I work in marketing technology/ operations, but I’ve always wanted to build a brand and learn how to bring a product to market. My goal is to develop a product for a niche group, with the longer-term goal of generating a small amount of income for when I become FI.
The past four months, I’ve been developing a housewares product -- a broom and dustpan combo that is rich in color and design with a brand personality centered around minimalism and a bit of rebellion.
Here’s an example of the spirit of my product/brand:
If you look at house cleaning ads, it's all about the woman cleaning up an already clean kitchen with khakis and a cardigan. I want to sprinkle some personality into the cleaning tool industry. And bring style/rebellion into your home by creating everyday items that are interesting. I want to create a broom and dustpan combo with unique color options and thoughtful design. Proving that everyday functional household items can reflect your style. I want my brand to be real and honest and with a bit of humor-all of which I don’t see in the cleaning tools industry.
What I’m doing now
I’m working a local chapter of SCORE (a program that helps entrepreneurs work through their business plan and help you get to market) but I’m really stuck on creating the first physical iteration of a tangible product. I want to develop something so I can get feedback, refine the idea, and get additional advice on materials/market research.
This past month I’ve reached out to 6 artists and fabricators in my area with a product brief and background of my idea, but there has been little interest. I even met one guy in person, who was great but didn’t have the bandwidth to add a smaller project like this.
From this post I hope to do a few things:
1) Get more involved in the MMM community, since I’ve followed it since 2017 and it’s been a life-changer… this is my second post on the forum
2) Hold myself more accountable by talking with a larger group of people (you) about my “stucks” so it can help me see my issues differently and move forward
3) Get suggestions from this community about how to get un-stuck and produce my first working prototype so I can get feedback and interest on the product
Although we are going through a worldwide crisis I still want to move forward with this. Producing something has always been a dream of mine, but the excuse of being busy and not knowing what to do has stood in my way.