A step-by-step guide for first-time inventors
The notepad is, unfortunately, where many products go to die. You know the picture. First, you get excited, you tell a friend, maybe you sketch something out. And then life moves on, often all because because nobody told you what to actually do next.
Sound familiar? Well you’re in the right place because that’s exactly what Cadly was built to solve. Here’s the full process, from idea to product on the market.
Before You Start
Cadly offers two routes depending on how hands-on you want to be with your product.
- Do It Yourself (DIY): You stay in the driver’s seat. Collaborate directly with designers,
set your own revenue share terms, and manage your own milestones. Members taking
this path have full platform access from day one. - Do It For Me (DIFM): You upload your idea and step back. Cadly coordinates designers, manages the manufacturing review, finds affiliates, and builds out your brand. You wait for the product to hit market and collect revenue when it sells. And the first 3 ideas are free.
Both routes will get you to your final destination. That is, a real product, manufactured on demand, listed on the Cadly marketplace and available to ship globally.
Step 1: Find or Create Your Product Idea
You don’t need to be an engineer or know how to design anything. All you need with Cadly is an idea and a problem worth solving.
f you don’t have your own original design yet, there are two platforms we recommend exploring.
Thingiverse is a library of free, community-uploaded 3D models available for download and use.
Printables is a similar platform with a strong community of designers sharing ready-to-print files.
Look for products with clear market demand, good reviews, and licensing that allows
commercial use. The name of the game at this stage is simply finding a minimum viable prototype, or the simplest version of a product someone would actually pay for.
“Most people spend thousands — tens of thousands of dollars — just to get a product to market. What if you could do that process for free?”
— Pat, Founder & CEO, Cadly
Step 2: Upload Your Idea to Cadly
Once you have your concept ready, here’s how to get it into the platform.
- Click “Create New”
From your Cadly dashboard, hit the Create New button to start a new product listing. - Click “Upload Prototype”
Fill in your product description (what it is, what problem it solves, who it’s for), printing information (material, dimensions, specs), and any other details that help the manufacturing team understand your product. The more clearly you describe it here, the smoother everything downstream goes. - Click “Create Product”
Once your details are filled in, hit Create Product to move forward. - Upload a Product Image and Specifications
Add a clear image of the completed design — a render, prototype photo, or detailed sketch. Fill out specifications: dimensions, materials, weight, any variants. Hit Save before moving on. - Upload Your STL File
Navigate to the File Manager section and upload your STL file. This is the actual design file Cadly’s manufacturing network uses to produce your product.
Step 3: The Manufacturing Review
Once your STL file is uploaded, your product enters Cadly’s manufacturing review process. This review answers two questions. Can we manufacture this? How much does it cost to produce just one unit?
That per-unit cost becomes the floor for your sale price. From there, the goal is iteration and refining the design to bring that cost down, improve the product, and make it more marketable.
“We manufacture direct to order. We’re selling prototypes at first, so we can get real feedback from consumers — and then revamp the product before taking it to full production.”
— Pat, Founder & CEO, Cadly
Step 4: Collaborate With Designers (If You Need Them)
Don’t have a finished 3D design? That’s what Cadly’s designer network is for!
Instead of paying a designer thousands upfront, you offer revenue share of a percentage of profits every time your product sells. You set the terms. We offer:
- 20% of profits for the first 100 units sold
- A different rate for the next 100 units
- Or a flat ongoing percentage — entirely up to you
Designers are invested in your product’s success, not just completing a job. And you don’t spend a dollar until the product is actually making money.
Step 5: List and Sell
Once your product passes manufacturing review, it goes live on the Cadly marketplace with its very own storefront, not buried in a generic shop. On top of that, we have a variety of recommendations and options to boost it out into the world. Social media is a great way to get started showing your product in use. We also are very proud of our Cadly affiliate network where we help connect products with high-level influencers who promote on their own platforms.
Still need more? We’ve got you covered with the Cadly Innovation Cohort. This is an 8-week structured program taking you from idea to market with weekly guidance. Top products receive up to $10,000 in direct ad spend.
How the Revenue Share Works
Cadly earns 20% of manufacturing costs on each unit sold. That margin adjusts as your product scales because Cadly wants to invest in products that are growing.
On the designer side, you set your own terms. No fixed rate; it’s a negotiation between you and the designer, built into the platform.
Best of all? You keep your IP. Your idea stays yours throughout the entire process.
Ready to Start?
Upload your idea: cadly.ai and describe your concept, upload a sketch or image, and Cadly’s AI will walk you through the next steps.
Join the Innovation Cohort: Applications open for Cohort 5 — 8 weeks, real product, no equity taken!
Cadly earns when your product sells. You pay nothing upfront.
