I’m so excited today to have a guest post over at the Design*Sponge Biz Ladies series. (Welcome to any new readers coming over from D*S!) My post is all about helping find a manufacturer for your product ideas. (It’s focused on finding a local manufacturer whenever possible, which is something that is very important to me.) While my background is in making products by hand, in the last year I’ve gained a lot of experience working with outside manufacturers. If you haven’t already, please check out the post.
I’ve also compiled a list of resources worth checking out if you are thinking about looking for a manufacturer for some or all of your processes:
If you’re unfamiliar with the available processes and techniques, I recommend you check out several books to familiarize yourself with what’s available. Two of my favorites are Making It: Manufacturing Techniques for Product Design
If you’re trying to hunt down a manufacturer, I would recommend making a stop on ThomasNet. Its an extremely comprehensive resource for manufacturers and suppliers.
More and more manufacturers are adding a web component to their businesses that make it easy to upload a digital file and order parts. A few to check out include eMachineShop, Big Blue Saw, Redeye, and Quickparts.
As manufacturing becomes more personalized and smaller scale, there starts to be more overlap with traditional craft fields. Two recent magazine articles sum up this trend:
- “The New Industrial Revolution” in Wired magazine looks at the rise of DIY manufacturing and how the way computers aided the spread of information now transfers to the creation of physical goods.
- The current issue of Make magazine features a special section called “Your Desktop Factory” which looks at ways you can bring 3D manufacturing into your own home or studio.
I’m curious to know if any of my readers have looked into having all or part of a process outsourced? Have you had any experiences looking for a manufacturer? Is this something you are considering for the future? Please read the post over at Design*Sponge and let me know if you have any questions!
My products have been handmade by me in my home studio from day one of my business. I’m now to the point where I can barely handle all of the orders on my own. I’ve thought about hiring an assistant to help me and I’m looking into outsourcing. I feel a little guilty that I can’t keep hand making every piece on my own. I know it is time for my business to grow and the next step will involve getting help. Do you have any advice on hiring help within my own studio vs. sending my production to an outside manufacturer?
I greatly appreciate your post here and on D*S. They both are very inspiring and encouraging for me to take the next step on growing my business. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
I’m having a moral dilemma with this issue right now – I’m getting to the point where I might need to start laser cutting/casting if I want to go any further with my little indie biz. But I’m stuck, I feel like I might be “selling out” if I go the manufacturing route – a big part of what I feel people are drawn to is the hand cut, one-of-a-kindness of my stuff. Since my work is pretty simple, the intricate hand cut part is what sets me apart a little (I think). But then again, maybe I’m having an art school critique flash back, like I’ll lose credibility or something. Maybe the majority of the world doesn’t even know what it means to hand-cut something and would care less even if they did.
I wonder can I still call it “hand crafted” if it’s laser cut? I know I should think more business minded … but I can’t seem to make the leap … bah!
OK enough of the art school flashbacks. If you really enjoy the hand preparation of your art and the joy comes in the creation of each individual piece, by all means keep up the good work. If not, you should research the most productive, cost efficient process that can get you the results that you want and use it. This will allow you to share the joy of your creativity with a larger audience. This may make your business more profitable, and profit is good, right.
You will find that many artists, inventors and authors contract others to help them create their work. Thomas Edison did not invent the light bulb. His staff of a couple hundred engineers created the first commercial light bulb. Many celebrities do not write their own books they have help. Some of the most famous sculptors today create a design and then contract a fabrication house to create their work. The employees of the fabrication house are artists in their own right. This creates a job for them and an outlet for their talents. Here is a company web site of a metal fabricator in Brooklyn NY that works with some of the biggest names in modern art to create their work. http://www.milgo-bufkin.com/ .
Their is a company that started in New Zealand and is now in the US called Ponoko, http://www.ponoko.com/ . They specialize in laser cutting things out of simple materials for creative people. They even offer a means for these people to market their goods.
We at Cincinnati Incorporated make equipment for heavier metal fabrication including lasers and shears for cutting thin materials to steel over an inch thick and press brakes for bending metals. http://www.e-ci.com If you need a local company with a laser for cutting metal please reply with your location and e-mail and I can provide a suitable contact.
