My First Tech Product is Coming ! Layers

Tech Burner

19 Aug 202410:23

Summary

TLDRIn this video, Shlok, founder of Tech Burner, shares his journey of launching tech products, including the challenges and failures along the way. He reflects on his first product, a Bluetooth speaker that didn't meet his expectations, and his decision to always aim for the best. After investing heavily in research and development, Shlok and his team have now created a unique smart watch, which they designed with a goal to push boundaries. He discusses the effort, risks, and passion behind building innovative products that stand out in the market.

Takeaways

🚀 The speaker decided to develop their first tech product a year and a half ago after previously creating startups and running factories.
🎧 The speaker’s first tech product, a Bluetooth speaker named 'Buff,' launched on January 20, 2018, but it was a failure due to better competitors and lack of expertise.
🏆 The speaker made a resolution that future products would be the best in their category, aiming for next-level quality.
📹 The speaker, Shlok, has been making videos for the past 10 years, aiming to bring positivity and inspiration through high-quality, next-level creations.
💼 Despite facing challenges like losing 70% of their team, the company persisted and became India's number one skin brand six months after launch.
🎨 They collaborated with Marvel and launched designer cases and transparent, non-yellowing phone cases, but they set them aside for bigger, more next-level projects.
🏭 The company registered as 'Layers Electronics Private Limited' two years ago, seeing skins as a first step towards creating more advanced tech products.
⌚ They are now launching a new smart watch, taking a massive risk, and aiming to compete with global brands despite being a small startup.
🇮🇳 They plan to bring the product's assembly to India within six months, despite currently outsourcing the process to China.
📦 The speaker is emotional about the launch of their product, especially highlighting the custom packaging design and attention to detail.

Q & A

What inspired the speaker to create a tech product?
-The speaker was inspired by the desire to create something next-level and to excel in any field they entered. Their past ventures in startups and factories also motivated them to take on the challenge of creating a tech product.
What was the first tech product created by the speaker, and why did it fail?
-The speaker’s first tech product was a Bluetooth speaker called 'Buff,' launched on January 20, 2018. Despite positive feedback, the speaker was dissatisfied with the product's quality compared to competitors, leading them to discontinue it.
What key lesson did the speaker learn after the failure of their first product?
-The speaker learned that if they were to create anything in the future, it should be of the highest quality, and they should aim to be the best in that category.
What is the speaker's view on adding positivity and inspiration to people’s lives?
-The speaker believes that the easiest way to add positivity, inspiration, or a mindset shift in people’s lives is by doing next-level things themselves, as those emotions transfer to others.
How did the speaker's team overcome the challenges while creating their product?
-The team faced multiple challenges, such as delays, issues in factories, and even team members leaving. However, they persevered by tackling each problem step by step and eventually succeeded.
What led the speaker to decide on creating designer cases instead of rushing into a new tech product?
-The speaker and their team spent six months contemplating the direction they wanted to take and realized it was too soon to launch another tech product. They decided to focus on creating high-quality designer cases that stood out in the market.
What was the challenge the speaker and their team faced regarding creating transparent cases?
-The team aimed to build a transparent case that wouldn’t turn yellow over time. They recognized this as a common problem but found no existing solution, prompting them to develop their own.
What is 'Layers Electronics Private Limited,' and what is its significance?
-'Layers Electronics Private Limited' is the registered company name for the speaker's business. This name signifies the company's shift from creating skins and cases to entering the tech industry with a broader vision.
What makes the new smartwatch the speaker is developing a risky venture?
-The new smartwatch is the speaker's biggest risk so far because it involves extensive investment in terms of time, money, and effort. Additionally, they are competing with well-established tech companies that have multi-billion-dollar resources.
Why does the speaker avoid wearing smartwatches, and how does this relate to the product they are launching?
-The speaker avoids wearing smartwatches because they don’t find them 'cool' and feels that most high-profile people, like athletes and designers, prefer other wearables or luxury watches. This perspective led the speaker to design a smartwatch that they feel will redefine the wearable market.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Launching the First Tech Product and Learning from Failure

The speaker reflects on his decision, taken a year and a half ago, to build his first tech product. He describes past entrepreneurial experiences, such as running two factories, and explains the challenges he faced when launching his first tech product, a Bluetooth speaker called 'Buff.' Despite positive feedback from users, he felt unsatisfied because the product was not the best in the market, leading him to stop its production. He committed to only creating next-level products going forward. The speaker highlights his 10-year journey as a content creator, focusing on bringing positivity and inspiration to people's lives, all while overcoming multiple challenges in product development, like factory issues and staff quitting. Despite setbacks, they successfully launched India’s No. 1 skin brand, and now plan to move into tech products.

