Adam Savage said if you arent a little uncomfortable with what you are charging, you are probably not charging enough. As a small business owner selling items I make, Ive taken that adbice to heart
Back when I was selling my handmade jewelry, I had good luck asking friends to price it for me. It turns out that a lot of them are WAY better judges of what the market will tolerate than what I felt comfortable charging. If I know that I have $5 worth of materials in a necklace, but they tell me that they bought a similar necklace for $40, I feel a lot better about charging $40. Intellectually, I knew I needed to take into account booth fees for shows, time spent making things, printing costs for signage, etc, but it was really hard for me to get over the "but the materials only cost $X!!" myself. Having someone else pricing everything was really helpful.
@@christineg8151especially in a time intensive product like jewelry, it really helps if you imagine "time" as a material and set a fixed price for each minute. For example, 1$ per minute. If you need 20min + 5$ in materials, your actual cost for the product is 25$. Then you add a small profit on top to get the final price. Tip: the price per minute should be enough that if you ever need to hire someone to do it for you, your price per minute is, at least, twice as much as you pay them. They are never going to be working every minute, that's normal and should be accounted for.
For me an important lesson on that is Thomas Frank's notion templates. He said he started by charging 200 USD and explained why. That number felt absolutely insane to me. But it worked for him. I personally also wouldn't feel comfortable charging so much, but there's something to be said about how having money allows you to develop more products.
This might be lost in the sea of comments but I was there for the silly robots, house boat(kicking myself that I forgot it's name), brain tumour, Tesla truck (that out did the official one imo) and now this. It's been a hell of a ride but I am so proud that you're one of the few TH-camrs who care about the consumer. I hope your investments get returned 10 fold in the years to come.
Coat hingers arrived last week, my daughter LOVES them. She lives in a van, and she tossed every old hanger out the back door. She couldn't be happier! Perfect fit for a vanlifer.
@@libtrs838 you can neatly pack up and donate hangers on any online marketplace. It's better to give away 100 hangers on FB marketplace than throw them into a landfill, or out the back of a van in that other guy's case.
Here is a counter point, instead of selling other people’s stuff, which usually sucks, you are selling stuff you made and invented. That blows my mind. You have come so far, have ideas that are quirky but effective and are super inspirational to my niece.
The folding hangers you need to market towards semi-truck drivers. My Dad is a truck driver & does like to have coats and shirts hanging. The "closet" takes up alot of room & he had to use it for important things like food, water, & others stuff. With the folding hanger system he could put it anywhere in the truck and still have plenty of room.
I'm not sure where else to put this... I just got the coat hinger set I ordered from the kickstarter. when I was ordering it I was thinking "eh, it's a little pricey but you gotta splurge a bit sometimes". let me tell you, maybe it is a splurge item, but sometimes you get what you pay for. this is one of those times. it is totally worth it. The coat hinger shelf is *really* nice. Some assembly required is a feature: the components feel excited to be put together. It's texturally pleasing to handle. The folding hangers themselves work exactly like I imagined they would. They really do help open up what would otherwise be a cramped space, and the resulting finished piece in use feels elegant. I am now excited to put laundry away. 10/10, would hinge again. Edit, in case this wasn't clear already: it would still be worth it at a higher price, imo. charge what you need to so you can keep making cool things!
I have a very small candle company. I really struggle with the pricing. I appreciate hearing that it's okay to raise my prices so that I'm not completely losing money every single time. Thank you for that
Thank you for being so upfront and honest about the process of starting your business. I'm a small business owner and your experience is so relatable to me - the excitement about creating new products, the existential terror when people don't like something you've made, and the stress about making it all work financially. My business has been running for a year and a half now and I've been losing money on it since it launched. It's stressful and unnerving and sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right thing. But the truth is, like you, I absolutely love it. I don't regret it at all. And it's all worth it when I see people's faces light up when they see the absurd books that I publish. I think this is such a common small business experience, and I'm comforted by connecting with other small business owners, because even if there are no simple solutions, at least we all get it. The Yetch store and the products you produce are amazing, and I hope your business takes off soon! And, in the meantime, if you need any silly D&D campaigns or graphic novels about pigeons.... Shrimp Cult Press has you covered!
Simone - You could easily do "standard" merch like t-shirts. Quotes like "I want to be smart. (And hot.) But mostly smart." and variations of it are GOLD. You come up with a lot of catchy quotes and phrases. You probably dont want to lower yourself to t-shirts, but think of it as easy $$$$$ to fund your product ideas. These days you can order and ship t-shirts remotely one-by-one without bulk orders or manufacturing. A t-shirt with "BYEEEEEEEEEE" on the back and a small "Yetch Store" at the bottom ...... promote yourself girl !!!
This. The standard influencer stuff is an easy cash supplement and allows your fans to support you even if/when your inventions are relevant to them. I would completely buy some basic merch. I haven't come across a use case for your inventions for me yet, and it feels weird to buy something like that just to have it sit in my house unused. You make cool, but relatively specific things that not everyone can/wants to use. But everyone wears clothes. It's not selling out, it's just diversifying your appeal. Even the local restaurants I go to sell merch these days, you could too.
For real, I bet a lot of viewers would enjoy slogan merch (don't forget phone cases, heck, anything that can hold print), and having cash to invest in fun stuff directly benefits viewers as well. Besides, if you make a product available and advertise it accurately, you're not hurting anyone. They can choose to buy it themselves, or not. People have free will. =)
I have a multitool with your words: "Don't be lazy. Do the thing. Do it properly." engraved on the side. These are the truest words in all of time and space and I take them to heart. It's the reason I ordered your product..
There’s a bible verse I keep close to mind. Ecclesiastes 9:10 “Whatever you do, do well.” I’m not religious at all, but I’m awed that humans have known that good hard work is A Higher Purpose
As someone who abruptly opened a bookstore 4 months ago with no experience in running a for profit business, this video helped me so much just hearing that I'm not the only one that constantly wants to run and hide. You rock and keep kicking ass.
your honesty, integrity, originality, and sincerity is incredible. love seeing your growth and you living your best life, which is easier said than done. keep on being amazing!
Also in the business sense. I feel like this could help someone with commercial storage space or be able to store things in the same warehouse that things are made in
You should be adding in products that help pad your bottom line. Merch like shirts, hats, socks, posters, and the like can be printed on demand-Lower profits but zero storage and order fulfillment costs. You could expand your line for the hangers with more options beyond the hooks. Do 3 different wood shelving sets from small to big that each incorporate that hanger rod that's close to the wall. These are relatively low R&D; No special molds, castings, electronics, or specialty parts. You could hire out a woodshop to mass produce them. Have you considered offering custom engravings on the rings for an upcharge? Easy to do with a laser engraver and would be great for gifts or couples.
that's what i was thinking. something for people who don't have tons of money. i honestly can't afford anything on Yetch. but i'm probably not the target demographic!
A complementary shelf and rack for the hanger is honestly a brilliant idea. It’s sold as a package. I live in a tiny studio and I’m always trying to solve the problem of making the space more efficient. I don’t already HAVE the right shelf/rack for the product, but in the package of hinger + rack, you just sold me the IDEA of efficient storage use I didn’t think of.
@@JoannaFalkowskaAlways trust when the customer says there's a problem. Never trust their solution. What people mean to say is. Smart business people pay the bills first. Then they use a portion of the profits to invest in a passion project. So even if that project goes totally bankrupt. Let's say you had your 20% profit from the store. You spent 10% on your passion. You're still left holding 10%. See also Taleb's "Antifragile". Simone has built a very fragile business model. She needs to think Antifragile. Antifragile is when your real income is doing videos about how badly your shop is failing. You might make so much money on people laughing at your failure and supoorting Patreon or whatever, that you can permanently run the shop at a loss.
Excellent comment. Another commenter pointed out how many merch-worthy quips she has, and how many viewers wouldn't mind a phone case with a silly saying on it that brings them joy when they pick up their phone?
I actually have the PERFECT use-case for your folding hangers that you couldn't just "turn the hook sideways". I plan on hollowing out the wall behind my front door (only opens 90 degrees) to make cubbies for hanging jackets, umbrellas, etc. A sideways hanger wouldn't fit between the studs.
Yes! Make a video of it, and let Simone use it as a testimonial, as a response to the wiseguys who just turn the hanger sideways. Show all the ways that traditional hangers don't fit, and how many clothes you can hang with Simones design. Show the dimensions of the space used.
@@simonegiertz seriously that calendar got me through a time in my life where I was working through anxiety and body image issues by tracking how often I went climbing. I filled so many lights on that board that year and continue to do so. Thank you.
I recommend selling a smaller bundle of hangers than 12. There's a gut reaction that happens when you see 3 digits. "oh 150 that's way too much", but if you sell 6 for 75$ it feels more manageable to think "oh it's a little more than 10$ per coat hanger. I guess that makes sense" People who want more could buy multiple bundles, and you could maybe even give a discount for larger groupings.
Most people do not understand the engineering and experience it takes to make even one product but when you have to design for one million units per year, you are on a whole new level. I designed some of the machinery that builds the Ford F150 and they need to make 1,000,000 of the exact same thing over and over without fail. The secret is K.I.S.S. You need to put elegance into everything you do. When you do that Simone, everything comes together and people buy your product. That is why Ford makes a million F150s and why it is worth the time you are putting into yours. Well done from an experienced mechanical engineer.
"It's a lot better to hire smart people to learn than to hire stupid people to do something they already know how to do" Truer words were never spoken. I recently joined two of my friends who started a fab/machining shop three years ago. One has the machining background, the other metallurgy, and me mechanical engineering... We keep learning everyday and starting new projects every now and then. I've never had a more fulfilling job than this one. Keep doing what you love and don't let people's bad comments get to you.
@@diseno2040 I guess you just define objectives...."we want people that can count potatoes all day" vs "I want a person that can count potatoes then figure out something that will count for him". I will pay him triple his salary and replace 4 people. (save money!)
Many millionaire businessmen say the opposite, they want dumb employees who can do the work now. I bet it all comes down to the situation, so I'd love to hear the specifics on these "stupid" employees that were such a bad fit... Except that'd mean her making a whole video talking shit about former associates, which is too mean =/
@@32BitJunkie can't we make assumptions.?? "stupid" means no initiative. You can get ambitious untrained people....that's the bonus of temp agencies---you can burn through a bunch of people to find the good ones (at 1.5x the price). What's really special is an employee that brings value you did not see possible.
