So You Wanna Make a Product?
You’d think making a cute little poop pod would be simple, right? You have an idea. You sketch it out. You send it to a manufacturer. Boom — product! Right? Wrong, dear reader. So, so wrong.
Let’s pull back the curtain and talk about what it actually takes to bring a product to life. We’re all about transparency over here and the journey to build Pööt has been exciting, wild, occasionally demoralizing, and surprisingly emotional. And because no one talks about this stuff enough, we are.
Step 1: Have a Great Idea. Question Everything.
We knew there had to be a better way to carry poop, one that didn’t involve swinging bags, so we dreamed up Pööt: a clean, reusable container that holds a single bag, supports multiple poops, and makes you feel like the stylish, sustainable dog parent you are.
That part was fun. The next part? Interesting.
Step 2: Prototype Like a Maniac
Our first prototype was 3D-printed. It was adorable. It was so exciting. It was also… not quite right.
The scoop? Too small. The dream? Still alive.
Prototyping is where you learn that your cute design has to meet the laws of physics, functionality, and oh yeah, manufacturing feasibility which is very different from 3D-printing. We’ve gone through multiple iterations and are still tweaking things like scoop size and overall flow.
Step 3: Enter the Manufacturing Maze
We assumed we’d reach out to a few manufacturers and get the ball rolling. What actually happened:
Some didn’t reply.
Some ghosted mid-convo.
One sent a price quote so high we briefly considered robbing a bank.
A few were great until they realized we weren’t ordering 10,000 units out of the gate.
Finding a partner who understands small-batch manufacturing, sustainability goals, and our specific vision? It’s hard. Really hard.
Step 4: Learn the Acronyms (or at least pretend to)
DFM. MOQ. CNC. RIM. You know, the alphabet soup of production.
We’ve learned what these mean but we’ve also Googled them multiple times.
Fun fact: “DFM” stands for “design for manufacturing,” and yes, that’s its own phase of development. It’s also where a lot of dreams go to die. Luckily, ours just needed some resuscitation and a few part tweaks.
Step 5: Keep Going
There have been days when we felt like everything clicked and days where we wondered if we should just launch a sticker company instead. (We do love the stickers.)
But every little win, every piece of positive feedback, every moment someone says “OMG I NEED THIS” makes it worth it.
We’re not launching Pööt because it’s easy. We’re launching it because it’s better. Better for your dog walks. Better for the planet. Better for your vibe.
What’s Next?
We’re working with our current design and manufacturing partners to rework the prototype and finalize production feasibility. We’re also gearing up for our Kickstarter launch where early backers will get first dibs (and maybe even exclusive colors 👀).
So no, we’re not done yet. We’re still here. Still building. Still giving a crap so you can carry one, stylishly.
Want to see more behind the scenes?
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