I have been head-deep in client work and this new eFiling thing the CPSC has for importers, so to say this summer has been busy is... well... not the busy we usually think of! But I've been having fun regardless because in my quick lunch breaks, I'm seeing one of my kiddos really take to creating (we now have a completed wood shield and sword with a ramp for our 16 year old pup in the works).

This summer seems to be all about new and creating for many of us, actually...

I've had multiple browsers open with multiple tabs each (all day, every day) and it got me thinking about your experience.

You open a browser tab to look up whether your product needs testing. Cool, but, twenty minutes later you have seven more tabs open, three of them are government websites that look like they are still stuck in the early 2000s, one is a blogger, and another is a consulting company...or lawyer? And now, you are prreeeety sure everything you make is just illegal.

I call it the Google spiral. Yup, that same one that people go into when looking up 'what is this rash'. It happens to almost every maker who tries to figure out this product safety thing (including me!).

It's not because you're bad at research. It's because the compliance information is genuinely fragmented, written for people who can read the nuances of legal grammar, and geared to large manufacturers (usually making overseas). It only has a few tiny areas that explain anything about someone who makes things in small (tiny) batches and sells them on Etsy or at markets.

And that causes issues with the whole misconception of "it's only for big companies, not at-home makers". The regulations exist and they are really for everyone. But the path from "I make things" to "I have this handled" is not a straight line that can be Googled (or chatGPT'd) through.

What actually helps is finding someone who has 'been there, done that'. Someone you can ask, "Hey, my supplier sent me this report, does this work for me? I don't know what I'm even looking at", and have someone give a clear answer, not another 5 tabs to open.

That's what I built Made Legit for.

I finally put my foot down and stopped following what other membership people were doing and created something that I believe is so much better for makers who want to just get compliant, and stay that way, without spending every Tuesday night lost in a CPSC document they only half understand and without worrying about now having to look over their shoulder to make sure they are doing it right.

The difference? No reasources or courses. No Zoom calls. And no 'community' where you have to ask questions in front of others.

It's a straight line access to my inbox where we can talk about exactly your product and your situation and come out with a clear 'do this. okay do this next'. The stuff that all that research doesn't do for you.

If you're ready to close some of those tabs, come take a look [here].