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The Unpacked Truth of

Manufacturing

In this course, you will learn how to source, sample, negotiate and launch

a profitable physical product without paying the Newbie Tax.

No payment required.

Most entrepreneurs waste thousands in "Sourcing Debt"

Wrong suppliers

80% of Alibaba sellers are trading companies. You pay more and lose all control.

Hidden costs

Shipping, duties, and platform fees can add 30-50% on top of your factory price.

Quality failures

No inspection checklist means 500 units of a product you cannot sell.

STOP GUESSING. START BUILDING

Who Is This For

Built for founders who are done guessing.

The Aspiring Product Founder

You have a product idea maybe several, but have no idea how to actually get it manufactured. You've been stuck at the idea stage for too long and are ready for a real roadmap.

The E-commerce Seller Ready to Own Their Product

You're reselling or white-labelling and your margins are being squeezed. You want to go direct-to-factory, create your own brand, and stop depending on other people's products.

The Founder Who's Been Burned Before

You've already lost money on a bad sample, a wrong factory, or a production run that went sideways. You know you need a system, not more YouTube rabbit holes.

The Designer or Freelancer Bridging to Physical Products

You can design it, but you can't get it made. This course gives you the manufacturing knowledge to deliver end-to-end product development for yourself or your clients.

The Amazon or Shopify Seller Scaling to Private Label

You're selling but not owning. You want to source a product with 70%+ margins, your own branding, and a supply chain you control from factory floor to fulfilment.

The SME Owner Ready to Manufacture at Scale

Your business is established but you've never built a product from scratch. You have the capital, now you need the knowledge to invest it without the usual first-time mistakes.

Curriculum

7 modules. 27 lessons. One system.

Foundations - 3 Lessons

Product and cost - 5 lessons

Suppliers - 4 lessons

Sampling - 3 lessons

Trade terms and logistics - 4 Lessons

Production and quality control

4 Lessons

Branding and selling

Branding and selling - 4 Lessons

Branding and selling

The Hard Numbers

Most founders lose thousands before they sell a single unit.

Sourcing Debt is real — bad samples, middleman markups, wrong factories, hidden shipping costs, and quality disasters. This course is the blueprint IMEX United and Sourcing Elements use themselves. Now it's yours.

10+

Years of combined factory-floor experience between Marinella Fortino and Nicole de Boer across sourcing, QC, logistics, and brand building.

70%+

Target product margin taught in the course calculated using the Master Cost Calculator across every true cost line item, not just factory price.

30–50%

How much hidden costs (duties, freight, FBA prep, insurance, bank fees) can add on top of your factory price if you don't know to account for them.

80%

Of sellers on Alibaba are trading companies not real factories. The course teaches you exactly how to identify, contact, and vet real manufacturers.

Common Objections — Answered

We've heard every reason not to start.

"I don't have enough money to start manufacturing."

The truth: Manufacturing knowledge reduces your cost every time. You don't need $100K. You need to know how to negotiate MOQs, frame trial orders, and avoid the mistakes that burn the most capital. One avoided disaster pays for this course ten times over.

"I'm not ready. I don't even have a product idea yet."

Module 1 starts there. We teach you how to validate a product idea before spending a single dollar. The course begins with market validation. You'll have a validated idea before you reach Module 3.

"I've tried before and got burned, how is this different?"

It's different because it's real. This isn't theory from a consultant. Marinella and Nicole built this from actual factory floors, real supplier negotiations, and hard-earned mistakes. Every lesson is a system they use themselves.

"YouTube has everything, why would I pay for a course?"

YouTube has 47 tabs of conflicting advice. This is a structured, sequenced system built by two operators who have sourced, sampled, negotiated, QC'd, and launched real products. The difference is the system and the accountability of a curriculum.

"Is this only for Chinese manufacturing?"

No. The system is global. While we include China's Industrial Hub Map as a bonus, the frameworks for spec writing, factory vetting, negotiation, sampling, and QC apply to any factory in any country.

"I don't have time to go through 27 lessons."

It's fully self-paced. Watch when it suits you. Revisit modules as your product development progresses. Most students apply the lessons in real time meaning the course pays for itself before you finish it.

What Clients Say

Real results from real founders.

I finally understand what to say when I walk into a factory. Before this, I was guessing at every step. MOQ, payment terms, even what questions to ask. Now I walk in like I belong there.

— Product Founder, Australia

The cost calculator alone saved me from a disaster. I was about to order a product thinking I'd make 60% margin the calculator showed me I'd actually lose money once shipping, duties, and ads were added.

— E-commerce Seller, USA

I lost money on my first production run before finding this course. Everything that went wrong no spec sheet, no QC, 100% upfront payment is covered in Module 6. I wish I had this two years ago.

— Hardware Startup Founder Europe

The supplier negotiation module changed how I communicate with factories entirely. I used to open with "what's your best price?" now I know exactly why that signals amateur and how to frame myself as a long-term partner instead.

