The good news is you don’t always have to spend a fortune developing and fabricating physical, working prototypes of your invention. 3D virtual prototyping or virtual designing offers a much lower-cost alternative while still providing companies with a realistic representation of how your invention will look and function as a real product.  Here’s an example of a virtual design:

There are many qualified designers who specialize in 3D virtual prototyping, and a simple Google search can help you locate vendors in this realm. At InventionHome, we have a team of talented artists who specialize in refining inventor sketches into highly detailed 3D Virtual Designs.

Whether you have a new idea that just needs an artist’s touch, or a fully-developed prototype ready for marketing, a professional presentation could be just what your invention needs to take that next leap forward!

For help with you invention call 1-866-844-6512

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As I divulged before, I am pretty determined, dogged, and tough.  Once I had this spark of an idea in my head, I was going to figure out how to make it happen no matter what.  The whole inventing thing became more about learning the process than the actual product at many times over the last year.  I accepted the challenge!

A few months ago, I became really stuck in the phase of moving my prototype forward, and I was so LUCKY to connect with Christopher Hawker of Trident Design.  Chris and his team saved me from a big headache, got me get unstuck, and are helping me take my product the last ten percent of the way.

Chris Hawker is Founder and President of Trident Design.  Chris is an Idea Guy.  Trident comes up with innovative and strikingly designed consumer products in a variety of industries, from pet care to cooking to gardening.  Trident had brought many products to market through a variety of business models, including licensing ideas, private label manufacturing, and marketing and distributing products through their own organization.  Their most successful product is the PowerSquid, which was licensed to Philips, an innovative, award-winning, and commercially successful power strip.  It is sold in many major retailers, including Wal-Mart, Target, Radio Shack and Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

I thought that it would be an awesome idea to interview Chris on the inventing process for all of you budding and aspiring inventors at StartUpNation!

So without further hesitation…My questions on Where to Begin in Inventing answered by Chris Hawker:

RB: An ‘Average Joe’ has what they believe is a great product idea, ultimately what should be their very first step?

CH: ‘The first step is to decide they want to look into their invention and make it a business opportunity.’  The emphasis needs to be on treating your idea like a business and making money.  When you fall in love with an idea and start investing money, it is more about ego.  Make it less about the product and more about running a business.

After the decision to operate like a business, the next step is RESEARCH.  Something important to remember is ‘Don’t look to NOT find it, but look to find it’ when researching your idea.  Do not limit your search because you do not want to find bad news because even if you find similar items it does not mean there is no opportunity.  You must do research before you start spending money. ‘Search for it with the tenacity as if it exists.’

RB: For me, I did some prototyping at home and then with a local artist before I got stuck.  At what point is it crucial to invest in a professional prototype?

CH: This depends on ‘who you are’ and ‘what the product is.’  If you are capable, you may get close on your own to perfection.  However, just because you personally cannot take the product far does not mean that you will not be successful. ‘Inventing is a team sport’ (I personally love this notion - RB).

‘Get another professional involved at the moment you see diminishing returns on your progress for the time you are investing.’

RB: When it is clear that it is time to bring help onboard, what should someone new to the industry look for in a designer?

CH: ‘Look for someone who can take it the last 10% of the way.’  Ask for samples of products that they brought to market.  This will be an important relationship, so make sure that you like them!  Design firms can be expensive, but there are a small group of firms with ‘inventor friendly rates.’  Both the United Inventors Association and the Better Business Bureau are good places to check for design firms.

RB: The million dollar question - Are there ways to tolerate risk in inventing? Possibly some methodical steps to follow in order to avoid risk?

CH: ‘If there was a way to know, I would be rich!’  ‘Focus groups are notoriously unreliable, friends can be overly positive and business owners overly negative, so test with a few people you trust and get feedback, but a lot of it is an intuition thing.’  Licensing often is the better option for most inventors because if everyone says ‘no,’ then there is not much you can do.

To manufacture on their own is a major lifestyle change and commitment for inventors.  If that is the choice, then make sure to ‘execute with intelligence and good business decisions,’ do the smallest possible run first because often there are little ‘bugs,’ and make sure your sales will be enough to justify your investment.

