The road from coding to starting a business
If you're an entrepreneur and want to learn how business really works, build something and put it in front of real people. Design it, build it, ship it and sell it. Nothing teaches you faster.
I’ve built many tech products in my career, but only one physical one: Meeting Warm Up, a team-building game designed to improve team dynamics and encourage collaboration. Let me tell you a bit more about my amazing product, which earned both “Best Seller” and “Amazon Recommends” badges.
In 2021, after years of helping clients set up their own eCommerce platforms to sell their products, I figured it was time to launch something myself, to truly understand the real challenges they were facing.
I registered a domain, reached out to developers, graphic designers, and social media experts in the UK, then expanded my search to Spain and Singapore. In 10 days, while designing the product, I assembled a small team, and even hired a copywriter and standup comedian from Manchester. I wanted humour to be the secret sauce of my first product. And just like that, Meeting Warm Up was born.
After requesting loads of quotes and product samples, I found a company in China that could deliver the quality I was after at the right price. I had to learn fast: regulations, supplier negotiations, IP, contracts, imports, logistics and sales. Once the product was ready, I shipped it from China to 10 Amazon fulfilment centres across the UK and managed to automate the whole supply chain using Amazon Seller. I also put together a pricing strategy, launched a website and an online campaign across LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram, and became a black belt in Amazon’s keyword bidding game (gamification at its finest).
Subscription model vs One-off sales
A lot of entrepreneurs see the “big win” as building one successful product, something that brings in recurring revenue. VCs love the subscription model because it gives them predictable returns. What they don’t often say is that several smaller revenue streams through one-off sales can help founders raise money for their next venture.
Subscription model: recurring revenue, predictable returns and potential to scale. Great for raising VC money.
One-off sales: more revenue streams, limited by one-time purchases, less predictable and harder to scale. Great for raising your own money.
Most founders lean towards the first option because they need to move fast in markets where speed is everything, or because the product requires heavy upfront investment.
Something worth mentioning: tech products and physical products are very different. With physical stuff you hit a one-time purchase ceiling, once people have it, they don’t need another for a long time. Digital products get updated and improved all the time, which makes it easier to offer new features and get customers to pay monthly.
What I did to validate my idea was run a survey to see if developers and technical project managers would actually use it, then created a prototype to test the market and find out what really worked. The idea was to set clear KPIs and track what works. (See: Measure value: The foundations of product analytics)
A few things to watch out for when building physical products:
Selling on Amazon using their fulfilment centres can end up being expensive. You learn fast when it’s your own money on the line. Between service fees, ads, and paying for product placement in the top results, Amazon can end up taking around 30-40% of your revenue. I recommend using other channels to reduce your dependency on Amazon and improve margins, for example: Etsy, Shopify, TikTok and Instagram. In other words, don’t put all your eggs in one basket unless you own the basket.
Partnering with event organisers also worked really well for me. It ended up bringing in almost half of my revenue.
Sometimes a product sells well, but the market isn’t big enough or doesn’t have room to grow, so it’s not worth turning into your life’s work. That’s why every VC tells you to solve a real problem in a new or growing market. That’s where the real opportunities are.
Products that create a new behaviour, like an office game, are more expensive to sell. Not because they need more explanation, but because people aren’t searching for things they don’t know exist. If you’re first to market, you’ll face this challenge.
Competitors monitor reviews, pricing, sales channels, stock and traction. If your product shows potential, someone will try to clone it fast. Focus on building connections, trust and experiences they can’t copy.
It doesn’t matter how good a product is if no one knows about it.
To get the product inside offices quickly, I had to get creative. One of the things I tried was standing outside a venue during an exclusive event for engineers and running a quick survey. Just two questions: which company do you work for, and are you happy with their culture? Anyone from a well-known startup or big tech company got a free product. I said: “Here’s a gift for you. Thanks for building such an amazing product!” They walked away with a smile, a sense of pride and my product in their hands.
The cards encouraged people to scan QR codes, which they did, and some of those cards unlocked Easter eggs (who doesn’t love those?). This wonderful idea gave me a new metric to measure engagement. Not surprisingly, a year later, other companies started copying the idea of adding QR codes to cards.
Taking a year to build and sell my own physical products pushed me in ways I didn’t expect. It helped me learn by doing and see how business really works. It also gave me a much better understanding of what my clients go through.
If you’re an entrepreneur, focus on solving real problems and building something that people actually find useful. Research the market, don’t waste time chasing ideas that sound good but have no real need. Your short-term goal should be to make a profit. Once you have the experience and confidence, you can aim to build something scalable. But start with something real. That’s how you grow 🚀