— Amazon Private Label Seller

Nella and Nic clearly built this from real experience not theory. The China Industrial Hub Map alone is worth the price of entry. I now know exactly where to source every product category I'm considering.

— Brand Builder, Southeast Asia

I was scared of manufacturing. After Module 3, I sent my first contact message to 7 suppliers and had 5 quotes back within 48 hours. The template works.

HOME

ABOUT

CONTACT

coming soon

The Unpacked Truth of

Manufacturing

No payment required.

Most entrepreneurs waste thousands in "Sourcing Debt"

Wrong suppliers

80% of Alibaba sellers are trading companies. You pay more and lose all control.

Hidden costs

Shipping, duties, and platform fees can add 30-50% on top of your factory price.

Quality failures

No inspection checklist means 500 units of a product you cannot sell.

STOP GUESSING. START BUILDING

Who Is This For

Built for founders who are done guessing.

The Aspiring Product Founder

You have a product idea maybe several, but have no idea how to actually get it manufactured. You've been stuck at the idea stage for too long and are ready for a real roadmap.

The E-commerce Seller Ready to Own Their Product

You're reselling or white-labelling and your margins are being squeezed. You want to go direct-to-factory, create your own brand, and stop depending on other people's products.

The Founder Who's Been Burned Before

You've already lost money on a bad sample, a wrong factory, or a production run that went sideways. You know you need a system, not more YouTube rabbit holes.

The Designer or Freelancer Bridging to Physical Products

You can design it, but you can't get it made. This course gives you the manufacturing knowledge to deliver end-to-end product development for yourself or your clients.

The Amazon or Shopify Seller Scaling to Private Label

You're selling but not owning. You want to source a product with 70%+ margins, your own branding, and a supply chain you control from factory floor to fulfilment.

The SME Owner Ready to Manufacture at Scale

Your business is established but you've never built a product from scratch. You have the capital, now you need the knowledge to invest it without the usual first-time mistakes.

Curriculum

7 modules. 27 lessons. One system.

Foundations - 3 Lessons

Product and cost - 5 lessons

Suppliers - 4 lessons

Sampling - 3 lessons

Trade terms and logistics - 4 Lessons

Production and quality control

4 Lessons

Branding and selling

Branding and selling - 4 Lessons

Branding and selling

The Hard Numbers

Most founders lose thousands before they sell a single unit.

Common Objections — Answered

We've heard every reason not to start.

"I don't have enough money to start manufacturing."

The truth: Manufacturing knowledge reduces your cost every time. You don't need $100K. You need to know how to negotiate MOQs, frame trial orders, and avoid the mistakes that burn the most capital. One avoided disaster pays for this course ten times over.

"I'm not ready. I don't even have a product idea yet."

Module 1 starts there. We teach you how to validate a product idea before spending a single dollar. The course begins with market validation. You'll have a validated idea before you reach Module 3.

"I've tried before and got burned, how is this different?"

It's different because it's real. This isn't theory from a consultant. Marinella and Nicole built this from actual factory floors, real supplier negotiations, and hard-earned mistakes. Every lesson is a system they use themselves.

"YouTube has everything, why would I pay for a course?"

YouTube has 47 tabs of conflicting advice. This is a structured, sequenced system built by two operators who have sourced, sampled, negotiated, QC'd, and launched real products. The difference is the system and the accountability of a curriculum.

"Is this only for Chinese manufacturing?"

No. The system is global. While we include China's Industrial Hub Map as a bonus, the frameworks for spec writing, factory vetting, negotiation, sampling, and QC apply to any factory in any country.

"I don't have time to go through 27 lessons."

It's fully self-paced. Watch when it suits you. Revisit modules as your product development progresses. Most students apply the lessons in real time meaning the course pays for itself before you finish it.

What Clients Say

Real results from real founders.

I finally understand what to say when I walk into a factory. Before this, I was guessing at every step. MOQ, payment terms, even what questions to ask. Now I walk in like I belong there.

— Product Founder, Australia

The cost calculator alone saved me from a disaster. I was about to order a product thinking I'd make 60% margin the calculator showed me I'd actually lose money once shipping, duties, and ads were added.

— E-commerce Seller, USA

I lost money on my first production run before finding this course. Everything that went wrong no spec sheet, no QC, 100% upfront payment is covered in Module 6. I wish I had this two years ago.

— Hardware Startup Founder Europe

The supplier negotiation module changed how I communicate with factories entirely. I used to open with "what's your best price?" now I know exactly why that signals amateur and how to frame myself as a long-term partner instead.

— Amazon Private Label Seller

Nella and Nic clearly built this from real experience not theory. The China Industrial Hub Map alone is worth the price of entry. I now know exactly where to source every product category I'm considering.

— Brand Builder, Southeast Asia

I was scared of manufacturing. After Module 3, I sent my first contact message to 7 suppliers and had 5 quotes back within 48 hours. The template works.

— First-time Founder, Australia

Founding Member Access

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Early access, exclusive pricing, and direct support from our sourcing team.

No payment required.