Regards
Rick
Hi Megan,
It’s wonderful to see you as one of the Biz Ladies on DesignSponge 🙂
Congrats!
I jsut found you via that article. I’m super excited about your blog, I just subscribed.
Emily – don’t feel guilty! I think you need to set up some parameters for yourself so that you feel comfortable with the level of growth, but I think there’s nothing wrong with outsourcing or hiring help if it is done responsibly. When it comes to outsourcing vs hiring an assistant, I would recommend outsourcing first. Hiring an employee is a big step that involves accounting and lots of other issues, and you now have to manage an employee on a regular basis. With outsourcing, you can test the waters and just get extra help when its needed.
Karen – sometimes I worry that by using the term “hand crafted” we are painting ourselves into a very narrow box. Considering that everything you are making involves the aid of a tool, what do we actually make “by hand” anyone. I like to think of myself as an independent maker, or even a small scale manufacturer, because it broadens my approach to production. I would also say that if you are laser cutting your designs, but still hand finishing and assembling components, that you can still call them “hand crafted.” You will still have contact with the products before they head out into the world.
Thanks Michelle!
Rachel – welcome to the site!
You wrote:
I’m glad to see you’ve written this because there is no alternative than to consider yourself a manufacturer. That’s what makers of any size are. Legally.
Just found you through D*Sponge and I can’t tell you how happy I am to have done so! As a designer & small business owner I’m always on the lookout for info, tips….really anything catered to my area. I’ll be reading your back posts for sure.
Thank you!
-patty
Great work you are doing on this site! I actually have a ‘real’ MBA lol and all they teach you in an MBA is how to develop schemes to make money, manage money, make more money etc etc. Interestingly enough I have a design degree (from before) and i don’ recall every being thought or encouraged to really learn how to manage a business which is so essential.
On a completely different but relevant note, we live in a culture of cheap (crap) and people simply do not value the art form of artisanship or real quality (beyond a brand name!).
Great work and I love your site!
Hi Megan,
Great post over at D*S! I’ve admired your work for a while and was so happy & grateful to read your thoughts & experiences on the challenging topic of outsourcing. I’ve been making my pieces by hand for too long and am finally in the process of changing that. I’ve found some great people to work with and can’t wait to hand off that part of my business. (Too many hats has made me too busy a girl and my business a tortoise at growth = not the ‘dream’)
I feel strongly that if something is well designed and the materials, makers, & processes are all top quality, a product loses nothing by being made by someone else’s hands/machines. If anything, it can make one’s pieces more affordable and therefore more accessible – which is far more egalitarian. I”m all for it!
Thanks again for sharing!
best,
paige
I am all for expanding your business, but when do you stop calling your products “handmade”? The definition of handmade is so broad these days. Anything and everything can be called that. It’s sad.
My jaw hit the ground when I read the term “globally sourced” handmade.
I guess I just find it ironic that one one hand, you have this argument about the couture of cheap, and the integrity of handmade, and on the other, advice on how to outsource you product to make it more affordable and to make mass quantities of it.
I wonder, will the same readers agree with both sides of that coin??
Kerry Alice – I actually think that handmade is an incredibly limiting word, and its not a label I typically give my own work. (I actually double checked my Etsy and the culture of cheap post – while “handmade” is used often in the comments, I don’t actually use it in the post.)
Almost all crafts work involves the use of some sort of tool, so it becomes difficult to draw a line – its a really tricky term. Instead, I prefer “locally, responsibly made from ethically sourced materials in small batches” but that doesn’t quite roll off the tongue the way that “handmade” does. I will also be a much bigger fan of someone who creates their own designs and uses responsible manufacturing processes to create them, vs someone who assembles not very interesting work from commercially available components. But sadly, many people will prefer the latter over the former because that is “handmade”
I also think there is a huge difference between “affordable” and “cheap”. I’m not advocating that anyone go out and mass produce in China – but I do think that designers should feel free to explore all their options to responsibly make their products.
