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Stage 1 of 6 — 3–5 business days
A sketch is enough to start
Every product begins as something less than a product — a drawing on the back of something, a photograph of the nearest thing that already exists, a part you have modified by hand, or a description that has only ever been spoken out loud. Bring whatever you have. This stage decides whether it can be made, roughly what it would cost to make, and what has to be settled before anyone draws anything.
We work through what the product does and who buys it, which features matter and which are there because they seemed like a good idea, whether it can actually be manufactured at the volume you have in mind, what you are prepared to spend, how many you expect to order first and over a year, when you need it on sale, and where the intellectual property stands.
Feasibility is the question worth asking first, because it is the cheapest one to answer. A shape that cannot be moulded without a side action, a material that cannot hold the tolerance you need, a product that turns out to need certification you had never heard of — all of these are ordinary findings, and all of them cost a great deal more once tooling has been cut.
If you want a non-disclosure agreement in place before you describe the product in detail, ask for one on the brief. We will send it before the conversation goes any further, and nothing beyond a general category needs to be disclosed until it is signed.
You are not committing to anything at this stage. The output is a written view, and it is yours whether or not you go on with us.
Manufacturing feasibility review
Whether the product as described can be made at the volume and price you have in mind.
Concept and market assessment
What it competes with, what already exists, and which features are carrying the product.
Non-disclosure agreement
Signed before anything confidential is discussed.
Budget and quantity planning
What the volume you are considering does to the unit cost, and where the breakpoints sit.
Intellectual property position review
A plain review of what you have registered and what you have not, and where a specialist adviser is needed. General information, not legal advice.
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