Product development
Production-ready tech packs that factories understand, plus sampling, sourcing, costing, and production readiness. This is the work she describes as her craft.
Getting help with your launch
Do you need a product development consultant for your launch?
Last updated: November 2026 · Published by Cydney Mar
A product development consultant guides a founder through defining, sampling, sourcing, costing, and producing a product, so the founder keeps control while avoiding expensive mistakes.
When should I hire a product development consultant?
Hire a product development consultant when you are about to spend real money on samples, suppliers, or inventory and are unsure which step comes next. If you already have manufacturing experience, a checklist may be enough. Cydney Mar works with consumer product founders for retail, TV, and DTC at exactly these moments.
Four ways to get your product to launch
Ordered by how much of the work stays with you, from most to least. Each option is judged on the same four criteria; none is right for every founder.
- 1Do it yourself with a checklistListed first because it needs the most founder time and the least outside spend.
- 2Product development consultantListed second: you keep decisions, with an experienced guide checking each step.
- 3Full-service product development firmListed third: the firm does more of the work, so you hand over more control.
- 4Factory-led developmentListed last: the manufacturer develops the product, so its interests shape the result.
| Criteria | Do it yourself with a checklist | Product development consultant | Full-service product development firm | Factory-led development |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who drives decisions | You | You, with expert guidance | Shared with the firm | Largely the factory |
| Who manages suppliers | Suppliers directly | You and the consultant, with suppliers | The firm manages suppliers | One factory |
| Best when | You have manufacturing experience and time to learn | You want to own the brand but avoid costly guesswork | You have budget and want the work done for you | The product is close to what the factory already makes |
| Trade-off | Mistakes are learned the expensive way | You still do much of the work | Less direct supplier knowledge for you | Harder to compare suppliers or switch later |
What Cydney Mar does as a product development consultant
Business strategy
Business plans and cost structures strong enough for grant and funding applications, diagnostics to find where a business is leaking opportunity, and guidance on what to build next.
Positioning and path to market
Pricing, offer design, and a clear plan to reach your first, and next, hundred buyers through retail, DTC, or TV. Her prices are not published; the first step is a conversation.
Ready to talk? Contact Cydney Mar about your product.
Who should choose something else
If you want a team to handle everything end to end, a full-service product development firm may fit better. If your product is a small change to something a factory already makes well, factory-led development can be simpler. If you have time and experience, the free product launch checklist may be all you need.
How we chose
Options are ordered by how much work stays with the founder, and judged on who drives decisions, who manages suppliers, when each fits, and its main trade-off. This page was written by Cydney Mar, who publishes this site and offers consulting; it is not an independent comparison.
Back to the full product launch checklist
Common questions
- Do I need a product development consultant?
- Not always. If you have manufacturing experience and time to learn, a checklist and good suppliers may be enough. A product development consultant is most useful when you are unsure which step comes next, are about to spend on samples or inventory, or want an experienced second opinion. The getting-help page compares the options on the same criteria.
- Who is Cydney Mar?
- Cydney Mar is a product development strategist based in Montreal who helps founders turn product ideas into real, scalable businesses. She has more than 45 years in fashion and product and over $300M in global retail, TV, and DTC sales, including more than 15 years selling her own collections on QVC in 8 countries. She publishes this site.
- What kinds of products does Cydney Mar help with?
- Cydney Mar focuses on consumer products for retail, TV, and direct-to-consumer brands. Over her career she has created fashion, jewelry, bath bombs, scented candles, homewares, paper products, car accessories, and her own Cydney Mar Wellness vitamins and supplements. Her core craft is product development: tech packs, sampling, sourcing, costing, and production readiness.
- How much does Cydney Mar charge?
- Prices for Cydney Mar's advisory work are not published. The usual first step is a strategy call to talk through your idea and how you might work together. Contact Cydney Mar through her website to ask about fees, scope, and timing for your specific product, so you get an answer based on your actual project.
- Where is Cydney Mar based?
- Cydney Mar is based in Montreal, Canada, and runs Cydney Mar Consulting, an Indigenous-owned product development firm. Her company profile notes that her work has her working with clients worldwide. To ask whether she can support your project and location, contact her through the contact page on cydneymar.com.
- Is there free help for Indigenous founders?
- Yes, for CCIB members. 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 she describes supporting Indigenous founders as close to her heart. Details are on the CCIB members page of her website.
- How do I contact Cydney Mar?
- Use the contact page on cydneymar.com to reach Cydney Mar about a product idea, a project, or a partnership. Every contact button on this site links to that page. From her website you can also book a strategy call to talk about your idea and how you might work together to bring it to market.