Hey everybody, it’s July 27th, 2023. In this issue of Product EVO’s 5X5, we’re back after a couple of busy months off. We rounded spring into summer like railing a berm - but we’re back at it with a revamped blog, pearls of wisdom from Tim Ferriss, and reporting from the Core77 awards. Enjoy :)
X1 - FINDING THE RIGHT FACTORY IS HARD. WE MAKE IT EASIER.
In our blog post, “Find The Right Ractory For Your New Custom Product” you’ll find all the ‘what to do’’s and ‘when to do it for finding and qualifying the right manufacturer. [Pssst! It’s in fact the same process we use to help our clients find the right factories, so, you know it works!] Because diving into the enormous sea of potential supplies online without any direction is as annoying as it is overwhelming. We’ve been there.
So we break it all down for you in our blog post. Like offering ten different ways to assess a factory's qualifications and experience. How best to send out RFQs safely. Even tips on interpreting factory communication styles. And, to help you shortlist your favorite manufacturers, here’s a Factory Scorecard to aid in keeping track of it all.
By the end of our simple, prescriptive process, you’ll have made a sound factory choice without compromising any of your IP or going down any time-consuming supplier rabbit holes.
X2 - LETTING YOURSELF FAIL TO WIN
So there are big-picture goals. And then there’s the daily grind that eats up our attention. But what if you reversed this formula—just for a day?
Farnham Street talks about the “Bikeshed” effect (also known as Parkinson’s Law of Triviality, named for the author who described it) which describes how “getting things done” off of a checklist is so much easier to do, and talk about, and wrap our minds around, than grinding our way through hard, complex tasks. This is why they don’t get done.
Most of us are responsible, rule-following adults who strive to meet our daily commitments, even if it means shelving those big, life-changing projects for the nebulously defined “when we have time.”
Sorry, but you’ll never have time. Or if you do, how many months will it be in the future? And if you do find yourself with a rare free afternoon—will you remember, in that moment, about this important priority in your life you promised yourself you’d get to? It can be very difficult to move big things forward when they seem lofty and far away. Well, I encourage you to bring one of them back to the “now.”
As an experiment, try letting yourself bomb one whole day. Blow off the tasks you’re “supposed” to do and, instead, move that one really important action item forward from your life’s bucket list. It’s worth it.
Maybe Tim Ferriss said it best in his recent Tweet @tferriss
Stories matter. So when you came from nothing, or overcame a lot to get where you are, that story becomes worth something.
Whether that’s the legend that inspired your company’s origin, the personal experiences that led to the design of your product, or the brand story that perfectly captures your company’s mission—it’s important to see your circumstances as part of the journey, not the fences blocking your way.
Because as I’ve said before, your struggle—as in, the disadvantages or hardships you faced and then endured in perfecting your product’s design—is a part of your unique IP. And that journey, however rough, was and is still valuable.
X4 - JUDGING THE CORE77 DESIGN AWARDS
I had the extreme privilege of serving alongside an amazing team of fellow designers as a judge for the eleventh annual Core77 Design Awards, recognizing excellence in the design industry. I was a part of the Commercial Equipment and Robitics awards. I was blown away by the brilliant designers behind this new tech.
One of my personal favorites was a student entry called the Teather Lock System. It was elegant in its simplicity and effectiveness at solving a real problem. Not to mention, the industry design was beautifully done.
Product EVO helps growth-focused companies predictably develop successful new products. We help with Product Strategy, Prototyping, Product Development, Sourcing, Manufacturing, and Quality Control.
The easiest way to try us out is to get a free product costing analysis with real-world manufacturability feedback from factories for your product
