1. Set-up a mutually beneficial partnership. As a start-up, you may not taken seriously enough by the big manufacturers. The volume of business you bring to their table is not significant either. Consequently, it is imperative for you to create an incentive for the manufacturer to work with you.
George Burciaga, CEO of elevate DIGITAL, contended with this exact situation while starting up his business building interactive touch-screen based digital displays. His assembler was fairly large but did not build products in this particular category. Burciaga persuaded them the partnership would be mutually beneficial since the assembler would expand into a new category.This is a strategy that is absolutely necessary at every level of growth.
2. Check references. Finding the right manufacturer is difficult, said Kevin Lavelle, the co-founder and CEO of Mizzen+Main, an innovative men’s lifestyle brand. Unlike programmers, few manufacturers have a digital presence. Checking for references is paramount.
Read More at : https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/234316
