FAQ
This FAQ answers the questions founders ask most about product development companies, the product development process, strategy, costs and launch. Every answer comes from Cydney Mar's experience or a named source.
Last updated: November 2026
Product development is the work of turning an idea into something a customer can actually buy. It covers defining the product and its customer, making samples, choosing suppliers, working out costs and margins, preparing for manufacturing, and launching. Cydney Mar guides founders through each of those steps in her Concept-to-Reality Pathway.
Common alternatives are new product development (often shortened to NPD), product creation, and concept to market. In fashion and consumer goods you will also hear product design and development. They describe the same journey: taking an idea through samples, sourcing, costing and production until it is ready to sell.
A widely used way to group them is: creating a brand new product, improving an existing product, extending a product line with new variations, and adapting an existing product for a new market or channel. Cydney has worked across all four in her own collections, from couture fashion to vitamins sold through retail, TV and direct to consumer.
Cydney Mar has developed fashion collections, jewelry, bath bombs, scented candles, homewares, paper products, car accessories, and her own Cydney Mar Wellness vitamins and supplements. She also designed the first Cirque du Soleil Boutique Collection and led design for Edwin Jeans in North America. Each followed the same arc from idea to production-ready product.
Useful research includes talking to the customers you want to reach, studying what already sells in your category and at what price, requesting samples from more than one supplier, and checking real landed costs before you commit. Cydney started her first company in 1980 selling her own couture designs because she wanted to understand directly what women wanted.
A successful product solves a clear problem for a specific customer, is made consistently by a reliable supplier, and is priced with enough margin to support the channel it sells through. Cydney Mar’s view is that most products struggle not because the idea is bad, but because founders take the right steps in the wrong order.
A common textbook version lists idea generation, idea screening, concept development and testing, business analysis, product development, market testing, commercialization, and post-launch review. Cydney Mar’s Concept-to-Reality Pathway groups the practical work into six stages: Product Clarity, Right Prototypes, The Right Suppliers, Cost and Margins, Production-Ready, and Launch and Scale.
A practical seven-step version is: define the product and customer, make and refine samples, select suppliers, calculate costs and margins, finalize specifications for production, choose your launch channel, then launch and scale. That maps closely to the six stages of Cydney Mar’s Concept-to-Reality Pathway, with channel choice built into the Launch and Scale stage.
It depends heavily on the product, the number of sample rounds, and supplier lead times. For comparison, Embrox reports that IT and digital projects can complete all seven stages in 3 to 12 months; physical products add sampling and manufacturing steps. Cydney can give you a realistic view for your specific product on a strategy call.
A tech pack is the technical document a factory uses to make your product: measurements, materials, construction details and specifications. Cydney describes production-ready tech packs that factories actually understand as the difference between a sample that is right the first time and months of expensive back-and-forth. Creating them is a core part of her product development work.
There is no fixed number; it depends on how clearly the product is defined before sampling starts. The Right Prototypes stage of the Concept-to-Reality Pathway focuses on developing the right samples and cutting costly rework, which usually starts with a clear brief and a solid tech pack rather than repeated guesswork.
For a physical product, a minimum viable product is usually a refined sample or a small first run that proves customers want it before you commit to larger production. Cydney Mar helps founders decide what that first version needs to include, which supplier can make it, and what it must cost to be worth scaling.
Cydney Mar names four: jumping into sampling without clarity, choosing suppliers based on guesswork, ignoring margins until it is too late, and trying to figure it out along the way. Each one leads to wasted time, wasted money and stalled progress, which is why the Concept-to-Reality Pathway puts the steps in a deliberate order.
A useful way to frame them is: who the product is for and what problem it solves, how it will be made reliably at the right cost, and how it will reach buyers profitably. In Cydney Mar’s pathway these map to Product Clarity, the supplier and costing stages, and Launch and Scale.
One example from Cydney Mar’s own career: her Cydney Mar Wellness vitamins were formulated by a naturopathic doctor, made by a Montreal manufacturing partner, licensed by Health Canada with NPNs, third party tested, and sold worldwide. The strategy linked a specific customer need to a trusted supplier and a quality standard buyers could check.
It should include clear margins at each sales channel, a supplier who can handle larger runs, a pricing and offer plan, and a path to your first and next hundred buyers. Cydney also prepares business plans and cost structures strong enough for grant and funding applications, plus diagnostics to find where a business is leaking opportunity.
Yes. Cydney Mar prepares business plans and cost structures strong enough for grant and funding applications. Her deeper support is often grant eligible, according to her CCIB member page. Grant rules vary by program, so confirm eligibility with the funder directly; Cydney can help you build the plan and numbers they ask for.
Prices are not published on this site. Cost depends on how much support you need, from a single strategy session to hands-on tech packs, sourcing and production readiness. The clearest way to get an accurate figure is to contact Cydney through her contact page at cydneymar.com and describe your product and stage.
The biggest drivers are how clearly the product is defined before sampling, how many sample rounds are needed, material and component choices, minimum order quantities at your supplier, and how many sizes, colours or variations you launch with. Starting with clarity and a strong tech pack is the most reliable way Cydney knows to reduce rework costs.
Start with your full landed cost per unit: materials, manufacturing, packaging, freight and duties. Subtract it from your selling price, then divide by the selling price to get your gross margin. The Cost and Margins stage of the Concept-to-Reality Pathway teaches founders to calculate costs properly so the product is built for real profit.
Yes. Cydney Mar offers a free From Idea to Income workbook that helps you score your idea in about five minutes and map your path to launch, and a Product Development Roadmap download on cydneymar.com. Both are good starting points before you spend money on samples or suppliers.
