Guide to Inventing a Product

Be bold. Make one of your dreamy ideas come true. If something is sparking within you, telling your that something will work if  certain arrangements of time, space and matter were made, perhaps you should take the next step. Try it, if you can afford it. Your instincts may be correct and your idea might work.

I wanted a bird feeder that would make birds do a trick for a seed. I invented one with a crankshaft that activated a seed valve when the wheel turned. It worked in the lab, but not in the field. A squirrel chewed it up like a piece of toast. It took 5 minutes. After several more prototypes, one finally worked that squirrels would not ruin. I redesigned the top and wheel frame to be made out of plastic. I molded them in the garage. It took another year to produce the first one and it finally worked just as I hoped.

Prototypes are one thing, but you have got to have something that lasts under all conditions in the market. Ten years later the first unit still cranks out. It actually took three solid years, with all the testing and changes, to make it thing right so that it would last ten years.

The next thing to consider is how to get your invention into production and produce it so that it can be price competitive with whatever the alternatives are out in the market place. that is where you must consider a whole other set of costs. Marketing is another set of costs. Packaging has its costs and must be coordiated with the marketing program. Making the first run of inventory is another whole set of costs. If each unit costs $100 to make and you order 1000 units to be produced, that is $100,000. And then there are organizational costs to be considered such as a place to stage production of the product and then where to store it.

I did not make it past the production of a great prototype because the cost of making production molds. You must make your own choices. you may have access to financing for the rest of the venture. You can see the fruit of my invention at  solar-fountain.com/birdfeeder.html

It does not look like I will ever recover the investment that I put into this invention. However, the concept is here here to stay, where it did not even exist, before me. Part of the reason why it does exist, beside my inspiration, is because of the new materials and technology that can be applied right in your garage. You can mold plastic parts right at home. Twenty years ago you would have been limited to wood or non molded parts. 

My invention works as I dreamed of it. One day it will be known as well as any other expensive gizmo - because it works so well - meaning that people are just dazed by watching the birds use it. The quality of life is improved for people in general, eventhough it appears that I will not become any wealthier from this invention. Your invention could be the same, or you could take it to the next level.