3. Avoid Invention Promotion CompaniesIn three years I have had countless inventors tell me about spending thousands of dollars with companies that have offered terrific assurances of success backed by thick "marketability" reports, never to hear from them again once their check has cleared. Not once have I had someone call to tell me about their terrific success with one.
4. Search Everywhere to See if Your Product Already ExistsMake sure that you look extensively in the marketplace before you spend money developing your product.
Here's how to start:
- Search the Internet -- Do an extensive search using multiple key words to describe your product (Great tool: a thesaurus)
- Visit small independent stores in your area that would likely carry your product
- Visit mid-size chain stores in your area again visiting the section that would likely carry your product
- Visit big-box and department stores like Target, Walmart, Sears...
- Do a preliminary patent search at the United States Patent and Trademark Office).
5. Don't Wait for a Patent (Getting a Patent is Not a Requirement!) A patent can be a useful tool but it is not required. Even if you choose to file a patent there are many steps to be taken first. The absence of a patent should NOT be a hindrance from making progress.
6. Make a PrototypeCreating a prototype is a fun and creative process. The purpose of a prototype is to test the functionality of the product. Start out by using household items. If your product is complex, hire a handyman, a student studying Industrial Design, or a machinist. If you need an engineer, be prepared with sketches and a rudimentary prototype in hand so that you can communicate effectively to save time and money.
7. Take Action todayRest assured that if your idea truly solves a problem or meets a need, someone else has thought of it. Often the only difference between a successful inventor and someone who never takes her product to market is action.
8. Join the Mom Inventors CommunityJoin the
Mom Inventors community of support. We offer a free newsletter packed with inspiring and useful information to get started.
Excerpted from 'The Mom Inventors Handbook: How To Turn Your Great Idea Into the Next Big Thing' by Tamara Monosoff. Copyright© 2005 by Tamara Monosoff. Excerpted by permission of McGraw-Hill. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. 