Hello! I run a studio one hour north of NYC that assembles jewelry for designers, all handmade, all made here. We are experts at wire wrapping, free form wire work, soldering, small scale metal fabricating, stringing. All done by hand in the USA. Each one of us is an expert at some handwork they specialize in. We also do casting, plating, jewelry photography and website deign. Designers send a small sample with directions, materials or pictures (which we do for free so you can check out the quality of our work) and we return a technically beautiful handmade piece, often better than the hand of the artist. We’ve been doing this for many years so we know every technique and help designers with those techniques (there’s no secrets with technique, it’s just better more streamlined way of making a piece) Many times they are not aware of a simple little way of doing something. We help with that. You’re the designer, you’re the idea maker. We just help you fill your orders for retail and wholesale. Some artists are at the point where they are spending 24/7 in the studio making the stuff when they should be out promoting. This is where we come in. We take the production off you hands so you can create more, design more lines and sell to more potential buyers. I employ stay at home moms, students and we work in a great comfortable friendly atmosphere that produces great results. Please check out my website for more details if you have any questions and if you need any help. We’re here for you! Melindesign.com
Most sincerely,
Melinda O’Keefe
CEO/CET
Melindesign.com
877-336-3635
Melinda’s “comment” is what I am disliking about handmade right now. The idea of …all you need is a good idea and a manufacturer and welcome to the world of handmade… infuriates me.
” Some artists are at the point where they are spending 24/7 in the studio making the stuff when they should be out promoting” Yea, we all should promote ourselves, but as an artists, I find most of my joy in the actual process of creating the piece myself.
” Designers send a small sample with directions, materials or pictures (which we do for free so you can check out the quality of our work) and we return a technically beautiful handmade piece, often better than the hand of the artist”
Better than the hand of the artist? I don’t even know what to say about this.
Honestly, I know that we are all going to take different roads to make our businesses successful, but I am very thankful that the shows I do know the difference between handmade and manufactured. And they do define it.
Megan, I totally respect your blog, your work and all you do and my comments are more toward the big picture of art and craft. Online selling is a total different animal than selling at craft shows. And I am thankful for that. Great discussion!
Didn’t mean to “infuriate” you Kelly Alice. We hand make all the jewelry here. BY hand. This is not machine made product here. And I totally understand that you want to make your product from start to finish. And again I apologize and I do not mean to insult you and your artistry or your craft, and I apologize that you didn’t understand what I meant by making a beautiful piece of jewelry BY hand, that might be made with better skills (because I am an expert wire wrapper) and we share that information to make that person pursue a better technique they may not be aware of. I meant to stress that we are consistent and precise in HAND making a designer’s piece of jewelry. When you as an artist are selling your wares some where, be it craft show or gallery or online, it has to be well made. I’m all for your joy of your creative process. Every artist has that. But someday, some artists need help in making more than one or two pieces a day when they get a store order that requires several pieces. Who would want to turn that down because you don’t think you can fulfill that order? We help with that. We insure quality handmade pieces. We make every piece by hand to the strict guidelines of the designer. And if we can help them in any way, be it technical execution of something or where to find the best price for raw materials, we share that information. We help designers grow their business and expand their creativity by taking the pressure off of trying to make a deadline by themselves. And there’s nothing morally wrong with that. There’s nothing wrong with growing your business and keeping your vision. It would be the same as hiring someone in the studio as an apprentice or assistant. It’s handmade and you can tell it’s handmade because we make it with our hands, with a pair of pliers in each of them. It’s what we do and it’s all handmade in the USA.
Handmade by my definition is handmade-by the artist. The argument “it’s made by hands” is just not good enough for me. And luckily the shows that I do distinguish between the two.
The point of my original post was when is it NOT handmade anymore? There certainly isn’t anything morally wrong with having your work manufactured, many people do and this argument isn’t a new one. But the people that this ever expanding definition will hurt are the true artists who do make just a few pieces a day to keep their work as true handmade. Especially if there are other artists who choose not to disclose that other hands are actually making their work for them.
If handmade is “hands make it” then can’t really almost anything be considered handmade? Maybe if you had made some of these comments before Melinda then I wouldn’t have been so mad. Your post was spammy in my eyes, and it felt like a sales pitch, not a comment on the issue that Megan had been talking about. Good luck with your business.
so where does casting fit into this discussion – is it considered more “handmade” because it requires making a wax mold first? the skill required to make a vector in CAD for laser cutting is insane … has anyone ever tried to conquer CAD? it’s a nightmare! ahhh! It’s all a fine line here, everyone is going to have a different definition of handmade. Ultimately, we’re all just trying to make a decent living, and of course “decent” is subjective as well!