I bought a coat hinger set and it's amazing! If you live on a boat, this is the solution not only for space, but to stop the swooshing noise at night-clothes don't sway on it, they rest against the vertical...
Simone, charge more and don't stress so much about someone not being completely happy with your creations. They will be upset (because there is always someone who will be) for 5 minutes and then forget about it and move on with their lives. It's not worth you losing sleep over. You are amazing and that is worth a lot!
I second this, also when you want it to be more affordable run discount sales from time to time. If you're running things at less than break even, you can't even do discount sales which people tend to love!
@@cate01aToo many people only think of goods in terms of Walmart having a sweatshop in China. And then they complain Simone can't match the price. If Simone priced them way high, like $200, lots of people would see it as supporting Simone and collecting a rare piece of functional art. Paradoxically, setting super high prices often makes happier customers. People who pay $20 when they think it should have been $18 get super angry. People who pay $200 for a $20 item feel good about flaunting their wealth.
I've loved the products, i just cant justify the prices for me. NOT saying they aren't worth it, because they almost certainly are. I'm sure there will be a product from Yetch that i need, but so far they are nice to have impulse buys. Keep it up Simon. We believe in you. There this is an amazing journey you are on. It is inspirational for everyone who is watching you do it. Thank you for sharing it with the world, and opening yourself up to the scrutiny and taking the risk.
I started watching your videos when you were in the “shitty robots era” and it helped me realize that I also wanted to create products! Now I’m a professional industrial designer and seeing you still creating awesome stuff AND operating a product store is super inspiring. Thank you for everything!
I work in market research and product design. I think the main issue with the Yetch store is branding and lack of options for products. The brand you have cultivated on youtube can be described as quirky, however the only item that can be considered quirky in there is the incomplete puzzle (your best selling product). If it is within the scope of your budget, I would honestly consider working with independent designers around the world who are designing things that are out of the norm, so that you can boost the amount of products you have in the store. If that is not a possibility, staying true to your own design philosophy for the stuff you make for yourself should also work. (Also please dont take my suggestions as criticism, I love what you do. You are one of my favourite creators on the platform.)
For sure! I think the marketing we do is really quirky (if you check our instagram that should give you a pretty good sample!) but the website is fairly devoid of that now. I'm not terribly interested in quirky more gimmicky products though, I want them to actually be useful and unique. And I really don't want the Yetch Store to be my sidekick merch store, it's its own thing and can be successful even without my face attached to it. And more products would help, for sure! But can't afford expanding it a bunch now, so it's growing slowly.
I love the yetch marketing!!! it's the main reason I'm still subscribed to the yetch email newsletter, because I know I'm going to have a good time whenever I open one of them :)
@@simonegiertz Från en annan produktutvecklare (av mer traditionellt snitt) så tänkte jag något liknande som föregående talare, angående din branding. För mig är din aboslut största styrka din charm! Jag är säker på att du kommer lyckas väldigt bra med dina ambitioner och att du hittar sätt att skapa produkter som är intressanta, användbara och charmiga. Ibland kan en produkt luta mer åt charmig än användbar och bli en framgång (lex pusslet). Ibland är receptet annorlunda. Ska bli kul att se hur det utvecklas!
@@pip.turner I had an OG web hosting company like that, you could tell it was one or two dozen real human beings working together having fun. their newsletter was always weird, but they never missed on their uptime metrics or customer service. it was a total win all around. i was so sad when the bean counters took over and erased all the fun, it definitely eroded my brand loyalty
@@simonegiertzas a product designer I would be really interested in designing a product for your store that buys into your values. Always enjoy and look forward to your videos for the pure honesty :)
First video of the trend was made by someone from my team , intention was she get engagement and instead of china some Indian manufacturer reach out to her , so the product could be manufactured in india. But it took a life of its own. I even mailed her to connect her to some Indian manufacturers .
14:14 this tiktok Is a great commentary on how we fell into a system where makers are forced to focus on product differentiation even to utility's detriment. It sucks for Simone to be used as an example but that doesn't make the video creator the bad guy.
I wish more creators talked about the manufacturing challenges of products, not just how to build something one off, and I am actually really excited for this future series, thank you.
Theory on why the puzzle sells so well: because buying 2 of them makea far too much sense. ❤😂 I bought it as a gift for a friend (she loved it). But shes a very crafty person and I knew she would be too tempted to put together the puzzle once and then want to draw or paint on its beautiful white surface. So I got her two- one to paint and one to keep white. 😊
As an artist and apparently a “small business owner” pricing has been the huge hurtle for me. Thank you for your joyous insight into your business and constant inspiration to stay creative ✨
2:17 -- too damn true. Been dealing with that dilemma for years now -- definitely enjoying designing products, but, still need to make content Love that you're making it work!
I got your Coat Hingers less than a week ago and they are AWESOME! You didn't skimp on the material quality. Each hanger is heavy duty. Love it! Thank you. Tack :)
Simone, I could have used your folding hangars when I owned my 1904 townhouse! The original closets weren't deep enough to hang today's standard hangers without tilting them nearly 45 degrees!
I honestly think you don't have to prove anything to anyone. You're one of the smartest and funniest youtubers I could find and it's always a joy to watch your videos. I'd rather see more silly videos full of ads than know you're stressed about some business thing. Really, it's a joy to have your videos land in my feed. Do whatever you feel is the right thing and ignore anyone who doesn't appreciate your work.
No joke. People who do this kind of business find. If you price your goods cheap, you're saying your brand is cheap. That doesn't work for many people. Setting super high prices can actually make your brand feel more important, even if it's literally just changing the number.
I am so thankful that you started a product business because I have worn my screwdriver ring daily for over a year now! ❤ and even use it (mainly to tighten kitchen cabinet screws as they work loose)
Those coat hingers are WAY more durable than most hangers you buy + will totally last forever. You should mention this + talk about the materials on your store!
One of the best pieces of advice that I have ever been given in business is this. If you love your product and it's your baby, you are almost definitely selling it for far less than it's actual value because you want everyone to have it. I think this is what you're doing because it's exactly what I did with my first start-up. This is not a bad thing at all. But I would put your prices up by 50%. I can guarantee you. People will still buy it.
I bought an everyday calendar to get me excercising. Its so satisfying to press that button and really nice to look back at my (somewhat patchy) record. I love it if there is a block of four or five consistent days on the trot. Its mega satisfying and i see it every day. Positive feedback cycles are a rare and valuable thing to find. Thank You!!! Also my mum is buying one too 😀
3x your cost is a standard way to count. 1x to pay for itself, 1x to buy its replacement, and 1x to make any kind of profit. And the cost is the item, plus expenses like shipping, taxes etc.
I heard a great piece of advice on the guilt of setting prices from another channel I watch. It was essentially this: charge what you have to charge to keep doing what you're doing. Charging what you're worth is necessary for you and for your customers so that you will still be there doing the work when they need you again.
similar to that idea that floats around business websites from time to time, 'I don't charge for the 15 min to do the thing, I charge for the 15 years of building experience to be able to do the thing efficiently and provide a reasonable warranty on the things I've done'
I've been following you from the beginning (I mean your TH-cam) and I am glad to see, that you are doing well and trying new stuff. Good luck with your projects!
❤ Simone, I laughed with your robots, cried when you told about your brain tumor. Was so relieved after the surgery. Followed your move to LA. Get happy feelings seeing your friendships with all the makers and especially Adam Savage and Laura Kampf ❤ Keep doing the things you do, I'll be one of your many Patreon supporters!
@@simonegiertzThis would be absolutely perfect for my "van life" project. 😊 You should totally sell shirts that say "I really really just want to be smart...and hot...but mostly smart."😂
It's nice to see that you tell your product business story as it is. The good stuff, the 'not so' good stuff and everything in between. It seems that many inventors have resembling fears, mistakes and obstacles to overcome. Thanks for shining a light on the challenging part of creating a product business and not only the glamorous and successful part of it. Greetings from Belgium and stay creative Simone! :)
After this video, I went out and bought the calendar. This is my review. 4.85/5. The good: -solid construction -love the wood - comes with screw mounts -packaging was secure -nice warranty, two years -appreciate that I can take the wire completely off, helped a lot with wire management The neutral: -The buttons aren’t as sensitive as I would prefer, but it works as intended Suggestions for improvement: -Even on the lowest brightness setting, it illuminates my entire bedroom at night. Yes you can turn the light off but now I have to remember to turn it back on every day if I want a dark room, I go to sleep. Overall, great product!! Thank you for working so hard to bring your ideas into the lives of others. I’ll be using this for many years.
Knowing how to fuck up in many different ways is my most precious knowledge. I went broke 2 times, and all I can tell is if you want to succeed just don't give up. Together with in the most desperate times you will be the most creative. Keep it up Simone! We believe in you!
Absolutely yes to this! My husband and I have a couple failed businesses under our belt but because we have a willingness to fail, we also have a couple really fun projects that are still thriving after almost a decade.
Totally depends on who you are and what kind of possibilities you still have. Most that are successful in the end have similar drives and support, but don't forget that a huge portion of people just fail and are not able to succeed. The key is to be able to know wherw you're landing.
Aww. It's a shame you didn't make money on the calendar. I purchased one for my friends for Christmas. They use it for tracking when they exercise together. I thought it would be nice to have 2 colors where one is for working out individually, and two is for working out together or being bluetooth enabled, but all of that costs even more in development. Regardless, it's an absolutely beautiful piece of art.
Hi Simone! The coat hinger is perfect for my weird house, where all of the closets are right triangles and too shallow for more than one full-size hanger. So thanks! I'll be pre-ordering some for my daughter's room. There's a product I really want to exist but don't know how to make it. Ideas are cheap and if you want take this and run with it, be my guest: I need a high-capacity coaster to collect all the condensation from the iced coffees I drink all day in the summer. OXO and Le Creuset sell silicone ones but they're only like 1mm-2mm deep, and fill up quickly. Imagine something like the "sport" floor liners they sell for cars: 1cm deep groves in hard silicone. That way I can dump the condensation into my plants without making a mess. It's crazy, it's niche AF, it's yours!
Helt ärligt så när jag känner mig lite hopplös eller nere så tar jag en titt på din kanal och liksom allt känns möjligt - och jag blir väldigt väldigt glad. Alla små dumma projekt som jag gjort som jag saknat självförtroende för har med tiden gjorts för att jag tittar på dina videos och får energi och glädje av dom. Jag är väldigt tacksam för allt du gör - keep it up - du är grym.
