Be the first of your kind

From the first build, it was clear that there needed to be a better way to outfit a van.

After a lot of test-fitting, prototyping, and trial and error, the Featherbuilt Foundation Kit was born. It consists of a system of lightweight panels, aluminum rails, and installation points that utilize factory holes and features. Everything is made in house and ships nationally.

Start with the foundations

From the beginning, the title product for Featherbuilt was always going to be the modular wall and ceiling panel system. We templated vans and took 3D scans of every nook and cranny in order to make a system that would be compatible with factory holes and curves.

The first wall panel system featured 1/2” plywood and steel rails. It worked, but it needed to be lighter and possible to ship nationwide. After a few more attempts, we settled on 1/4” panels and aluminum rails; the panels could be manufactured in-house with a ShopSabre CNC Router and the rails were powder coated at a local facility.

Within 2 weeks of launching the wall panel kit, Featherbuilt had its first sale. From there, we added variants based on panel material and vehicle model. Since the launch of the Foundation Kits in early 2022, we added other products that are compatible with the aluminum rail system, including several off-the-shelf components from partnering companies.

Product Development

- What are potential customers looking for?
- What would I be looking for as a consumer?
- Where are the gaps in the market?
- What other popular products could this be compatible with?
- Sourcing potential vendors for the best materials based on availability, price, quality, and reliability
- Creating a bill of materials
- Making the first physical attempt at the product
- What went well and what needs improvement?
- Is this product and process repeatable?
- Where can costs be cut?
- Document all possible variants and keep track of SKUs
- Creating a final BOM and calculating the ideal sell price based on manufacturing labor, overhead, shipping, and high profit margins
- Releasing product teasers on social media and through email marketing campaigns
- Putting together product descriptions for the website and creating manuals and installation guides
- Sending out the final round of marketing emails and social media campaigns
- Offering discounts to subscribers and previous customers
- Sharing on all social media platforms