[sdiy] Advice for a Startup

[DIY DSP]

I've been thinking about this a lot, adding everyone's advice to my own experience and I have an updated recommendation: Try it with a single product and see how it goes.  "Timebox" it to e.g. 3 months.  Focus on a single product.  Don't start a business account (yet).  Keep it simple.  Don't quit the day job (yet).  OP mentioned a small universe of "gizmos," but I recommend considering 3, then weighing them in terms of e.g. feasibility, time-to-market, and customer value, then picking one and making it happen.  There will be temptations to start new things before the first is done.  Avoid those.  Then, wait a month, and try another 3 month adventure.  After those two experiences, you will be much more informed and wiser and experienceder!

Re-reading OP's post to focus more directly on the questions, one thing that concerned meis the audience size for some of those products.  They seemed to be mostly for synth designers, which is a small number of people compared to e.g. players and collectors.  E.g. the value to most people of a transistor matcher is very low...   All is not lost though, but I suggest trying to figure out how to make that relevant to your average player.  Can you target a specific module that someone already sells and make it better by selling someone a kit to match the transistors inside it?  

Can you write out a lesson and theory/learning plan for an existing module?  Can you get paid for doing so by an existing company who sees it as a value add?  The idea here is to really not start from scratch, but to do the smallest valuable unit of work to minimize your concept-to-cash time.



Noah Vawter's futuristic electronic music instrument lab: youtube.com/diydsp 

    On Wednesday, February 22, 2023 at 01:03:50 AM EST, Jonathan Lippard via Synth-diy <synth-diy at synth-diy.org> wrote:  
 
 It's like starting a microbrewery.

The minute you do it, you're no longer in the business of *making* synths, you're in the business of *selling* synths, which is an entirely different and more difficult beast to tame.

I forget the exact wording of the quote, but someone influential on the order of Leo Fender or Bob Moog is attributed to have said "The best way of making $1 million building musical instruments is to start with $10 million."

-J

> On 02/21/2023 12:53 AM Roman Sowa <modular at go2.pl> wrote:
> 
>  
> Hi
> 
> in short - Don't do it! You'll thank me later
> 
> Running an electronic hardware business requires around 5% of 
> time/resources related to electronics, and 95% is general business hassle.
> If you have prior experience managing a bakery, car dealer, shoe factory 
> or construction building company, you will get succesfull making synths 
> too. Electronic knowledge or experience is not essential, I dare to say, 
> not important at all.
> 
> If you feel more like an engineer rather than businessman, maybe it's 
> better to join already existing company, or talk to friends who know 
> that business shit inside out.
> 
> Roman
> 
> W dniu 2023-02-21 o 01:25, Ashlyn Black pisze:
> > 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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