Step 1
Name the customer and the problem
Write one sentence that says who buys this and why. If you cannot, you are not ready to sample.
Product development strategy
Product development strategy: a plan that connects the product to profit
A product development strategy is the plan that links who your product is for, how it will be made at the right cost, and how it will reach buyers profitably. Cydney Mar builds that strategy alongside the product, so every development decision serves the business.
Last updated: November 2026
What is a good strategy for new product development?
A good strategy for new product development starts with a clear customer, sets the target price and margin early, defines a focused first version, chooses suppliers on evidence, and commits to one launch channel first. Cydney Mar adds business plans and cost structures strong enough for grant and funding applications when founders need them.
How to create a product development plan in six steps
Use this as a working checklist. Each step should produce a written answer before you move on.
Step 2
Set a target price and margin
Decide what the customer will pay and what margin your chosen channel needs before you design anything expensive.
Step 3
Define the first version
Decide what the first product must include and what can wait. This keeps sampling focused and affordable.
Step 4
Choose suppliers on evidence
Compare suppliers on quality, communication and reliability, not just price.
Step 5
Pick a primary launch channel
Retail, TV shopping or direct to consumer. Each needs different margins, packaging and volume.
Step 6
Plan the first hundred buyers
Know exactly how you will reach them, and what you will learn from them for the next hundred.
Product development strategy example
Cydney Mar Wellness
Cydney created Cydney Mar Wellness after an illness took most of her hair and a naturopath's formula helped it grow back. The strategy behind the range: a naturopathic doctor formulates the products, a respected Montreal manufacturing partner makes them, every product is Health Canada licensed with NPNs and third party tested, and the range is sold worldwide. Customer need, supplier and quality standard were decided together.
Why strategy gets skipped
Strategy time is scarce, even for professionals
The Product-Led Alliance's 2026 product management statistics report groups of product professionals that spend 25% or less of their time on product strategy, some that spend 0 to 5%, and note that those spending more than 50% on strategy are "the exception, not the rule" ( Product-Led Alliance). Founders face the same squeeze, which is why the pathway builds strategy into each stage.
Building a strategic plan for growth
Growth for a product business depends on margins that hold up at higher volume and across channels, a supplier who can handle larger runs at consistent quality, and specifications final enough that every run matches. Cydney's strategic advisory work for product-based founders and growth-stage brands focuses on exactly that: structure, margin clarity and scalable production systems.
Published research supports involving customers early. Six Paths Consulting reports that organizations that engage in customer co-creation report a 30% higher rate of successful product launches (Six Paths Consulting). Cydney began her first company in 1980 by selling her own designs directly, because she wanted to understand what women wanted.
Back to the guide to product development companies and how Cydney Mar works
Questions about product development strategy
What are the three strategic elements of product development?
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.
More in the full FAQWhat is a product development strategy example?
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.
More in the full FAQWhat should a strategic plan for growth include for a product business?
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.
More in the full FAQCan Cydney help with a business plan for a grant application?
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.
More in the full FAQWhat makes a product successful?
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.
More in the full FAQCan Cydney help if I already have a product?
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.
More in the full FAQWant a second brain on your strategy?
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.