41 river terrace new york ny

Company: Fastly
Location: New York, NY 📍
Salary: 104K - 154K 💰
Date Posted: June 08, 2023 📅
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Around the new year, I decided to get out of my slump and actually start making stuff again. I realized I had made basically nothing for two years. The first big task was getting my miniature models painted (like D&D and Warhammer). But when it comes to miniature brushes, the market kind of sucks. We’re either using synthetics marked way up because it’s so niche, or traditional art brushes that aren’t really sized for the needs of a mini painter.
So, I decided to make my own. And it’s been frustrating, expensive, and frankly, pretty scary.
All I knew going in was that I wanted kolinsky sable brushes sized appropriately for miniature painting. Mini painters want really sharp tips—you’re painting pupils on a three inch model. Kolinsky made the most sense. You also want shorter handles, because mini painters tend to choke up on the ferrule.
Being totally new to this, I started by looking at Alibaba. The plan was to find the best Chinese manufacturer I could. So, I ordered a ton of samples, and that’s really expensive. Then, I found out that importing kolisnky to the US is illegal, so I had to make an LLC and get what’s called a CITES permit to get permission to import regulated animal material. So, if you want rhino horns or whatever, I’m your guy.
I also thought I could get a business loan or line of credit. I was denied, over and over. I guess my credit just wasn’t good enough. So I had to bootstrap the whole thing, which has been rough. I posted here a few months ago asking for where I could find 2-5k in credit for my business, and I kind of got made fun of. It didn’t seem like very much money to most people, but it was a lot for me.
I also decided to look at other manufacturers, and I filled out the contact forms for some US manufacturers, thinking they wouldn’t be able to work with me because of my low quantity order. And most did reply, and declined.
Fast forward a couple months and I’m testing Chinese brushes. They’re okay—not great. The handles are fine, but the bristles are not too stellar. Then I get a call from New York, and the nicest, most NY sounding guy tells me that he got my message, and he’s sent a bunch of samples in the mail—for free.
Earlier today I’m sitting in a pile of paint brushes, looking at all my branded samples. I don’t have a lot of money, so using the US manufacturer is terrifying, because they cost 50% more. I’m just worried I won’t be able to swing the price.
Then, I run my finger over the bristles. The US brushes snap right back into place. I can hear it. The Chinese brushes are soft, and start to separate. I decide that’s just because of conditioning agents still on the brush, so I take all the samples and run them under the sink. The Chinese brushes look worse, the US brushes look the same. Then I run my finger over them and I hear that same snap. I don’t get that response from the Chinese brushes.
I don’t totally understand it. They’re the same hair from the same animal. I don’t know why the US bristles we’re so much better. And I’m pretty sure the US manufacturer sources the hair from Asia, just like the others, and their raw materials are prepared there, and only final assembly is done in the US. They should be the same, but they weren’t. The US were better.
So, this afternoon I get another call from New York. It’s the same guy, he and his brother run the brush company, they’re the great grandsons of the founder, and have been operating for 100 years. And we talk for an hour. He tells me everything about the industry, how Chinese QA can be a problem, fulfillment, pricing, and just kind of takes the time getting to know me. When I asked why he wasn’t charging me for samples, he said, “Because I want to invest in you.”
So, I have my manufacturer making specialty brushes for a very niche audience, and I just wanted to share. I’m really excited to have found a manufacturer I trust, and the product is so much better than I thought I was going to make. It also feels good to choose a US company. I don’t want to raise the price I had in mind, so I’m just going to eat the cost difference, so I’m not going to make much money on this, but I’m happy to experiment if I can make a great product that makes people happy. I don’t really know where else to post this, it’s been so strange, and I’ve felt really on my own in this. It’s my first time making my own business. It’s just been a crazy experience and a really weird day. I just needed somewhere to share.
So, I’m broke, I have piles of orange paint brushes from all over the world scattered around my living room, and I’m hoping to launch in a few months. My goal is to Kickstart the line and reach $200k in presales, which I think is a realistic. If anyone has any advice for me, I’m definitely open to it!
Thanks for reading!