Having both a TH-cam channel and products myself I can tell you the one thing you’re missing is a business manager. You have the ideas, design, engineering, manufacturing but your missing the person who handles all the stuff you hate. They set the prices, handles the customers, work on inventory control, cash flow, all the nasty stuff inventors/engineers typically aren’t good at. I added that person and my business became profitable within 6 months.
I'll second this. In my many years I've started up two businesses. Both failed because even though I was good at what I did, I was useless at the admin side of stuff. The other thing is not to be disheartened if you fail the first time. In the UK, 80% of first time businesses fail within 18 months, and I suspect it's probably about the the same in the US. Just pick yourself up, have a long think about what you did wrong, and start again. And again if need be.
@@Teshia I suspect a better way of looking at this would be if you can't afford a business manager then you don't have enough money to run a business. But it doesn't need to be a 40hr per week job, most start ups could probably get by on 3-4 hours, as required. I know in the UK, startups can get some of this for free from mentoring schemes and suchlike, so it's always worth checking such things as part of your business plan before getting going.
Thanks for covering this! Making products is intimidating and most of the guides out there are extremely vague on the tangible steps to do the things. There's a real need for a project management company specifically built to help creators design/manufacture/ship products beyond the normal merch stuff. I would love to make products, but I also kinda love what I'm doing now and don't want to put it on hold. If you ever start such a company I'd happily invest.
I'm sure that exists as a general model , either as agencies|firms or staff augmentation/outsourcing; something shy of venture partners. it's probably not relevant if they are further a cottage industry in the youtube niche itself. I'd start either by asking any sourcing/suppliers you already know, then reddit /startups , entrepreneurship, manufacturing, or even ecommerce or the youtube creator spaces. There's also sites like makers row, or supplier source engines, but that's still DIY but could be worth reaching out to the marketplace itself for better terminology or leads. Or if really serious a manufacturing consultant to find manufacturing partners that do this. Sorry for buzzword soup was hoping something clicked as the right words matter for this ALOT but the specific terms to find those services escapes me , but.. Somewhere between manufacturing consulting sourcing agent project|ecom rescue mentorships to outright shark-tank esque venture investment or other middlemen. As it's not just asking for venture money it's asking for people to do alot of work with a lot of access to the IP and the businesses funds; and making sure they don't abuse the arrangement like a channel management or publisher could but worse because manufacturing is involved.
I use the coat hinger to help teach my innovation class. It has been a great way to discuss improving simple products to meet the needs of consumers with specific needs. I am always rooting for you Simone!
Simone you’re seriously the best. Your TH-cam has been one of my favorite channels to watch for a while. Can’t wait to see the success that’s coming your way
Dear Simone - you absolutely are both smart and hot. But mostly smart. And as far as I can tell, you're also clever and kind and quirky in all the best ways. I can't wait to hear when you're finally breaking even.
Hot in a purely physical sense, no, but when you consider her intelligence, kindness/decency, and creativity, that combined with her slightly above physical attractiveness, pushes her into the "hot zone" for me personally. Course of all of this is subjective to begin with, but some things are relatively more subjective than others (as physical attractiveness does have some standards and metrics, such as facial symmetry and proportion). (Your face pic, I would describe as more purely physically hot i.e. highly/unusually attractive, as a comparison.)
I work in corporate america where it really is business, its not personal. What I find refreshing about Ms Giertz is that her business IS personal. Slow, steady, wanting to make it right and not just 'viable'. I love to see it and will support it as much as I can 😊❤❤
If you made your every day calendar a smaller 31 day calendar I would buy it in a second. Think of all the 30 day challenges or monthly challenges you could keep track of. A year is too much to track just 1 goal. If you miss a day, you will have that blemish on there that whole year, whereas if you miss a 30 day challenge you can restart. A 365 also makes me want to start on January 1.
You know how sometimes people comment, "that's 15 minutes of my life I'll never get back?" This video was not that. Thanks, Simone. You're still awesome.
We have an everyday calendar and we just mounted our 24 coat hinger shelf kit. HANG IN THERE. My wife and i love Simone’s/the team’s work. We’ve run a few kickstarters ourselves and also understand production woes (board games). The hard work does not go unnoticed and the attention to detail in design does not go unappreciated. We cant wait (but will, gladly) to see what’s next!
Great video. We are kindred spirits. In 2000 I invented a new kind of luggage to let you roll up your suits, called SkyRoll. Within months 9-11 happened and the travel business went into a depression. I stuck with it and made enough to survive, then the 2008 great financial crisis hit and travel went into another depression. I stuck with it until Covid hit and travel went into the biggest depression of all time (notice a theme?). That was the last straw and I shut SkyRoll down to work on new inventions. Yes it is VERY hard to be an inventor and launch a products business, but I feel the same way you do. It lets me use my brain and not have to answer to anyone else. I'll keep doing it and I hope you keep doing it too. I support you 1,000%!
I know inspiration can’t pay off the mortgage on your house, but you truly inspire me so much. I appreciate you posting the truth of being a business owner.
Hi Simone! I just wanted to say thank you for the honesty and transparency you have shown in this and so many of your other videos over the years. Watching your journey has been entertaining from the start- but as a maker (hobbyist? idk... person who builds for fun, but doesn't make a living with it), watching you develop products and build the Yetch store has been so cathartic. The struggles and setbacks in your build videos have always felt so relatable, and seeing you persevere has been truly inspiring. Hearing the love you have for everything you're doing now is all I needed to know that it's going to be a success!
Hey Simone I bought a set of your Maker dice, I loved the process that went into making them, when I got them I loved how they felt in the hand, their weight, how well made they were, it pained me to give them away as the present I’d bought them for. But the recipient my darling wife adores them as well. We both enjoy products made by small producers where we can feel connected not not to the product but the story and the person behind then product - in this case YOU! Never be afraid to charge what something is worth and never undersell yourself, you are an inspiration to both of us and to many others I’m sure.
8:30 for the logo , the screw driver hole would look more like a "t" if you invert the black and white colors for that character. So, the outer part of the circle would be black and the inside of the + looking part should be white.
The problem is that it is hard to make a hole brighter than the thing it penetrates without installing a light source. It isn't printed that color, that's just the lack of light.
@DrewNorthup good point. I'd say in that case to just invert the colors. So the letters would be black instead of white. And the hole stays black but the circle around the hole should be white.
One of the things I'm proud of in my life, is being there to watch Simone's journey. She is an absolute inspiration!!! Also, I want the screwdriver and screw rings as wedding bands 🤣😍
I'm an engineer who does some electronics tinkering and machinist stuff on the side, and have really wanted to start a product business for a while, but haven't because a lot of "what ifs" that I was worried about. This right here confirmed that they were valid concerns, like at every point of the video I'm thinking "that's exactly what I was worried about" or "yeah that's probably exactly what would have happened with me too". Not gonna let it get me down or keep me from pursuing it some day, but this has confirmed that I was wise to wait to have more startup capital, and confirmed that I'll really need people on my payroll who are way better at marketing and social media than I am. Thank you for this video, felt like it was made just for me haha.
@Simone Giertz, I just paused the video to pop over to your shop. IMNSHO, the price of the folding hangers is incredibly reasonable. I have been pricing bare bones ones recently, and yours are top notch, as well as not being made by slave/child labour. I have loved watching you grow over the years, and wish you nothing but health and happiness for you and whatever you do. Thank you!
Wait, do we know who is making her stuff? My so far limited understanding was that she was working with Asian factories i.e. there is a potential for slave/child labor. (With that said, allegedly China has been improving conditions in recent years).
@@justinw1765 If you watch her channel, you will see that you builds the prototypes herself, from the idea to the product. That said, it is possible for products that are for sale, they may be outsourced. I'm curious as to where you got this information from. Also, as slave/child labour is your concern get rid of Apple products, anything that is 100% cotton, and any fast fashion you have. I'd make sure your coffee, tea and food are Fair Trade, and that your fruits are only picked by Union members. I appreciate your concern, but directing at one, female creator does seem a tad suspicious, given how much of the corporate backed stuff gets away with actual murder. To that end, make sure your fish is sustainably and locally sourced.
@@carabiner7999 I wasn't directing it at her, but thought it was an odd assertion that her stuff was free of that. I've watched enough videos to know/understand that she is involved with Asian factories for at least some of her products. Not that big of a deal to me, and wasn't trying to make a big deal out of it (i.e. wasn't trying to single her out), but I was responding to someone asserting that her stuff was free of that, when it might not be. That is all, nothing more, nothing less. I certainly wouldn't have started a thread pointing out that she uses Asian factories that something like 99% of companies and corporations seem to.
I developed, manufactured and sold a niche product for 15 years, and earned very little $ from it. I hear you! I'm still unsure how to deal with my discomfort around pricing and the shame of putting a $ value on my worth. That said, I always heard 5X cost was a normal markup, and I wish I had followed the advice of business savvy advisors to raise my prices. Instead I was ruthless about business costs and learned to do most everything myself. A tip from my dad was: convenience always means they want more money from you. Wishing you fruitful joyful learning and success in all your ventures!
As someone who makes a living on hiring engineers, I loved your comment: “it’s better to hire smart people to learn something, rather than hire stupid people to do what they already know.” Great video 👏
You are a true inspiration for all these years I have been following you. Seeing you grow and find your way is really chilling. you probably contributed to my decision studying industrial design. keep on riding that horse!
@@simonegiertzImo some people just don't like transparency and/or hearing about real life stuff. Don't mind them. Talking about real stuff and creating fun solutions for your life are in my opinion a huge part of your influencer brand and an equaly huge reason for why people love what you do (gäller även undertecknad). Hope that you will brake even soon!! Looking forward to hearing more about your manufacturing journey. All the best from Göteborg. :)
@@simonegiertz No matter what you do, or how well you do it, there are always going to be a-holes who just want to bring you down. Those aren't honest critiques, they're masturbatory compensation for their own emptiness. Ignore the a-holes, and do what works. You'll never be able to make everybody happy all of the time. And, You'll only run yourself ragged trying to. Some people just can't be happy with anything. But, you can.
The hardest part is behind you, you got this. Went to business school for 3 years and you're absolutely right, there is a lot of up front capital requirement and overhead costs. The more products you develop and the more sales pick up the easier it will get and you'll be making a profit in no time. Keep living your best life.
Thanks for this. We are investing in our own business and feel so many of the same things…except we know we are hot. Really thanks for being so open. It helps knowing we are not alone.
