How can I get my own furniture designs to market?

Maybe take it to a furniture store and see if they like the design, if so they will most likely have it made. Then they would probably distribute it, and split the money with you.

This is one of those scenarios where you start small and work your way up. With that said, I would go to local furniture shops that offer cool and unique furniture. Find things you like and do research about the people to made the pieces you liked.

Contact them and throw alot of questions their way. Once you have it, I’d go back to the local furniture shops and try to get your stuff stocked. Another very important aspect is a solid web presence. It doesn’t have to be anything amazingly intricate, in fact for something like this you’d want a simple approach. For example, large, high quality imagery and information, simple contact information for potential investors, distributors, etc.

As far as a craftsman goes, I’d consider this more art than construction, therefor the rates could vary quite a bit depending on the skill of the artist. Just like web design. I’d start by offering a price that I though was fair and reasonable. Then go from there based on their negotiation.

Thanks so much for the input! I just want to specify what I’m looking for…

I have the piece designed already. It’s just one piece. But I am trying to find a way to get it made. Marketing is something different….

To get it made maybe you could start asking around to see if anyone knows a handyman or someone who does carpentry on the side. Perhaps they would help you out at a reasonable price and if it was a friend of a friend they also might be more inclined to help than a complete stranger.

squirbs- I think I could provide a lot of insight into this but I need to know more about where your piece falls in the market:

- Is this a commodity piece? Something relatively cheap that a large group of people would want (think high volume/low margins… could buy it at Target or WalMart)

- Is this a niche product? (appeals to a small group of consumers)

- Is this a luxury product? (think low volume/high margins)

- Could this piece be considered “art furniture” or is it more utilitarian?

- Are there similar items to yours in the market today? Where are they sold? What are their characteristics (price points, method of distribution, etc)?

- Is it upholstered? Is it made out of wood, plastic…what?

Without more information on your piece I can’t give you any specific recommendations yet but I can give you some general approaches…

In any manufacturing endeavor, it’s a best practice to have your item sold before you sink any money into the project. This is almost impossible to do, but there are ways to minimize your capital investment. You could have a prototype made and use this as your sales piece to potential buyers/distributors. You might even be able to use a high quality rendering (think Rhino or Modo) to do the same. The idea is that you line up actual sales orders/commitments before you start producing. There’s still a financial risk but at least you are mitigating that risk (don’t think, “If I build it—meaning a warehouse full of product—they will come”)

Having said that, I came across a good, modern, approach in Wired: Manufacture and sell anything—In minutes

Again, though, even the above approach might not fit your piece, I’d have to know more.

And finally, with all due respect to some previous comments, I generally would not approach a handyman or contractor to build your piece… unless it is a very simple piece, and it’s just for a prototype. There is a huge difference between a furniture maker and a contractor; they have very different skillsets and expertise. (There are exceptions, of course, but just make sure you see what other work “your maker” has done and ask yourself if it fits the requirements of your piece).

Ultimately, though, what I’ve outlined above applies to a product that you truly want to “market”...

You want your product seen in stores!
You want to see it in people’s homes!
You want to gain the pride of creating something and making it real by bringing it to market!
You want to produce it with economies of scale that will not only allow you to make an honest profit but allow consumers to get it at fair value!
Don’t you?
DON’T YOU?!

But then again, maybe you want to sell your piece at flea markets (which is just as valid and good but a whole different ballgame)

sorry, got carried away there for a sec.

Tell me more and I’ll try to help you out.

Wow, thanks. Here are the details you requested:
• non-commodity [I’d prefer low-volume and sell until there’s a following and grow from there]
• artistic, niche-market, utilitarian – it would appeal to stylistic urbanites
• primarily wood piece, with upholstery
• similar pieces are found in the entertainment industry [clubs etc]

I don’t think I’d want to have my pieces in the store. I think what I am envisioning is owning a small warehouse/workhouse where either I or the craftsman I team up to work together. I know I want my market to be middle-high income urbanites. I intend to visit artisitic furniture conventions [I imagine there is a such thing], and get the pieces talked about and asked for. Custom building is not out of the question. I’ve thought of a number of other pieces that would get similar treatment, but this is the center-piece. So that’s the “dream” I have.

