Develop and package your product

Turn a sample into a product, packaging, and a cost you can price around.

4 steps, 24 questions, laid out in the order you'll hit them

Each step is a topic with the real questions D2C founders ask; open whichever one you're stuck on for the answer and the resources on it.

1. 1
   Developing your product

   From idea to a sample you'd put your name on.

   How do I actually go from a rough idea to a working prototype? 4 → What should I actually put in a product brief or spec sheet before I approach a manufacturer? 3 → How many rounds of samples should I expect before something's actually production-ready? 3 → Should I hire a product designer, or can I figure this out myself? 3 → How do I know people actually want this before I spend on tooling or bulk development? 3 → All 6 questions in Developing your product →
2. 2
   MOQs, samples & quality control

   Small first orders, samples that match, QC that holds.

   The MOQ is way too high for me, how do I actually get it lowered? 4 → What's a 'golden sample' and why does it matter so much? 3 → How many sample rounds should I go through before approving a design for production? 3 → What is AQL and how do I actually use it to inspect a batch before it ships? 3 → Should I hire a third-party quality inspector, or can I trust the factory's own QC? 3 → All 6 questions in MOQs, samples & quality control →
3. 3
   Packaging design & development

   Packaging that survives shipping and sells the product.

   What's the difference between primary and secondary packaging, and do I need to nail both from day one? 3 → How do I design packaging that survives shipping without blowing up my cost per unit? 3 → How do I create an unboxing experience without blowing my packaging budget? 4 → Where do I get custom packaging made in India, boxes, mailers, pouches, at a low MOQ? 3 → What labelling is legally mandatory on my packaging in India? 2 → All 6 questions in Packaging design & development →
4. 4
   Product costing & COGS

   Know your landed cost to the last rupee.

   What's the actual difference between COGS and landed cost, and why does mixing them up wreck my margins? 3 → How do I calculate my true landed cost per unit, including duty, freight and GST? 3 → What import duty and GST will I actually pay bringing goods into India? 3 → How do I set my price once I actually know my costs, what margin should I be targeting? 3 → What free tools or calculators can I use to model landed cost before I place an order? 3 → All 6 questions in Product costing & COGS →