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I need help in designing a product that I would like to prototype

Veteran

Fabien W. Edjou Saint Paul, MN

I don't have any mechanical or technical background but would like to work with someone interested invention to design and prototype a product that I would like to create. I don't have any money to pay anyone but if it is successful, we can work on structuring the ownership of the product.

I have done some market research and there is nothing similar out there.

Any Advise will be greatly appreciated.

Fabien

4 January 2014 5 replies Small Business

Answers

Advisor

Cliff Sullivan Largo, FL

How about reaching out to SCORE. There's one in your neighborhood. www.score.org, no cost business mentoring. You can get an e-mail mentor from the site by entering a key word...all free.
Locally look for Small Business Development Center usually attached to a local University. again all free.
Look up www.tie.org, International Organization The Indus Entrepreneur, focus on promoting business, mostly from healthcare and hytech. Annual membership $100. Look into NAVOBA, National Veteran Owned Business Association, Membership $29 per year, includes a great magazine, Vetrepreneur, all about Veterans in Business.
www.sba.gov

Advisor

Guy Graves San Antonio, TX

Fabien, I am a member of local inventors organization in San Antonio, TX who meet regularly and collaborate when possible. I recommend that you look for a similar organization where you live. Also, I want to refer you to Geneva Grainger http://thatsgeniusconsulting.com/ who is an active inventor and business person. Also, here is a book you can get on Amazon Eric Ries The Lean Startup

Let me know how I might help you. I am working on a project to show vets and returning military personnel how business brokerage and business ownership can be a field instead of just taking a job here is my website http://livingabovelimitation.org/secret-career-find-hooah/

If we can collaborate let me know

Advisor

Cedric Cook Richmond, TX

Hi Fabien,

I think that you're on the right path here by Asking for help :-) ... Most folks don't take that step. My recommendation is that you not disclose parts of your idea that you considered as intellectual property e.g. a). Novel in nature and b). Not obvious by most. With that stated, you will have to be careful to make sure that you legally document if you discuss these parts of your idea with anyone. Meanwhile, if you need help to develop concepts or prototypes you could look for "Crowd sourcing" to help getting some of the surrounding parts of the overall idea completed. If you don't understand Crowd sourcing, look it up on google because there's plenty of information. Once you have enough of a Concept ready, you can look for additional financial or resource help in getting the idea protected and accepted.

Regards,

Cedric

Advisor

KJ MacKenzie Cincinnati, OH

Dear Fabien

I would like to recommend a great book by a very successful inventor:

How to License Your Million Dollar Idea: Everything You Need To Know To Turn a Simple Idea into a Million Dollar Payday Paperback

by
Harvey Reese (Author)

He likely has some answers to your question and can help you with marketing ideas. Often an idea is sufficient to present before you go to a large expense for a prototype.

All the best

KJ MacKenzie

Advisor

Alan J. Zell Portland, OR

Favien, I suggest you go to SCORE at www.score.org and to "find a chapter" and put in your zip code. SCORE associated with the US Sm Bus Adm has chapters in 400 cities. If a chapter does not have the expetise needed, they can call on members in other chapters who might. Their consulting services are FREE.

My question, as would any SCORE members ask, are:
* What generated the ned for this product . . . was it that you were looking for something, couldn't find it so, thinking others have the same need, you'd make it?
or
Have you indentifed some businesses or uses that are general enough that your product would be useable for what the need to do?

It comes down to doing a businss plan as no investor/partner will sign on without seeing a plan with projections (guesstimates) of income and expenses for at least 3 years as well as many other things such as marketing, operations, management plans.

You will need to patent it and there are costs to doing it that are part of the costs that go into the prototype. There are two reasons for doing this, one of which you are not trying to patent someone already has patented. The other, of course, it to give you protection that someone would not copy it. This calls for working with a patent attorney although you can do a preliminary search at www.uspto.gov.

Alan

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