Strategy for EU Bootstrapping Hardware Startups: Don't Sell to Anyone in EU
flyingcarcomputer.com
Strategy for EU Bootstrapping Hardware Startups: Don't Sell to Anyone in EU
1–10 of 33 posts
Re: Strategy for EU Bootstrapping Hardware Startups: Don't Sell to Anyone in EU
#2[deleted]
Re: Strategy for EU Bootstrapping Hardware Startups: Don't Sell to Anyone in EU
#3I think article lack of research, and shows EU as less hardware friendly that is in reality.
1. You can do self-certification for CE.
2. You can find many companies that will do assembly in EU, so you can controll quality.
3. If you are selling kit as DIY, you don't need any certification at all (look at first years of Prusa)
Re: Strategy for EU Bootstrapping Hardware Startups: Don't Sell to Anyone in EU
#4Then add in the 15 million euro fine if do fail to comply to the cyber security resilience act. You’ll love it here!
For that reason alone I expect increasingly less willingly to offer more than the basic guarantee due to risk of not being able to carry out upgrades at a certain point to be CRA compliant.
Re: Strategy for EU Bootstrapping Hardware Startups: Don't Sell to Anyone in EU
#5People are going to point out flaws or loopholes they know about that would be even easier, but they’re missing the point: it was not possible for someone genuinely in the process of launching a product to find out.
My side business was a small tool which was just a 3d printed case with an ESP32 I programmed w/ some small electronics and I sold it as is online. US + local government made sure there was zero friction even down to dealing with USPS shipping pickup issues. If I was still in Germany they would have shut me down and fined me personally for even trying.
It is crazy that the best business plan for a European starts at buying a plane ticket to America.
Re: Strategy for EU Bootstrapping Hardware Startups: Don't Sell to Anyone in EU
#6The first question about Chesterton fences is: why is it there?
Re: Strategy for EU Bootstrapping Hardware Startups: Don't Sell to Anyone in EU
#7An ARM computer running a BSD and x stack. What's interesting about it, that makes it a "flying car" as opposed to everybody else's 140 characters?
Re: Strategy for EU Bootstrapping Hardware Startups: Don't Sell to Anyone in EU
#8People are going to point out flaws or loopholes they know about that would be even easier, but they’re missing the point: it was not possible for someone genuinely in the process of launching a product to find out. My side business was a small tool which was just a 3d printed case with an ESP32 I programmed w/ some small electronics and I sold it as is online. US + local government made sure there was zero friction…
It's almost like free enterprise is one of the scariest things to those who would much prefer bureaucracy & monarchy.
Re: Strategy for EU Bootstrapping Hardware Startups: Don't Sell to Anyone in EU
#9The first question about Chesterton fences is: why is it there?
Correct. On the other hand, Europe (and especially my home Germany) tend to be really bad at navigating people through the laws and regulations they create. Laypeople are left to figure out what the laws are, what they mean, how to follow them, where to get the required certifications etc.
My first year of running a simple business in Germany was unbelievably confusing. My only saving grace was that none of those laws are enforced. GDPR is a good example.
Re: Strategy for EU Bootstrapping Hardware Startups: Don't Sell to Anyone in EU
#10The EU is at the end of the day still 27 countries with their different laws and regulations each trying to protect their own little market. The way the ‘single market’ is constructed is by slapping a bunch of eu wide regulations on top of this mess.
So yes it is much easier to sell to single big countries like China or the USA if you can, and it always will be
This is not going to be solved soon as EU countries are responding to this pressure by voting for even more protectionism at the national level