DIY INVENTOR KIT : simplebooklet.com

DIY INVENTOR KIT

VOLUME 1

ALL ON YOUR OWN

AT YOUR OWN PACE

FROM BEGINNING

THROUGH LAUNCH

diyinventorkit.com

All the necessary tools to

launch a product on your

own. Having an idea is

one thing, making money

from it is another.

This is not a feel good

motivational kit. These

are real-world steps to get

it done.

It's the ultimate side

hustle. No pitching to

investors, no hiring staup

teams, just you, a com-

puter and a garage. The

diy inventor's kit will take

you through the entire

process, even how to

come up with an invention.

NOW

ANYONE

CAN BE AN

INVENTOR.

DESIGNED &

WRITTEN BY

HANS DOSE

Page 1

JOURNEY

THROUGH INVENT-

REPRENEURSHIP

1 - 2

3 - 10

11 - 20

21 - 26

27 - 30

31 - 32

33 - 36

37 - 38

39 - 40

41 - 48

49 - 50

CONTENTS

CONCEPTING

DESIGNING

PATENTING

PROTOTYPING

TESTING

SOURCING

FUNDING

BRANDING

LAUNCH

NUTSHELL

Page 2

First,

pick a

problem

Coming up with an invention is about

finding a solution to a problem. If you

follow these guidelines, you should be

able to think up something clever. After

you read each section, it would be a

good exercise to try it on your own.

In this part, we’re actually going to

come up with an entirely new invention

together. I will be writing the conception

process down on the fly to better

illustrate the technique of critical

creative conception.

Page 3

Before you get started on this adven-

ture, ask yourself why you’ve decided

to bring an invention to market. Is it a

passion to help others? Is it an obses-

sion that you can’t shake out of your

head? Is it to make heaps of money? It

should be all of the above because

when the going gets tough, which it

will, the possibility of money won’t be

enough to push yourself through.

The more personal the problem, the

easier it will be to see the project

through. Think of something that bugs

you. What have you complained

about? What has someone you know

complained about? It’s like that movie

Envy with Jack Black and Ben Stiller

where JB's character realized how

everyone hates picking up dog poo, so

he came up with a spray can that

makes all dog poo disappear.

VaPOOrize might be a little far fetched

but it shows a perfect example of how

breakthrough inventions are discov-

ered.

Sometimes it helps to think of a cate-

gory where problems may exist first.

You can pick any category from pets to

entertainment, to cooking, to fishing.

Picking a category and getting your

mind lost in all the potential problems

people could face within them is a sure

way to discover an invention.

Let’s invent

something

together

Now think

of some

solutions

This part if fun. Brainstorm by

yourself or with others and start

jotting down and sketching

what comes in mind. Figure out

the most effective way to solve

any of those problems that you

wrote down in the previous

section. Remember that no idea

bad, yet...

Ask yourself: How will it work? Is

it feasible? Have I seen it work

elsewhere? Look at some other

products on the market. You

can take all the best parts of

different products and mash

them together into a Franken-

stein of awesome- but don’t

forget the problem you’re trying

to solve.

Here’s an example of finding a

solution to our laundry prob-

lem:

What can make laundry faster

and more fun? A robot with

arms that is programmed to

fold laundry? A device that

guides you while you fold it? An

Uber app for laundry where

someone comes to your door

and picks it up? How about

turning folding laundry into a

game? Or what if there was an

automatic wash and fold laun-

dry basket?

Ok, these are all pretty good

ideas. TBH I wish I we could all

actually be in a room together

to brainstorm these ideas would

be real fun.

The category we’re going to focus on

together is CHORES. What part of

doing chores could be made easier?

Folding laundry. Everyone HATES

folding laundry, even mom’s who

pretend to like doing it for their sons.

So if folding laundry sucks, what

problems do we hate about it? It takes

too long and it’s really boring. OK! We

just picked a problem to fix, make

folding laundry faster and more fun.

Pretty simple right? It’s a good exer-

cise and a fun way to think of prob-

lems to solve. Grab a piece of paper

and a pencil and start brainstorming

and writing down some problems.

