I'm extremely lucky to have a good understanding of every step
This is really the key and is the reason that many "makers" stumble when they go from a breadboard to small production. There are a lot of steps and you don't always realize how time consuming they are in aggregate, nor which ones to optimize for.
Something as simple as standardizing your designs on an industry standard family of connectors so you can always be assured of a cheap supply and have common assembly processes can be the difference that keeps your inventory and manufacturing costs in control.
I'm also a small (1-man) shop but I had the fortune to work for a very small company right out of college as an EE. As a result, early on I got a lot of experience in every aspect of the business from concept through design, to manufacturing and marketing. I would hate to have earned all that knowledge on my own dime.
This is really the key and is the reason that many "makers" stumble when they go from a breadboard to small production. There are a lot of steps and you don't always realize how time consuming they are in aggregate, nor which ones to optimize for.
Something as simple as standardizing your designs on an industry standard family of connectors so you can always be assured of a cheap supply and have common assembly processes can be the difference that keeps your inventory and manufacturing costs in control.
I'm also a small (1-man) shop but I had the fortune to work for a very small company right out of college as an EE. As a result, early on I got a lot of experience in every aspect of the business from concept through design, to manufacturing and marketing. I would hate to have earned all that knowledge on my own dime.