instead of the packaging.
So that's just something to consider.
There's also a difference between packaging for online sales and packaging for a retail store, so that's a different category. Right now I'm just focusing on selling online.
So you need to decide what you want your packaging to look like. You can do mockups yourself or have a graphic designer make it.
Do you already have a logo and brand message? You can create your own or have the same graphic designer help you create one.
Then you go ahead and create your product packaging and have it made or printed. So you would need to find a packaging maker or printing source.
PRODUCT INSERTS
The next thing that goes right in line with that is, what information do you want to put in with your products? That's what I call product inserts.
What do you want people to know when they buy and open your product?
What might that look like? You need to take time to design and consider what message you want to send, create that and have that printed.
PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY
The next topic I wanted to briefly cover is photography. This is also a topic I could spend an entire podcast episode talking about.
I think we all know, great images sell products.
Since your product may only be sold online, how can you convey the feel of something they can't touch?
You want to give your product life, texture, interest, use, all of those things. There's a lot of things to consider when you're thinking about how to present your product through photography.
Do you have the right tools and equipment and lighting to take the type of photos you want? You need to decide, will this be something you do yourself? Or are you going to outsource it?
You'll need photos for your website listings or wherever you sell, you'll need them for social media, and you can consider doing video, which I'm trying to better about introducing more videos to our brand.
SHIPPING
One of the next things to consider, is shipping.
Shipping Materials
You need to determine shipping methods and materials. Can you ship your product in an envelope? Is it the same for small quantities, versus large quantities?
Does it need to ship in a box, if so, what size? And do you need packing materials? Where will you get your shipping materials?
Always consider quality before cost. I made the mistake of paying a little less for shipping envelopes, that once I received them, I saw that they were on the thinner side and I worried with every shipment we sent out, sometimes we even double-bagged them - until I paid more for thicker envelopes.
Always shop around for the best prices, but pay attention to the quality you are buying. It matters. You don't spend all this time making this amazing product and have it get damaged or fall out of the packaging as it's on its way to your customer. So, that matters.
Shipping Rates
Now as far as shipping costs go, how much will it cost to ship your item in a box versus an envelope? Do you build the cost of shipping into your item or keep it separate? If you combine it, will it be an acceptable market price?
For example, let's go back to that leather bag. Let's say it costs $35 to ship in a box. You can decide whether to price your leather bag at $235.00 with free shipping or price it at $199.00 + $35 shipping. Either one seems reasonable, but will one be more attractive to consumers?
If you're selling a satin eye mask for $19.99 and it costs you $4.95 to ship, you could either list your satin eye mask for $24.94 with free shipping or $19.99 + $4.95 shipping.
Lets say the typical price for a satin eye mask is around $18.99, so listing it for almost $25, if you've included shipping, may deter people from buying it.
Again, cost can be tricky so just do what you feel comfortable with and see how it goes. You can always change it later.
If there's one thing I've learned over the years, is that I can change something if it's not working. I can decide if I want to change something, if I want to stop making something or start making something.
If I put my best out there, I can learn from that and make changes as needed, add things to make it even better, or take things away that aren't working.
Just because I made the mistake of buying somewhat thinner shipping envelopes once, doesn't mean I have to keep using them, or keep rebuying them. I can chalk it up as a loss and purchase something that works better. There are always lessons to learn to do it better next time.
SELLING VENUE
You'll need to decide where it is you want to sell your product.
Decide on the selling venue, whether that's your own website, or through a marketplace like Amazon, or Etsy or through a physical retail shop.
I would suggest pricing each option and weighing the pros and cons. And you can always reach out to other makers to see what their experience has been with different types of venues.
Once you've decided, let's say you want to sell through your own website, you'll start listing your products, photos and text. This takes time so think through what you want to say and how you want to present your brand and products.
MARKETING
So in the end you have an amazing product just waiting for buyers. How are people going to find you?
As amazing as your product is, and as amazing as YOU are, people may not know you even exist yet. I know, that sounds so mean. I don't mean that in a mean way. Lets figure out how to help them find you because they will love you.
You have to decide, how are you going to advertise?
How are you going to share your amazingness with the world?
Are you going to create social media accounts and post on Instagram and Facebook?
You could write blog posts.
You could capture email addresses and and email your customers or potential customers.
You could work with influencers, other bloggers, other Instagram accounts.
You can buy Ads.
If you have accounts and have existing followers, you can tell them about your upcoming launch and get them excited about it.
I'm still working on getting better at that, even with our upcoming products.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
Here's the thing, being a maker, having a design idea and creating that product and bringing that to market is hard.
There are a lot of steps.
There will be hiccups.
There will be snags.
Materials you order might not be what you thought they would be.
Your sample products might not turn out exactly like you thought they would.
Materials you ordered might not come at all - they might be out of stock and you need to pivot to plan B.
You might find it's too hard or not cost-effective to make what you wanted to make and end up scrapping the idea.
You might have to start over on certain things.
You might get very frustrated because things are going too slow or are hard to figure out.
You might even doubt yourself and wonder why in the world you're doing this to yourself?
Just because it's hard doesn't mean its wrong.
Maybe you need to talk to someone about it.
Maybe you need help.
Maybe you need to rethink something.
Give yourself grace and space to feel all the feelings and consider all the considerations.
I can tell you from personal experience this is NOT an easy process all the time.
Some products will come together and launch more easily than others.
Sometimes it is harder before it gets easier.
I've been there.
And I'm still there.
Like I said, it's helpful to write it all out, to be very organized, very detailed.
Create a launch timeline for each product that you want to launch with a task list of what exactly needs to be done in steps, and check them off as you go.
Decide to stick with it or decide it's time to stop. Either way it's ok as long as you feel good about what you decide. It is hard but it also can be very rewarding.
Whew! That's a lot of information, wasn't it?
I hope this was helpful to get a behind the scenes look at all that is involved and all that you need to consider in bringing your grand idea from your head to consumers who will love it.
If you have any questions about anything I've talked about, please feel free to send me an email shannon (at) fairfacewashcloths (dot) com with the subject line Podcast question that would make it easy - I don't want to miss your email. That way it can stand out because I want to be sure to get back to you.
Thank you for sharing our podcast with your friends or family or anyone you think could benefit from it. And make sure to check back to see the progress on our newest Fairface products. Which now you know all the things that I'm going through, all the steps, everything I talked about today, those are things I'm doing for every single product that we launch, and that's why it's taking a little while. But I'm not going to lose my mind, I am going to get to the end. You just have to keep going.
So, as always, you can find our soft washcloths for sensitive skin on our website FairfaceWashcloths.com and in our Etsy shop FairfaceWashcloths.etsy.com.
Thank you again so much for being here! I really do appreciate it. I love spending time with you. Everyone, take good care of yourselves and I will see you next time.
Resources:
FTC (Federal Trade Commission) - Labeling products: regarding textiles and wools and
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