There’s no problem too small, every

tiny annoyance is relevant. It could be

something as simple as not having

something in your pocket to blow your

nose on, BOOM! that’s how Kleenex

became an invention!

Page 4

Pick a

path

Find the

Demographic

this would be super tight,

except Fluff-n-Fold already

exists and the amount of

funding and people a

start-up like this would take

is out of our DIY goals

range. Remember, we are

trying to keep our costs and

overhead low and not chase

investors.

Laundry folding game -

This actually sounds like a

pretty good solution to

making laundry more fun.

Perhaps it could be com-

bined with another idea to

make something really

unique. Let’s hold this idea

in our back pocket.

Automatic wash and fold

basket - So this idea

sounds like another mas-

sive undertaking. The

amount of engineering it

would require would be very

expensive to hire, and the

end price tag to the

consumer would probably

a brand new invention. And

instead of just picking one

of our ideas, we combined

two of the best ones into the

ultimate invention.

be too high for people to

want to spend their hard

earned money on. Not a

bad idea, but not an easy

thing to DIY.

Now we’re left with the

Folding Guide Device and

the Laundry Folding Game

ideas. Both of these ideas

could be great on their own,

but we know that the shirt

folding device already exists

in clothing stores and the

laundry folding game would

be a pretty weird app to

make on its own. So why

don’t we combine them?

That’s it! A game that helps

you fold laundry! We’ll think

of a name soon.

After objectively thinking of

some solutions to some

problems, we came up with

Now that you have picked a

problem, and thought of

some solutions, it’s time to

be critical of your ideas and

pick which direction you

want to go with your inven-

tion project. It’s important to

be objective at this stage

because it could save you a

lot of time and money that

you would otherwise spend

on a project that you end up

abandoning. So just be

careful not to bite off more

than you can chew.

Ok, let’s take a look at our

list of solutions.

Laundry folding robot -

This might be too difficult on

time and money to figure

out yourself in the garage,

(Unless you’re a mad

genius and up for the

challenge. Actually, please

will someone invent a

laundry folding robot for

me?)

Folding guide device -Ok

this sounds pretty feasible,

in fact, it might already be a

thing, like those shirt folders

that clothing stores have.

Ok well that sort of exists,

but maybe it can be

improved and maybe it can

be marketed more for

average people at home.

We’ll keep this Idea in mind.

Uber for laundry app - Ya

Page 5

PHASE 1:

CONTINUED

Find the

Demographic

The final portion of concept-

ing a new invention is

figuring out who you should

market it to. This part is

really really important and

often overlooked. You may

have invented something

you think is really cool, but if

the only person who will buy

it is you, then it’s worthless.

You need to figure out what

demographic will be using

your product the most, then

you can figure out who you

are going to design it for

(which is phase 2).

Do some market research.

You chose a problem to

solve first, so go to the

source and ask the people

who face that problem if

your idea would be some-

thing that they might use.

Sometimes there is more

than one demographic that

faces the same problem.

Regardless, reach out to as

many people you think may

be a good candidate for

using your product as

possible. Friends and family

are usually a good start. If

your idea is an industry

thing, like a type of product

that a business might use,

then it would be good to

approach those businesses

with an NDA first (which you

will learn more about in

phase 3).

Page 6

“The aim of mar-

keting is to know

and understand

the customer so

well the product

or service ﬁts him

and sells itself.”

-Peter F. Drucker

Do some

market

research.

how you can make it better

either through design,

picking a different demo-

graphic, or added features.

We’ll learn a few tricks on

how to get around patents

in Phase 3.

Let’s do an exercise with

our invention on how to find

the best demographic to

focus on. Let’s start by

asking ourselves who does

laundry the most. Well,

typically the mother of the

household and young adults

without children. We have

two options to pick from.

Thinking objectively, we

would say that most moms

would probably just want to

get the laundry done as

opposed to making a game

out of it. Young adults

without children might be a

better option to choose

since they are probably

millennials born after 1985

and might appreciate the

game aspect more.

