Noah is one of the founders of Makers Cabinet, who design unique analogue drawing tools that are made to last. We worked with Makers Cabinet as part of the Central Research Laboratory accelerator programme where we are mentors.
We caught up with Noah to find out what the team had learnt on the way to shipping their second product.
Tell us about yourself and Makers Cabinet
My name is Noah Bier, I am one-third of Makers Cabinet. Makers Cabinet design beautiful analogue drawing and writing tools that last a lifetime or more. Currently, we have two products on the market, the Høvel pencil plane and Iris drawing compass. Both are inspired by age-old mechanisms and are machined from the highest quality materials.
What’s the one thing you wish you knew in your first year of business?
In our first year of business, I wish I knew how to vet and seek out manufacturers better.
Top 3 tips on GROWING a SMALL business?
1. Find your niche. You don’t need to necessarily make a mass-market, ultra-competitive product. Create something that you are passionate about and proud of. Customers will respond to this.
2. Consider who you’re working with and work with other small businesses. Small businesses will understand your business better and be able to grow with you. It’s much better to use suppliers who really respect and understand your business rather than larger ones who may not be as interested. They also may be more forgiving of mistakes and can teach you a thing or two along the way.
3. Try out different routes to market. You may find that certain routes will fit better than others. We spent many months trying to wholesale products whereas we could have focussed that time on online marketing sales. However, if you’re selling digitally don’t stop the non-digital interactions completely because they can give you great feedback and insights immediately.
What was the best bit of advice you’ve been given and who gave it to you?
Your brand is vitally important even from the start. This is especially important if you are trying to carve out a bit of the market and creating a long term future. This advice was given to us by an established brand strategist (Satpaul Bhamra) who helped us transition into Makers Cabinet. Sat helped us to identify our strengths, values, and dreams, It was a long process but incredibly valuable!
What’s your ambition for Makers Cabinet?
Whilst at University we went on a trip to Milan to visit factories and designers. One manufacturer created White Goods (fridges, ovens, blenders etc.). Visiting this company inspired us greatly because they had no conception of designing sustainably for the future, all that drove them was their bottom line! From that day forward we knew that our ambition is to build a company that will compete with large manufacturers by empowering customers with the choice of products that last and do away with planned obsolescence.
What song motivates you and why?
The song is about taking opportunities and realising that life is all about using your freedom to lead a more happy and satisfying life.