# WORST DAY Bringing a New Product to Market

- Show: [Predictable Designs Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast)
- Published: 2022-11-09
- Length: 11m
- Episode: 34
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2022-11-09-worst-day-bringing-a-new-product-to-market

## Summary

John Teel, host of the Predictable Designs Podcast, recounts his journey bringing the 'Pop-Up Microlite' to market in 2007. He describes his initial excitement from a Blockbuster VP, the stress of presenting in Dallas, and the devastation of receiving blunt negative feedback on a warped 3D-printed prototype. Teel explains how he diagnosed the material failure due to heat, rebuilt trust with the buyer, and leveraged the resulting letter of intent to secure manufacturing investment.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/predictable-designs-podcast/2022-11-09-worst-day-bringing-a-new-product-to-market#t=0) Introduction and Product Overview

## Topics

- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Debugging & failure analysis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/debugging-and-failure-analysis)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Pop-Up Microlite (product)
- Blockbuster Video (company)
- Texas Instruments (company)
- hardwareacademy.com (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [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)
- [Ep. 39 - Starting a Hardware Company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast/2025-05-15-ep-39-starting-a-hardware-company) (Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast)
- [2: Launching](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2015-10-05-2-launching) (Thoroughly Considered)
- [186: Sleeping on the Factory Floor](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-02-09-186-sleeping-on-the-factory-floor) (Embedded.fm)
- [Episode 203: So and So Johnson](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2019-02-22-episode-203-so-and-so-johnson) (Making It)

## Citing this page

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