06. Creating Meaningful and Sustainable Products with Jason Vuong from Apupment Pet Brand

We had the pleasure of talking to Jason Vuong, Co-founder of ‘Apupment’, a boutique pet furniture and lifestyle product brand, that is bringing craftsmanship, soul and sustainability to the furry friends market. 

We did talk to Jason some time ago and are only getting to release this episode now, so the brand has gone on to create some updated products since we last spoke, however this episode is jam packed with great insights into manufacturing locally and sourcing materials that are more bespoke and specialty.

I can’t wait to get chatting about the use of their sustainably certified wood sources, Giving meaning to your product brand and shipping a product that would traditionally be seen as too and heavy for ecommerce. 

The Key Topic Discussions:

• What drives you to open your own product business
• Seeing gaps in markets that may seem saturated already
• Splitting brand personas and personalities
• How to check out what your competitors are doing
• Where to start when sourcing sustainable materials
• Small Batch manufacturing 
• The product development time line is continuous
• Flat packing and designing the perfect packaging for shipping your product
• Choosing local manufacturers over overseas manufacturers
• Reducing your cost of goods by being smarter and batch producing
• Connecting family in business and empowering your brand with a deeper meaning
• Thinking about the longevity of your product and how it can be repaired
• How the products we create affect the mood of our environment
• The challenge of shipping and couriers using local transportation companies
• Thinking through the online sales process the from start to finish
• Layering the product development process one step at a time 
• Going from E-commerce to selling to direct customer in-person
• Considering wholesale trade shows for your brand and exhibit designs
• How to find a product designer or furniture designer to help you

Resources For You:

• VicAsh Timber Supplies - https://ash.com.au/
• Tiger Pack for low minimum packaging - https://www.tigerpak.com.au/
• Apupment Website - https://www.apupment.com.au/
• Apupment Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/apupment/

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Show Notes & Pro Tips - on our website.
www.theproductfounders.com

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro & Guest Introduction
• 3:53 Jason's Business Journey
• 7:16 Splitting Brand Personalities
• 10:12 Finding Gaps in Saturated Markets
• 14:40 Sourcing Local Sustainable Materials
• 17:14 Costing Products that are Locally Made
• 19:36 Production Time Frames and Lead Times
• 22:07 The Packaging Development Process
• 23:17 Choosing Local versus Overseas Manufacturers
• 27:41 Local Manufacturing and Involving Family
• 29:32 Adding Meaning to Deepen Your Product Brand
• 34:34 Business Challenges & Solutions
• 40:15 Selling the Product through Ecommerce versus In-Person
• 47:01 Markets, Tradeshows and Wholesale
• 56:29 How to find a Product Designer or Furniture Designer to Help You
• 1:02:51 My Key Tips and Topics from This Conversation