To get a better hold on how

to design and market our

new product, let’s list some

characteristics that we know

of about millennial adults

age 18-30 that don’t have

children: They have relative-

ly short attention spans,

they are social and active

on social media, 98% own a

smartphone, their average

income is $65,000 a year,

they are evenly male and

You don’t want to copy

something that already

exists. If your idea is really

great, there may be some-

thing already out there like

it. Make sure that you don’t

impose an another patented

product. Go to a store that

might carry your product

and ask around, sometimes

it’s more effective than

Googling because you can’t

describe how something

works to Google and ask if

it exists. If something

already does exist, think of

Page 7

PHASE 1:

CONTINUED

female, they appreciate

references to pop-culture,

and lastly they enjoy finer

things like aesthetics and

the emotional connection to

a brand. This paragraph will

pop up later in the other

phases such as branding,

design, and marketing, but

it’s important to have the

demographic in mind really

early on to think about

through the life of the

project.

After concepting a new

invention with a target

demographic in mind, we

have come up with this: A

laundry folding game for

young adults without

children.

Page 8

“ To invent, you need

a good imagination

and a pile of junk.”

- Thomas Edison.

The names above are

extreme examples, but

how do you think most

rich people are able to

buy that McMansion on

the water or have 3

Lambos sitting in their

driveway. Unless you're

talking to Dan Bilzerian

(who made his money

gambling his fathers

foune), majority would

say they made something.

Money ﬂows like water,

and some people will see

more of it in their lifetime

than others. There are 2

options to have money

ﬂow your way:

Most people think that

option 1 is the only option,

so they look for the

highest paying job they

can ﬁnd (rarely exceeding

$150,000 a year). The

remaining sma ones get

working on that product

for option 2.

“You can either

a.) sell your time

b.) sell a product”

Page 9

Page 10

design for

real

people

into 5 steps: Rough sketch-

es, soft engineering, design

rendering, CAD drawing,

and hard engineering.

Just take each step one at a

time and at the end you will

find something that you can

be really proud of. At this

point, there are no right

This is the most

overlooked part of the

invention process. Your

napkin drawing of that

holdy-contraption thingy is

gonna look like crap if you

just make the first thing you

draw. Think of who your

audience is, what products

out there do you think look

cool, and how can you

make people want yours.

There are some great

programs to learn and

great concepts to follow.

Designing your invention

should be broken down

Page 11

Some people tinker for a bit and just jump into it with what they got. Not me, I’m a perfection-

ist and I want people to see a product I can be super proud of.

“Good design is innovative. Good design must be useful.

Good design is aesthetic design. Good design makes a

product understandable. Good design is honest. Good

design is unobtrusive. Good design is long-lasting. Good

design is consistent in every detail. Good design is envi-

ronmentally friendly. And last but not least, good design is

as little design as possible.”

― Dieter Rams

Less but better.

answers to what the final

outcome could be. Don’t

be daunted by any of the

processes if you feel it is not

your strong suit. Anyone

can learn to design and

make something work

mechanically, it’s just about

spending the time to learn

it and figure it out.

PHASE 2: Designing

Step 1:

Rough

Sketches

Step 2:

soft

engineer-

ing

deeper into it and draw

some 3D shapes but need

help figuring out how

perspectives work, watch

some quick Youtube tutori-

als here, here, and here. It’s

best to draw multiple

angles of your design

including 2D cross sections,

top view, side view and ¾

view. If you can, try to draw

a see-through version so

you can start to sketch out

the internal mechanics as

well.

The sketches really aren’t

for anyone else but you.

The purpose is only to help

you envision a product and

sketch some different

possibilities. Once you start

seeing some shapes and

ideas that resemble a

product, you’ll start noticing

what things may or may not

work for your particular idea

and make adjustments

accordingly. Okay, this

section may not be rocket

science, but to those that

find it difficult to draw and

let their creative side out

how will see that anyone

can do it and hopefully

appreciate how amazing it

is that the human mind can

create something from

nothing.

