Guide to Starting and Running

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A Guide to
Starting and Running
a Manufacturing Business

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Table of contents
Special considerations for starting your
manufacturing business
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Do you have what it takes to lead a 
manufacturing business? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
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Manufacturing product issues for startup 
businesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Protecting your rights and your
manufactured product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Choosing your manufacturing production
process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
~ Purchasing your production inputs . . . . . . . . 7
~ Planning your logistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Pricing and production costs for your
manufactured products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Marketing and the market for your
manufactured products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
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Financing your manufacturing startup . . . . . . . . . . . 9
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Tax issues and tax breaks for your manufacturing 
business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
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Limiting liability and protecting assets in your 
manufacturing business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
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Finding other manufacturing information 
resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Special considerations for running and growing
your manufacturing business
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
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Don’t ignore the life cycle of your product . . . . . . . 13
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Distinguishing yourself from your competition . . . 13
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Complying with regulations, labor law and 
intellectual property law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
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Growing your manufacturing business with 
exports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Product issues play a large role in your operation: