Taken two successful Kickstarter campaigns and turned them into a company which has shipped product to over 4,000 cities in 100 countries.
If you're building a physical product then sourcing a good supplier in China is a key component to your success. Going direct and using a sourcing company have their pro's and con's but you need to do your homework either way you go.
I've been involved with 3D printing for over 15 years and have seen it evolve from expensive commercial machines which only professional service companies could afford, to desktop machines that even hobbyists can afford. The technology hasn't changed much during that time but the cost and accuracy has so you need to know what technology is best suited to your application.
If you're developing a physical product your going to need to ship it, and doing so can get complicated and expensive if not done right. There's a few ways you can tackle this but ultimately your product type, market and your involvement will drive the most suitable way to do so.
Ran two successful Kickstarter campaigns which raised 189% and 206% of their respective targets. Using social and conventional media to build a following before launching on Kickstarter is one great way of getting early tracking but there are some many other things you need to consider.