2014 in review - 2015 outlook

[madbean]

Like I do every year, here is a brief wrap-up and forecast for MBP.

2014
The good: Several long-standing projects got finished and released! Contests (though many fewer) were successful and the entries were mind-blowing. Many, many project ideas were prototyped and of these nearly all are near completion (or discarded) and ready for release. I must have prototyped at least 35 designs in 2014. A lot of existing projects got revisited and updated to "2014" standards. The DIY Hub area has been a good addition to the forum. We added three new Hosted Forums here (or was it two?) Well, shit, it was more than one. And, I love all these guys!

The less good: Maintaining stock on all the projects has proven very difficult. Sales were sluggish about 1/3 of the year which had some impact on releases, but much of it was due to poor planning on my part. I could have budgeted better and released more new projects if I had stayed on top of things more judiciously.

2015 forecast:
- I'm going to do much less project development and many more product releases. I have more than enough designs to flesh out into PCB releases without needing to spend lots of time or money on further product development. New ideas make take hold now and again but I am going to keep myself in check and make sure I finish things I've already started (one of my many short-comings).
- A small handful of projects will get updated to "2015" versions like the Lowrider and possibly the Sharkfin. There might be one or two other updates but I am pretty happy with the designs as they are now and I do not see a need to continually re-evaluate them.
- The new website and DIY layouts will be worked on and completed in the first half of 2015. For sure. I hope to update the store to include an account database with order history, etc. Like, you know...a real e-commerce store.
- We will work on having a few more contests this coming year. I think seasonal contests are the best approach - having at least a full two months to accept entries would be great. I said the same thing last year but this coming year we'll make it work.
- I have been toying with the idea of offering a limited number of "component kits" for some of the projects. I'm still fleshing this out. If it does happen, it probably would not be until Fall of 2015. Much of it depends on how the financials look and also how busy I get with FF(x). But, it is on my mind at least.
- I am also considering implementing some kind of voting system to allow members a chance to pick which new projects get released and old projects get re-stocked most quickly. I think this could be a great way to elevate the customer experience here. And, it would help me spend money where it counts the most.


Thanks to all members here for making it another great MBP year! I've seen quite a few long-standing members "step up their game" in terms of build quality and also participation on the forums. And, many new members here too! It's all very re-assuring and rewarding to see that we are doing this forum right (as a collective). I hope everyone has a nice relaxing holiday coming up...a chance to spend time with loved ones and just enjoy themselves.

[micromegas]

Wow, that's a lot to things to do for next year. If you need help with something just let me know (I'm starting to hate php, but would sacrifice if it is needed for the common good).

By the way, you did many other things in 2014, don't be so demanding with yourself, we'll love you anyway .

I really like the idea of making the shop more interactive, that's a hard task, but should give you a better idea of demand and maybe help with financials.

What I'm going to sugest is maybe out of place. The other day, when you said that there have been some financial problems so you couldn't release that many projects, it occured to me that maybe one way to sort that out was to release some kind of "monthly" subscription so some of your costumers could choose to pay a fixed amount and have different pcbs on their mail every month (maybe including new releases?). This way, you could preview part of your incomings and we could satisfy our hunger without even having to decide.

Congrats for your effort and work anyway! I feel like home here.

[cooder]

All great stuff! Looking forward to more building fun in 2015, what a great place to be!
All the ideas sound good to me.
I think the component kits could be a bit demanding to implement and there's a danger of bogging you down, financially and timewise, I could imagine. It could get out of hand with all the other things that you're busy with.
My point is I think the component kit thing is good for specialised things like those relay switching system that need a pre-programmed chip and relay or Rej's Cleggster tube PSU as it needs specific parts, but maybe too much if too widely implemented.
Have a happy festive season and a great holiday!

[Luke51411]

I think it would be cool if you had specialized component kits for less common parts that seasoned builders might not be as likely to have or that the specs can vary a lot on. For example for a univibe have a lamp and LDR or for other builds the odd IC or something like that. I don't know if that would be popular but it would be something I would buy so I wouldn't necessarily need to make another order somewhere else. Another example is that I've seen a couple other pcb sites have verified MN3007s. I don't know, just a thought.

[jubal81]

Sounds like a lot of the hard work is already done. 


I know there are more than a couple projects coming up I can't wait to get my mitts on.

[flanagan0718]

All of this is awesome! I feel like being a member here is a privilege and you, as a business owner, are the most involved with the community. It's amazing how much you give back and contribute to the greater good here. One thing I think that might be cool, if possible, is a limited run PCB for one month or quarter. Just offer it for that month or quarter, that is if you have enough projects to do so. IDK just a thought. Brian, thank you for all that you do and all the hard work you put in. I'm sure seeing all these build reports and happy customers is a constant reminder. Thanks
-Mike-

[GermanCdn]

Brian,

First off, from all of us, thanks for another great year!

