Carol Carson shares how to select a manufacturer for your product type and budget and how to brief them.

How to select a product manufacturer

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Are you creating a product? Choosing a manufacturer is an important part of your development process and a key factor in determining your profitability.

 shares how to select a manufacturer for your product type and budget, how to brief them, what to consider regarding formulation IP (intellectual property), free issue of components or a full service, plus typical timings.

Carol is a seasoned beauty industry expert with over 30 years of experience in scaling brands internationally. She has collaborated with brands and retailers across the UK, Europe, Asia, the USA and Canada, successfully securing product listings with notable retailers like Sephora, Ulta, Boots and Superdrug.

A strong advocate for entrepreneurship, Carol is passionate about supporting start-ups and is a mentor for the UK government’s 

 scheme, sharing her expertise with the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Enterprise Nation is the UK's most active small business network, helping thousands of people turn their good idea into a great business. 

 to get everything you need to start and grow your small business, in one place.

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Lunch and Learn How to select a product manufacturer

Lunch and Learn: How to select a product manufacturer

Carol Carson shares how to select a manufacturer for your product type and budget.

Enterprise Nation has helped thousands of people start and grow their businesses. Led by founder, Emma Jones CBE, Enterprise Nation connects you to the resources and expertise to help you succeed.

How to successfully bring an invention to the market

Many people have ideas that they're convinced will make them a millionaire. But how many actually give it a go?

When someone tells you “oh wow, things must be going SO well in your business” – does a part of you wish they knew how lost you sometimes feel?

 
I know how hard you work, how badly you want to succeed, how much you believe in the potential of your business, and how much progress you’ve already made.

 
But at some point – between juggling orders, suppliers and the relentless need to keep up on social media, you’ve begun to feel overwhelmed. And financially, you may be wondering when you’ll get the chance to pay yourself a decent salary or hire in enough help.

My name is Catherine Erdly and I have over 20 years experience working with product businesses of all sizes from high street names (such as Laura Ashley, Coast and Paperchase), all the way down to brand new businesses with just a handful of customers.

 
I have helped these businesses get more organised and make more money.

&nbsp; 
Now I want to help you do the same so that you feel clearer, re-energised and confident enough to take your business to the next level.

&nbsp;

If you’ve been looking for some help with your business, and you’d like a trusted expert to work with you to:

 
- Outline what your options are to make your business a success long term 
- Make the most of your time 
- Manage your money 
- Support you with a new project – like a pop-up shop or wholesale 
- Give you the confidence to grow as a founder and business owner 
&nbsp;

Then get in touch now, and let’s talk.

Founder

Product business founders connect

Do you sell products?  Whether that's online, in your own bricks and mortar store, via Etsy or other platforms, or at local events, then this group is for you.  Product businesses have their own unique rewards and challenges, so why not join with us as we share ideas and encouragement?

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Serial entrepreneur and innovation director across multiple verticals, with a technology and sector agnostic approach to consulting. Currently consulting to various ventures ie Medtech, CPG, FMCG, Fintech, Adtech, HeathTech etc

Having been deeply immersed in the Startup / SME EcoSystem for approximately 25 years, in 2 distinct sectors and countries with various business models. Providing both product / services for b2b and b2b segments has allowed me to gain a solid amount of diverse knowledge and understanding.
This entrepreneurial experience also allowed to gain insights of the innovation value chain and operational requirements of building / scaling ventures, for product market fit. The critical component of fundraising through various mechanisms, is an area that I understand well, having bootstrapped businesses and then raised circa 3m Euros across angel, Venture Capital and the European Development Fund (EDF).
The full spectrum of the fund-raising process was arguably the most challenging aspect of venture building for a multitude of reasons and it was a definite grind to get it done. Learning to dealing with brutal reality was a crucial part of success and helped test / fortify my resilience and growth mindset.
The last venture Zveetz had a regenerative aspect with a mission to make a dent against sugar pollution and its consequences to people and planet. Working cross functionally with a stellar team of individuals including food and behavioural scientists to deliver an impactful value proposition was highly rewarding. The business model was multifaceted with transactional, subscription and asymmetrical revenue streams. We were able to move the needle on sugar reduction and enabled people to be more sugar smart, thereby hitting multiple impact and revenue KPI’s.
Previously to that, I had the privilege of deep diving into the world of AI, machine learning &amp; ontologies to build a recommendation engine SaaS for the e-commerce sector, although there were multiple future use cases for the technology. This immersion and venture was very challenging for multiple reasons but ultimately the outcomes were net positive, so the juice was worth the squeeze.
hankfully, I have been able to transition into the role of an Innovation Director and apply skills / experience to provide consultation across the Oxford Innovation ecosystem to various stakeholders.&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Performed 96 one to one business support sessions and workshops for students, faculty, startup and SMEs teams.</li>
<li>Consulting with the KTP (Knowledge Transfer Partnerships) department to revamping program offering and positioning to meet desired Research Excellence Framework (REF 29) standards.</li>
<li>Supporting faculty members across the UnIversity’s different schools, on commercialisation of their research and various potential fund-raising strategies.</li>
<li>Working with the AI Research group within the University to develop their strategic roadmap.</li>
<li>Supporting the establishment of “Managementfest”, a student led innovation &amp; entrepreneurship conference and accelerator programme at BNU.</li>
<li>Regularly meeting with the university leadership committee to report all innovation initiatives and results.</li>
<li>Leading Oxford Innovation AI working group with a remit to i) develop a wholistic adoption strategy for competitive advantage. ii) Steering AI integration and operationalisation across the org, towards ISO42001 (trustworthy) compliance.</li>
</ul>

Innovation Director

Vishal Kawatra

Serial entrepreneur and innovation director across multiple verticals, with a technology and sector agnostic approach to consulting. Currently consulting to various ventures ie Medtech, CPG, FMCG, Fintech, Adtech, HeathTech etc

Having been deeply immersed in the Startup / SME EcoSystem for approximately 25 years, in 2 distinct sectors and countries with various business models. Providing both product / services for b2b and b2b segments has allowed me to gain a solid amount of d

How to select a product manufacturer

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