The Rollercoaster of Manufacturing – Finding the Right Supplier

Bringing Billow Beach to life was so much more than just having an idea. One of the biggest challenges in creating a physical product is finding the right manufacturer—one that not only understands your vision but can also deliver on quality, reliability, and efficiency. Manufacturing isn’t as simple as clicking “order now.” It’s a long and often frustrating process that requires patience, research, and plenty of trial and error and most of all communication. So, here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how I found the right supplier, what went wrong along the way, and what I learned. Step 1: Searching for the Right Supplier Once my design and prototype were finalised, I had to find a reliable manufacturer—one that could produce my product at scale without sacrificing quality. Here’s what I was looking for in a supplier: ✅ High-Quality Materials – The fabric had to be light weight, durable, and sand-resistant. ✅ Expert Craftsmanship – Complex understanding of my unique beach bag design. ✅ Reasonable Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs) – Some factories require massive bulk orders, which wasn’t feasible for my first run. ✅ Good Communication – I needed a manufacturer who was responsive and transparent throughout the process. I reached out to manufactures who specialise in microfibre suede towels. I went back and forth for months! I sent them my design requirements, I ordered samples and hoped to find the perfect fit. I learnt a lot of patience throughout the process but could see the yearly plan in my head. Step 2: The Nightmare of Sampling & Communication Issues Finding a manufacturer wasn’t as simple as placing an order and waiting for my bags to be made. In fact, this was the most frustrating part of the journey. 🚨 Design Issues – Some samples came with the pdf printing on them blurry or pattern stretched out to much, the overall product was not user friendly (originally the bag turned inside out, which made the bag unusable) 🚨 Miscommunication – Some manufacturers didn’t understand my design or wanted me to pay a sample fee before really understanding my requirements. 🚨 Ghosting Suppliers – One manufacturer dumped me because my design was too complex and "they had other orders to focus on" I was heart broken because it meant i needed to start the process again, more communication, more expensive samples, more wait time. I was mostly afraid if id be able to build a strong relationship with the next manufacture and if someone would steal my idea before I could bring Billow Beach 3 in 1 beach bag with a towel and pillow to life. At this point, I started wondering if this product was even possible. But I wasn’t willing to settle. Step 3: Finding ‘The One’ – My Final Manufacturer Choice After months of trial and error, I finally found a manufacturer that checked all the boxes: ✔️ High-Quality Materials – The towel was soft but durable, and the stitching was reinforced. ✔️ Great Communication – They were responsive, professional, and open to revisions. ✔️ Transparent Pricing – No hidden fees, just clear cost breakdowns. ✔️ Flexibility – They worked with me on design changes and ensured the product met my vision. When I finally received the perfect sample, I knew this was it. Holding the Billow Beach bag in my hands for the first time made all the stress completely worth it. I did make small changes but Billow Beach was ready for bulk order. I made the top pocket a little taller to fit an I phone comfortably and opted for triple stitching. A lot of thought went into the design like the unique sand weight pockets on the bottom of the attached XL towel. Step 4: Placing My First Bulk Order (and the Stress That Came With It) With my manufacturer locked in, the design perfect, I placed my first big order! This was the scariest part because: ⚠️ Once the order was placed, there was no turning back. ⚠️ Delays were possible (or worse—lost shipments!). ⚠️ The final product had to be perfect for launch. Oh, and did I mention? My bulk order was set to arrive right around the time I was due to give birth to my son, Banjo! Talk about stressful timing. 😅 Lessons I Learned from Manufacturing 🔹 1. Always Order Multiple Samples Never settle for the first sample. Test different manufacturers and compare quality before making a decision. 🔹 2. Communication Is Everything A responsive, transparent manufacturer is worth gold. If they ignore your questions or delay responses, move on. 🔹 3. Prepare for Delays Manufacturing and shipping rarely go as planned. Always build in extra time for unexpected setbacks. 🔹 4. Stick to Your Quality Standards Don't be afraid to pay for samples so you can test everything prior to bulk ordering. What’s Next? The Launch Prep Begins! With my first bulk order on the way, the next big challenge was launching—which meant: 📸 Photoshoots 📢 Marketing 🛒 Setting up my website 🎯 Getting everything ready to sell! In my next blog, I’ll share how I prepped for launch, the challenges of getting everything ready while being a new mum, and what I’d do differently next time. 👉 Have any questions about manufacturing or finding suppliers? Drop them in the comments! If you not following our journey on Tiktok - FOLLOW HERE <3 Shakas ]]>

