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“Make sure you're solving someone's problem or a group of people's problem, not just your own.”
Pat Flynn runs the blog, podcast, and community known as Smart Passive Income. Caleb Wojcik owns a video production company. They'd worked together for years — including building out Pat's YouTube channel — when, in the summer of 2017, they attended a vlogging event called VidSummit. There, they noticed something odd: a lot of people were using a piece of equipment that wasn't meant for vlogging at all.
It was the GorillaPod, a flexible tripod. Vloggers were bending it into a C-curve to extend their cameras out and away for a good self-angle while keeping their arm out of the shot. It was awkward, slow to set down, and unsafe for the expensive gear attached. The more Pat and Caleb talked, the more they wondered what a purpose-built alternative would look like — how it would feel and function. It wasn't just a market they spotted for others; it was a problem they wanted to solve for themselves.
Both had spent their careers on digital products, so making a physical one was a genuine departure — a challenge and a learning opportunity, and half the fun. They hired a product-development agency to help design, prototype, and connect with manufacturers. The first seven months of prototyping happened in the US with 3D printers in Utah, before moving to metal production in China, with the agency handling the supply chain.
The result was the SwitchPod: a lightweight, compact, nearly indestructible tool that works with any camera, from a phone to a DSLR, and switches between handheld and tripod modes in seconds. The promise is simple — save time between shots so you can focus on shooting, not fumbling with gear.
They launched the Kickstarter on January 29, 2019, and hit their $100,000 goal in under twelve hours, refreshing the page in disbelief all day and celebrating with pizza and their families. By the end of the campaign they'd raised $415,748. Then came the patient part: seven prototypes and final manufacturing, including a trip to China to see the factory. They delayed the launch several times to get the timing right — frustrating in the moment, but worth it.
For anyone braving the move into physical products, Caleb's advice: research heavily, and make sure you're solving a real problem for a group of people, not just yourself. Talk to your target market, start with cheap prototypes (theirs began as cardboard and 3D prints), and keep it simple — every extra feature is something that can complicate or break what you've already figured out. And don't discount the years Pat and Caleb spent building community and giving back; that audience is a big reason the campaign took off.
