143: Build Your Own Manufacturing For Your Invention

With Don Skaggs, President of The Fulson Group

Hosted by Kevin Mako of MAKO Design + Invent

Don Skaggs founded the manufacturer US Biotex Corporation, which he started on a farm back in 1991 and grew to over 150 products in production over 22 years before being bought out. Don has also been the President of the Inventors Network Kentucky for nearly 20 years now. Today, Don is going to share some valuable knowledge on how inventors, startups, and small manufacturers can start their own manufacturing facility locally for their invention idea, then how to grow and scale, and what benefits there are for taking this production path.

Today you will hear us talk about:

• See if customers would buy samples and learn from them.
• Bootstrap to find out what works.
• Start with a small batch so that you can test the market.
• It’s easier to manufacture locally than you think, just start with a basic part of the manufacturing process.
• Design using as many Original Equipment Manufactured parts as possible.
• As you scale production, there are a number of benefits from running your own manufacturing operation.
• Your own manufacturing gives you a lot of solutions.
• Find an innovation where it’s common in one industry, but not discovered in another.
• Stay close to R&D and close to marketing and sales so that you can put the two together.
• Time, money, and wisdom.
• Learn from your mistakes and from your customers.
• When you’re small, you can connect marketing, sales, R&D, and production.
• Find the intersection of what you are passionate about and what you are good at.

EPISODE LINKS

Don Skaggs / KY Inventors Network Links:

• Website: https://www.kyinventors.org/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donskaggs/details/experience/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/EmpoweredInventing

The Product Startup Podcast Links:

• Website: https://www.ProductStartup.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ProductStartup/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ProductStartup/
• Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ProductStartup/
• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProductStartup/
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ProductStartup/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProductStartup
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent

Mako Design Links:

• Website: https://www.makodesign.com/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MakoInvent
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MakoInvent/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/MakoDesign/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakoInvent/
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/MakoInvent/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakoInvent/

Kevin Mako Links:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Entrepreneurs/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KevMako/
• Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Kevin-Mako
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KevMakoPage/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevMako/

Thanks for tuning in! See you next time.