Bringing Billow Beach to life was so much more than just having an idea. One of the biggest challenges in creating a physical product is finding the right manufacturer—one that not only understands your vision but can also deliver on quality, reliability, and efficiency. Manufacturing isn’t as simple as clicking “order now.” It’s a long and often frustrating process that requires patience, research, and plenty of trial and error and most of all communication. So, here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how I found the right supplier, what went wrong along the way, and what I learned. Step 1: Searching for the Right Supplier Once my design and prototype were finalised, I had to find a reliable manufacturer—one that could produce my product at scale without sacrificing quality. Here’s what I was looking for in a supplier: ✅ High-Quality Materials – The fabric had to be light weight, durable, and sand-resistant. ✅ Expert Craftsmanship – Complex understanding of my unique beach bag design. ✅ Reasonable Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs) – Some factories require massive bulk orders, which wasn’t feasible for my first run. ✅ Good Communication – I needed a manufacturer who was responsive and transparent throughout the process. I reached out to manufactures who specialise in microfibre suede towels. I went back and forth for months! I sent them my design requirements, I ordered samples and hoped to find the perfect fit. I learnt a lot of patience throughout the process but could see the yearly plan in my head. Step 2: The Nightmare of Sampling & Communication Issues Finding a manufacturer wasn’t as simple as placing an order and waiting for my bags to be made. In fact, this was the most frustrating part of the journey. 🚨 Design Issues – Some samples came with the pdf printing on them blurry or pattern stretched out to much, the overall product was not user friendly (originally the bag turned inside out, which made the bag unusable) 🚨 Miscommunication – Some manufacturers didn’t understand my design or wanted me to pay a sample fee before really understanding my requirements. 🚨 Ghosting Suppliers – One manufacturer dumped me because my design was too complex and "they had other orders to focus on" I was heart broken because it meant i needed to start the process again, more communication, more expensive samples, more wait time. I was mostly afraid if id be able to build a strong relationship with the next manufacture and if someone would steal my idea before I could bring Billow Beach 3 in 1 beach bag with a towel and pillow to life. At this point, I started wondering if this product was even possible. But I wasn’t willing to settle. Step 3: Finding ‘The One’ – My Final Manufacturer Choice After months of trial and error, I finally found a manufacturer that checked all the boxes: ✔️ High-Quality Materials – The towel was soft but durable, and the stitching was reinforced. ✔️ Great Communication – They were responsive, professional, and open to revisions. ✔️ Transparent Pricing – No hidden fees, just clear cost breakdowns. ✔️ Flexibility – They worked with me on design changes and ensured the product met my vision. When I finally received the perfect sample, I knew this was it. Holding the Billow Beach bag in my hands for the first time made all the stress completely worth it. I did make small changes but Billow Beach was ready for bulk order. I made the top pocket a little taller to fit an I phone comfortably and opted for triple stitching. A lot of thought went into the design like the unique sand weight pockets on the bottom of the attached XL towel. Step 4: Placing My First Bulk Order (and the Stress That Came With It) With my manufacturer locked in, the design perfect, I placed my first big order! This was the scariest part because: ⚠️ Once the order was placed, there was no turning back. ⚠️ Delays were possible (or worse—lost shipments!). ⚠️ The final product had to be perfect for launch. Oh, and did I mention? My bulk order was set to arrive right around the time I was due to give birth to my son, Banjo! Talk about stressful timing. 😅 Lessons I Learned from Manufacturing 🔹 1. Always Order Multiple Samples Never settle for the first sample. Test different manufacturers and compare quality before making a decision. 🔹 2. Communication Is Everything A responsive, transparent manufacturer is worth gold. If they ignore your questions or delay responses, move on. 🔹 3. Prepare for Delays Manufacturing and shipping rarely go as planned. Always build in extra time for unexpected setbacks. 🔹 4. Stick to Your Quality Standards Don't be afraid to pay for samples so you can test everything prior to bulk ordering. What’s Next? The Launch Prep Begins! With my first bulk order on the way, the next big challenge was launching—which meant: 📸 Photoshoots 📢 Marketing 🛒 Setting up my website 🎯 Getting everything ready to sell! In my next blog, I’ll share how I prepped for launch, the challenges of getting everything ready while being a new mum, and what I’d do differently next time. 👉 Have any questions about manufacturing or finding suppliers? Drop them in the comments! If you not following our journey on Tiktok - FOLLOW HERE <3 Shakas ]]>