05:01

⌚ Entering the Smartwatch Market with Innovation

The speaker announces his next major project: launching a smart watch, despite his personal reluctance to use such products. He explains that most of the smartwatches in the market fail to appeal to him due to their lack of uniqueness or functionality, pointing out how even major athletes and celebrities avoid them. The team spent months designing a transparent phone case that doesn't yellow and is next-level in quality. They questioned if this product truly represented their ambition and realized they needed to aim higher. Now, after two years of planning and investment, they are ready to introduce a tech product that they believe can compete with global giants, taking on one of the biggest risks in the company’s history.

10:03

📦 The Excitement of Unveiling a Revolutionary Product

The speaker shares their excitement about launching a revolutionary product: a smart watch. Although assembling it outside India due to high local manufacturing costs, the team has a roadmap to move production to India within six months. The product is designed and developed entirely in-house, with attention paid to every detail, from the strap to the packaging. The unboxing experience itself is an emotional moment for the speaker, marking the culmination of years of effort, investment, and belief. The product will be unveiled in early September, promising an innovative tech experience for users.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Tech Product

The video revolves around the journey of creating a tech product. It mentions the speaker's first tech product, a Bluetooth speaker named 'Buff,' which initially failed, and later transitions into the development of a new product—a smartwatch. This term represents the central focus of innovation, challenges, and progress throughout the video.

💡Bluetooth Speaker

The first tech product created by the speaker was a Bluetooth speaker named 'Buff.' Despite conducting market research and receiving positive feedback, the speaker felt it was not the best product and discontinued it. This failure serves as a learning experience, marking the beginning of the speaker's journey into tech entrepreneurship.

💡Best Product

The speaker emphasizes the desire to create the 'best product' in any field they enter. This reflects a strong commitment to excellence and a drive to produce top-tier items. The notion of building the best is a recurring theme, seen in their efforts to improve upon previous failures and push the limits of innovation.

💡Layers

Layers refers to the speaker's company, which started with making designer skins for electronic devices. The speaker mentions that they invested significantly in 3D printing and design to create these skins, positioning Layers as a brand known for quality. The transition from skins to more advanced products like smartwatches marks the company's growth.

💡Factory Challenges

The speaker shares the struggles faced in setting up a factory to produce their products, including a nearly failed investment in a 3D printer and dealing with team departures. These challenges illustrate the real-world difficulties of scaling production and maintaining a business. Overcoming these obstacles is portrayed as a key part of the journey.

💡Smartwatch

The main focus of the latter part of the video is the speaker's development of a smartwatch, described as the most significant risk they've taken so far. The speaker discusses their intent to create a smartwatch that stands out from others in the market, reflecting their commitment to innovation and quality.

💡Risk

The speaker frequently mentions the concept of taking risks, especially regarding the creation of their new tech product, the smartwatch. They describe this project as the biggest risk they've undertaken, highlighting the uncertainty and potential for failure but also the importance of risk-taking in business and innovation.

💡Investment

The speaker discusses substantial financial investments made in their ventures, including a 30 lakh 3D printer and setting up a factory costing between 25 to 30 crore rupees. This underscores the scale of commitment required to build products and bring them to market, as well as the speaker's willingness to invest heavily despite past setbacks.

💡Competition

Competition is a key theme, with the speaker acknowledging that many large companies dominate the tech space, particularly in smartwatches. The speaker's aim is to compete with these industry giants, despite their limited resources, by producing unique and innovative products.

💡Innovation

Innovation is at the heart of the speaker's approach, as they consistently seek to push boundaries, whether in creating the best skins, solving common product issues (like non-yellowing transparent cases), or developing a smartwatch that surpasses market offerings. The pursuit of new and better solutions is a driving force in their business philosophy.

Highlights

The speaker decided to create their first tech product about a year and a half ago, despite already running two factories and multiple startups.

The first tech product launched by the speaker on January 20, 2018, was a failure. It was a Bluetooth speaker named 'Buff.'

Despite the good feedback and some profits from the speaker, the product was not the best on the market, leading to its discontinuation.

The speaker resolved that from now on, they would only launch 'next-level' products if they entered any field.

The speaker shared their journey of making videos for the past 10 years, during which they made no money and didn't take any sponsorships initially.

Layers, the company they launched, became India’s number one skin brand within six months of its launch.

The speaker and their team worked extensively to create cases, including a transparent one that doesn't turn yellow, solving a common industry problem.

The company was registered two years ago as 'Layers Electronics Private Limited' with a focus on tech products, using skins as a stepping stone.

The team is now working on launching their next big product: a new smartwatch.

The speaker doesn’t typically use smartwatches, finding them not 'cool,' which led them to question why and work on creating a better one.

They identified that most top athletes and designers don't use smartwatches, preferring alternative health-tracking devices.

The company has heavily invested in creating unique products, like their fabrics and overlays, which are natural, sustainable, and don't shrink or wrinkle.

The new smartwatch will be assembled in China, but the plan is to bring manufacturing to India within six months.

The company has invested 25-30 crore rupees in a factory for production and assembly lines, showing their significant commitment to this project.

The speaker shared an emotional moment while unboxing their new smartwatch for the first time, presenting the redesigned logo and packaging.