RB: WOW! As a new inventor, this is some of the information that I craved in the beginning, so I hope that this helps many up and coming inventors.

I could have spent hours asking Chris questions, but we both had to get back to work……

To learn more about Chris and Trident, you can check out their site here.

For more on my roller coaster ride, you can read up here. Rachel

I am big on the importance of finding a mentor and creating a support network as a mompreneur, entrepreneur, solopreneur, or whatever-preneur.  I do not mean the same type of support network that we have with our close friends and family, but rather a group of individuals or peers that share ideas with one another in a mutually beneficial way (Of course, I do not mean a cellular network).  I think when looking for a specific mentor, that person should have some similar circumstances like you, as in be the same whatever-preneur you are or work in the same vertical as you.  On the other hand, your network is different.  Creating a network is similar to when you set yourself up for success in those college group projects so many years ago.  If you surround yourself with others that hold different strengths, you know that you can all come together and make headway.

Mastermind groups, or peer networks that collectively brainstorm, share support, and hold one another accountable are becoming increasingly popular.  Peer accountability is a great way to create checks and balances for yourself and gain important information. These networks or mastermind groups are often officially created or formed, but also sometimes, they develop organically.  Take for example, right here on StartUpNation, a few of the women entrepreneurs and myself formed a blogging circle.  What this means is that we support one another’s blogs by reading and commenting.  Over the last few months, this blogging group organically transformed into a bit more.  We now follow one another on twitter, tweet each other’s links, and we increasingly turn to one another for specific questions or suggestions.  We are a group of women entrepreneurs, who are all in different categories and stages of small business, yet we connect in some way and provide various pieces of useful information to one another.  We have not officially called ourselves a mastermind group, but we certainly have turned into an amazing peer network.

Another crucial part of a small business network is FEEDBACK.  It does not matter if you are developing and testing a product, setting up a new website, rolling out a services plan, or any other small business initiative, you need to get feedback.  A peer network provides you with OBJECTIVE feedback.  Of course, we all seek out opinions from our friends and family, but it is our whatever-preneur peers that are really going to give solid feedback.  Yet another example from right here on StartUpNation, I met a fabulous woman in biz named Geraldine here.  Geraldine was looking for women testers for her body scrubs.  I decided to help Geraldine out because I knew that at some point I was going to need testers.  Paying it forward, I signed up to test a few scrubs for Geraldine.  It turned out to be a win-win for both of us because I provided Geraldine with OBJECTIVE FEEDBACK, and as it turns out, in an extremely saturated market, Geraldine’s Serenity Lure scrubs are amazing (so I had a fabulous user experience).

Finding a network can either be orchestrated or cultivated naturally, and either way, this network can provide awesome information like feedback.  As for the mentor part, that is much more personal, and I think the relationship takes time to grow and must have some type of natural connection.  I hold a few women in a mentor-capacity, and I think as particular sides of my biz develop, I will think of different women as mentors in various aspects.  Do not force finding a mentor, but seek out relationships, get to know other women entrepreneurs, and as time evolves, you will find your mentor and see how mentor relationships grow into a very trustworthy phenomenon.

Do you support other women entrepreneurs? In a formal network capacity or something that grew over time?  Please share your experiences, and also check out http://backngroovemom.com to see who I hold up in high regard in my network.

I am sure that all of you have experienced one of those crazy Thanksgiving Dinners, overbearing family get-together, or the dreaded funeral of a loved one to know what I am speaking about.  One of those occasions where you would say there are too many cooks in the kitchen or perhaps too many strong personalities in the room.  At a time where there are many people and personalities present, typically, one person has to take charge, mange the ebb and flow of the overall event, and chart the course.

My prototype team consists of 2 designers and me.  We work fabulously well together and the creative energies are always amazing.  As we near the final prototype and make necessary decisions about some of the smaller (but major in importance) details, I need to take chart the course.  Most of these final decisions will directly affect manufacturing options and cost which is my department (after all it will be my product as part of my business).  It is a very fine line not to disrupt the creative collaboration going on, just like no one likes to spoil Thanksgiving Day by completely taking over.  After all, you need the whole family to have a memorable and special event, and the same goes for my prototype, I need and adore my creative team.