This is the part where you

start piecing together how

your idea will actually work.

It’s also the hardest part if

you're not mechanically

inclined. If you don't have a

Grab some paper and a

pencil or, if you want to be

more organized and have a

nice keepsake to look back

on at the end of your

project, grab a Moleskin or

Field Notes sketchbook.

Start sketching down some

simple lines of the product

you are trying to make. You

really shouldn't try to be

artistic about this, just make

some quick scrappy sketch-

es, you’ll be amazed how it

helps you visualize the

actual invention you are

making, even if it looks

terrible. If you want to get

Page 12

Sketch by Philo- Wycoff, Edwin Brit.

The Teen Who Invented Television

Tenikle

Page 13

product is different and will

require different processes

and techniques but refer-

encing some other products

out there will really help.

When you have some idea

of what you are trying to

accomplish with the moving

parts of your idea, go back

to your sketchbook and

redraw your best sketches

to include some of the soft

engineering. You don’t to be

too detailed, though, if

there’s a moving part, just

draw arrows of how it

moves. If the moving part is

internal, just draw over the

design to show it as being

see-through.

Once you start getting

somewhere with the

mechanics of your design,

try to come up with some

worst-case-scenario prob-

lems that may arise in your

product. Such as where

could something break

easily, how will materials

interact when they come in

doesn't with each other like

metal and soft plastic, how

will the leverage of one part

affect another part, and how

can you change the design

to accommodate. It’s a

process of testing in your

head what will work and

what won’t. But, as sure as

you are about how some-

thing will work, you will

probably still need to alter

the design after you’ve

made a prototype and

tested it.

clear concept in your head

of how it will work, then

without sitting down and

hashing it out, it probably

won't work. Maybe do this

part with a friend, especially

someone who is good with

fixing stuff, chances are

they can also make stuff,

plus if someone else can

understand how it works

then you’ve got a winner.

During the engineering

phase, think of how it might

be made both in a garage

and at a manufacturing

scale. If you don’t design it

with a manufacturer in

mind, things will get super

difficult down the line.

Google is a huge help for

finding manufacturing

techniques such as mold-

ing, extruding, CNC

machining, wire bending

and so on. Go look at some

other products to see how

they are made as well, the

construction of some parts

will literally show you how

to make something. Every

PHASE 2:

CONTINUED

Step 3:

Design

Rendering

trash, you aren’t giving it

serious thought. Be

hyper-critical of your

designs, and never forget

that you are making some-

thing to sell to other human

beings.

Rendering a design after

you’ve put together the

basics of how the product

will work requires a bit more

of artistic talent than the

sketches. Again, anyone

can do it, though, it just

depends if you are willing

to spend some hours

chipping away at the design

or not. If you feel like you

The purpose of a design

rendering is to have a much

more clear vision of the

final product, but this time

for other people as well as

yourself. This rendering

shouldn’t be a

one-shot-and-done

process, take some serious

time and come up with

something great. You are

designing a product that

someone is going to spend

money on, so make some-

thing that people will want

to buy. Be objective here

and don’t get hung up on

one design, if you haven’t

tossed at least 5 in the

At this point, you

are designing the

aesthetic of your

product. Take

some serious time

to design some-

thing that will

resonate with your

target demographic.

If your product is

going to be tough

then look at rugged

bold designs like

hardware tools and

military equipment. If

it’s going to be futuristic

then look at some ski

boots and racecars. If it’s

going to be trendy then

shop at some hip clothing

stores. If it’s going to be

generic then walk the aisles

of Target to

get some inspiration of well-designed

everyday items. Look at other products out there that are

purchased often by the demographic you are aiming for. Get

inspiration from products both in the same category as yours

and other categories that are unrelated like shoes, cars, and

sporting equipment. Professional designers are never purely

original, they will always take bits and pieces of things that

inspire them and apply it to their design.

are way out of your element

drawing this thing, then

finding some help is always

an option too. You can hire

some help on websites like

Craigslist, Upwork, Fiverr,

Behance or you could reach

out to some more artistic

friends. Remember, you

aren’t designing a Ferrari, it

doesn’t need to be a piece

of art that you hang on your

wall, just a better represen-

tation of what you are

making. You can employ a

professional to render a

concept drawing further

down the line to hang on

your wall later.