Yes. Through TIB, Cydney Mar offers CCIB members a complimentary 60 minute Concept-to-Reality Strategy Session and her From Idea to Income workbook. Cydney is a proud Nlaka’pamux woman and her company is a certified Aboriginal company. Details are on the CCIB member page at cydneymar.com.
It is for founders with a product idea who want an expert guide rather than guesswork. That includes people who have a strong idea but no clear next step, people nervous about spending on samples or suppliers too early, and people carrying everything alone with no experienced person to check their thinking.
No. Many founders Cydney works with are starting from an idea and nothing else. What matters is following the steps in the right order with someone who has walked the path before. Cydney brings 45+ years in fashion and product and $300M+ in global product sales across retail, TV and direct to consumer.
Her deepest experience is fashion, where she has worked from couture to high end, big box retailers and fast fashion. She has also created jewelry, bath bombs, scented candles, homewares, paper products, car accessories and vitamins. If your product is outside these, describe it on a call and she will tell you honestly whether she is the right fit.
Yes. If you are stuck on a tech pack, a sample, a factory or pricing, she can step in at that stage. She also runs business diagnostics to find where an existing business is leaking opportunity, and helps with positioning, pricing, offer design and a plan to reach your next hundred buyers.
Cydney Mar is based in Montreal, Canada. Her consulting work is with clients worldwide, and her own sourcing experience spans factories across Asia, Europe and North America. Strategy calls are booked online through her contact page, so location is rarely a barrier.
Yes. Cydney says the steps are the same whether you are bringing something to a shelf or packaging your knowledge into a program or service. This site focuses on physical products, but her pathway also covers founders building a business around their expertise.
A firm usually takes on the design and engineering work with its own team. A consultant like Cydney Mar guides you through every stage, does hands-on work such as tech packs and sourcing, and helps you make decisions you keep ownership of. Founders who want to understand and control their business often prefer a guide.
Yes, many founders do, and Cydney’s free workbook and roadmap are designed to help with that. The trade-off is risk: without experience it is easy to sample too early, choose the wrong supplier, or set a price that leaves no margin. A guide shortens the learning curve and helps you avoid expensive mistakes you cannot undo.
No. Many companies that rank for product development build software, apps or IoT devices. Cydney Mar focuses on physical, consumer products: from fashion and accessories to home goods and wellness products. If you are building software, a software product development company is the better fit.
Compare them on the same points: what categories they have actually shipped, whether they handle sourcing and costing or only design, how they support launch, and who owns the decisions and supplier relationships. Ask for real examples. Cydney Mar’s record includes 15+ years selling on QVC in 8 countries and $300M+ in global product sales.
Not necessarily. What matters more is the right supplier for your product and a guide who knows how to manage them. Cydney Mar is based in Montreal and works with clients worldwide. She has visited factories across Asia, Europe and North America, and has written about Morocco as an emerging manufacturing option.
All three can work, and the right one depends on your product, margins and capacity. Retail brings reach but needs margin for the retailer. TV shopping rewards products that demonstrate well on air. Direct to consumer gives you the customer relationship. Cydney Mar has sold through all three and helps founders choose and plan.
Cydney sold her own collections on QVC for more than 15 years in 8 countries, logging more than 800 hours of live television. She has also coached on-air presentation; Greg Castanza of Halo2Cloud, a QVC Hall of Fame entrepreneur, credits her advice as instrumental in his company’s success.
Pick one primary channel to start, make sure your margin supports that channel, have production ready before you promote, and plan how you will reach your first hundred buyers. Cydney Mar helps with pricing, offer design and that first hundred buyer plan, drawing on her retail, TV and direct to consumer experience.
Retailers generally expect consistent quality, reliable delivery, a price that leaves room for their margin, and packaging suited to the shelf. Requirements vary by retailer, so confirm them directly with any buyer. Cydney has worked with big box retailers and high end stores, which informs how she prepares founders for those conversations.
Scaling depends on three things being ready: a supplier who can handle larger runs at consistent quality, margins that still work at higher volume and across channels, and finalized specifications so every run matches. The Production-Ready and Launch and Scale stages of the Concept-to-Reality Pathway are built around exactly those points.
The first step is a conversation. Contact Cydney through her contact page at cydneymar.com, where you can book a call, email cydney@cydneymar.com, or phone 514-949-4287. On the call you will talk through your idea, find what is holding you back, and map clear next steps.
Many founders use non-disclosure agreements with suppliers and seek legal advice on trademarks or patents before sharing detailed designs. Requirements differ by country and product, so speak with a qualified lawyer. Cydney does not give legal advice, but she can help you decide what to share with suppliers and when.
Repeated wrong samples usually point to an unclear tech pack or a poor supplier fit. Start by checking whether your specifications are complete and unambiguous. If they are, the supplier may not be right for your product. Cydney vets suppliers for quality, communication and reliability, and can review where the process is breaking down.
Look at the drivers first: materials, construction complexity, order quantities, packaging and freight. Small changes to specifications often reduce cost without hurting the product. If the numbers still do not work, it is better to know before production than after. The Cost and Margins stage exists to catch this early.
That is the most common situation Cydney hears about, and it does not mean your idea is wrong. It means you have not had a map yet. Start with Product Clarity: define what you are making and who it is for. Every later decision about samples, suppliers and pricing gets easier from there.
No. Cydney Mar’s own website disclaimer states that she offers no guarantees regarding earnings, profit or results of any kind, and that individual results vary. What a guide offers is experience: a clear order of steps, help avoiding common expensive mistakes, and honest feedback at every stage.
Still have a question? See the six stages of the pathway or contact Cydney directly.
Back to the guide to product development companies and how Cydney Mar works
Tell Cydney Mar about your product and where you are stuck. The first step is a conversation, and you will leave with clear next steps.
