Your Product Development Checklist Before Reaching Out to Factories

Heading into your early stages of product development with no direction on where your brand is heading can lead to a rough production process. If you have an idea of what you want your brand to look like, production should be a breeze and there are a few things that you can map out beforehand. Here's what would be nice to have, and what you need to have before reaching out to factories for your production:

Must have 

• Tech pack

A tech pack is a flat that has all the technical information about your product. Developing a tech pack will save you production time because your design is fleshed out  prior to reaching out. This will clearly communicate each detail about your product to your factory. Having this done ahead of time allows factories to asses your fabric type and gives them an idea of the intricacy of your designs so they can give you an accurate price point. 

Nice to have 

• Patterns
• Fabric samples
• Sizing
• Production sample

This is the remaining product development that can help your factory speed up to production however it's not guaranteed. You'll need to go through sampling with the factory before going into production first to ensure they make your products correctly. You may also want to enlist the factory's help with fabric sourcing to be able to source closer and reduce your carbon footprint.

Extra Credit

• List of non-negotiables
• Purchase order template

We go through this in-depth in our Production Pro course so you are fully ready to approach a factory AND get a favorable response from them. If you're in need of product development but don't know where to go, get started here and we can connect you to a product development expert! 

Need more help?
The Coaching Club is back! Our 4 month brand accelerator is designed for emerging brands and gives you everything you'll need to launch your brand successfully and help you grow. Applications are open until September 17th.

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