I also know that I need to take-off soon, so we need to start finalizing decisions.  Think about this for a moment:  You know the feeling of boarding a plane and then just sitting on the runway waiting for takeoff?  Any variety of reasons can lead to the waiting: needing a repair, refueling, de-icing, or simply waiting for a turn to take-off.  Whatever the reason, this time always seems endless and is extremely frustrating, but necessary.  Obviously, if you took off without fuel or covered in ice, the outcome is up in the air.

The beginning stages of developing a product requires a lot of sitting on the vast and long creative runway.  Just like the pilot cannot repair the plane or de-ice the wings before take-off, there are many parts of the creative process that I cannot do myself.  At this particular juncture, we are at a crucial point in deciding a material and hardware selection.  My designers are helping me flush out which options will fly and which ones will not.  It is very hard not to go off course with this and be distracted by other families of materials.  We must stay on target.  I am standing out there with my imaginary orange light sticks directing the project to the gate because once we select the material, it is time for a test flight.

Here is a quick checklist of some pre-creative flight items that I have found helpful:

• Before starting a creative journey with a team, lay out the format for communicating and tracking progress among each other.
• After a meeting, spend some time thinking progress through before charting the next plan.  Allowing yourself time to think about the project before making snap decisions will cut down on flight maintenance/repair later on.
• Keep a flight journal!  After you have thought about the meeting, chart notes that the whole team reviews about your current direction and plan.
• Do not pull out of the gate without checking everything of your to-do list.  This is the hardest part — waiting on the proverbial runway while you make sure that every step is taken to have a safe flight.

For more pre-boarding info, check out http://backngroovemom.com

If you want exposure to thousands of industry professional looking for new products and the opportunity to learn from industry experts, YES…you should consider exhibiting at this show.

The trend in National Tradeshows is to include a “micro tradeshow” for inventors within the overall tradeshow.  This offers a huge benefit to independent inventors by allowing them to exhibit in the inventor areas for a fraction of the cost of the main show while providing mass exposure to all the companies at the tradeshow.  The inventor areas have become a destination for companies to see many inventions in one location.  My company, InventionHome, sponsors the National Hardware Show’s Inventors Spotlight and we highly recommend it.  This year’s Inventors Spotlight will feature a free Inventor Education Seminar with a variety of expert speakers including Mr. Dave Kappos, the head of the US Patent & Trademark Office.

What you need
What do you need in place to exhibit at a tradeshow?  I would strongly recommend that you have a patent application on file with the USPTO, either a provisional or non-provisional application, before exhibiting.  You will also need a good demonstrable prototype or finished product presentation for buyers to evaluate.

National Hardware Show (Las Vegas Convention Center / May 10 – 12)
The National Hardware Show is a housing after-market show that brings together manufacturers and resellers of all products used to remodel, repair, maintain and decorate the home and garden. This show attracts a worldwide audience of more than 27,000 industry professionals in over 150 product categories.

Sign up for a booth at the National Hardware Show’s Inventors Spotlight
Contact my good friend Cheryl Fishbone-Todaro at Reed Expo to reserve your booth — 203.840.5444 or CFishbone@reedexpo.com

If you’re not ready to exhibit at a tradeshow on your own and need help with your invention, request information from InventionHome directly on the StartUpNation.com website
Click To Request Info.

For access to a great online tradeshow where you can list your innovative product for FREE go to www.matchproduct.com.

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No matter if you are a retailer, or prospective entrepreneur looking for the newest concepts, or interested in starting  or growing a specialty retail business, or just an exhibitor seeking new sales opportunities, SPREE is designed with you in mind!

Come for the new products showcased in the exhibit hall, the educational seminar program, the opportunity to conduct business and develop ongoing relationships, the fun and entertaining social events
and all of the excitement of Las Vegas. SPREE offers all this and more!

Who should attend the show?  Inventors with “retail ready” products interested in…

1. Exhibiting their inventions / products for opportunities to sell in carts, kiosks and gift shops. (Reserve your booth in the Inventors Zone by calling Debbie Lahti at (800) 936-6297 x 20)

2. Educational sessions and networking events to learn more about the $12 billion specialty retail industry.

Exhibiting in the Inventors Zone-

Entrepreneurs ready to take orders for their products should consider exhibiting. Your product may be good for the specialty retail market if it a) requires an explanation and is easily demonstrated, or b) is a product that is already understood, like a t-shirt or food item.

