# 6 Strategies to Get Your Product Developed

- Show: [Predictable Designs Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast)
- Published: 2020-05-04
- Length: 25m
- Episode: 17
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-05-04-6-strategies-to-get-your-product-developed

## Summary

John Teel, host of the Predictable Designs podcast, outlines six strategies for developing electronic hardware products, ranging from doing it all yourself to partnering with manufacturers. He evaluates each approach based on the founder's technical skills, budget, product complexity, and time-to-market requirements, highlighting the trade-offs between cost, control, and equity. Teel emphasizes that while hiring a design firm offers project management relief, it is expensive and may alienate investors, whereas partnering with a manufacturer like those on Alibaba can accelerate development for incremental innovations but carries IP risks.

## Chapters

- [0:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-05-04-6-strategies-to-get-your-product-developed#t=15) Introduction and Strategy Overview
- [0:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-05-04-6-strategies-to-get-your-product-developed#t=15) Strategy 1: Designing the Product Yourself
- [0:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-05-04-6-strategies-to-get-your-product-developed#t=15) Strategy 2: Building an Early Prototype for Funding
- [0:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-05-04-6-strategies-to-get-your-product-developed#t=15) Strategy 3: Finding a Technical Co-Founder
- [11:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-05-04-6-strategies-to-get-your-product-developed#t=661) Strategy 4: Hiring Freelance Engineers
- [14:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-05-04-6-strategies-to-get-your-product-developed#t=858) Strategy 5: Hiring a Full Design Firm
- [14:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-05-04-6-strategies-to-get-your-product-developed#t=858) Strategy 6: Partnering with a Manufacturer
- [14:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2020-05-04-6-strategies-to-get-your-product-developed#t=858) Conclusion and Hardware Academy Pitch

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch

## Mentioned

- Predictable Designs (company)
- Hardware Academy (company)
- Upwork (company)
- Guru (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [216: 5 Key Tips For Starting Your Product Development Journey](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2024-03-11-216-5-key-tips-for-starting-your-product-development-journey) (Product Startup)
- [S2E51 The Hardware Academy | John Teel](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-12-03-s2e51-the-hardware-academy-john-teel) (Being an Engineer)
- [S2E37 Defied the odds:  A Physical Product Development Firm That Focuses on Startups & Small Businesses, Mako Design + Invent –Kevin Mako](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-08-23-s2e37-defied-the-odds-a-physical-product-development-firm-that-focuses-on-startu) (Being an Engineer)
- [Introducing: It's only a Prototype Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/its-only-a-prototype/2025-04-09-introducing-its-only-a-prototype-podcast) (It's Only a Prototype)
- [The Spark Gap - Episode 52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-spark-gap/2018-01-01-the-spark-gap-episode-52) (The Spark Gap)

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