Product Startup Kevin Mako of Mako Design + Invent

Tim Bucciarelli is a Director at IronPlane, an eCommerce agency that works with many large product brands. Tim has been a leader in the eCommerce space for almost 30 years. Today Tim is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can understand what eCommerce is, how to choose a great eCommerce platform for your current and future product needs, and how to do a good job of building out your platform, especially around business to business sales.
Today you will hear us talk about:

What is eCommerce

How do you choose the right platform to sell online

Back end platforms explained, and how they connect to front end

How do you do it well

Understand your customer

Understand investment

Wordpress and WooCommerce is an easy way to get started online

Shopify is a SaaS, a central piece of software

BitCommerce is a SaaS that is a bit more opened up

Adobe Commerce / Magento is larger and more customizable


EPISODE LINKS
Tim Bucciarelli / IronPlane Links:


Website: https://www.ironplane.com/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-bucciarelli/



The Product Startup Podcast Links:


Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/



Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/



Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/



Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/



Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/



Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup



YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent



Mako Design Links:


Website: https://www.makodesign.com/



YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent



Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/



Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/



Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/



Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/



Kevin Mako Links:


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/



Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako



Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/



Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/



About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

John Carter was the Chief Engineer for Bose for over 12 years, most notably being the name behind noise-canceling headphones.  After that, he founded TCGen, and has spent 22 years working with some of the biggest hardware brands in the world on improving their product development processes.  He is also a fellow writer with me at Forbes. Today John is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can use best practices from the leading hardware development teams in the world to improve your product design, launch, and scaling journey by understanding what it takes to succeed in the long run, utilizing customer feedback, getting to market fast, and many other development secrets.
Today you will hear us talk about:

To figure out how to make a great product, he worked all around the world to find out how the best in the world did hardware product development.

How do you know what areas you should focus on for innovation

Innovation is not free, it takes a tremendous amount of work, sustained effort, and a budget.

Focus on one key innovation.

Don’t share with customers too early, design through the concept first.

How do you reduce risk that is out there.

Don’t feature creep

Get to market, then reiterate and improve.

Principles of agile development and how it applies to hardware consumer products.

Empower your team

The importance of industrial design

Try rotating feedback in hardware


EPISODE LINKS
John Carter / TCGen Links:


Website: https://www.tcgen.com/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcartertcgen/



The Product Startup Podcast Links:


Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/



Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/



Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/



Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/



Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/



Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup



YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent



Mako Design Links:


Website: https://www.makodesign.com/



YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent



Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/



Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/



Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/



Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/



Kevin Mako Links:


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/



Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako



Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/



Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/



About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

Piotr Zajac is the CEO of Untitled Kingdom, a 55-person mobile app development company that focuses on apps for physical hardware connected devices. They have built and launched over 75 full-scale apps for hardware products. Today Piotr is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can understand how to best manage the design and development of your hardware device’s app, and what are the best practices for making a connected device’s app great.
Today you will hear us talk about:

IoT, MedTech, and FemTech

Building an app for your hardware product

Think about your end-users

Onboarding new users with your application

Intution takes time to develop to your user base

Create a habit in your user

Buy their hands, their hearts, and their brains

Feedback is key

Quality of apps, FDA Certification, ISO Certfication

Quality is much more valuable, and far less expensive, in the long term

Security

Technology protocols

Simplicity in your features

You can change the world with your product ideas


EPISODE LINKS
Piotr Zajac / Untitled Kingdom Links:


Website: https://www.untitledkingdom.com/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zajacp/



The Product Startup Podcast Links:


Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/



Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/



Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/



Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/



Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/



Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup



YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent



Mako Design Links:


Website: https://www.makodesign.com/



YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent



Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/



Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/



Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/



Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/



Kevin Mako Links:


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/



Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako



Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/



Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/



About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

Tom Pupo is the founder and head of Moonlighter Fab Lab Miami, which Mako Design just partnered with on a new 8,000 square foot hardware makerspace right down Miami Beach. Tom has a Masters Degree in architecture, and been running makerspaces for many years. Today Tom is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on what a makerspace is, what makes one great, and how hardware startups can benefit from them in many ways beyond just space and machinery.
Today you will hear us talk about:

