For founders and product teams making physical products
Get your product made. Keep it made right.
Free tools, practical guides, and a complete playbook for choosing a contract manufacturer, comparing real quotes, and scaling production without the expensive surprises.
Free · no sign-up · your answers stay on your device
The path
From first call to steady production, in five stages.
- 01Prepare
Know your product before anyone quotes it.
Write an RFQ - 02Choose
Choose on evidence, not on the sales pitch.
Questions to ask - 03Contract
Turn the deal into an agreement you can run.
Agreement checklist - 04Transfer
Move it in, prove it works, then scale it.
EVT, DVT, PVT - 05Run
Keep production steady and stay protected.
AQL sampling
Start free
Useful in the next ten minutes.
Are you ready to contact a manufacturer? Answer a few focused questions and get a prioritized workplan you can copy.
Start the check Free calculatorCost CalculatorWhat does one sellable unit really cost once labor, packaging, fees, and the units you can’t sell are counted?
Run the numbers 10 practical guidesGuidesFinding a manufacturer, the questions to ask, red flags, RFQs, landed cost, tooling ownership, and more.
Read the guidesThe Contract Manufacturing Playbook
Everything you need, thought through before you need it.
The complete method in five short books, following two fictional products with worked numbers, a machined laptop stand and a skincare serum, from the first call to routine production.
- 5 books
- 4 field kits
- 1 project workbook
- 14 templates, blank and filled in
Guides
Straight answers to the questions founders search for.
- How to Find a Contract Manufacturer (and Know It's a Real Factory)Find a contract manufacturer you can trust: write a search statement, use three source types, verify it is a real factory, and screen before you share.
- Contract Manufacturer Red Flags: What to Catch at Each StageContract manufacturer red flags at each stage: first call, quote, site visit, and contract. Plus five things that look bad but usually aren't.
- How to Compare Manufacturer Quotes: Landed Cost per Good UnitA worked example: three manufacturer quotes on three Incoterms, normalized to landed cost per good unit with freight, duty, yield, tooling, and cash.
- Tooling Ownership Agreement: How to Make Sure You Can Take Your Tooling With YouPaying for tooling is not owning it. What a tooling ownership agreement should cover: tags, release on demand, mold life, payment milestones, and liens.
- Questions to Ask a Contract Manufacturer, and What Good Answers Sound Like20 questions to ask a contract manufacturer, with what a strong answer and a red-flag answer sound like. Plus a 30-minute first-call agenda.
- Private Label vs Contract Manufacturer for Cosmetics: Who Owns Your Formula?Private label, stock formula, full-service, or fill-only? Compare cosmetic manufacturing models by who owns the formula, cash at launch, and risk.
Every tool separates what a manufacturer says from what they can show you.
Clear about what it covers and what it doesn’t. No consulting upsell, no sales calls.
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