The life of each product begins with its design, and while most products remain in the programming phase, this is not what John had in mind for his product: The DrawBag.
Regarding this story, John will explain how he managed the process, from finding the right supplier, to making product samples and designing patents and trademarks.
I believe this product is going to get really strong, so don’t forget where you first heard about it!
John, tell us a little bit about your previous experiences and why you ended up moving to China
I’m American and grew up on the East Coast of the United States. I worked as an artist, actor and director both in New York and regionally, before moving in 2017 to Sydney, Australia, where I directed the Creative Arts department of a large private school for four years.
Then I moved to Guangzhou, China, to help launch the Art and Acting programs at two different international schools. While I was in China, I realized that I had a great opportunity to try my hand at producing some of my own design ideas.
The first time I saw your product, I was really impressed. How did you come up with this concept?
Essentially, The DrawBag brings together three things that already exist, but combined in a new way: a backpack, kraft paper and some markers for writing/drawing. In the months leading up to my conception of the DrawBag, I had seen kraft paper develop as a usable material for bags, and while I was hunting for ideas at the Canton Fair in early 2017, I suddenly connected these three existing elements, which, as an artist, seemed like an obvious combination worth developing.
My initial idea was to create a specific backpack for high school students on which to collect the signatures and wishes of classmates during the last week of school, but this idea soon turned into a bag that was less specific in its use and more attractive and open to the personality and creativity of each owner, depending on the way in which he could design and use it.
You have also signed up for the “find a provider” service. What prompted you to decide to do it?
When I started my company in 2017, I had a certain idea for the DrawBag, but no experience in manufacturing.
After browsing the site a bit, I found that I was pretty knowledgeable about the whole process and was aware of the typical concerns that a startup owner like me would likely have. I signed up for one of the free webinars, and I was immediately convinced that the “Find a Supplier” service would be a great help to me to move from design to finished product.
How do you think the “Find a Supplier” service has helped you bring your product to market?
When I purchased the “Find a Supplier” service, I was already in the early stages of production. I was splitting my time between two factories here in China and I had made some prototypes to work on.
However, I was trying to understand what the current requirements were regarding the external and internal tags of the fabric when importing into foreign markets.
I was aware of the increased legal requirements and financial risks of the process, plus I wanted to make sure I was proceeding with caution and wanting to review the initial steps I had already completed.
The “Find a Supplier” service allowed me to identify areas of interest and systematically analyze them, so that I felt confident to be able to continue in the production process.
As the sole owner and manager of a new company, it was important not to feel alone, but to work with someone with the right experience to guide me.
Did you design the product yourself, or did you hire a designer?
The original idea for the DrawBag was mine, but what, of course, happened over time was the fact that a close collaboration was created between me and the manufacturer of the bags.
It happens that we have an amazing design team and our own product line, so our working relationship has shattered some stereotypes about what it means to work with a Chinese manufacturer, as this manufacturer has often made their design solutions available to the process for free.
The product specifications were initially communicated to the manufacturer via various email exchanges. This was also boosted by a photo exchange via WeChat (a social media app widely used in China).
As part of this process, a number of characteristics and materials have been modified, including more biodegradable fabrics, recycled plastic, and an Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) interlayer for water resistance.
Did you face any difficulties, when dealing with suppliers, or when you developed your first product samples?
My relations with the manufacturers of the DrawBag and its markers have been quite good and fruitful. In the early summer of 2017, it took about three weeks to go from product specification to the first prototype of the bag, while the development of the first version of the marker took about twice as long.
They have both been very useful in this process and, to be honest, have allowed us to make quite small quantities of both products, which is quite rare. The first DrawBag had only 1000 units, while markers were limited to about 10,000.
I believe this has to do with a mutual comfort that we have found in working together, as well as the trust that both manufacturers have placed in my brand and me as a startup. I hope to repay this trust with a much higher production volume in 2018.
I should mention, however, the dark side of recruiting factories. A year ago, I had an experience in which two manufacturers accepted prototypes of two completely different items and, in the following months, cut off all contact with me.
I don’t know if those prototypes are just gathering dust now, or are being reproduced under someone else’s brand.
One of the two producers was discovered by a collaborator to whom I had entrusted the recruitment. The other was a manufacturer I had found through the Canton Fair.
We had not carried out any checks on their previous experiences, but we made assumptions based on our interactions with each other and the visit we made to their factories.
From this I learned that knowing the curriculum of a producer is fundamental.
That leads to my next question. Have you applied for a design patent or trademark registration?
One of the first things I did was to file a tentative patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for what is now marketed as the “Signature DrawBag”
I had this application completed by a freelance patent researcher and, a few months after acceptance and when I had further refined this project, I submitted an application to patent the design that I had written and illustrated myself.
Just this week the USPTO informed me that the trademark registered for the DrawBag (the name itself) and its special mark (the name as a visual logo) have been accepted and will be entered in the trademark register. For me it is an exciting thing.
In addition to this, I have about five applications, relating to the application for the provisional patent and for the design patent, which are currently being examined by the trademark office.
If you could go back in time, is there anything you wish you had done differently?
Overall, I’m really happy with how this process worked out for me and the DrawBag, thanks to the “Find a Supplier” service, although I would have definitely avoided the aforementioned manufacturer who took my other prototype with him.
How did you handle your first order?
My first production run had only 1000 bags, which is quite rare. 10,000 scholarships would have been the minimum number expected. But, as time went on, my manufacturer placed increasing trust in both my brand and my product line and wanted to make a growth path with them.
We have a production contract and a contract that grants the manufacturer the exclusive right to sell the first version of the DrawBag in China in its TMall store.
In the summer of 2017, together with a Chinese partner, I performed a quality control of the factories that produce both the backpack and the markers, and when the production of the DrawBag increases in 2018, I will continue this process, using a supply chain manager.
While the quality has been exceptional so far, it will be more important to pay more attention to it as the production volume increases.
Through Chinaimportal.com I ordered a number of lab tests, which were handled quite effectively.
The lab also anticipated and communicated some of the CPSC’s regulatory changes, applied during the first year of D. Trump’s presidency, and how these changes might affect me.
How do you plan to sell your product, now that you have launched it?
The DrawBag is for sale on my website, via WordPress and WooCommerce using the Storefront theme with a decent variety of tweaks. It is my intention to further develop the brand and website, including an online artist community, a blog and social media connection. This strategy targets some of the more niche segments and their particular interests.
For a broader audience, in 2018 I plan to expand more rapidly in the U.S. through major distribution partnerships, which could include a TV campaign and some retail channels such as Target and Wal-Mart.
At this stage, I purposely avoided Amazon for some of the reasons you mentioned in one of your blog posts.
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