Simone youre an inspiration and a testament to surviving and ingenuity. Never let the grind get your perspective down, everyone is so glad youre still with us and healthy and striving to make a difference! Keep it up and all the best!
It's not that I forget that Simone is Swedish, it's just that she speaks English without a hint of an accent so it still takes me by surprise when she's speaking Swedish.
I totally feel with you on the „not talking yourself down“ part. In the past years started my journey as an indie game dev and there’s been multiple occasions where I was low balling out of reflex when someone was asking about my game.
Other than just general encouragement to keep going!, the only advice I have is to make sure your team crosschecks/works together. Having a single person handling an entire section of a business can produce less than ideal results as they are in a vacuum and either might not think of a better way to do something or even just might not see something that another perspective might. No one is perfect at their job or has the best ideas all the time, so collaboration is key.
On the entirety of TH-cam there are two handful of people I'd like to sit down and have a coffee with. You where already on that list, but this new venture makes you jump most of the queue. Any amount of courses on starting a product business will never live up to just going through it once. Having the skill to communicate that journey to others is worth its weight in gold!
My partner has recently started their own business and keeps saying they feel bad for the amount they have to charge (we sat down and went through the cash flow together and I had to really twist their arm into making a profit - self worth is a massive issue) The problem is that consumers are largely used to massive scale businesses like temu and Amazon where the workers are paid peanuts, the quality is low and the company can cut costs because they have the backing to produce at scale from the get go. You're absolutely worth it Simone, keep it up!
Yup, big tick in both boxes. Simone, you can tell you're smart because you keep learning. You try things, you explore, you fail and you overcome problems. You're clearly smart. And as for hot, well you have a beautiful face and your smile is positively radiant. I suspect you're comparing yourself to makeup, photoshop and AI filters. You're only allowed to do that if you run your own pics through the same process and then compare like for like :P
Simone, as far as pricing goes, it's less risky if during early product design, you look around to come up with a price estimate the market will bear. Then work backwards from there to see if you can make it profitably. If not, put the idea in the back of your mind and look for ways to cut costs. Different materials / manufacturing techniques, out sourcing, off the shelf components, etc. Failure is still an option, but less so because of price/profitability.
Good people have a hard time with business because there is such a horrible stigma attached to money. If this is anyway helpful, don’t think of the price as “money” - instead, think of it as the energy invested in making this item a reality. THIS is the energy needed to make this, so THIS is the energy required to acquire this for a person. It’s balancing the equation 😊 You rock! Keep up the great work!
Is there really a stigma attached to money? Or is it that you have different types of people that view money differently (sometimes very much so)? You got your NPD, BDP, and/or ASPD folks that are straight up, unapologetically (but potentially covertly) greedy and power hungry AF, and who only care about becoming wealthy and more materially powerful. They tend to have a lot of ego (NPD and/or BPD), to being just all ego (ASPD). At the polar opposite end, you got your fairly to completely non materialist idealists who are motivated more by creativity, love, helping others, helping the planet, etc. Not attached to becoming wealthy/rich and certainly not to material power, but if they did become wealthy and/or materially powerful/influential, they would use that money and/or influence for the upliftment of others. Often with either mystical, humanitarian, religious, spiritual, metaphysical, and/or philosophical beliefs and ideals. Not surprisingly perhaps, but these types rarely ever get into the "have mosts" groups. Then you got your fairly materialistic people that want to become wealthy (a fair amount of attachment to this feeling/want/belief), but not necessarily at any and every cost like the first group. This is the most common/numerous of and in numbers, and they fall somewhere in between the two above polar opposites. Very occasionally people from this group morph into one of the two polar opposites. But if you dig a little into history, especially outside of just history books, and you're good at pattern recognition and connecting the dots, you will soon come to understand that this world is now largely in the hands, at the highest levels of power and wealth control, of people from the first group, which is why we have things like endless wars, an increasing chasm between the have mosts and the have least. Then, you will see that humanity's largest, most repeating historical pattern is one long class war between the former, with the have mosts waging a kind of subtle to not so subtle war of attrition on the have's far less. The seeming stigma about money is about the internal and external war within and without us that rages between these 3 main views/perspectives of money (and the 3 main groups). The only people that don't experience any question, discomfort, or internal war between these are people from that first group. But for the rest of us that have affective empathy and conscience, we have that still, small, nagging voice that tells us, "its not the most important thing, don't get too attached, being of positive/helpful service to and loving others is far more important." The stigma comes from the discomfort with these extremes and competing influences within (and without) us. That pure ego side (of the first group), and that "higher self" side (that the 2nd group is most intune with). But many people (especially of the 3rd group), don't really, truly want to be conscious to all this, and so it is they that tend to have the most stigma and discomfort with it all, and thus tend to just label it something vague and nebulous like a societal stigma as a way of projecting it out and distancing it from themselves. The human ego is amazing at suppression and shoving things into the shadow/unconscious.
I just want to tell you that I've been following your channel for years and the joke's on me, because everything that I've seen you build, I've always found to be amazing and inspiring (as well as funny and sometimes downright hilarious). But, mostly inspiring, because I've been working up the nerve to go down a path that you, and others like you, have been venturing on for a while. And all I can say is, believe me, you are doing a great job and thank you.
Simone, I've been watching this channel for 7 years, since I was still in high school. The very first videos I saw from you were the DIY Astronaut Bootcamp. I found your shitty robot projects entertaining, but the moment that surprised me the most was the video you posted 5 years ago where you showcased new projects that weren't shitty robots, like your giant coat hanger for other coat hangers. That's where my attitude for this channel flipped. Suddenly you weren't someone making hacky, janky robots that are fun to laugh at, you were someone being really creative and coming up with novel solutions to problems I didn't think someone could possible have or want to solve. It's quite...I don't know...wholesome? that you spent some time in this video reflecting on your past projects and your evolution as a maker, because it also gave me a chance to reflect on how long I've been watching and enjoying being a witness to your creative process. I look forward to getting more of these introspective glimpses behind the curtain, and I hope that your creative lightbulb keeps on shining and never goes dim.
13:19 this broke my heart and is also so relatable. But I’ll tell you this: you ARE smart! And believe it or not, that makes you hot. Keep doing you and that’s the only thing that matters.
I'm sure everyone has said this in the comment section but you are definitely both smart and hot. Your inventive and quirky mind is why I love watching your videos. Personally, both of those traits makes you even more attractive outside of the physical beauty you have. Just keep being you and your business will take off because of you being genuine. And will last longer too.
i love the products and everything about them. the story, the production process, the vibes. i haven't been able to directly buy anything because i dont have the money (the prices make sense btw!!! i just havent been able to get extra money) but a patreon would be nice!
YES!! I'm right there with ya. And a couple bucks a month for Patreon is doable in a budget. After all, I have no streaming subscriptions, or cable, or other entertainment expenses. So that's how I categorize Patreon within a budget. Hopefully she'll do that!
Adam Savage said if you arent a little uncomfortable with what you are charging, you are probably not charging enough. As a small business owner selling items I make, Ive taken that adbice to heart
Back when I was selling my handmade jewelry, I had good luck asking friends to price it for me. It turns out that a lot of them are WAY better judges of what the market will tolerate than what I felt comfortable charging. If I know that I have $5 worth of materials in a necklace, but they tell me that they bought a similar necklace for $40, I feel a lot better about charging $40. Intellectually, I knew I needed to take into account booth fees for shows, time spent making things, printing costs for signage, etc, but it was really hard for me to get over the "but the materials only cost $X!!" myself. Having someone else pricing everything was really helpful.
@@christineg8151 I used to make chainmail jewelry and had the same problem.
@@christineg8151especially in a time intensive product like jewelry, it really helps if you imagine "time" as a material and set a fixed price for each minute. For example, 1$ per minute. If you need 20min + 5$ in materials, your actual cost for the product is 25$. Then you add a small profit on top to get the final price.
Tip: the price per minute should be enough that if you ever need to hire someone to do it for you, your price per minute is, at least, twice as much as you pay them. They are never going to be working every minute, that's normal and should be accounted for.
Good adbice
For me an important lesson on that is Thomas Frank's notion templates. He said he started by charging 200 USD and explained why. That number felt absolutely insane to me. But it worked for him. I personally also wouldn't feel comfortable charging so much, but there's something to be said about how having money allows you to develop more products.
This might be lost in the sea of comments but I was there for the silly robots, house boat(kicking myself that I forgot it's name), brain tumour, Tesla truck (that out did the official one imo) and now this. It's been a hell of a ride but I am so proud that you're one of the few TH-camrs who care about the consumer. I hope your investments get returned 10 fold in the years to come.
Likewise
Wanted to say this, but 👍your comment is so much easier.
Same for me, I have been following this smart, funny and hot girl for years.
There are many of us my friend. 🤝
me too
"I want to be smart. (And hot.) But mostly smart." would be an INCREDIBLE t-shirt
Also a version with "want to be" replaced with "am"!!
I would totally buy that shirt.
@@alanhat5252or both... other on front side and other on the back side.
I would absolutely buy that shirt….
Could be a range… “I just want to be artistic (and hot) but mostly artistic…
I'd buy one if Simone designed it.
Coat hingers arrived last week, my daughter LOVES them. She lives in a van, and she tossed every old hanger out the back door. She couldn't be happier! Perfect fit for a vanlifer.
Hopefully she donated the old hangers rather than threw them away.
Better pick those up
That’s such a specific and smart application!
@@justinw1765 Donate them where? I don't think many places want hangers.
@@libtrs838 you can neatly pack up and donate hangers on any online marketplace. It's better to give away 100 hangers on FB marketplace than throw them into a landfill, or out the back of a van in that other guy's case.
Here is a counter point, instead of selling other people’s stuff, which usually sucks, you are selling stuff you made and invented. That blows my mind. You have come so far, have ideas that are quirky but effective and are super inspirational to my niece.
"Handeling uncertainty and discomfort is a skill that I can grow." I need this embroidered on a pillow to cry into and grow stronger with.
The "waking up in the middle of the night and just feel like throwing up" would make it a beautiful set of pillows.
@@leaeverlynjensen6800 what about releasing a giant anxiety fart :)
In the spirit of this channel I'd say: buy 🧵 and a 🪡 and make it!
But spelled correctly.
@@Feraloidies That one was good too 😆
The folding hangers you need to market towards semi-truck drivers. My Dad is a truck driver & does like to have coats and shirts hanging. The "closet" takes up alot of room & he had to use it for important things like food, water, & others stuff. With the folding hanger system he could put it anywhere in the truck and still have plenty of room.