Learn all about this exciting industry-

Time: April 12, 2011 to April 14, 2011
Location: The Sands Expo Center at the Venetian
City/Town: Las Vegas, NV
Website or Map: http://spreeshow.com/
Phone: 800.936.6297 x 20
Event Type: expo
Organized By: Pinnacle Publishing Group

See you all there….

Always DREAM BIG!

Kim Babjak

Kim Babjak, and her team at KimCo LLC, are a multi-faceted product development company that offers a wide range of consulting in the areas of  “Mind 2 Market” product & business development. We help companies with product development, prototyping, and manufacturing overseas. With our vast retail buyer relationships, we can then assist with the product being placed into electronic retail (QVC), and big box retail outlets like Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot and many others.With over 10+ years of retail experience and sourcing overseas, Kim Babjak and her team of professionals can help create successful product creation and placement.

As my bio states, I am sharing my journey that started with a spark of an idea and now is in the prototype phase heading to market soon.  I want to be able to show all the down and dirty aspects of being a mompreneur from beginning to end.  Last week was one of those rough spots that all too often, nobody talks about.

At the present moment, I am gearing up to conduct test marketing which has me working on a number of points including really fine-tuning the prototypes and revising the NDA for test marketing.  Somewhere in this process, I became TOTALLY hung up on creative details (that do not matter right now) AND mass production.  You ask, What specifically about mass production?  EVERYTHING.  Where?, When?, How Many Pieces?, and every other nitty-gritty detail that I could dream up.

I promised in the beginning that I would share my mistakes with you and not only my accomplishments.  Well, here you go — last week was a HUGE MISTAKE!  I wasted a big chunk of valuable time on everything mass-production-related when all the information that I needed was right under my nose.  A few weeks ago, I threw out a question regarding manufacturing overseas to the Nation’s Business Forum.   I received some valuable information that I, of course, ignored with my tunnel vision.  That was really where the mistake began.

The Nation advised me that I was not ready to think about overseas manufacturing, and it would be unlikely that I would have the minimum numbers to even order from overseas.  Now, I know this all to be true!  Last week was a different story.  I banged down the door of every resource I know with mass production questions.  Thankfully, a number of people tore me away from this obsession.  I was given the advice to concentrate on the project in front of me, my family, and health leaving out all other distractions.  This started the fire in getting me out of this mode of thinking.  I also went to yoga (did you read my challenge to myself on clearing my mind at yoga?).  Last week there was a substitute teacher at yoga, who was unbelievably hard, so I had to stay focused and stop my reeling thoughts. Thankfully, the fire to stop obsessing continued to burn.

Over the last few months, a group of women, who are in the Women Entrepreneurs Group here at the Nation, and I have formed a support network with each other.  This has been the most amazing part of this entire process for me.  We are totally different women at various stages in very unique businesses that connect and reflect with one another.  Just Awesome!  I credit this group directly and indirectly with fully grabbing me out of my state of craziness and extinguishing my crazy thought process.  Simply reading their blogs, gathering their information, and feeling their processes snapped me back to reality.  Nicole Fende, of http://www.smallbusinessfinanceforum.com/, who in general is an amazing wealth of knowledge, set me on the straight and narrow.  Thanks Nicole!

As for the answers to my mass-production questions, I still have none.  What I do have is plan for the current moment.  A plan to make the prototypes and first-run locally.  I like to move fast, but I need to constantly remind myself “slow is fast” in this case.  The underlying moral of this long-winded anecdote of my glowing mistake is that I am nowhere near the point of exploring overseas mass production and The Nation works!

There is something to be said for peer-to-peer interactions, and this group of women entrepreneurs that I have linked up with are a built-in sounding board.  I was afraid to post my questions or originally join any groups, but now I am so happy that I did….To me, the best help is real-life help from those that have lived it!

Do not be afraid to put yourself out there and ask questions and link up with others in similar situations.

Actually, listen to the answers!

