The Amp Hour · 7 Jun 2022 · 1h 05m · Episode 592
Simone Giertz, an inventor and product designer, discusses her transition from YouTube content creation to launching the Yetge store, where she sells products like the Everyday Calendar, Scissor Lamp, and screwdriver rings. She details the challenges of manufacturing, including dealing with factory quality issues, supply chain delays, and the high costs of small-batch production. Giertz explains her strategy of starting with small pre-production runs to mitigate risk and her decision to maintain full ownership of her brand to preserve creative control and avoid the pitfalls of scaling too aggressively.
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.
Tom Gerhardt and Dan Provost, founders of Studio Neat, answer listener questions about their backgrounds at Frog Design and Potion, their transition from side hustle to full-time business, and their philosophy on maintaining a small, agile company. They discuss specific product challenges, such as the physics of the Neat Ice Kit, the limitations of CAD simulation for simple mechanisms, and the frustration with the AirPress packaging. The conversation also covers their marketing strategies, the tension between transparency and secrecy in product development, and their experiences managing Kickstarter backer expectations.
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.
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.
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.
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