The smallFactory Story
(AKA Why smallFactory Needs to Exist)
Back when my cofounder and I ran Labsmore.com, we were designing, building, and selling physical products. To keep things moving, we used Google Drive and spreadsheets to take on the work that traditional PLM, MRP, ERP, inventory, and BOM management systems would normally handle.
It worked well enough for two people and a handful of products, but it was far from ideal—and very soon, it started to become less and less manageable. Every new product, part, and revision added friction. What seemed like “good enough” quickly turned into a system that was holding us back.
The problem wasn’t that we didn’t value structured tools—it was that every existing solution demanded too much overhead. They required steep learning curves, setting up of infrastructure and ongoing administration that small teams simply couldn’t afford.
That’s why I created smallFactory:
- Optimized for small teams (1–4 people) and hobbyists – minimal setup, minimal overhead, maximum value.
- Built on Git and flat files – your data stays open, portable, and under your control, with no lock-in.
- Inherently “smart” – designed to deliver the most value with the least manual effort, so you can focus on building, not bookkeeping.
- Extensible and accessible – because the data isn’t hidden away in a database, you can back it up, extend it, or build on top of it however you like.
smallFactory isn’t meant to be the product with the most features that brings in the most money. Its goal is to truly solve the problems small teams face, and that mission is always the driving force behind it.
We will always make decisions we believe are the best for our fellow small teams, now and forever.