I think Melinda offers a really great option – we all know as ONE person it is almost impossible to do every aspect of any business. It’s like hiring a really really reliable employee, whenever you need them. and it supports another great home based US business! In the end it’s great that everyone is getting into this handcrafted “lifestyle” – what could be better then being able to stay at home with your kids, not commute 2 hours a day in a metal coffin, be a great community employer, put more art out into the world, live a more meaningful life … I’m getting a little hippie here I know I know …
I’m glad she commented here, I probably wouldn’t have found her business otherwise …
Sorry about that, looking “spammy”. I stumbled upon this website about manufacturing on design sponge and when I read it, it outlined exactly what I do. I got really excited and maybe I did just go on and on and on selling what I do. I was excited that finally someone has touched on this and I just meant to offer my services as an option for artists/designers who don’t want to go overseas. I started out as a designer (making all I did by hand by myself) and then helping a jeweler friend getting her orders filled and in doing shows for her, I began offering my help to others and that’s how I got to this point. I’ve been at this 5 years now and learned a lot in the field and gained a lot of info and sources that I do share. I understand how you feel about handmade by the artist and only the artist. I applaud that and I want all hand made, handcrafted work recognized and realized. Much success to all you great artists out there!
Kerry Alice, Melinda, and Karen – thanks for all your comments. This is what I hope this site can be, not just a place for tips and tricks but a place to discuss larger issues in the art/craft/design world and how they relate to running a business. I think everyone’s definition of handmade is going to vary, and that is one of the many reasons that I shy away from that word. Its so hard to nail down what it means.
I also think that as “handmade” grows in popularity, we will see more misuse of the word. Like green-washing, but in this case, handmade-washing.
I think that ultimately, everyone needs to make their own decision about the goals of their business and what that means. My own goal is to build a business that creates value in my community, and if that means that I outsource to other companies in my area, that’s fantastic. If it means I hire employees and provide them with a meaningful way to make a living, that’s great as well.
If your goal is to make every piece by hand, that’s fantastic. There is no one right way to run a business. My goal here isn’t to present directives for what you must do, rather I want everyone to see what their options are so that they can make informed decisions about how to build their business.
And Karen – I think it all depends on your sensibilities. I hate casting, but I could make vector drawings all day!
Well said Megan…
Thank you kindly.
Megan, somehow you have again managed to tap into a topic I’ve been mulling over in my brain recently. I struggle with this very issue, where is the line for handmade? For my current work, I wouldn’t be able to send it outside of my studio, but I have had assistants here and there. I still do all of the major work myself, but things like putting the beads on the handles, or cutting ribbons and punching holes for hangtags, those things I can have my assistant do.
It’s nice having another brain to pick when I am trying to choose between two fabrics, and I like having someone to talk to, but I don’t like being a manager. I got into business for myself because I like working by myself.
I’m at a point now where I can’t grow my business any bigger without help, and it’s frustrating. I’d like to keep working alone, but the work keeps piling up, and I would like to see my friends every once in a while.
I don’t mention my assistant on my website or etsy shop, mainly because I don’t have consistent help, she’s a friend who lives in my building that helps when she has some free time. But, if I’m at a show and someone asks me, I’m happy to share. I’d say my assistant does maybe 10% of the work on any given purse.
I’m seriously considering getting an assistant in for a set 20 hours a week, because I have so many ideas and projects that I just don’t have time to work on. Not to mention the utter lack of social life. But when is it no longer made by me? I’m a total control freak, so I’m looking over my assistant’s shoulder the whole time, and all the construction of the purse would still be in my hands, but I’d love to trust someone else’s hands enough to do some ironing and measuring for me.
Interesting post & great discussion!
There’s obviously a natural limit to how much you can physically produce (and ship on time!) on your own, and it’s really interesting to see how other designer-makers are making the transition from doing everything themselves to the “next step” that helps them grow their business… and to see all the different forms that next step might take.
I’m not sure what’s going to be right for my own business yet (I don’t think manufacturing will come into it… but who knows?) but lots of my peers seem to be dealing with these decisions at the moment. As people who make stuff ourselves (and often sell through venues like Etsy where this is a requirement – no matter how much it’s possible to poke fun at Etsy’s rather loose definition of handmade) the question of “handmade” does come into it.