Page 14

PHASE 2:

CONTINUED

everything, just enough to

do what you need to. I

strongly recommend spend-

ing some of your

hard-earned cash on the

Adobe Creative Cloud. It’s a

suite of programs that you

will absolutely need to use

down the line, and if you

learn a little extra, you might

be able to make some side

money doing odd job

freelance work. It includes

Photoshop and Illustrator,

as well as a multitude of

creative programs for video

editing, web design, photog-

raphy and so much more.

The Adobe Creative Cloud

is a subscription that costs

$50.00/month or

$20.00/month if you’re a

student. There’s always the

option to go halfsies with a

friend since you can down-

load the suite on up to 2

computers at a time but

ssshhhh… I didn’t tell you

that.

Some great computer-aid-

ed tools to help you render

your concept are Photo-

shop, Illustrator, or if you

have an iPad, Adobe

Sketch. I know I just listed

some programs that require

some knowledge to use but

remember, you are a DIY

inventor. Anyone can learn

anything, just google away

and you will find some

fantastic tutorials and tips

to get around any program.

You don’t need to know

Step 3: CAD DRAWING

download free trial versions but don’t forget about the limitations that

come with the trial versions. Some have limited saves, some have a

time restraint, but all of the trial versions can only be downloaded

once, after that you need to buy the program.

A CAD is a Computer Aided

Design. This step is often

better to complete after you

have made and tested a

rough prototype, but

sometimes to make the

prototype you will need to

do some 3D printing, in

which case you do need

the CAD. So after you’ve

completed sketching, soft

engineering and rendering,

it’s time to get a working 3D

model of your product. Yet

again, DIY is the way to go

here, but you WILL need to

take some serious time

learn a new program. It will

be easier to hire someone

to do this part but expect to

pay from $300- a few

thousand for this type of

work to be done. Some-

times the costs of these

programs can get pretty

high, so do what you can to

Page 15

The most powerful 3D CAD

program is called Solid-

works which is what all the

professionals use, it’s made

to design and engineer

moving parts all in one

program -but there’s a

drawback, it is extremely

difficult to learn. Expect to

be floundering for at least

a month before you get it

figured out. Oh, and if you

can’t get the trial version, it

is very expensive. Hiring

outside help here is an

option that you shouldn’t

rule out. You will find that

most manufacturers require

a Solidworks format file of

your CAD which many

other programs will export

to a Solidworks file format.

A fantastic program

option for building a 3D

modeled CAD is Rhino

3D. It’s one of the best for

making what they call a

“solid surface model” and

it’s one of the easiest

programs to learn. Rhino

is great for creating

complex and organic

structures and it allows

you to easily export many

different file types. It does

not offer the ability to

create moving parts,

however. Be careful to

stay away from making

“meshes” as they are

extremely difficult to export

into workable files for

programs such as Solid-

works. You can find some

great tutorials online and

information in the web

forums for this program.

Another fantastic option is

Autodesk. Autodesk has a

suite of programs such as

AutoCAD, 3DS MAX,

Maya, Inventor and a

plethora of easy DIY apps.

Autodesk combines solid

surface design software

and engineering software

and includes many side

option plugins for render-

ing, materials testing and

more.

Whether you decide to pick up a valuable new skill in

learning how to use new software or you decide to

outsource some help, remember the ultimate goal

here is to make a 3D drawing of your product that can

be brought to a manufacturer and be easily under-

stood, quoted and eventually produced. And once

you have the 3D drawing, you can render some nice

video or images of your product to showcase without

actually making one.

Page 16

MAKE IT

WORK, BUT

NOT UGLY.

ning on using and help

change your design to

accommodate those

processes. Hard engineer-

ing will include all of the

changes that must be made

to the design for it to work,

such as choosing the

correct materials to use,

determining the manufactur-

ing processes, and chang-

ing the design to accommo-

date for any manufacturing

processes.

