A startup founder’s guide to shipping options — from garage packing to Amazon’s walled garden Every physical product founder faces the same moment of panic. “Wait, HOW do I actually get this thing to customers?” You’ve perfected the product, built the website, launched ads. Now someone orders your amazing creation and you realize you have no clue how to ship it efficiently. Welcome to the fulfillment decision tree. In-house fulfillment means you (or your team) pack and ship everything. Full...
1 day ago • 1 min read
AI no longer has to live in the cloud (and what that means to all makers). Arm has unveiled its next-gen chip designs built to run powerful AI models directly on devices, from wearables to appliances to industrial sensors. No round-trips to distant servers, no latency spikes, no hidden cloud bills. For product makers, I don’t see this as a spec race. More like a design opening. Edge AI lets you build smarter features into everyday objects. For use anywhere, even off the grid. Think predictive...
2 days ago • 1 min read
Sounds like jargon, but DFM is one of the sharpest tools small makers can use. Design for Manufacturing (DFM) means shaping a product so it can be made efficiently, without fragile parts, wasteful steps, or surprise costs. Apple, Dyson and IKEA use it, but it isn’t only for giants. Any company that turns an idea into a physical product (startups, niche consumer brands, even service firms making their own hardware) should apply DFM thinking. The simplest way to start: Sit down early with a...
3 days ago • 1 min read
Your product’s packaging is often the first sales call. I’m working with a client in the cleaning product space, so my team is immersed in the trends and brain science around the function and sensory appeal of “clean”. In that world, packaging has to do multiple duties: strong enough to survive shipping, sealed for freshness and leak-resistance, durable enough for repeat use. But for a new brand, that’s only the starting line. The real work is SHOWING customers instantly what makes your...
4 days ago • 1 min read
An AI note-taker that travels on the back of your phone has already sold over a million units. I appreciate AI note-taking on video calls. It captures everything while I stay focused on the conversation. No scribbling, and no missed details. (The odd comical error is easy to fix.) Now there’s a device that brings the same focus into the offline world: Plaud’s Note Pro. It sticks to your phone so you always have it, records meetings, calls or lectures, and lets you query your notes later....
5 days ago • 1 min read
It creates loyalty, revenue, and sustainability, all in ONE move. Two days ago I mentioned Methods — the shoe brand that separates uppers and soles so buyers can replace just one part instead of the whole thing. That’s modularity. And it’s applicable to most product types. Framework’s laptops take the same approach: repairable, swappable components so you never again need to junk an entire machine when one part gives out. Fairphone does it in smartphones, letting users upgrade cameras,...
6 days ago • 1 min read
When buyers get frustrated, they’re already half gone. It doesn’t matter how advanced or helpful your product is if the path to “yes” feels tedious. Frustration kills decisions faster than competition does. Think about checkout lines. If you know there’ll be a long one at the grocery store, you won’t go in for bananas. Shoppers abandon carts not because they dislike what’s inside, but because the process itself is friction. Or think of apps. Users don’t delete them because of missing...
7 days ago • 1 min read
Circular footwear is a lesson in new business models. Solk’s Fade 101 sneaker — six years in development — proved it’s possible to make stylish, everyday shoes designed to compost. Chrome-free leather, plant-based linings, natural rubber soles. All tested to biodegrade safely and in a reasonable time-frame. Back-end done: Solk even built its own composting infrastructure. But this isn’t exclusive to shoes. Circular models point to smarter design from first use to end of life — and more...
8 days ago • 1 min read
In the 1990s, Nova Scotia brewery Alexander Keith’s ran a slogan I’ll never forget. “Those who like it, like it a lot.” That line nailed what it means to be a cult brand. Nobody gets a Harley Davidson tattoo because they think the bikes are sorta better. They do it because Harley means something TRIBAL. And there’s probably no parallel universe in which folks have Honda or Suzuki tattoos. Those brands have worked hard to occupy the massive middle, doing very well with millions upon millions...
9 days ago • 1 min read
