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by Kate Jakubas (Author)
Has your hobby business started to grow from the spare bedroom? Perhaps making your products has now taken over your hallway, basement, kitchen, AND dining room. You want to keep growing, but you aren't sure where to start. Maker to Manufacturer was written to give you the next steps to taking your side project to the next level.This book focuses on three key areas that every manufacturing company, no matter the size, needs to get right:1) FINDING A PRODUCTION SPACE: There's a short, but crucial list of items to check when looking for a dedicated production studio. Find out the questions you should ask any building owner (including yourself) before you set up shop.2) ORGANIZING YOUR STUDIO: When you expand into more space and start hiring a team, getting your studio clean and organized is critical. Follow the same 5 tried and true steps multi-national manufacturing companies use to keep their factories lean, mean, and clean.3) MAKE WHAT SELLS: Learn the simple change in thinking that comes with using "Pull System" inventory management. Let your customer sales determine what you ship, what you make, what you store, and what you buy. This will save you time and money - two things every small business owner can't afford to waste. The best part is, you'll finally get to the end of your to-make list!Big companies use these tools every day when running their large factories. Amazing small businesses like yours can now use the same systems, explained clearly in plain language!MAKER TO MANUFACTURER was written by Kate Jakubas. Kate is the Founder of Meliora Cleaning Products, a manufacturer of people- and planet-friendly home cleaning products based in Chicago, IL. As an American Society for Quality (ASQ)-Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB), Kate spent 10 years in manufacturing, production quality, consumer regulations, and product development before founding her own manufacturing business.Kate received her Bachelors in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Illinois - Champaign/Urbana, and her Masters in Environmental Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, IL.In addition to founding her Meliora Cleaning Products in her kitchen in 2013, Kate's been active in the Maker community in and around Chicago, sharing tips and tricks from the factory floor with friends and colleagues to streamline the back-end of their manufacturing companies.In her spare time, Kate is an Adjunct Professor in Social Entrepreneurship at the Stuart School of Business at Illinois Tech, where she taught future business leaders how anyone can use business as a force for good.
