Week 2: Production Partner Locked, First Designs Done

February 11, 2026 · Week 2

This Week's Progress

Week 2 was about turning ideas into actual products. No money spent yet—just time on designs and locking in a production partner who can execute.

Production Partner Secured

Found a partner for lightweight hoodies and hats who can handle dropshipping. This is the right move for now: test demand before committing to inventory. If something sells, great—scale it up. If it doesn't, I haven't blown money on boxes of unsold merch sitting in a garage.

The tradeoff with dropshipping is margins. You pay more per unit than bulk ordering. But at this stage, learning what resonates matters more than maximizing profit on each sale. Inventory risk kills more new brands than thin margins do.

First Product Designs

Spent the week designing the first hat and lightweight hoodie. The hoodie features an all-over geometric triangle pattern in blues, teals, and white with the Duck Hook logo on the chest. It's loud. It's different. It's not trying to be another bland golf pullover.

The hat designs are simpler—logo-forward, clean execution. The kind of thing you'd actually wear on the course without feeling like a walking billboard.

No product images to share yet, but they're coming soon.

Still Searching: Polo Manufacturer

Polos are the heart of golf apparel, and I'm not going to rush this one. The lightweight hoodie and hat can work with a print-on-demand partner, but polos need to feel right. Weight, collar structure, breathability, fit—all of it matters.

Still researching manufacturers who can do small runs at a quality level that doesn't embarrass the brand. This will take longer, and that's fine. Better to wait for the right partner than ship something mediocre.

What's Next

Get the first products live in the store. Finalize the e-commerce platform decision. Continue the polo manufacturer search. Start thinking about how to actually get eyeballs on this thing once there's something to buy.

This is a personal project documented for educational and entertainment purposes. Duck Hook Golf is an independent brand with no affiliation with any professional golf organization. All opinions are my own. Results—financial or otherwise—are not guaranteed and will be reported honestly whether positive or negative.