cost factor. The general 18 to 24-month timetable for getting a

product

to market is seldom affected by this choice. On labor intensive items,

such as children’s products and graphics, overseas manufacturers can

bring in great per-piece savings. Also, for lighter articles, overseas

makers frequently have similar equipment more readily available, thus

cutting down on retooling costs.

However, quality control becomes a major issue the further your specs

get shipped from your supervision. Having your company one floor above

the factory where managers can run down and check on things is, of

course, ideal. When abroad, it will at least become necessary to hire

a special quality control agent to check all the work on site during

each shift. Seems expensive? Bitter experience has forced many firms

to have each piece submitted to a domestic inspector at each stage.

"Never underestimate the enormity of the language barrier,"

advises Coppolino. "You would not believe some of the errors in

graphics that I have seen come out China — both in design specs

and on packaging instructions."

to present your backers with a flat board picture of your new shoe

line. More and more funders want to can the glitz and see their funds

invested in the nuts and bolts of production. However, setting a

tangible

pair of shoes on the table before each potential funder for her

personal

inspection beats a disc full of graphics. It also teaches the

entrepreneur

many things. By special-ordering samples from a potential supplier,

you get to see how he works, his quality, and his ability to meet

deadlines.

thrift, access to experts and general convenience has been

exhaustively

touted. And truly for the startup business, each of these factors

becomes especially poignant. Most of all, a deft blending of

outsourced

personnel, Coppolino points out, saves time. You can set several

projects

of your launch all swiftly overlapping and thus bring your product

to market often months earlier. On the manufacturing end, outsourcing

production remains popular due to huge factory and equipment costs.

However, when seeking an outside manufacturer, few contractors make

full inventory of what materials the plant owner uses on other jobs

that can be cheaply purchased and require minimal changeover.

Yet, ever wary of trends, Coppolino warns outsourcing’s very

flexibility

can lead to a loss of control when you need it most. Project teams,

if not well orchestrated, can get ahead of each other and force you

to backtrack and undo work. Further, the contract worker holds no

great loyalty to your shop and he may be working elsewhere during

those vital hours. Also, his intellectual property may very well not

fall under your control.

of business’ greatest bottlenecks," says Coppolino. It is very

hard to cut a retailer’s time schedule. The mass merchandiser wants

to see your item in January for July. Between that time, while it

passes through the hands of the buyer and the sales force, you wait

without a penny. The only hope here is to search for an appointment

and make your contacts early, so your delivery demands and your

production

dates mesh.

says, looms over every step of the product development process, and

whether you should trust your instinct or objective research is

sometimes

a tough call. No one can deny that business would not stand remotely

where it does were it not for continuing advances in science. And

as the scientific methods of consumer research make for increasing

predictability, it seems foolish not to rely on them. But you, Mr.

Inventor, are bringing forth a product you are in love with. Probably

this affords you a better, not more biased, view of its marketability.

In the end, exactly how your product reaches the almighty store shelf

must be your choice. Just remember, consumer research absolutely

proved

that the coffee drinking public would never shell out the extra cash

for a cup of Starbucks.

— Bart Jackson

Corrections or additions?

— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.