Distribute existing products before manufacturing custom versions to test demand
When entering product sales, find and distribute an existing product rather than designing from scratch. This lets you validate demand, understand fulfillment, and learn customer needs before committing to custom manufacturing. Especially powerful when combined with an existing audience.
When to use
When transitioning from content/services to products. When you know what category to build in but lack product development expertise. When you want to test demand before investing in manufacturing.
Don't do this
Spending months designing and manufacturing a custom product before knowing if anyone will buy it. Treating product development as the first step rather than demand validation.
1 Founder Who Did This
Found existing metal raised beds from overseas that weren't available in America, became a distributor. Set up simple Shopify store and launched via Instagram.