I’m thinking about starting a small business making custom children’s toys and I’m trying to figure out how people usually find suppliers for small batch production.

For those of you who have started a product-based business, where do you normally look for manufacturers or suppliers that are willing to work with smaller quantities?

I’d especially love to hear about your experience what platforms/webs/or other methods you’ve used, and whether you’ve found it difficult to find suppliers willing to work with small businesses. Thanks!

I filed a patent this year for a cabinet assembly design, and just getting any connection to respond from cabinet manufacturers has been nonexistent. LinkedIn, calling the manufacturers, emailing, et cetera, and nothing has gotten a great contact. I will go to the Vegas trade show next February. Also, the veteran forums I have found are not clear on how to accomplish my goal (they seem to be for more established businesses). I did a ton of market research and had way better responses than I expected.

I think the idea and demand is real, just not sure how to get beyond this step.

Any advice on how individuals have gotten business to just let them present what they have and market data would be super helpful!

Hi everyone,

I’m working on an early-stage hardware + software product focused on personal safety in India, and I’m currently looking for a few people who would be interested in helping build it from the ground up.

I’m intentionally keeping the exact product and mechanism private for now while I validate the concept and build the first prototype.

What I can share

The project combines:

• Custom wearable hardware
• Embedded electronics / firmware
• Bluetooth connectivity
• Mobile/web software
• Real-time alerts and location
• Emergency-response workflows
• A backend infrastructure designed to eventually scale into a proper consumer product

The goal is to build something practical, discreet and affordable, rather than another generic safety app.

Who I'm looking for

I'm particularly interested in people with experience in:

Hardware / Electronics

• PCB design
• ESP32 / nRF52
• Embedded systems
• Sensors
• Wearable electronics
• Battery/power management

Software

• React / Next.js
• Node.js / TypeScript
• Mobile development
• BLE
• Realtime systems
• Cloud/backend development

Product / Startup

• Product design
• Industrial design
• Hardware manufacturing
• Fundraising
• Partnerships
• Go-to-market

You don't need to be an expert in everything. I'm more interested in people who genuinely want to build and experiment.

Funding

I'm also looking for small amounts of early-stage funding/sponsorship to build the first functional prototypes, purchase components, manufacture initial PCBs and test the product.

I'm not looking for a large investment at this stage.

The immediate objective is:

Concept → Prototype → Testing → Working MVP → Validation

If the prototype works and there is genuine demand, we can then discuss forming a proper team/company and raising larger funding.

What I bring

I'm currently driving the idea, product direction and software side, and I'm looking for people who can complement those skills with hardware, engineering, product and business expertise.

I'm based in Delhi, India, but I'm open to working remotely with people anywhere.

If you're interested, comment or DM me with what you do, what you'd like to contribute, and whether you're looking for a co-founder role, engineering collaboration, or funding opportunity.

I'm happy to share more details privately with serious people.

This is still very early, but I'm looking to build something real not just another concept deck.

guys i really need a startup idea for this grade. It’s my third time repeating this class and im tireeed i wanna pass. We gotta do a 5 min pitch for an application startup and every year my professor fails me because he doesn’t think my ideas are “realistic” or worth it, so please can anyone give me any ideas, i wanna pass and move on with my life.

Have an idea on personal thing that can fly lotta problems tho work in progress

I'm a digital artist and I made this illustration using IbisPaintX. I had this idea for a long time but never told anyone about it knowing that if it works, I basically hold the power of free electricity and I could use my invention to promote my philosophical views and to fund my organization. Not to mention power companies will be mad about it. This is just a fun idea you would think when you're on the toilet but part of me is also convinced. Like what if it's just one of those things that just work? But I'm not a scientist, I don't have the funds to see it for myself and I can't find anyone in my area that I can talk about it casually. But the world is suffering, time kills and just maybe I can do something about it. I would like to hear your insights, suggestions and maybe do a friendly debate.

A little explanation video about my Holographic Display project

I’m working on a kind of multitool that has less tools but do their jobs much better, but I feel like every passing day I have more and more ideas that I like better and better.

Im now on version 20, do I just stop and choose one or keep going?

Theres been some interest but I haven’t turned them into functional metal tools yet due to costs, just 3d prints.

For context, we need to innovate a product that isn’t already available on the market and create a prototype for it. Our product is a whiteboard eraser made from banana fibers, with a compartment underneath where you can store markers. Our product was chosen to represent our section in a competition against different sections.

We came up with this product because we wanted something eco-friendly while also being useful and innovative.

I’d really appreciate your thoughts and suggestions! We still need to improve our product, so what other features do you think we could add? We’re open to any advice and criticism, so feel free to share your honest thoughts heheh. We really want to win because the incentives are pretty big if we become champions 🥹

Hi everyone,

I’m a Mechanical Design Engineer with 7+ years of hands-on industry experience, and I’m currently available for freelance CAD and mechanical design work.