What does a hardware makerspace do

What makes a space great

What are the benefits

Space, tools, people

Design, prototype, test, get feedback, and redo

Coworking, fabrication lab, and STEAM learning centre

Learning design thinking in the design process

A makerspace is such a pure experience to get to learn about the product development hourney




EPISODE LINKS
Tom Pupo / Moonlighter Miami Links:


Website: https://moonlighterfablab.org/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tpupo/



The Product Startup Podcast Links:


Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/



Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/



Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/



Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/



Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/



Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup



YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent



Mako Design Links:


Website: https://www.makodesign.com/



YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent



Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/



Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/



Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/



Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/



Kevin Mako Links:


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/



Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako



Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/



Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/



About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

Mark Maybury is the Chief Technology Officer at Stanley Black and Decker. He is also a member of the Defense Science Board and was a Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force. Today Mark is going to share some valuable knowledge for inventors, startups, and small manufacturers on what makes a consumer product great in 2022, and how to consider these things from the design phase, through to production, then onto scaling up.
Today you will hear us talk about:

What makes a great new product in your industry

Innovative, valuable, and scalable

Environmentally and socially

Big companies look at innovators and inventors to be the change master

Scaling a hardware startup business

There are many parts to scaling, not just sales.

Pitching to Stanley black and decker

Genuine need, real value created, and a great team (humility)

Secrets of innovation

Observe carefully, listen deeply, think outside of the box, experiment with purpose, and collaborate.


EPISODE LINKS
Mark Maybury / Stanley Black and Decker Links:


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-mark-maybury-28532/



Website: https://www.stanleyblackanddecker.com/



Submit to Stanley: https://www.stanleyblackanddecker.com/submityouridea



Accelerator: https://www.stanleyblackanddecker.com/article/stanleytechstars-accelerator-announces-open-application



Stanley Ventures: https://www.stanleyventures.com/



Stanley Impact Challenge: https://www.stanleyblackanddecker.com/social-responsibility/people/impact-challenge



The Product Startup Podcast Links:


Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/



Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/



Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/



Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/



Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/



Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup



YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent



Mako Design Links:


Website: https://www.makodesign.com/



YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent



Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/



Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/



Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/



Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/



Kevin Mako Links:


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/



Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako



Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/



Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/



About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!

Dougal Grimes is the Vice President of Innovation and Inventors Relations for SpinMaster Toys. He leads a team of people who review product pitches from inventors just like you. Before this, he worked for over 10 years as a leader in many different roles at Hasbro. Today Dougal is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can best pitch to large product brands like SpinMaster, and what you can do to best prepare for, deliver, and expand your product’s success with this type of partnership.
Today you will hear us talk about:

Developing the toy idea out

A great idea can come from anywhere

Big ideas come from the mass market, not in-house design teams

The process of meeting inventors is quite freeform

Pitching the idea well is important, and applies to all type of industries

Have a quick pitch, then a proof of concept physically, then prove feasibility of manufacturability, that it is safe, that it is viable, and possibly that it has intellectual property protection.

Look for toy fairs, conferences, reach out via LinkedIn, find the invention submission areas of the company.

Remember, a product pitch is a promotion.

Don’t lead with the technical aspects, lead with the features.

Remember, you are bringing a solution to a company when you pitch.

The inventors vision and passion can help push a product through to greater success even after a licencing deal is struck

Timelines for toy inventors getting to market


EPISODE LINKS
Dougal Grimes / SpinMaster Links:


Website: https://www.spinmaster.com/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougalgrimes/



The Product Startup Podcast Links:


Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/



Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/



Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/



Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/



Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/



Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup



YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent



Mako Design Links:


Website: https://www.makodesign.com/



YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent



Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/



Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/



Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/



Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/



Kevin Mako Links:


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/



LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/



Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako



Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/



Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/



About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry’s leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about Mako Design + Invent!