Now THAT is smart! And RVs!!!
I live in an old house with NOT a lot of room, so those hangers would really work in it and others like it.
@simonegiertz are you reading along?
They cost ~ $10 a hanger. I don't know how many truckers are willing to swallow that pill.
@@Yunwi If it's really helpful, people will gladly pay ten bucks
I'm not sure where else to put this...
I just got the coat hinger set I ordered from the kickstarter. when I was ordering it I was thinking "eh, it's a little pricey but you gotta splurge a bit sometimes". let me tell you, maybe it is a splurge item, but sometimes you get what you pay for. this is one of those times. it is totally worth it.
The coat hinger shelf is *really* nice. Some assembly required is a feature: the components feel excited to be put together. It's texturally pleasing to handle. The folding hangers themselves work exactly like I imagined they would. They really do help open up what would otherwise be a cramped space, and the resulting finished piece in use feels elegant. I am now excited to put laundry away. 10/10, would hinge again.
Edit, in case this wasn't clear already: it would still be worth it at a higher price, imo. charge what you need to so you can keep making cool things!
This made my day!! Ok if I use this as a testimonial on the Yetch Store?
@@simonegiertz , I say, go for it.
@@wirelesmike73 that's not how consent works.
@@emilymartin5418 , It was offered on a public forum. It is technically a testimonial, already.
😂
I have a very small candle company. I really struggle with the pricing. I appreciate hearing that it's okay to raise my prices so that I'm not completely losing money every single time. Thank you for that
Thank you for being so upfront and honest about the process of starting your business. I'm a small business owner and your experience is so relatable to me - the excitement about creating new products, the existential terror when people don't like something you've made, and the stress about making it all work financially. My business has been running for a year and a half now and I've been losing money on it since it launched. It's stressful and unnerving and sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right thing. But the truth is, like you, I absolutely love it. I don't regret it at all. And it's all worth it when I see people's faces light up when they see the absurd books that I publish. I think this is such a common small business experience, and I'm comforted by connecting with other small business owners, because even if there are no simple solutions, at least we all get it. The Yetch store and the products you produce are amazing, and I hope your business takes off soon! And, in the meantime, if you need any silly D&D campaigns or graphic novels about pigeons.... Shrimp Cult Press has you covered!
Shrimp Cult Press is BALLER name
Simone - You could easily do "standard" merch like t-shirts. Quotes like "I want to be smart. (And hot.) But mostly smart." and variations of it are GOLD. You come up with a lot of catchy quotes and phrases. You probably dont want to lower yourself to t-shirts, but think of it as easy $$$$$ to fund your product ideas. These days you can order and ship t-shirts remotely one-by-one without bulk orders or manufacturing. A t-shirt with "BYEEEEEEEEEE" on the back and a small "Yetch Store" at the bottom ...... promote yourself girl !!!
This. The standard influencer stuff is an easy cash supplement and allows your fans to support you even if/when your inventions are relevant to them. I would completely buy some basic merch. I haven't come across a use case for your inventions for me yet, and it feels weird to buy something like that just to have it sit in my house unused. You make cool, but relatively specific things that not everyone can/wants to use. But everyone wears clothes. It's not selling out, it's just diversifying your appeal. Even the local restaurants I go to sell merch these days, you could too.
Ditto! Especially the “think of it as easy $$$ to fund your product ideas.” part.
For real, I bet a lot of viewers would enjoy slogan merch (don't forget phone cases, heck, anything that can hold print), and having cash to invest in fun stuff directly benefits viewers as well. Besides, if you make a product available and advertise it accurately, you're not hurting anyone. They can choose to buy it themselves, or not. People have free will. =)
I have a multitool with your words: "Don't be lazy. Do the thing. Do it properly." engraved on the side. These are the truest words in all of time and space and I take them to heart. It's the reason I ordered your product..
For real. There's so much value in products that come from a brand you can trust actually cares about doing things well.
I'm just wondering how you'd go about engraving the side of your multitool
@@DraftyCrevice You just buy another multitool! Just following the X+1 law of acquisition of tools and accessories.
Haha I made a little sign for my workshop with that quote on it!
There’s a bible verse I keep close to mind. Ecclesiastes 9:10 “Whatever you do, do well.”
I’m not religious at all, but I’m awed that humans have known that good hard work is A Higher Purpose
As someone who abruptly opened a bookstore 4 months ago with no experience in running a for profit business, this video helped me so much just hearing that I'm not the only one that constantly wants to run and hide. You rock and keep kicking ass.
Godspeed to you 😊
your honesty, integrity, originality, and sincerity is incredible. love seeing your growth and you living your best life, which is easier said than done. keep on being amazing!
you gotta push your Yetch store MORE than you ever have. so much potential in other countries, farther than you realise. Never stop dreaming big.
Also in the business sense. I feel like this could help someone with commercial storage space or be able to store things in the same warehouse that things are made in
You should be adding in products that help pad your bottom line. Merch like shirts, hats, socks, posters, and the like can be printed on demand-Lower profits but zero storage and order fulfillment costs. You could expand your line for the hangers with more options beyond the hooks. Do 3 different wood shelving sets from small to big that each incorporate that hanger rod that's close to the wall. These are relatively low R&D; No special molds, castings, electronics, or specialty parts. You could hire out a woodshop to mass produce them. Have you considered offering custom engravings on the rings for an upcharge? Easy to do with a laser engraver and would be great for gifts or couples.
that's what i was thinking. something for people who don't have tons of money. i honestly can't afford anything on Yetch. but i'm probably not the target demographic!
A complementary shelf and rack for the hanger is honestly a brilliant idea. It’s sold as a package. I live in a tiny studio and I’m always trying to solve the problem of making the space more efficient. I don’t already HAVE the right shelf/rack for the product, but in the package of hinger + rack, you just sold me the IDEA of efficient storage use I didn’t think of.
@@fenestrapain That's exactly what's already on the store though?
@@JoannaFalkowskaAlways trust when the customer says there's a problem. Never trust their solution. What people mean to say is. Smart business people pay the bills first. Then they use a portion of the profits to invest in a passion project. So even if that project goes totally bankrupt. Let's say you had your 20% profit from the store. You spent 10% on your passion. You're still left holding 10%. See also Taleb's "Antifragile". Simone has built a very fragile business model. She needs to think Antifragile. Antifragile is when your real income is doing videos about how badly your shop is failing. You might make so much money on people laughing at your failure and supoorting Patreon or whatever, that you can permanently run the shop at a loss.
Excellent comment. Another commenter pointed out how many merch-worthy quips she has, and how many viewers wouldn't mind a phone case with a silly saying on it that brings them joy when they pick up their phone?
I actually have the PERFECT use-case for your folding hangers that you couldn't just "turn the hook sideways". I plan on hollowing out the wall behind my front door (only opens 90 degrees) to make cubbies for hanging jackets, umbrellas, etc. A sideways hanger wouldn't fit between the studs.
☝️
Sounds like an awesome testimonial/review video when it's done!
Yes! Make a video of it, and let Simone use it as a testimonial, as a response to the wiseguys who just turn the hanger sideways. Show all the ways that traditional hangers don't fit, and how many clothes you can hang with Simones design. Show the dimensions of the space used.
also lockers. Coathangers never fit properly in lockers.
why are your studs so close together
The journey has been, and will continue to be, a pleasure to watch. I use my light calendar every day. You got this!
You just casually hitting me right in the feels
@@simonegiertz seriously that calendar got me through a time in my life where I was working through anxiety and body image issues by tracking how often I went climbing. I filled so many lights on that board that year and continue to do so. Thank you.
because shes hot! (and smart)
I recommend selling a smaller bundle of hangers than 12. There's a gut reaction that happens when you see 3 digits. "oh 150 that's way too much", but if you sell 6 for 75$ it feels more manageable to think "oh it's a little more than 10$ per coat hanger. I guess that makes sense" People who want more could buy multiple bundles, and you could maybe even give a discount for larger groupings.
Most people do not understand the engineering and experience it takes to make even one product but when you have to design for one million units per year, you are on a whole new level. I designed some of the machinery that builds the Ford F150 and they need to make 1,000,000 of the exact same thing over and over without fail. The secret is K.I.S.S. You need to put elegance into everything you do. When you do that Simone, everything comes together and people buy your product. That is why Ford makes a million F150s and why it is worth the time you are putting into yours. Well done from an experienced mechanical engineer.
"It's a lot better to hire smart people to learn than to hire stupid people to do something they already know how to do" Truer words were never spoken.
I recently joined two of my friends who started a fab/machining shop three years ago. One has the machining background, the other metallurgy, and me mechanical engineering... We keep learning everyday and starting new projects every now and then. I've never had a more fulfilling job than this one.
Keep doing what you love and don't let people's bad comments get to you.
Not enough people understand this. I'm in several hiring committees and this is painful
@@diseno2040 I guess you just define objectives...."we want people that can count potatoes all day" vs "I want a person that can count potatoes then figure out something that will count for him". I will pay him triple his salary and replace 4 people. (save money!)
Many millionaire businessmen say the opposite, they want dumb employees who can do the work now. I bet it all comes down to the situation, so I'd love to hear the specifics on these "stupid" employees that were such a bad fit... Except that'd mean her making a whole video talking shit about former associates, which is too mean =/
@@32BitJunkie can't we make assumptions.?? "stupid" means no initiative. You can get ambitious untrained people....that's the bonus of temp agencies---you can burn through a bunch of people to find the good ones (at 1.5x the price). What's really special is an employee that brings value you did not see possible.
I bought a coat hinger set and it's amazing! If you live on a boat, this is the solution not only for space, but to stop the swooshing noise at night-clothes don't sway on it, they rest against the vertical...
Oh yes! I went on a cruise recently and the coat hangers were so annoying 🙄 Whenever you're ready @simonegiertz, reach out to Viking Cruises 😏
Simone, charge more and don't stress so much about someone not being completely happy with your creations. They will be upset (because there is always someone who will be) for 5 minutes and then forget about it and move on with their lives. It's not worth you losing sleep over. You are amazing and that is worth a lot!
I second this, also when you want it to be more affordable run discount sales from time to time. If you're running things at less than break even, you can't even do discount sales which people tend to love!
Agreed!
sure i wouldve agreed but good god, 23 bucks for two s hooks
@@cate01aToo many people only think of goods in terms of Walmart having a sweatshop in China. And then they complain Simone can't match the price. If Simone priced them way high, like $200, lots of people would see it as supporting Simone and collecting a rare piece of functional art. Paradoxically, setting super high prices often makes happier customers. People who pay $20 when they think it should have been $18 get super angry. People who pay $200 for a $20 item feel good about flaunting their wealth.
