Product Startup

Steve Grundahl founded Midwest Prototyping back in 2001. Today, they are one of the biggest private facilities in the United States for additive manufacturing of new physical products. Steve also just hosted the Kansas version of Make48 at their Wichita shop. In this session, Steve is poised to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can use 3D printing and additive manufacturing to streamline their first production runs and the advantages of manufacturing this way.EPISODE LINKSSteve Grundahl / Midwest Prototyping Links: Website: https://midwestproto.com/ LinkedIn for Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-grundahl-91aa234/ LinkedIn for MidWest Proto: https://www.linkedin.com/company/midwest-prototyping/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/midwestproto/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midwestproto/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/midwestproto Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr3iFkFFyuEryAS8XTcQacg The Product Startup Podcast Links: Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent  Mako Design Links: Website: https://www.makodesign.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/  Kevin Mako Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/ Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/  Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

Robert Irwin just wrapped up almost 3 years working as the Lead Industrial Designer at Amazon creating the Amazon Shopping Cart. Before that, he worked for many years as a freelancer, with agencies and at large corporations, doing industrial design and leading physical product design teams. Today, Robert is going to share his valuable insight into how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can ensure that their product development process goes smoothly to create the best version of their product by knowing how industrial design and product engineering can best work together.EPISODE LINKSRobert Irwin Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertirwinid/ The Product Startup Podcast Links: Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent  Mako Design Links: Website: https://www.makodesign.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/  Kevin Mako Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/ Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/  Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

Rhett Silverstein is the Founder of Hegemon, an agency that represents consumer product manufacturers in partnering with big brands, celebrities, and athletes. Before founding Hegemon, he was a brand licensing agent at Beanstock, and before that a New York lawyer. Today, Rhett is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can license big brands and celebrities for your products.Today we talk about: What is inbound licensing Why would a product startup want to consider it What should a product company have ready before reaching out How do you work with an agency to get in front of these people How are these deals generally structured EPISODE LINKSRhett Silverstein / Hegemon Links: Website: https://hegemonagency.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhettsilverstein/ The Product Startup Podcast Links: Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent  Mako Design Links: Website: https://www.makodesign.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/  Kevin Mako Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/ Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/  Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

Blair Severn worked for 4 years as the national manager for Sony Stores.  He managed not just marketing, but also how to best drive product sales in those stores.  Before that he worked for years doing a similar thing at Consumer Gas Appliance stores.  He really knows in-store product sales.  Today Blair is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can think about how to best design and promote your product to be able to beat the competition and sell more units after successfully getting a deal into a retail store chain, and a lot of this is applicable to online sales too.EPISODE LINKSBlair Severn / Enabling Ideas Links: Website: https://enablingideas.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairsevern/ The Product Startup Podcast Links: Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent  Mako Design Links: Website: https://www.makodesign.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/  Kevin Mako Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/ Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/  Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

Jan Cavelle was the Founder and CEO for 20 years of Jan Cavelle Furniture Company which designed, manufactured, and sold their own furniture to wholesalers all over the world. She is also the author of Scale for Success, a book that helps startups go from their first sales to becoming a multi-million dollar empire. Today Jan is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can make their first sales by just picking up the phones. She will then go into some tips on how to scale your business, and how to learn from some of the best sales techniques in a very old industry.EPISODE LINKSJan Cavelle / Jan Cavelle Furniture Company Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jancavelle/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jancavelle Website: https://jancavelle.co.uk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JanCavelleWriter The Product Startup Podcast Links: Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent  Mako Design Links: Website: https://www.makodesign.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/  Kevin Mako Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/ Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/  Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

Tom Patterson is the Founder of multiple companies in the hardware space.  1. He owns a number of e-commerce brands and even owns his own manufacturing facility for one of his clothing lines. 2. He also owns an e-commerce agency that helps products scale from zero all the way up to 9-figure online sales.  Today Tom is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers should consider selling directly to customers to start building their product line, and how to do it well.EPISODE LINKSTom Patterson / Wknd Digital Links: Website 1: www.wknddigital.com Website 2: www.wkndagency.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tommypatterson/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-patterson-61a808199/ The Product Startup Podcast Links: Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent  Mako Design Links: Website: https://www.makodesign.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/  Kevin Mako Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/ Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/  Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

West Stringfellow rose the ranks in the early days of Amazon emerging as Head of Product.  He has also been an executive in innovation at Target, Paypal, Visa, & Rosetta Stone.  He even ran a Techstars incubator for a couple years.  Now West runs HowDo, a completely free education platform to help anyone become a successful entrepreneur.  Today West is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers should focus on understanding the customer to gain strong insight into early product development and marketing planning. He will explain how some of the best customer-facing companies in the world do this, and how you can learn from that to do this for your next hardware product.EPISODE LINKSWest Stringfellow / HowDo Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weststringfellow/ Website: https://howdo.com/ The Product Startup Podcast Links: Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent  Mako Design Links: Website: https://www.makodesign.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/  Kevin Mako Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/ Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/  Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

Bill Carlin runs a massive hardware product warehouse, fulfillment, distribution, and logistics company called ShipMate Fulfillment.  They do everything from receiving your shipment from the manufacturer, to sorting and packing, then getting individual units to your customers, handling all returns, and everything in between.  Simply put, Bill is a great knowledge resource for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers to understand, plan for, and best execute on their fulfillment logistics.EPISODE LINKSWilliam Carlin / ShipMate Fulfillment Links: Website: https://shipmatefulfillment.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-carlin-2100b5189/ The Product Startup Podcast Links: Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent  Mako Design Links: Website: https://www.makodesign.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/  Kevin Mako Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/ Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/  Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

Victoria Wieck started from nothing and grew her jewelry business to over $500 Million in sales. She has over 30 years of experience in retail sales, and 20 years in selling on TV. She was a weekly host on the HSN and QVC for many years, and now a monthly host on the ShopHQ TV show. She is also host of the Million Dollar Hobbies podcast. Today, Victoria is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can turn their hobbies or invention ideas into multi-million dollar international businesses, including best practices for ideating an invention, getting it to market, scaling it into a brand, and conquering the market.EPISODE LINKSVictoria Wieck Links: Website: https://victoriawieck.com/ Podcast: https://victoriawieck.com/podcast/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriawieck/ The Product Startup Podcast Links: Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent  Mako Design Links: Website: https://www.makodesign.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/  Kevin Mako Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/ Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/  Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.

Rob Crowder is the Head of Product at Nutromics, a high-growth medical sensor device company. Rob has over 20 years in the product development field. He has worked for General Electric, PWC, and more. Today Rob is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can learn from the best practices on user journey mapping for medical devices - How to apply these MedTech best practices to your next product, whether it’s a medical device or any other physical product invention.EPISODE LINKSRob Crowder / Nutromics Links: Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robcrowder/ Company Website: https://www.nutromics.com.au/ The Product Startup Podcast Links: Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent  Mako Design Links: Website: https://www.makodesign.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/  Kevin Mako Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/ Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/  Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.