# 046: Bootstrapping Product Development, Stephanie Cummings & Tal Berke of Shlocker

- Show: [Product Startup](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup)
- Published: 2017-03-28
- Length: 44m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-28-046-bootstrapping-product-development-stephanie-cummings-tal-berke-of-shlocker
- Listen: https://theproductstartup.com/046-stephanie-cummings-tal-berke-shlocker/

## Summary

Stephanie Cummings and Tal Berke of Shlocker discuss bootstrapping their shower locker business, starting with validating the pain point of shared bathroom theft through surveys and a hardware-store prototype. They navigated complex sourcing for injection-molded plastic components and off-the-shelf locks, ultimately manufacturing overseas to control costs and quality. The founders funded their first 3,800-unit order via Kickstarter, managed fulfillment through Amazon FBA, and are now targeting college bookstores and mass retail while planning product iterations like shower-head mounting options.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-28-046-bootstrapping-product-development-stephanie-cummings-tal-berke-of-shlocker#t=0) Introduction and Audience Survey
- [4:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-28-046-bootstrapping-product-development-stephanie-cummings-tal-berke-of-shlocker#t=247) Identifying the Pain Point and Initial Validation
- [8:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-28-046-bootstrapping-product-development-stephanie-cummings-tal-berke-of-shlocker#t=488) Prototyping and Market Research Costs
- [10:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-28-046-bootstrapping-product-development-stephanie-cummings-tal-berke-of-shlocker#t=615) Sourcing Manufacturers and Components
- [14:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-28-046-bootstrapping-product-development-stephanie-cummings-tal-berke-of-shlocker#t=841) Manufacturing Strategy and Supply Chain Control
- [16:45](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-28-046-bootstrapping-product-development-stephanie-cummings-tal-berke-of-shlocker#t=1005) Kickstarter Campaign and Fulfillment
- [22:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-28-046-bootstrapping-product-development-stephanie-cummings-tal-berke-of-shlocker#t=1377) Retail Strategy and Trade Shows
- [26:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-28-046-bootstrapping-product-development-stephanie-cummings-tal-berke-of-shlocker#t=1562) Product Iterations and Future Roadmap
- [36:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-28-046-bootstrapping-product-development-stephanie-cummings-tal-berke-of-shlocker#t=2182) Lessons Learned and Marketing Tips

## Topics

- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Shlocker (product)
- SurveyMonkey (tool)
- Kickstarter (other)
- Indiegogo (other)
- Amazon FBA (other)
- CAMX (other)
- IHA (other)
- BuzzFeed (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [S3 E7: Building Bootstrapped Hardware That Sells with Christian Reed](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-builder-circle/2026-01-13-s3-e7-building-bootstrapped-hardware-that-sells-with-christian-reed) (The Builder Circle)
- [Brooklinen: Vicki and Rich Fulop](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-04-20-brooklinen-vicki-and-rich-fulop) (How I Built This)
- [Bombas: David Heath and Randy Goldberg](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-09-19-bombas-david-heath-and-randy-goldberg) (How I Built This)
- [Scrub Daddy: Aaron Krause. How a Failed Experiment Became a Billion-Dollar Sponge](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-03-16-scrub-daddy-aaron-krause-how-a-failed-experiment-became-a-billion-dollar-sponge) (How I Built This)
- [3: Onward](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2015-10-28-3-onward) (Thoroughly Considered)

## Citing this page

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