Being an Engineer · 28 Oct 2022 · 46m · Episode 41
Samuel Feller, a mechanical engineer and founder of awkward engineer, discusses his career transitions from structural and aerospace engineering to product management, consulting, and running his own business selling panic button light switches. He details the experience of launching an analog voltmeter clock via Kickstarter, explaining how he learned to distinguish between a creative hobby and a viable business model, particularly regarding the challenges of distribution and manufacturing costs like injection molding tooling. Feller shares his project management philosophy, emphasizing the importance of asking 'what do I get? When do I get it?' to streamline communication, and highlights the value of collaborating with machinists early in the design process to optimize for manufacturability.
early-stage companies
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Tom Gerhardt and Dan Provost of Studio Neat discuss the failure of their Obi Kickstarter campaign and how it led to a strategic pivot toward smaller, lower-risk products. They detail the development of the Apple TV Remote Stand, which they manufactured in-house using a desktop CNC router, and the iClip for Apple Watch, produced via Shapeways. The hosts analyze the financial and operational lessons learned from these contrasting approaches to product design, manufacturing, and timing.
Ryan Zellers, founder of V1 Engineering, explains how his passion for making things led to the creation of the Mostly Printed CNC (MPCNC) and the growth of his company. He details his journey from working at Robo 3D and a medical device firm to bootstrapping V1 Engineering from a garage, leveraging the Thingiverse community for design feedback and sales. Zellers discusses his deliberate choice to remain a solo operator, using automation and contractors to handle logistics while he focuses on product design and community engagement.
Nick Frank, founder of Knectiv, an Austin-based product design and manufacturing firm, explains their turnkey approach to developing electronic products for startups and enterprises. He highlights common pitfalls like failing to design for manufacturability (DFM) and underestimating upfront costs, using the rapid development of Alan Walton's 'The Scout' hidden camera detector as a case study. Frank also discusses working with Eric Hunter on an automated fish feeder, emphasizing the importance of validating demand through crowdfunding before scaling production.
Craighton Berman, founder of the brand Manual, discusses his transition from independent design studio to launching the Manual Coffee Maker (MCM) via Kickstarter. He details the product's design, which uses borosilicate glass and bamboo to create a ritualistic pour-over experience, and explains his strategy for scaling production and managing the crowdfunding campaign. Berman also reflects on the broader industry shift toward quality materials and the role of platforms like Kickstarter in enabling micro-entrepreneurship in industrial design.
Christian Reed, CEO of Reekon Tools, explains how he bootstrapped the company from a side project to an 8-figure business without VC funding, validating the idea with a $1.2M Kickstarter campaign. He details the manufacturing lessons learned at Formlabs, including how a supplier's factory fire forced a mid-cycle component swap, and describes building a 3M+ social media following through consistent, raw content creation. Reed emphasizes the importance of engineers thinking like entrepreneurs, focusing on product benefits and brand building rather than just invention.
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