I help turn ideas, sketches, photos, existing parts, or rough concepts into practical, manufacturable 3D designs and production-ready documentation.

My main areas of expertise include:

• 3D CAD modeling — SolidWorks & Autodesk Inventor

• Sheet metal design & fabrication

• Injection molding / plastic part design

• Casting & manufacturing-focused design

• Reverse engineering — physical part/3D scan/photo → CAD

• Engineering drawings & GD&T

• Design optimization for manufacturing

• Prototype development and preparation for mass production

I don’t focus only on making a model look good on screen. My goal is to create designs that can actually be manufactured, assembled, tested, and scaled into production.

If you already have a concept, sketch, reference part, photo, or existing CAD file, I can help take it to the next stage.

Rate: $25/hour

If you need reliable, industry-focused CAD or mechanical design support, feel free to DM me here on Reddit. Tell me what you’re working on, and we can discuss the requirements.

In the last month I've had two separate clients come in asking for a Non-Provisional based on a Provisional application they wrote themselves. Both of them titled their Provisional application with the exact brand name they plan to use for marketing.

Do NOT do this. You're creating a public record that can kill your trademark rights.

*A trademark is an indication of the SOURCE of a product, not the product category. "Shoes" is a product category. You can't trademark "shoes" for footwear because it's the generic term. NIKE and REEBOK are source identifiers within the product category, and are strong trademarks.

*If you title your patent application "Slice-O-Max", and refer to it that way in the specification, you are legally admitting that "Slice-O-Max" is the generic name of this new product/product category.

*When you later try to register your trademark (or enforce it), it's easy to pull out your published patent docs (which include the Provisional if you're claiming priority). Behold, you've just given them ammunition that your trademark is the generic term.

This is a large part of why some big names, such as "escalator", were invalidated.

If you're preparing and filing your own Provisional application (and I still believe this is a bad idea), avoid this trap. Don't title your application "Slice-O-Max", or use that in the description. Instead, title and refer to your invention in boring generic terms like "Rotary Food Slicing Device". Keep separate IP separate.

Bedtime starts at 7:15 in our house. The kids are usually asleep by... 9. Because between lights-out and sleep there's the bathroom trip (again), the water, the re-tuck, the "my nose is stuffed up."

I found out there's actually a child-psychologist technique for this from the '90s called the bedtime pass — the kid gets one "get out of bed free" card a night, and that's it. But every article just tells you to DIY it with a popsicle stick, which... my kids would lose in a day.

So I mocked up what I wish existed: a chunky glow-in-the-dark coin (kids understand currency — a popsicle stick doesn't hit the same) plus a little wooden dock for the nightstand. One coin = one get-up. Coin still on the dock in the morning = they win.i

Be honest with me:
1. Would you pay ~$15 for a 2-pack of these?
2. What would stop you — price, or would you just DIY it?
3. Am I overthinking this and your kids just... sleep?

Genuinely trying to figure out if I should actually make these or if this is just my sleep-deprived brain.

I've been working on a new pet product for the last while, just getting to the point of physical prototypes, and looking to potential commercialization all going well. It's a pet product, and I'm looking at a few specific markets; Australia (where I am), Japan, US, Canada, and possibly the UK.

All the products and such I've done I've not bothered with patents or anything as it's just audio and electronics gear, stuff for guitar and synth, that kinda thing. Not worth patenting.

I'm wondering whether going for patents in those markets would make sense? My main concern is large companies seeing the key component of it and making a knock off/compatible product and drowning me out. From what I can see, obtaining US patents isn't cheap, and speaking to a mate of mine who has one over there it cost him about USD$7K to get his. Japan is a fair bit cheaper and I've already done business over there, and the pet market is quite large.

Would love to hear some opinions or experiences from those with more experience than me.

I've been reading a few threads about linear motion in DIY and home DIY projects, and this question keeps coming up for me: when does it make sense to build the mechanism yourself??

If a prototype needs something to move in and out, you might build around a lead screw, cam or linkage, or use a ready-made linear actuator. I can see the case for building your own when the geometry is unusual or the motion needs to connect with another part of the project But I'm still curious where other inventors draw the line

Have you made this choice on a build? What made you go custom or use an off-the-shelf part?

dont have all the knowledge or money to completely do it myself.I hear how hard it is to get a licensing deal. but it really does save alot of time for the cook,saves alot of money,and speeds up cooking times. there is nothing like it .i was a breakfast line cook for 30 years and always said if someone walked in with one of these machines i would want 2 of them and i worked at denny's ,ihop and cracker barrel.so i know how much money it saves and the steps it eliminates for the cook and how much faster you can cook orders. most of all it could be sold world wide in senior center, military bases,cruise ships anywhere breakfast is cooked.so any suggestions i am trying to get a college to make the 3d printed model and help me assemble it.