Source With Care

Start Small

When you’ve found a supplier you trust, it’s tempting to go big right away. But the smartest move is to start small. Small orders let you test everything—production, shipping, quality, and customer response—without putting too much money at risk.

Suppliers may push for larger minimum orders, but you usually have more room to negotiate than it seems. Many will allow smaller runs for a higher unit price. That’s okay. Paying a bit more upfront is better than being stuck with boxes of inventory you can’t sell or that reveal hidden flaws too late.

Starting small also gives you flexibility. You can test different variations, refine your packaging, and get early customer feedback before scaling up. Each small batch becomes a learning round—proof that your system works.

Action

Place your first order at the smallest viable size. Track every part of the process: how long production takes, how the shipment arrives, how the product feels in customers’ hands. Use this data to decide whether to scale, tweak, or pivot.