[sdiy] Advice for a Startup

[Mike Beauchamp]

Hey Ashlyn,
I say go for it! There's a few comments in here cautioning you and 
advising against even attempting this, but imagine someone telling 
Ladyada not to have bothered selling kits when they first started?

I think what most people are just saying is that it's definitely not an 
easy way to make money, and working-for-the-man is generally a lot 
easier and pays more, has benefits, steady hours, limited to 40hr/week, 
etc.

It's true that it can be hard to make money, but who knows, you could 
come up with an amazing product that becomes a "must have" and if you 
also find out a way to make them with minimal or no effort then you can 
make out pretty decent. Or maybe it just stays a side-hustle, and that's 
great too. Or you find out it isn't worth your time at all and you stop 
doing it, that's fine as well.

I recommend keeping a log of your hours and then eventually dividing up 
your profits by those hours just as a reality check to see how much 
you're actually getting paid per hour. It's easy to just work tons of 
hours doing small things like emails, but not mentally count it as 
"work" when it is.

The other thing I'd say is that appearances and aesthetics really 
matter. Eurorack could be considered "flooded" with products, in a 
smiliar way guitar pedal market is. The ones that sell work perfect and 
they also look amazing - they make people want to use them, touch them, 
make their lights blink, etc. Lots of companies I talk to hire graphic 
designers for their designs, like Mutable Instruments, etc. Treat your 
first product design like the first of many, and nail down your design 
language so you can remain consistent going forward.

Mike



On 2/20/23 7:25 PM, Ashlyn Black wrote:
> Hi friends,
> 
> I'm aiming to start my own business this year, doing standalone / 
> modular synth kits, plus associated gizmos like LCR testers, transistor 
> matchers, tuners and the like. I'll be placing a lot of focus on 
> documentation. I've noticed most kits merely provide assembly 
> instructions, however I also want to cover the underlying theory of 
> operation, mathematics, design process and such with most of the project 
> files (ie schematics, 3D models, source code if applicable) publicly 
> accessible.
> 
> What I really need help with though is advice on the commerce side of 
> the equation, as I am currently constructing my business plan. Topics 
> such as cost breakdowns, budgeting, who buys what and where they buy it 
> from etc. Essentially, information that someone currently or formerly 
> working in the industry would know from experience or at least be privy to.
> 
> General feedback on the state (rise? decline?) of synth/hobby 
> electronics is also very welcome and helpful. :)
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Ashlyn
> 
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