I've loved the products, i just cant justify the prices for me. NOT saying they aren't worth it, because they almost certainly are. I'm sure there will be a product from Yetch that i need, but so far they are nice to have impulse buys.
Keep it up Simon. We believe in you. There this is an amazing journey you are on. It is inspirational for everyone who is watching you do it. Thank you for sharing it with the world, and opening yourself up to the scrutiny and taking the risk.
I started watching your videos when you were in the “shitty robots era” and it helped me realize that I also wanted to create products! Now I’m a professional industrial designer and seeing you still creating awesome stuff AND operating a product store is super inspiring. Thank you for everything!
I work in market research and product design. I think the main issue with the Yetch store is branding and lack of options for products. The brand you have cultivated on youtube can be described as quirky, however the only item that can be considered quirky in there is the incomplete puzzle (your best selling product). If it is within the scope of your budget, I would honestly consider working with independent designers around the world who are designing things that are out of the norm, so that you can boost the amount of products you have in the store. If that is not a possibility, staying true to your own design philosophy for the stuff you make for yourself should also work. (Also please dont take my suggestions as criticism, I love what you do. You are one of my favourite creators on the platform.)
For sure! I think the marketing we do is really quirky (if you check our instagram that should give you a pretty good sample!) but the website is fairly devoid of that now. I'm not terribly interested in quirky more gimmicky products though, I want them to actually be useful and unique. And I really don't want the Yetch Store to be my sidekick merch store, it's its own thing and can be successful even without my face attached to it. And more products would help, for sure! But can't afford expanding it a bunch now, so it's growing slowly.
I love the yetch marketing!!! it's the main reason I'm still subscribed to the yetch email newsletter, because I know I'm going to have a good time whenever I open one of them :)
@@simonegiertz Från en annan produktutvecklare (av mer traditionellt snitt) så tänkte jag något liknande som föregående talare, angående din branding. För mig är din aboslut största styrka din charm! Jag är säker på att du kommer lyckas väldigt bra med dina ambitioner och att du hittar sätt att skapa produkter som är intressanta, användbara och charmiga. Ibland kan en produkt luta mer åt charmig än användbar och bli en framgång (lex pusslet). Ibland är receptet annorlunda. Ska bli kul att se hur det utvecklas!
@@pip.turner I had an OG web hosting company like that, you could tell it was one or two dozen real human beings working together having fun. their newsletter was always weird, but they never missed on their uptime metrics or customer service. it was a total win all around. i was so sad when the bean counters took over and erased all the fun, it definitely eroded my brand loyalty
@@simonegiertzas a product designer I would be really interested in designing a product for your store that buys into your values. Always enjoy and look forward to your videos for the pure honesty :)
"Thank you for your engagement" is such a beautiful response to a bad-faith comment.
First video of the trend was made by someone from my team , intention was she get engagement and instead of china some Indian manufacturer reach out to her , so the product could be manufactured in india. But it took a life of its own. I even mailed her to connect her to some Indian manufacturers .
14:14 this tiktok Is a great commentary on how we fell into a system where makers are forced to focus on product differentiation even to utility's detriment. It sucks for Simone to be used as an example but that doesn't make the video creator the bad guy.
You know what's even better? Not responding.
I also think it’s a great response to the previous image of the two hands with the rings on them
@@lawyermahaprasad What a terrible idea.
I wish more creators talked about the manufacturing challenges of products, not just how to build something one off, and I am actually really excited for this future series, thank you.
If more people talked about the reality of being an "inventor" then people might realize just how truly awful capitalism is ...
Theory on why the puzzle sells so well: because buying 2 of them makea far too much sense. ❤😂
I bought it as a gift for a friend (she loved it). But shes a very crafty person and I knew she would be too tempted to put together the puzzle once and then want to draw or paint on its beautiful white surface. So I got her two- one to paint and one to keep white. 😊
As an artist and apparently a “small business owner” pricing has been the huge hurtle for me. Thank you for your joyous insight into your business and constant inspiration to stay creative ✨
2:17 -- too damn true. Been dealing with that dilemma for years now -- definitely enjoying designing products, but, still need to make content
Love that you're making it work!
You guys should make (and take) some chill gummies in the shapes of all the things you've made.
Absolutely love how you're so transparent!! Keep on pushing🤞🏼
I’ll start an Only Fans where I’m just uncomfortably vulnerable and overshare
@@simonegiertz jesus simone that escalated quickly😂😂😭
@@simonegiertz Talk about generating life lube
@@simonegiertzI'm hooked already 😊
@@simonegiertz Explains the 'I want to be hot' part lol
I'm not buying what you made, I'm buying an incremental improvement in my life.
The money I am paying is a "certificate of appreciation".
I got your Coat Hingers less than a week ago and they are AWESOME! You didn't skimp on the material quality. Each hanger is heavy duty. Love it! Thank you. Tack :)
Simone, I could have used your folding hangars when I owned my 1904 townhouse! The original closets weren't deep enough to hang today's standard hangers without tilting them nearly 45 degrees!
I honestly think you don't have to prove anything to anyone. You're one of the smartest and funniest youtubers I could find and it's always a joy to watch your videos. I'd rather see more silly videos full of ads than know you're stressed about some business thing. Really, it's a joy to have your videos land in my feed. Do whatever you feel is the right thing and ignore anyone who doesn't appreciate your work.
Oh, Simone. The product has ALWAYS been YOU.
For so many of us, you are a constant source of enjoyment.
No joke. People who do this kind of business find. If you price your goods cheap, you're saying your brand is cheap. That doesn't work for many people. Setting super high prices can actually make your brand feel more important, even if it's literally just changing the number.
I am so thankful that you started a product business because I have worn my screwdriver ring daily for over a year now! ❤ and even use it (mainly to tighten kitchen cabinet screws as they work loose)
Those coat hingers are WAY more durable than most hangers you buy + will totally last forever. You should mention this + talk about the materials on your store!
One of the best pieces of advice that I have ever been given in business is this.
If you love your product and it's your baby, you are almost definitely selling it for far less than it's actual value because you want everyone to have it.
I think this is what you're doing because it's exactly what I did with my first start-up. This is not a bad thing at all. But I would put your prices up by 50%. I can guarantee you. People will still buy it.
I bought an everyday calendar to get me excercising. Its so satisfying to press that button and really nice to look back at my (somewhat patchy) record. I love it if there is a block of four or five consistent days on the trot. Its mega satisfying and i see it every day. Positive feedback cycles are a rare and valuable thing to find. Thank You!!!
Also my mum is buying one too 😀
3x your cost is a standard way to count. 1x to pay for itself, 1x to buy its replacement, and 1x to make any kind of profit. And the cost is the item, plus expenses like shipping, taxes etc.
Oooooh, this is a really good way to evaluate costing. Thank you
I heard a great piece of advice on the guilt of setting prices from another channel I watch. It was essentially this: charge what you have to charge to keep doing what you're doing. Charging what you're worth is necessary for you and for your customers so that you will still be there doing the work when they need you again.
similar to that idea that floats around business websites from time to time, 'I don't charge for the 15 min to do the thing, I charge for the 15 years of building experience to be able to do the thing efficiently and provide a reasonable warranty on the things I've done'
I've been following you from the beginning (I mean your TH-cam) and I am glad to see, that you are doing well and trying new stuff. Good luck with your projects!
❤ Simone, I laughed with your robots, cried when you told about your brain tumor. Was so relieved after the surgery. Followed your move to LA. Get happy feelings seeing your friendships with all the makers and especially Adam Savage and Laura Kampf ❤
Keep doing the things you do, I'll be one of your many Patreon supporters!
Glad you're still around. Viva Simone.
Hanging in there! On a bar that is hovering an inch off the ground.
@@simonegiertz Pull-ups, homie! 💪
I second that. Always good hearing from you
@simonegiertz It’ll be so easy to get back up there if you fall!
I love the folding hangers! I wish I ordered more!
Well now you can!! yetch.store/products/small-coat-hinger-bracket-kit-pre-order
@@simonegiertzThis would be absolutely perfect for my "van life" project. 😊
You should totally sell shirts that say "I really really just want to be smart...and hot...but mostly smart."😂
I love them too (but ordered enough the first time).
@@simonegiertz RV folks need these and i've pumped em in those groups a bit. Positive sentiment on the hangers without knowing your story.
Your English accent is so natural, that I always forget English isn't your first language
I didn't even know until now that she was Swedish and from Sweden. And I have a decent ear for accents.
It's nice to see that you tell your product business story as it is. The good stuff, the 'not so' good stuff and everything in between.
It seems that many inventors have resembling fears, mistakes and obstacles to overcome.
Thanks for shining a light on the challenging part of creating a product business and not only the glamorous and successful part of it.
Greetings from Belgium and stay creative Simone! :)
After this video, I went out and bought the calendar. This is my review. 4.85/5.
The good:
-solid construction
-love the wood
- comes with screw mounts
-packaging was secure
-nice warranty, two years
-appreciate that I can take the wire completely off, helped a lot with wire management
The neutral:
-The buttons aren’t as sensitive as I would prefer, but it works as intended
Suggestions for improvement:
-Even on the lowest brightness setting, it illuminates my entire bedroom at night. Yes you can turn the light off but now I have to remember to turn it back on every day if I want a dark room, I go to sleep.
Overall, great product!! Thank you for working so hard to bring your ideas into the lives of others. I’ll be using this for many years.
The best thing about this sales pitch video is how honest it is. I'm 1000x more likely to buy from you, because of this, than somewhere else.
Knowing how to fuck up in many different ways is my most precious knowledge. I went broke 2 times, and all I can tell is if you want to succeed just don't give up. Together with in the most desperate times you will be the most creative. Keep it up Simone! We believe in you!
Absolutely yes to this! My husband and I have a couple failed businesses under our belt but because we have a willingness to fail, we also have a couple really fun projects that are still thriving after almost a decade.
To be able to go broke twice- it means you would’ve had to pull yourself back together at least once!! Congrats dude!!!
Totally depends on who you are and what kind of possibilities you still have. Most that are successful in the end have similar drives and support, but don't forget that a huge portion of people just fail and are not able to succeed. The key is to be able to know wherw you're landing.
A mistake is a chance to learn something.
