273 | How she found her overseas manufacturing partners with Ashley Jankowski, The Typeset Co
Nov 15, 2022
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Ashley Jankowski shares her journey from branding agency to product business, discussing challenges of finding overseas manufacturing partners, shifting to new product categories, and expanding with themed sticker displays to meet customer demands.
Transition from branding agency to product-based business by identifying niche market opportunity.
Overcoming challenges of finding honest and reliable overseas manufacturing partners for product success.
Deep dives
Ashley's Journey from Branding Agency to Product Entrepreneurship
Ashley transitioned from owning a branding agency to creating and selling physical products by identifying a niche market opportunity. She reimagined alphabet magnets for a modern audience, inspired by how adults interacted with them on the fridge. Collaborating with her husband, they researched and found overseas manufacturing partners, overcoming challenges faced with US manufacturers. This intentional shift marked the beginning of their successful product journey.
Navigating Manufacturing Challenges and Overseas Partnerships
The biggest hurdle Ashley encountered was finding honest and reliable manufacturing partners, emphasizing that this was more challenging than product design or marketing. While initially aiming for USA-made products, they eventually turned to Chinese manufacturers for their alphabet magnets, managing costs and complexities of the overseas production process. Building personal relationships with the overseas partners by visiting them in China proved essential in ensuring reliable production and product quality.
Expanding Product Offerings and Controlled In-House Manufacturing
Expanding beyond alphabet magnets, Ashley delved into stickers as a new product category, aiming for more control over manufacturing and faster production turnaround times. This strategic move enabled them to cater to a broader audience while ensuring cleaner, family-friendly designs. By tapping into flat magnet printing capabilities, they showcased flexibility in product offerings and emphasized providing solutions that align with customer needs and preferences.
Manufacturing partners aren’t simple or easy to find, but it becomes even more complex when you’re trying to manufacture complex products that are best created overseas. In this episode, Ashley Jankowski joins us to share how she shifted from a branding agency into a product-based business, along with the journey to exploring manufacturers overseas.
Today’s episode is brought to you by LABS, our 12-month group coaching program that was built for product based business owners who want to streamline their systems and revenue. We'll be opening up the doors again at the end of the year and everyone on our waitlist will get early access to secure your seat.