But I am running into trouble when I’m weighing pros and cons of following this idea through. What is fair to pay a craftsman? Should I get the pieces cut and build it myself? I taught myself to use a dremel, I’m pretty darn sure I can pick up the needed skills to build after a while.

Again, thanks for the headstart on sources!

I’m going to try to answer your specific questions above but the first thing that comes to mind is this: Don’t underestimate the value of your own time. I think it’s great that you want to be very “hands-on” in getting these pieces made, but you may want to ask yourself where you want to go with this project; where you will get your greatest satisfaction from?

You could look at this as a personal project or even hobby, and gain a lot of personal satisfaction from creating something with your hands. This might be a great place to start, but if you’re ramping up in the skills required to bring your piece to realization, it might take longer than you’ve planned, don’t forget the value of your time! I can only assume that your time invested in this project will take away from your regular job and/or personal time. If you’re looking at this as a potential business, this must be “front of mind”: remember that the total costs you invest in this project (materials, hired labor, your labor, etc) must be less than your receipts, in sales, to make this a viable business endeavor. It sounds obvious but it’s easy to lose this focus if you involve yourself too deeply in the “making” side.

The other way to look at this is from a pure project management perspective: You have the concept and you are only concerned with getting this piece “realized”, and you will do so by subcontracting or hiring the most appropriate skills to efficiently do so. Your reward here is in making these pieces real by bringing them to market (and your challenges—and other inherent potential rewards—come from successfully communicating your vision and managing your “makers”)

Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages. The “hobby” approach may be more fun, and you may feel you have more control of the final product, but this might come at the cost of larger start-up costs in terms of capital investment (tools, space needed) and your time. The “project management” approach may cost less up front, but this pure business approach may seem cold and less fun to some. Remember, too, that ultimate outcome or quality of the final product could be be better or worse in either approach, depending on how they are managed. Lastly, consider the idea of scalability. Let’s say your product goes gangbusters and you are required to fill a bunch of orders very quickly. Outsourcing your production with a product management approach may be poised to handle this better.

Ultimately, your approach could be a hybrid of the above two approaches, I just wanted to give you something to chew on.

And now to your questions…

What is fair to pay a craftsman?

Of course, this can vary widely upon the skill and experience of the craftsman. I think the key here is hiring someone who has the skills to sufficiently produce your piece, without it being beneath them or not worth their time (i.e., not hiring a Ferrari mechanic to change the tires on your ‘71 Nova). A good approach would be to get some quotes on the entire cost (time and materials) to have your piece made, and also to see some examples of the projects they’ve worked on (any self respecting fabricator/furniture maker will have a portfolio or photos of what they’ve done). That said, I’ve known the rates of “people who make things” (the term “craftsman” implies a high level of skill to me) ranging anywhere from $10/hour to over $100/hour, so you can see how this question is a bit hard to answer in hard terms. Again, though, steer away from “hourly” rates and try to get the overall price agreed upon.

Depending on the complexity of your piece, it may be worth your while to try to target a young, experienced, scenic carpenter or prop maker at the best theater in your city. Not all scenic carpenters may fit your bill in terms of their skills, but most are very skilled in working with a wide variety of materials and techniques that may meet the needs of your project. Ditto goes for scenic painters, who are familiar with a wide variety of finishes, if you need that. (Also of note: Theater typically employ smart, young, artistic folk who are painfully underpaid, there’s a great opportunity for a win/win here)

Should I get the pieces cut and build it myself?

In a previous life I was very good with my hands (That’s what she said!...be-dum-bump.) Seriously though, my experience here is that people often underestimate what it takes to get a project done (in terms of time and skill, but especially time…this even happens to those that are “experienced”!) I’m not trying to discourage you from doing some of the work yourself, I just think you should consider some of the scenarios I mention above before making this decision…

One last question you may want to consider—to help you frame your approach—is what are the specific investments you are willing to make, in terms of hard dollar amounts and personal hours, to get this done?

Sorry if I didn’t answer your questions as clearly (or tersely!) as you might have liked but I hope I’ve helped a little… GOOD LUCK ON YOUR PROJECT!!!

Thanks! I’m only 25 and have lots of time outside of my 9–5. I’m looking at it as a hobby… The satisfaction of saying I created it. If I want to take it further, I have several relatives willing to invest startup capital in me. (my family is very business oriented!) :)

Plus, I just met this cute guy at work who owns an interior design company…

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