Looking forward to 2015 as well.  I think the components kit idea is a good one within a limited range i.e. if a project requires a TAPFLO/TAPTATION chip, a special Vactrol, etc, etc, it might make sense to either a) make the board only available with the component(s) (that way you don't outsell boards over components) or b) make a limited number of kits available (limits your personal capital exposure).  Making full kits would just be a huge PITA and waste of time methinks.

I haven't been as active this year as I would have liked to be, for a number of reasons, but hopefully 2015 will be more productive for me as well.

[danwelsh]

That all sounds really awesome Brian.  I would like to thank you for having this forum and the projects you offer. ...they are second to none. I have always enjoyed electronic devices and building my own pedals is one of the most satisfying hobbies I have. Thanks again.

Dan

[culturejam]

Sounds like a very good roadmap, Brian.

I think the component kit idea could be a winner, if implemented properly. I have seen discussions on TGP and other gear sites in which lots of would-be new DIYers are put off by having to source all the parts.

I've got a few ideas if you want to discuss it. Or, I can mind my own business and let you handle it. 

[madbean]

CJ - Of course...you know how to reach me!
micromegas - The subscription idea has been suggested a few times in the past. It is not the right model for MBP. I would not be able to keep up with the demand of satisfying a subscription-based service. But, thank you for the suggestion. MBP is in good financial health. Like I said, I made a few choices this year which had an impact (spent a lot of money on overstocking some PCBs that I did not need to, did not re-stock others quickly enough, spent too much time on project development without following through). Everything will be fine; I just need to make a few tweaks on how I do things.

[raulduke]

From a personal perspective I'm looking forward to seeing new projects over the next year.

Regarding kits, my first builds were GGG kits, as everything was packaged neatly together. I think concerns for sourcing parts etc. for people new to the hobby is a serious consideration.

Maybe offering kits for the 'noob' level builds only would be the way to go. Most people naturally progress after a while and get their own inventory together.

[Luke51411]

From a personal perspective I'm looking forward to seeing new projects over the next year.

Regarding kits, my first builds were GGG kits, as everything was packaged neatly together. I think concerns for sourcing parts etc. for people new to the hobby is a serious consideration.

Maybe offering kits for the 'noob' level builds only would be the way to go. Most people naturally progress after a while and get their own inventory together.

Along these lines, maybe a select few kits for baby boards when they ask for 1/8watt resistors as not as many people stock those, I'd order a kit to save the hassle of standing some 1/4 watters.

[culturejam]

Maybe offering kits for the 'noob' level builds only would be the way to go. Most people naturally progress after a while and get their own inventory together.

Might as well post my thoughts since they are in line with the Duke.

I would suggest testing the waters by offering a full kit (minus drilling, wire, and solder) for one of the Baby Board projects. Maybe a fuzz or something with one knob to minimize inventory of parts and to make putting kits together easier/faster (for you). 1590As don't take up much space and are pretty cheap from BLMS. See if it sells and is worth your time. 

[GermanCdn]

My comment with regards to the kits being a PITA was more in regards to having to sort and label (if you choose to) various parts.  A build with 60 passives (say 35 resistors) would easily take 15 - 20 minutes to assemble/package/label, and that can get costly real quick.  If you take a look at the kits Mammoth are selling, deduct $10 for a drilled enclosure, you're looking at somewhere in the $40 - $50 range for the entire kit.  Deduct

$10 for the average board (retail)
$3 for a good 3PDT (cost)
$3 for good jacks (cost)
$4 for good pots (cost)
$4 for good knobs (cost)
$3 for misc hardware (LEDs, power jack, wire, bezels)

That leaves you somewhere between $13 - $20 for ICs, diodes, resistors, caps, toggle switches, sockets, time, and margin.  Not a lot of scratch in there for the effort (all depends on if the time spent assembling packages could be better spent on MB/F(x) projects, or if you can convince CJ to work for peanuts, literally, though I think he's allergic).

I like Josh's model with the RADD.  You get the board and Belton brick.  Belton brick would be PITA to find, it's costly to ship on its own (effectively you'd pay the same to ship the brick or the brick and board), and you can't not use it in the build.  Same idea with TAPTATIONS/TAPFLO or Vactrols.  Minimal extra assembly work for you and you could (probably) buy in quantity enough to get a price break.

[madbean]

Any kits I do would not be like BYOC/GGG, etc. It would be components only...basically everything you need to build the board and test it. So, no hardware or enclosures (except for pots, I guess).

Anyway, I have not committed to it in any way. It's just been on my mind for the last two years so I am exploring the financial and time commitment required to do such a thing.