From College Friends to Business Partners: The Journey of FixturFab
Duncan and Joe met at their first job out of college and bonded over wanting to start their own business one day. They kept in touch after leaving that job, and eventually co-founded FixturFab in 2018.
Duncan explains that he had always wanted to develop and sell his own products, even trying to manufacture skis in college. When he started working as a test engineer, he saw an opportunity in the niche market of circuit board test fixtures. The company he was working for was struggling to find affordable, custom test fixtures, so Duncan started writing software to automate the design process.
Initially, Duncan and Joe tried to just sell the software, but couldn’t find customers. So they started manufacturing the test fixtures themselves to generate revenue. This allowed them to learn the manufacturing side of the business.
Navigating the Challenges of Starting a Business: Lessons from FixturFab
The co-founders have divided responsibilities based on their strengths – Duncan focuses more on the engineering and manufacturing, while Joe handles sales, marketing, operations, and other business functions. They emphasize the importance of clear communication, both internally and with customers, to overcome challenges.
Overcoming Hiring Challenges: Insights from FixturFab Co-Founders
Hiring has been a challenge, but they’ve had success finding good candidates through job boards like LinkedIn and Indeed. They use screening tests to help weed out unqualified applicants.
The biggest challenges they’ve faced include documenting their processes and developing an ERP system to manage their custom orders. Persistence and a willingness to “suffer” through difficult tasks have been key to their success.
The Rewards of Selling to Strangers: Celebrating Wins with FixturFab
On the wins side, they are most proud of growing the business from the ground up and being able to sell their products to complete strangers, not just their personal network. The feeling of getting a new customer order notification is still very rewarding.
Overall, the co-founders emphasize the importance of complementary skills, clear communication, persistence, and a shared work ethic in making their partnership successful.
Links:
https://fixturfab.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/fixturfab/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncanlowder/
https://linkedin.com/in/jhselvik/
Topics discussed:
1. From College Friends to Business Partners: The Journey of FixturFab
2. Navigating the Challenges of Starting a Business: Lessons from FixturFab
3. The Power of Persistence in Building a Successful Business: A Conversation with FixturFab
4. Finding Success in Niche Markets: The FixturFab Story
5. Overcoming Hiring Challenges: Insights from FixturFab Co-Founders
6. The Role of Clear Communication in Business Success: A Look Inside FixturFab
7. From Software to Manufacturing: The Evolution of FixturFab’s Business Model
8. Managing Growth and Innovation: The FixturFab Approach
9. The Rewards of Selling to Strangers: Celebrating Wins with FixturFab
10. Building a Strong Partnership: The Key to FixturFab’s Success