So what all do you really need to start up a yoyo “company?”
As far as manufacturing and anodizing?
What else?
Just looking for some general info 
Thanks much
– Angrysklzz
money
Everyone else Feel free to respond (none of my questions have been answered)
I haven’t started a yoyo company so take what I say with a grain of salt:
-Name
-Logo
-Mottos are nice (not necessary)
-Have direction: know why you started this company and where you want it to go. Without this you are not a company, you are just someone who makes expensive toys.
-money (of course)
-well thought out yoyo designs that actually work! (very very important)
-either you need a person to make the yoyos for you or a lot more money to get the tools to make your own.
-good relationships and contacts with people in the community. These people can help in so many ways. They can help guide you or directly help you with things from machining, designing (the art and yoyos), retailing, wholesale parts and materials, and so on
That’s a small list of random things I could think of! 
The market is flooded right now. As of now it’s extremely hard to get even a semi-successful company going unless you seriously know what your doing.
Machining and anodizing are the most basic stuff when it comes to making yoyos and if you aren’t familiar with it by now you probably aren’t experienced enough, skilled enough, or yoyo’d long enough to be considering starting a company that people would be interested in any time soon.
It was just a question 
if no one ever informs people about this, if they don’t talk to people and ask questions, they will never know. Learning is all about making mistakes and NOT ALREADY KNOWING. Just my two cents
I think we have had a few topics about machinists 6 months back or so. I would check there for any questions you have and then take it from there!
I just think it’s better to research things yourself about this type of stuff. And if you still need more info to contact someone with more experience privately. No successful yoyo company has ever started off by asking for help or advice on a public domain so they figured things out somehow.
At the least, if you’ve been around long enough you’ll have a general understanding of how designing, machining, anodizing, and marketing/manufacturing works without having to ask any questions at all. Then by that point, you’d be much better off asking someone who’s experienced in yoyo design directly than asking the general public.
I know I come off a little blunt sometimes but I just tell it how it is. Especially with how flooded the market is right now, I don’t think it’s a good idea to be considering starting a new company unless you seriously know what you’re doing.
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You sure seem to have made a lot of assumptions, Andy!
This sounds like an assumption. Do you have proof?
You have proof that the OP hasn’t?
You’re most likely correct, but what are you basing this on. Personal experience?
Does this mean you have experience starting and running a yoyo company?
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You sure seem to have made a lot of assumptions, Andy!
It’s true, I don’t have any concrete references for what I’ve stated but it’s just stuff that I’ve learned and seen over the years.
This sounds like an assumption. Do you have proof?
I don’t have solid proof but I’ve been very active in the community, the online community in particular, for the past 5 years and I’ve seen many people asking for help on this kind of stuff on the forum, in FB groups, etc. Although 5 years isn’t very long compared to other people, startup companies didn’t really start booming until a few years ago.
Only a couple have been successful in creating companies but none have accumulated a large following and even if there were any, it’s extremely rare. All of the most successful companies figured things out and got things going, for the most part, on their own.
You have proof that the OP hasn’t?
No, but hiring a machinist like Foxland Precision and an anodizer like Gruntbull and contacting shops like YYE to work things out is fairly basic and has been mentioned plenty of times so I’m going to assume the OP hasn’t. Yes I made an assumption but I think it was merited. If someone were to ask how many presidents there’s been in the US, I think it’s fair to assume he hasn’t researched it.
I also said that if you’ve been throwing long enough and have been in the community long enough, you’ll pick this stuff up yourself even if you don’t or ever have had any intentions in starting a yoyo company. I was just saying that if you haven’t figured the basics like machining and anodizing by yourself by this point, I personally think it’s not the best idea to be aiming to start a new company.
You’re most likely correct, but what are you basing this on. Personal experience?
There’s been countless companies that have surfaced over the past few years but very few of them have gathered a large following. Although a few, like Sengoku, that do break through, there’s way more that haven’t. I’m not saying that those that haven’t are bad companies, I personally think smaller companies like ART are doing great stuff but ithat shows shows how competitive the market is right now.
The amount of companies out there just keep growing but the community isn’t growing nearly as fast. I think that’s why it’s been harder to sell yoyos on the BST lately too. Too many good yoyos, not enough yoyoers.
Does this mean you have experience starting and running a yoyo company?
“I just tell it how it is.” It’a just a saying. I’m straightforward about what I believe and don’t like to sugarcoat things most of the time.
I don’t have any concrete proof or sources for what I’ve said but it’s what I’ve seen and learned through personal experience so I wouldn’t say that what I’ve said were all wild, blind assumptions either.
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Just wanted to say, very valid questions from Myk_Myk and very good answers from Andy.
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Yo they were just questions. Not advice or holding my hand guide. lol
Thanks for the info btw.
That is, after all, all I was looking for
Howdy! Thanks for the love. Since I was mentioned, I might as well share my two cents.
Andy’s comments about private research are valid, but not a dead end. Asking publicly is a great way to pool information from several people quickly. However when doing my own research, I did so privately. (For more than a year!) Often those that brought questions about brand building to the forum were met with responses that ranged from discouraging to misinforming. So I took the easiest way out and did my poking around privately. For some reason, for which I will never understand, this topic is kinda taboo.
The yo-yo market is very competitive. New products must be attention grabbing. Having a primary focus is important too. With ART, I strive to meet player needs with yoyos that combine sound design and quality. No frills or gimmicks, just high quality, high performance return tops designed with an emphasis on functionality, creativity, and color. That last one is a major key for me. I try to make colorways I’ve always wanted but have never seen.
I feel that my following (or lack there of?) has a lot to do with my priorities. I didn’t start ART with the intentions of being big quickly. Slightly because I’ve always thought that was unrealistic, but mostly because I’m still in college! This is by no means an excuse. It’s a reason. I put my education first. I’m still learning how to balance school and run this small business of mine. I’ve been focusing on making steady progress with ART. I now have a fully functional team, two production models (Ovation dropped on the 17th), and a new top secret prototype. For me the slow build is not only practical but purposefully done.
Who wants to burn hot and flame out?
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