Aww. It's a shame you didn't make money on the calendar. I purchased one for my friends for Christmas. They use it for tracking when they exercise together. I thought it would be nice to have 2 colors where one is for working out individually, and two is for working out together or being bluetooth enabled, but all of that costs even more in development. Regardless, it's an absolutely beautiful piece of art.
oooo, theoretically that could be a little firmware update you download and install somehow (if there were a usb port or something easy-ish)
@@bruce-le-smith only if the LEDs are RGB, but I guess it might also be possible to have two stages of brightness.
Hi Simone! The coat hinger is perfect for my weird house, where all of the closets are right triangles and too shallow for more than one full-size hanger. So thanks! I'll be pre-ordering some for my daughter's room.
There's a product I really want to exist but don't know how to make it. Ideas are cheap and if you want take this and run with it, be my guest: I need a high-capacity coaster to collect all the condensation from the iced coffees I drink all day in the summer. OXO and Le Creuset sell silicone ones but they're only like 1mm-2mm deep, and fill up quickly. Imagine something like the "sport" floor liners they sell for cars: 1cm deep groves in hard silicone. That way I can dump the condensation into my plants without making a mess. It's crazy, it's niche AF, it's yours!
Helt ärligt så när jag känner mig lite hopplös eller nere så tar jag en titt på din kanal och liksom allt känns möjligt - och jag blir väldigt väldigt glad. Alla små dumma projekt som jag gjort som jag saknat självförtroende för har med tiden gjorts för att jag tittar på dina videos och får energi och glädje av dom. Jag är väldigt tacksam för allt du gör - keep it up - du är grym.
Having both a TH-cam channel and products myself I can tell you the one thing you’re missing is a business manager. You have the ideas, design, engineering, manufacturing but your missing the person who handles all the stuff you hate. They set the prices, handles the customers, work on inventory control, cash flow, all the nasty stuff inventors/engineers typically aren’t good at.
I added that person and my business became profitable within 6 months.
I'll second this. In my many years I've started up two businesses. Both failed because even though I was good at what I did, I was useless at the admin side of stuff. The other thing is not to be disheartened if you fail the first time. In the UK, 80% of first time businesses fail within 18 months, and I suspect it's probably about the the same in the US. Just pick yourself up, have a long think about what you did wrong, and start again. And again if need be.
How much does a business need to be already making to afford to hire a business manager?
@@Teshia I suspect a better way of looking at this would be if you can't afford a business manager then you don't have enough money to run a business. But it doesn't need to be a 40hr per week job, most start ups could probably get by on 3-4 hours, as required.
I know in the UK, startups can get some of this for free from mentoring schemes and suchlike, so it's always worth checking such things as part of your business plan before getting going.
Life lube 😂😂😂 honestly a great way to put it
Yeah, it's really hard to raw dog your way into owning a home.
life lube was crazy
@@sansmojo RIP asshole
@@sansmojo thanks for making me laugh out loud
"Life lube" is a phrase that I'm going to use when I can and "anxiety farts". So here we go Life lube is going to help release my anxiety farts😁
Thanks for covering this! Making products is intimidating and most of the guides out there are extremely vague on the tangible steps to do the things.
There's a real need for a project management company specifically built to help creators design/manufacture/ship products beyond the normal merch stuff. I would love to make products, but I also kinda love what I'm doing now and don't want to put it on hold. If you ever start such a company I'd happily invest.
I'm sure that exists as a general model , either as agencies|firms or staff augmentation/outsourcing; something shy of venture partners.
it's probably not relevant if they are further a cottage industry in the youtube niche itself.
I'd start either by asking any sourcing/suppliers you already know, then reddit /startups , entrepreneurship, manufacturing, or even ecommerce or the youtube creator spaces. There's also sites like makers row, or supplier source engines, but that's still DIY but could be worth reaching out to the marketplace itself for better terminology or leads. Or if really serious a manufacturing consultant to find manufacturing partners that do this.
Sorry for buzzword soup was hoping something clicked as the right words matter for this ALOT but the specific terms to find those services escapes me , but..
Somewhere between manufacturing consulting sourcing agent project|ecom rescue mentorships to outright shark-tank esque venture investment or other middlemen.
As it's not just asking for venture money it's asking for people to do alot of work with a lot of access to the IP and the businesses funds; and making sure they don't abuse the arrangement like a channel management or publisher could but worse because manufacturing is involved.
I use the coat hinger to help teach my innovation class. It has been a great way to discuss improving simple products to meet the needs of consumers with specific needs. I am always rooting for you Simone!
Simone you’re seriously the best. Your TH-cam has been one of my favorite channels to watch for a while. Can’t wait to see the success that’s coming your way
Dear Simone - you absolutely are both smart and hot. But mostly smart. And as far as I can tell, you're also clever and kind and quirky in all the best ways. I can't wait to hear when you're finally breaking even.
Hot in a purely physical sense, no, but when you consider her intelligence, kindness/decency, and creativity, that combined with her slightly above physical attractiveness, pushes her into the "hot zone" for me personally. Course of all of this is subjective to begin with, but some things are relatively more subjective than others (as physical attractiveness does have some standards and metrics, such as facial symmetry and proportion).
(Your face pic, I would describe as more purely physically hot i.e. highly/unusually attractive, as a comparison.)
I work in corporate america where it really is business, its not personal. What I find refreshing about Ms Giertz is that her business IS personal. Slow, steady, wanting to make it right and not just 'viable'. I love to see it and will support it as much as I can 😊❤❤
We ❤🔥 you Simone. Startups are so so so hard, especially manufacturing. We believe in you!
If you made your every day calendar a smaller 31 day calendar I would buy it in a second. Think of all the 30 day challenges or monthly challenges you could keep track of. A year is too much to track just 1 goal. If you miss a day, you will have that blemish on there that whole year, whereas if you miss a 30 day challenge you can restart. A 365 also makes me want to start on January 1.
great points!
As a mechanical engineer looking to start my own business some day this was so encouraging. Keep trucking, thank you for this!!
What business do you want to start? We need more engineers in our discord server to help our eager inventors…
You know how sometimes people comment, "that's 15 minutes of my life I'll never get back?" This video was not that. Thanks, Simone. You're still awesome.
The money and fame as life lube analogy is so real
🫡
We have an everyday calendar and we just mounted our 24 coat hinger shelf kit. HANG IN THERE. My wife and i love Simone’s/the team’s work. We’ve run a few kickstarters ourselves and also understand production woes (board games). The hard work does not go unnoticed and the attention to detail in design does not go unappreciated. We cant wait (but will, gladly) to see what’s next!
Great video. We are kindred spirits. In 2000 I invented a new kind of luggage to let you roll up your suits, called SkyRoll. Within months 9-11 happened and the travel business went into a depression. I stuck with it and made enough to survive, then the 2008 great financial crisis hit and travel went into another depression. I stuck with it until Covid hit and travel went into the biggest depression of all time (notice a theme?). That was the last straw and I shut SkyRoll down to work on new inventions. Yes it is VERY hard to be an inventor and launch a products business, but I feel the same way you do. It lets me use my brain and not have to answer to anyone else. I'll keep doing it and I hope you keep doing it too. I support you 1,000%!
I know inspiration can’t pay off the mortgage on your house, but you truly inspire me so much. I appreciate you posting the truth of being a business owner.
Hi Simone! I just wanted to say thank you for the honesty and transparency you have shown in this and so many of your other videos over the years. Watching your journey has been entertaining from the start- but as a maker (hobbyist? idk... person who builds for fun, but doesn't make a living with it), watching you develop products and build the Yetch store has been so cathartic. The struggles and setbacks in your build videos have always felt so relatable, and seeing you persevere has been truly inspiring. Hearing the love you have for everything you're doing now is all I needed to know that it's going to be a success!
Hey Simone I bought a set of your Maker dice, I loved the process that went into making them, when I got them I loved how they felt in the hand, their weight, how well made they were, it pained me to give them away as the present I’d bought them for. But the recipient my darling wife adores them as well. We both enjoy products made by small producers where we can feel connected not not to the product but the story and the person behind then product - in this case YOU! Never be afraid to charge what something is worth and never undersell yourself, you are an inspiration to both of us and to many others I’m sure.
This is so lovely ❤
8:30 for the logo , the screw driver hole would look more like a "t" if you invert the black and white colors for that character. So, the outer part of the circle would be black and the inside of the + looking part should be white.
The problem is that it is hard to make a hole brighter than the thing it penetrates without installing a light source. It isn't printed that color, that's just the lack of light.
@DrewNorthup good point. I'd say in that case to just invert the colors. So the letters would be black instead of white. And the hole stays black but the circle around the hole should be white.
One of the things I'm proud of in my life, is being there to watch Simone's journey. She is an absolute inspiration!!!
Also, I want the screwdriver and screw rings as wedding bands 🤣😍
I'm an engineer who does some electronics tinkering and machinist stuff on the side, and have really wanted to start a product business for a while, but haven't because a lot of "what ifs" that I was worried about. This right here confirmed that they were valid concerns, like at every point of the video I'm thinking "that's exactly what I was worried about" or "yeah that's probably exactly what would have happened with me too". Not gonna let it get me down or keep me from pursuing it some day, but this has confirmed that I was wise to wait to have more startup capital, and confirmed that I'll really need people on my payroll who are way better at marketing and social media than I am. Thank you for this video, felt like it was made just for me haha.
@Simone Giertz, I just paused the video to pop over to your shop. IMNSHO, the price of the folding hangers is incredibly reasonable. I have been pricing bare bones ones recently, and yours are top notch, as well as not being made by slave/child labour. I have loved watching you grow over the years, and wish you nothing but health and happiness for you and whatever you do. Thank you!
Wait, do we know who is making her stuff? My so far limited understanding was that she was working with Asian factories i.e. there is a potential for slave/child labor. (With that said, allegedly China has been improving conditions in recent years).
@@justinw1765 If you watch her channel, you will see that you builds the prototypes herself, from the idea to the product. That said, it is possible for products that are for sale, they may be outsourced.
I'm curious as to where you got this information from. Also, as slave/child labour is your concern get rid of Apple products, anything that is 100% cotton, and any fast fashion you have. I'd make sure your coffee, tea and food are Fair Trade, and that your fruits are only picked by Union members.
I appreciate your concern, but directing at one, female creator does seem a tad suspicious, given how much of the corporate backed stuff gets away with actual murder. To that end, make sure your fish is sustainably and locally sourced.
@@carabiner7999 I wasn't directing it at her, but thought it was an odd assertion that her stuff was free of that.
