# Concept to Market in One Year with Allen Walton of SpyGuy.com [Part 2]

- Show: [Predictable Designs Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast)
- Published: 2020-02-18
- Length: 47m
- Episode: 8
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-02-18-concept-to-market-in-one-year-with-allen-walton-of-spyguy-com-part-2

## Summary

Allen Walton, founder of SpyGuy.com, explains how he brought his product, the Scout, to market in under a year by partnering with Nick Frank at Connective. Walton details his journey from struggling to find an engineer to using online sourcing platforms like Novieland and Sourceify, and finally settling on a full-service manufacturer. He discusses specific challenges including non-standard battery sizes in China, the decision to avoid Amazon due to copycat risks, and design changes like replacing a real pinhole camera with a cheaper fake one to reduce costs.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-02-18-concept-to-market-in-one-year-with-allen-walton-of-spyguy-com-part-2#t=0) Introduction: Allen Walton and the Scout
- [2:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-02-18-concept-to-market-in-one-year-with-allen-walton-of-spyguy-com-part-2#t=125) Decision to Avoid Amazon and Retailers
- [7:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-02-18-concept-to-market-in-one-year-with-allen-walton-of-spyguy-com-part-2#t=420) Finding an Engineer and Building a Prototype
- [12:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-02-18-concept-to-market-in-one-year-with-allen-walton-of-spyguy-com-part-2#t=774) Industrial Design and Manufacturing Hurdles
- [18:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-02-18-concept-to-market-in-one-year-with-allen-walton-of-spyguy-com-part-2#t=1099) Partnering with Connective and Scaling Production
- [25:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-02-18-concept-to-market-in-one-year-with-allen-walton-of-spyguy-com-part-2#t=1529) Sourcing Strategies: Global Sources and Online Platforms
- [35:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-02-18-concept-to-market-in-one-year-with-allen-walton-of-spyguy-com-part-2#t=2152) Debugging Battery Issues and Packaging Changes

## Topics

- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Debugging & failure analysis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/debugging-and-failure-analysis)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- SpyGuy.com (company)
- Scout (product)
- Connective (company)
- Novieland (tool)
- Sourceify (tool)
- Macrofab (company)
- Fictiv (company)
- Global Sources (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [180: Hardware Startup Tips for Non-Technical Founders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-06-15-180-hardware-startup-tips-for-non-technical-founders) (Product Startup)
- [Product Design with Simone Giertz](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-06-07-product-design-with-simone-giertz) (The Amp Hour)
- [Sam Holland (Co-Founder, Informal)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/just-gonna-send-it/2026-04-15-sam-holland-co-founder-informal) (Just Gonna Send It)
- [21: The Way it Goes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2016-12-08-21-the-way-it-goes) (Thoroughly Considered)
- [002: Prototyping, Manufacturing & Selling a Men's Shirt Accessory](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-03-09-002-prototyping-manufacturing-selling-a-mens-shirt-accessory) (Product Startup)

## Citing this page

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