Stay in the moment, and deal with what is in front of you.

Catch up on my real-life adventure at backngroovemom!

Jerry went through countless prototypes, revisions and improvements…experimenting with various types of blades, cutting angles and materials, and finally arrived at his current embodiment which he calls “Melon Peeler”.

The Melon Peeler is secured to a kitchen counter with suction cups, and it has a curved base which conforms with the shape of the melon.  A blade rests above the base and can be adjusted to various heights, depending on the rind thickness of the melon being sliced.  First, cut the melon into wedges, then take a wedge, rest it on one side of the base and gently slide it across the base, beneath the blade.  VOILA!  Delicious, peeled fruit could not be easier to achieve.  The Melon Peeler can also be used to create fancy fruit displays like those featured below.  Who says sliced fruit belongs in a bowl? 

Jerry is seeking license opportunities for his patent-pending invention.  Contact my marketing team (member@inventionhome.com) if you have interest/questions.

Stay posted to this blog for even more ingenious, unusual, or just zany products from my clients at InventionHome and affiliate company MatchProduct.com.  I hope these posts serve as your inspiration to pursue your own invention.   If you’d like to learn about the steps of marketing and licensing your invention, check out this step-by-step process right here at StartupNation.

Additional info:

• http://inventionhome.wordpress.com/
• http://inventionhome.wordpress.com/
• http://mvelette.wordpress.com/

Kathy and I have been working on her manufacturing project for one year now, and her shipment of Kapelli ear covers has finally landed here in the USA. Kathy, being the very savvy business woman she is, went to work immediately putting together the team she would need to take her product to the next level, and boy is this product moving……

In any business, you must always have the team to help a product successfully move through the maze and on to the next level. All entrepreneurs experience this, and luckily Kathy sought out the the right people to help her form the start.

First- she hired an experienced manufacturing agent (myself) to get her program done with trusted factories overseas.

Second- She hired a very talented PR person, who is well connected. She hired Erin Saxton of the Idea Network, who is a new product PR expert. Visit her at http://www.theideanetwork.net/. Erin assisted Kathy with her pitch,  she has all the right connections, and bang, Kathy has the TODAY Show! You have to love the power of alignments!

Third- She is collaborating with retail product placement experts to show buyers this item, with high expectations that the product will have retail placement nationwide in mass retailers.

Fourth- and most importantly- Kathy is prepared to take this type of phenomenal TV opportunity and exploit it for as long as she can. She needs to do this because opportunities like this do NOT come along often, and she needs to ride the way for as long as she can for additional exposure.

When you are looking to get your item on a national TV show, partner with the industry experts to help you. It saves time and money in the long run, believe me. Producers use trusted agents to get them products and show ideas, they depend on it daily. Any good agent is worth their weight in GOLD!

The result, the product will appear as a guest host promo item tomorrow morning with Kathy Lee Gifford!

Always ream Big!

Kim Babjak

As autumn approaches, so does the season for savory “comfort foods” and holiday baking.  As you begin to pull out those spices from the back of the cupboard, spices like chili powder, oregano, nutmeg and cinnamon, consider how great it would be to have a convenient spice rack to both simplify storage and keep those frequently-used seasonings within easy reach.  Well, there is now such a product.  I am very proud to introduce the “Magic Spicer”!

This clever storage device mounts underneath kitchen cabinets with durable double-sided tape (no tools needed!).  Six embedded magnets in the track keep the transparent jars neatly aligned.  Best of all, the lid of each jar can be adjusted to desired aperture size, then no more screwing the lids on/off.  Just place the “open” jar into the self-sealing track and that’s it!  Truly one-handed convenience. 

See video demo for more info:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVWbBVvBaW4

Inventor Simon Sunatori is seeking license and/or distribution opportunities for his invention and he has enlisted the help of our company, InventionHome.  If you’d like to learn about the steps of licensing your own invention, feel free to request information right here at StartupNation – Click to Request.

For more information about Invention Home you can visit the following websites - http://inventionhome.wordpress.com/, http://twitter.com/inventionhome, http://inventionhome.blogspot.com/, http://mvelette.wordpress.com/, http://www.facebook.com/invention.home

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