This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
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What's up friends, listeners, community? Welcome to Side Hustle School. My name is Chris Guillebeau, taking you on an adventure, a daily adventure of stories, case studies, advice, tips, questions and answers, all about creating a new source of income without quitting your job. That's what we're about here in lots of different ways. Today's caller is wondering, well, he's starting a side hustle, first of all, that requires a physical product.
And he's wondering, how can he make a prototype? And just in case you're not familiar with the word, a prototype is a sample or model of what will eventually become a product that is usually manufactured. So it's usually made in a factory. And before you make 1,000 or 10,000 of your item, whatever the big number is, you design and create a working sample. Now the challenge is, the challenge that our caller is facing and anybody in this situation would face, is if it's a physical product that hasn't existed before, this is an invention, essentially, how do you go about getting the prototype made?
Because there's no prototype.com, which by the way, I did go and check. 'Cause I was like, I'm gonna say there's no prototype.com and then there probably is actually. So I went and looked and it's just a parked site. So there's no prototype.com, or if there was, it would probably be a company that charged a lot of money to make a prototype. So what might be a better option?
That's what we'll look at in this episode after the message from our sponsor. [Music]
Hi, this is Dylan from Orlando, Florida, and I've been listening to the show for about one year now. I love the content and really love in the new format. I'm thinking about starting a side hustle that requires a physical product. After some initial research, I don't see any similar items to build from or really to model after.
I'd like to have a mold created for a prototype and wondering what options or resources should I look into to have one made, and if having a mold created is even worth the payoff. Thank you for all the help and encouragement. I hope you and your listeners remain healthy. Thanks, Chris. Dylan, what's up, man?
Thank you for listening in Orlando. Hope you are doing well also. And yeah, let's see. I got a couple of thoughts for you here. First, I was thinking about episode 989.
So this is going back, I don't know what, 300 days or something. That episode was about two guys who made this really cool tripod stand, like something that hadn't been made before, or it was a variation on something that had been done before, but nobody had done it in this way before. And so they went through a whole prototype process, and they used a company called product.com. So that's product, P-R-O-U-D-U-C-T.com. And basically it is a small business that helps other small businesses and side hustlers go through the process of designing, prototyping, and connecting with potential manufacturers overseas.
So they are a middleman essentially, but one with a pretty good reputation. I know a few other people that have used them. I don't have any affiliation or experience with them myself, but I would look at product.com, P-R-O-U-D-U-C-T.com. Maybe have a conversation with them. My second suggestion is actually to look locally and ask around just Google Orlando, whatever your location is for other listeners.
Google that city name followed by makers space, or look for a co-working space. If you can't find a maker space. Lots of cities now have these shared spaces, which are a little bit different from co-working, like sitting with your laptop. They have 3D printers. They have more of a workspace to do physical assembly.
They have trades people that work there, either full-time or just running the space upon occasion. And they usually are pretty well connected in the community, and they know people who do all sorts of things. And there's a whole economy that revolves around these spaces. So I actually might start with that, or maybe simultaneously, like while you have an inquiry off to a product or anybody else like that, look around locally. 3D printing in general, by the way, is much more accessible now.
And so you might be able to just pay for the space and a freelancer to make your product for you there. So in case somebody else is wondering, hey, what's the big deal with making a prototype? Like why not just make the actual product? Well, first, as I mentioned, prototypes can reveal problems that are much better to find out before you make, you know, a thousand or whatever the number is of the final product. But also if Dylan or somebody else is thinking about doing a crowdfunding campaign, whether it's a Kickstarter or something similar, it really, really helps to show a demonstration of your product.
If it is a physical product, I think it's almost vital, you know, to have that sample, that model, because it builds trust. It shows your potential backers, not only do I have an idea, but I know I can make this idea work. Like it might require some struggle to get that prototype made. And so the whole point is that you have gone through that struggle. And now your message to anybody who might be a backer is like, I know it works, I just need some help to get it built.
So essentially you're providing proof. That's why I do think it's pretty important, especially if you're considering crowdfunding. All right, Dylan, good luck. Let us know how it goes. Listeners, if you've got a question of your own, just come to sidehustleschool.com/questions.
We're gonna feature them throughout the year. As you can tell, I can't believe we were halfway through the year, just about, wow. Well, we're gonna feature them throughout the year, the rest of the year still, along with updates from other listeners as they launch their projects. Thanks so much. You are awesome.
My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School. [Music]
From the Onward Project.
