Why Working With Founders in Product Development is Smart
Introduction: Founders vs. Employees — Who Do You Want in Your Corner?
There are hundreds of product development agencies out there. Most of them promise similar things: ideas, design files, communication, and delivery. But here’s the truth:
It’s not about what the agency offers — it’s about who’s doing the work.
At Wild Man Lab, you don’t get passed off to a project manager. You work directly with us — Nick and Austin, the founders of both Wild Man Lab and product-based brands. We’re the ones who:
- Meet with you from day one
- Brainstorm your product
- Design your prototypes
- Solve manufacturing challenges
- Guide launch strategies
We built our own viral products and businesses, and now we help others do the same. This blog dives into why working with founders (not just agency employees) leads to better results, faster timelines, and a product you’re actually proud to launch.
Part 1: Founders Are More Invested in Your Success
Let’s face it — founders care more.
Your success = our success. If your project fails, that reflects on our company. That’s personal.
With founders:
- You’re never treated like a ticket in a queue
- You get faster answers, more creative solutions, and deeper strategy
- You always know who’s on the other side of the email or Zoom call
This isn’t just a paycheck for us. It’s our reputation, our legacy, and our standard of excellence on the line.
When you work with an employee, they might care—but they don’t own the result. Founders do.
Part 2: Founders Work Harder (Because We Have To)
You’ve heard the saying:
“No one works harder than a founder.”
That’s because we have skin in the game.
We don’t clock in and clock out. We’re building something every day — and that includes your project. Founders:
- Work longer hours
- Take fewer shortcuts
- Sweat the details
- Obsess over outcomes
Why? Because every result compounds. A happy client brings more opportunities. A great case study unlocks future growth. We’re motivated by more than salary — we’re motivated by mission.
Part 3: You Don’t Get Stuck With a Project Manager Who’s Overloaded or Underqualified
Here’s a common agency scenario:
- The founder sells you on the dream
- Then hands you off to a project manager
- Who’s juggling 5 other clients
- And has never launched a product of their own
What happens next?
- Slow timelines
- Bland design
- Confused communication
- Mediocre outcomes
We’ve been on the client side of that — and it sucks.
That’s why we do things differently. We only take on a small number of clients at a time. You get our full focus, direct attention, and seasoned execution.
Part 4: We Don’t Just Design Products — We Build Businesses
We’re not agency guys who happened to start a business. We’re founders of successful product companies.
Our background includes:
- Developing The Krak’in — the #1 shotgun tool in the world
- Expanding a product line from 1 product to dozens of products
- Selling hundreds of thousands of units
- Perfecting prototypes
- Optimizing for manufacturing at scale
- Building direct-to-consumer brands with 1B+ views and 1M+ followers
We’ve done it ourselves. And now, we help others do it too.
Why trust a junior project manager with no product launch experience when you can work with people who’ve already walked the path?
Part 5: You Get Strategic Thinking — Not Just Task Management
Project managers manage tasks. Founders manage outcomes.
When we work with you, we think like co-founders — not contractors. We ask:
- Is this idea actually worth pursuing?
- Will this stand out in the market?
- Is this manufacturable at scale?
- Are we maximizing margin and marketing angles?
We look at the whole picture — from early product research to launch strategy to retail readiness.
Part 6: We Design for Real-World Execution
The best product ideas are worthless if they can’t be built affordably.
We know how to:
- Rapidly prototype an idea with quick design iterations
- Find a manufacturer to source parts and materials
- Minimize tooling costs through creative solutions
- Reduce unit price through smart DFM (design for manufacturing)
- Streamline fulfillment and packaging
Most agencies hand you pretty CAD files. We hand you products that are ready to go into production.
Part 7: We Think Like Founders Because We Are Founders
When you work with Wild Man Lab, you don’t just get product designers. You get:
- Business strategists
- Launch experts
- Cost optimizers
- Market analyzers
- Brand builders
That’s the benefit of working with founders. We see your product as a business opportunity, not just a deliverable.
We embed ourselves in your business — without the overhead.
We don’t charge you for layers of account managers, designers, assistants, and coordinators. We charge you for results.
Part 8: Limited Client Load = Peak Performance
We don’t overload our calendar. We’re selective with who we work with — because that’s how we keep our standards high.
That means:
- Faster turnarounds
- Direct communication
- Focused energy
- No missed handoffs
Before we agree to work together, we ask one important question: Are we the right fit for each other?
Because if we say yes — we’re all in.
Conclusion: The Real Reason to Work With Founders
You’re not hiring an agency. You’re hiring founders that:
- Have built products that went viral and sold out
- Know how to prototype fast and affordably
- Optimize designs for maximum margin
- Will never pass your project off to someone less qualified
At Wild Man Lab, we work with you because we want to. Because we believe in what you’re building. Because we only say yes when we can deliver.
If that sounds like the kind of partnership you’ve been missing, let’s talk.