I've watched enough videos to know/understand that she is involved with Asian factories for at least some of her products.
Not that big of a deal to me, and wasn't trying to make a big deal out of it (i.e. wasn't trying to single her out), but I was responding to someone asserting that her stuff was free of that, when it might not be.
That is all, nothing more, nothing less. I certainly wouldn't have started a thread pointing out that she uses Asian factories that something like 99% of companies and corporations seem to.
I developed, manufactured and sold a niche product for 15 years, and earned very little $ from it. I hear you!
I'm still unsure how to deal with my discomfort around pricing and the shame of putting a $ value on my worth.
That said, I always heard 5X cost was a normal markup, and I wish I had followed the advice of business savvy advisors to raise my prices. Instead I was ruthless about business costs and learned to do most everything myself. A tip from my dad was: convenience always means they want more money from you.
Wishing you fruitful joyful learning and success in all your ventures!
As someone who makes a living on hiring engineers, I loved your comment: “it’s better to hire smart people to learn something, rather than hire stupid people to do what they already know.” Great video 👏
You are a true inspiration for all these years I have been following you. Seeing you grow and find your way is really chilling. you probably contributed to my decision studying industrial design. keep on riding that horse!
Great videos, great products, great person. You're inspirational
This is the most helpful and relevant video for me you’ve done. Can’t wait for the rest of the series!!!
That means a lot to hear! Saw somebody complain that it was such a whiny video. Guess they’re not in manufacturing 😂
@@simonegiertzI've spent most of my life in manufacturing. The struggle is real. 😩
@@simonegiertzImo some people just don't like transparency and/or hearing about real life stuff. Don't mind them. Talking about real stuff and creating fun solutions for your life are in my opinion a huge part of your influencer brand and an equaly huge reason for why people love what you do (gäller även undertecknad). Hope that you will brake even soon!! Looking forward to hearing more about your manufacturing journey. All the best from Göteborg. :)
@@simonegiertz No matter what you do, or how well you do it, there are always going to be a-holes who just want to bring you down. Those aren't honest critiques, they're masturbatory compensation for their own emptiness. Ignore the a-holes, and do what works. You'll never be able to make everybody happy all of the time. And, You'll only run yourself ragged trying to.
Some people just can't be happy with anything.
But, you can.
The hardest part is behind you, you got this. Went to business school for 3 years and you're absolutely right, there is a lot of up front capital requirement and overhead costs. The more products you develop and the more sales pick up the easier it will get and you'll be making a profit in no time. Keep living your best life.
Thanks for this. We are investing in our own business and feel so many of the same things…except we know we are hot. Really thanks for being so open. It helps knowing we are not alone.
Yeees get some!!
Simone youre an inspiration and a testament to surviving and ingenuity. Never let the grind get your perspective down, everyone is so glad youre still with us and healthy and striving to make a difference! Keep it up and all the best!
Finding out English isn't your 1st language made you exponentially hotter! AND smarter! Your accents are impeccable. Mastery of both!
It's not that I forget that Simone is Swedish, it's just that she speaks English without a hint of an accent so it still takes me by surprise when she's speaking Swedish.
She also speaks Swedish without an English accent. So there's that too.
LOL of course she speaks English with an accent. Everyone does.
As an Englishman, I would say Simone speaks English with an American accent!
Very rarely I can spot a hint of swedishness listening to her. She has a very nice talent, in languages as well!
@@RylanceStreet Sort of a weird American. Something off. I would guess she was "foreign", but would have no idea from where.
I totally feel with you on the „not talking yourself down“ part. In the past years started my journey as an indie game dev and there’s been multiple occasions where I was low balling out of reflex when someone was asking about my game.
Other than just general encouragement to keep going!, the only advice I have is to make sure your team crosschecks/works together. Having a single person handling an entire section of a business can produce less than ideal results as they are in a vacuum and either might not think of a better way to do something or even just might not see something that another perspective might. No one is perfect at their job or has the best ideas all the time, so collaboration is key.
On the entirety of TH-cam there are two handful of people I'd like to sit down and have a coffee with.
You where already on that list, but this new venture makes you jump most of the queue.
Any amount of courses on starting a product business will never live up to just going through it once. Having the skill to communicate that journey to others is worth its weight in gold!
My partner has recently started their own business and keeps saying they feel bad for the amount they have to charge (we sat down and went through the cash flow together and I had to really twist their arm into making a profit - self worth is a massive issue)
The problem is that consumers are largely used to massive scale businesses like temu and Amazon where the workers are paid peanuts, the quality is low and the company can cut costs because they have the backing to produce at scale from the get go.
You're absolutely worth it Simone, keep it up!
Interesting! Couldn’t agree more. I always price new products at at least a 4x multiple of their cost to me. What is your product?
“I want to be smart…and hot.”
You’ve succeeded.
absolutely she has!
Yup, big tick in both boxes. Simone, you can tell you're smart because you keep learning. You try things, you explore, you fail and you overcome problems. You're clearly smart. And as for hot, well you have a beautiful face and your smile is positively radiant. I suspect you're comparing yourself to makeup, photoshop and AI filters. You're only allowed to do that if you run your own pics through the same process and then compare like for like :P
jesus christ.
Not you
well at least im not the only one.
Simone, as far as pricing goes, it's less risky if during early product design, you look around to come up with a price estimate the market will bear. Then work backwards from there to see if you can make it profitably. If not, put the idea in the back of your mind and look for ways to cut costs. Different materials / manufacturing techniques, out sourcing, off the shelf components, etc. Failure is still an option, but less so because of price/profitability.
Good people have a hard time with business because there is such a horrible stigma attached to money.
If this is anyway helpful, don’t think of the price as “money” - instead, think of it as the energy invested in making this item a reality. THIS is the energy needed to make this, so THIS is the energy required to acquire this for a person. It’s balancing the equation 😊
You rock! Keep up the great work!
I like that a lot!
Is there really a stigma attached to money? Or is it that you have different types of people that view money differently (sometimes very much so)? You got your NPD, BDP, and/or ASPD folks that are straight up, unapologetically (but potentially covertly) greedy and power hungry AF, and who only care about becoming wealthy and more materially powerful. They tend to have a lot of ego (NPD and/or BPD), to being just all ego (ASPD).
At the polar opposite end, you got your fairly to completely non materialist idealists who are motivated more by creativity, love, helping others, helping the planet, etc. Not attached to becoming wealthy/rich and certainly not to material power, but if they did become wealthy and/or materially powerful/influential, they would use that money and/or influence for the upliftment of others. Often with either mystical, humanitarian, religious, spiritual, metaphysical, and/or philosophical beliefs and ideals. Not surprisingly perhaps, but these types rarely ever get into the "have mosts" groups.
Then you got your fairly materialistic people that want to become wealthy (a fair amount of attachment to this feeling/want/belief), but not necessarily at any and every cost like the first group. This is the most common/numerous of and in numbers, and they fall somewhere in between the two above polar opposites. Very occasionally people from this group morph into one of the two polar opposites.
But if you dig a little into history, especially outside of just history books, and you're good at pattern recognition and connecting the dots, you will soon come to understand that this world is now largely in the hands, at the highest levels of power and wealth control, of people from the first group, which is why we have things like endless wars, an increasing chasm between the have mosts and the have least. Then, you will see that humanity's largest, most repeating historical pattern is one long class war between the former, with the have mosts waging a kind of subtle to not so subtle war of attrition on the have's far less.
The seeming stigma about money is about the internal and external war within and without us that rages between these 3 main views/perspectives of money (and the 3 main groups). The only people that don't experience any question, discomfort, or internal war between these are people from that first group. But for the rest of us that have affective empathy and conscience, we have that still, small, nagging voice that tells us, "its not the most important thing, don't get too attached, being of positive/helpful service to and loving others is far more important."
The stigma comes from the discomfort with these extremes and competing influences within (and without) us. That pure ego side (of the first group), and that "higher self" side (that the 2nd group is most intune with). But many people (especially of the 3rd group), don't really, truly want to be conscious to all this, and so it is they that tend to have the most stigma and discomfort with it all, and thus tend to just label it something vague and nebulous like a societal stigma as a way of projecting it out and distancing it from themselves. The human ego is amazing at suppression and shoving things into the shadow/unconscious.
@@justinw1765 - TLDR - but I did use ChatGPT to sum it up ;-) Well said!
I just want to tell you that I've been following your channel for years and the joke's on me, because everything that I've seen you build, I've always found to be amazing and inspiring (as well as funny and sometimes downright hilarious). But, mostly inspiring, because I've been working up the nerve to go down a path that you, and others like you, have been venturing on for a while. And all I can say is, believe me, you are doing a great job and thank you.
We love you and we'll never stop loving you Simone. Stay strong never stop.
Simone, I've been watching this channel for 7 years, since I was still in high school. The very first videos I saw from you were the DIY Astronaut Bootcamp. I found your shitty robot projects entertaining, but the moment that surprised me the most was the video you posted 5 years ago where you showcased new projects that weren't shitty robots, like your giant coat hanger for other coat hangers. That's where my attitude for this channel flipped. Suddenly you weren't someone making hacky, janky robots that are fun to laugh at, you were someone being really creative and coming up with novel solutions to problems I didn't think someone could possible have or want to solve. It's quite...I don't know...wholesome? that you spent some time in this video reflecting on your past projects and your evolution as a maker, because it also gave me a chance to reflect on how long I've been watching and enjoying being a witness to your creative process. I look forward to getting more of these introspective glimpses behind the curtain, and I hope that your creative lightbulb keeps on shining and never goes dim.
13:19 this broke my heart and is also so relatable. But I’ll tell you this: you ARE smart! And believe it or not, that makes you hot. Keep doing you and that’s the only thing that matters.
I'm sure everyone has said this in the comment section but you are definitely both smart and hot. Your inventive and quirky mind is why I love watching your videos. Personally, both of those traits makes you even more attractive outside of the physical beauty you have. Just keep being you and your business will take off because of you being genuine. And will last longer too.
"0.5 Whatever my role is" I felt that in my soul. That's exactly how I should describe myself in my current position...
i love the products and everything about them. the story, the production process, the vibes. i haven't been able to directly buy anything because i dont have the money (the prices make sense btw!!! i just havent been able to get extra money) but a patreon would be nice!
YES!! I'm right there with ya. And a couple bucks a month for Patreon is doable in a budget. After all, I have no streaming subscriptions, or cable, or other entertainment expenses. So that's how I categorize Patreon within a budget.
Hopefully she'll do that!