I’ve seen people hiring others to help with admin or bits of the production process, putting their prices up & aiming for a more luxury market, licensing their artwork/designs for other people to manufacture, or splitting their work into 2 ranges , one handmade by them and one outsourced which can meet the volume requirements of multiple wholesale accounts which I think is a great compromise for people who want to expand but are worried about “selling out” or losing their original customer base (or who just worry about missing the day-to-day process of making stuff).
I left a comment that didn’t publish. Perhaps that was due to the hyperlink. So, I’ve formatted my url with the intended hyperlink.
Point is, makers -be they tiny handmade producers or huge multi-nationals- are all manufacturers as a matter of law. It’s not a semantic difference to debate endlessly but a legal definition. Being so small that you readily escape the attention of the law is not the same thing as being exempt from it. If you make anything for sale, you’re a manufacturer.
There’s a cognitive dissonance about manufacturing. On one hand we decry crappy products as the root of what ails us. On the other, manufactured products provide life enhancing benefits. Like computing. How many of us visit this site on hand made computers?
I was in a store the other day. A shopper next to me was checking the labels and offhandedly said to me, “nothing is made in the US anymore, it’s all crap from overseas.” Then I told her that I work in US apparel manufacturing. She turned to me and sneered “sweatshop” and turned and walked away. Figure it out people, you can’t have it both ways.
We lament the loss of manufacturing jobs in the US, the loss erodes our nation’s economy and standing in the world. The point being, we are never going to recover our industrial base to re-stabilize our economy if manufacturing, its workers and products are so universally reviled. Who wants to do it if they’re insulted by complete strangers either in person or absentia? Every day we are saddened to hear of another domestic factory closing down, its people left with no jobs yet people, including the tiniest of producers still think manufacturing is so bad to the extent they deny they comprise a part of its vibrant community.
Quiz: Which nation leads the world in export manufacturing? It’s not China. It’s Germany. That Germany also leads the world in science and engineering is not a casual coincidence. A smart workforce is a making workforce. Many of us think manufacturing is something to be proud of.
Hello, this is a bit long. I apologize now.
I believe it is the FTC that dictates the definition of Handmade and Hand Wrought.
I make jewelry, and my stuff is Hand Wrought. There is a book called SILVERSMITHING, by Rupert Finegold and William Seitz. On page 175 you will find a discussion about the differences of Handmade and Hand Wrought, (I’ve gone ahead and copied & pasted the quote from the book, on Page 175 below). To sum up the two.
To legally stamp a piece HANDMADE the item has to be made, at most,with the AID of a machine, like a spinning lathe. Your hands have to still be controlling the destiny of the item. The item cannot be formed by a punch, even though your hands and feet directed the punch. If the item is casted, it IS NOT CONSIDERED handmade. The flow of the hot metal is not under the direct control of you. You cannot stop it by simply pulling the torch away, like you can while brazing (what most people call soldering).
A HAND WROUGHT piece has to be made completely without the aid of machines, only hand tools, except a polishing machine. Most times items are sent off to be polished, and by that point the item is completed.
A flex shaft machine would be considered a machine. So a flex shaft could not be used if an item is to be stamped Hand Wrought.
When more than one craftsman works on a piece then a Makers Mark is stamped into the item, in the order of craftsmanship. Makers Marks are usually legally registered with the FTC. Last I heard it costs around $1000. It’s my understanding a persons name, presumably their last name, can be used in lieu of a registered Makers Mark, especially in regards to The Stamping Act.
No where does it say to be considered either Hand Wrought, or Handmade, that only one person can be the creator.
I have silverware that was given to me from my mother, from The Old Newbury Crafters. On the utensils are Makers Marks from two, three, sometimes four makers. Does this mean this item isn’t hand wrought silverware because one person didn’t make it? Heavens no.
Hope this helps.
Sb
QUOTE FROM THE BOOK:
“Handwrought means that the piece was made by hand and no machine other than a polishing machine was used. The handmade stamp includes pieces made by hand with the aid of a machine, such as a spinning lathe, for example. A piece cannot be designated handmade if it was formed entirely by machine – either stamped out or cast from a mold.”
A big thank you for your post post.Truly thank you! Wonderful.
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