To complete this step you

WILL need to communicate

with other engineers, and

manufacturers, so make

sure to have anyone you

work with to sign an NDA

(explained in Phase 3).

Also keep in mind that you

will need to push back on

some of the changes the

manufacturers want to

make to your product.

Ensure that you aren’t

compromising your design.

Many times a manufacturer

will want to change your

design too much and will be

too stubborn to work around

what your vision is, if this is

the case, move on to

another vendor. Chances

are you will need to make

some revisions to the

design so pick your battles

on which changes are really

going to affect a consumer

from buying the product or

not.

Hard engineering must be

done AFTER you have

made and tested some

prototypes, built the 3D

CAD and found a manufac-

turer that is willing to take

the on project. It could also

be good to reach out to a

3rd party engineer that is

unbiased to either you or

the manufacturer you will be

working with. A 3rd party

engineer can help you keep

the cost of manufacturing

down, audit the processes

the manufacturer is plan-

PHASE 2:

CONTINUED

Page 17

Page 18

“If you go back a few hundred years, what we take

for granted today would seem like magic – being

able to talk to people over long distances, to trans-

mit images, ﬂying, accessing vast amounts of data

like an oracle. These are all things that would have

been considered magic a few hundred years ago.

So engineering is, for all intents and purposes, magic,

and who wouldn’t want to be a magician?”

– Elon Musk

Some thoughts for

practicing

capitalism ethically.

The idea of wealth can be

as much of a hindrance to

a person’s ambitions as it

is a motivation. If wealth

is something you seek,

then equally must be the

progress of humanity.

Obtaining wealth is the

act of obtaining the tools

necessary for the oppou-

nity of progression. If one

has wealth, one has the

obligation of using such

wealth for the progress of

humanity, since now his

ﬁght for more wealth isn't

for necessity but rather

for an easier lifestyle.

Life shouldn't be a breeze,

because progress is not a

breeze. If power is what

someone seeks, their

power should be focused

on how he can make the

future better. What is

more poweul than

changing the course of

history for the better?

Leaving a positive legacy

behind that will aect the

lives of generations ahead

is the ultimate form of

power, and more easily

attainable with wealth.

So seek wealth to impact

the future, not your own

selﬁsh experiences.

Page 19

Page 20

Phase 3: Patenting

Diy Patent

Only $730

NDA

Page 21

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and do

not have the authority to give legal

advice. This section is a reference to

my own experiences in dealing with

intellectual property.

cost of attorney fees. Using the follow-

ing techniques you will be able to save

tens of thousands of dollars on filing

intellectual property.

There are 4 main tools you can use to

protect yourself during the DIY inven-

tion process. They include a Non-Dis-

closure Agreement, Provisional Patent,

Utility Patent and Design Patent. Each

has unique protection qualities, but all

can be acquired without a lawyer.

You don’t need a lawyer to obtain

intellectual property rights.

An NDA is a non-disclosure agree-

ment. It’s a short legal document that

gives you the freedom to show your

intellectual property to people who

you may work with. An NDA is a

document that protects your idea from

another person or business. Once

signed, they cannot legally copy or

share the idea of your invention with

anyone. Get it signed by whoever you

work with. I've included a basic

template under the folder. Do not

show any business what you are

working on without having them sign

the NDA first. It’s risky to show individ-

uals what you are working on but to

get feedback and gain momentum for

your product, you will need to show it

off.

The average cost of attorney fees for

getting a patent is $10,000 - $20,000.

Some people end up paying hundreds

of thousands of dollars on a patent.

For a DIY inventor, it costs $730.

When I decided to go through the

process of filing for a patent, I reached

out to a good friend who's a lawyer. He

told me an extremely valuable piece of

information that you will not hear from

anyone who practices law because it is

not in their best interests. He said, “If

you can write an essay, you can write a

patent.” No one will tell you that you

can write your own patent mainly

because of the taboo of complexity

that surrounds the legal system and a

general perception that only a lawyer

can navigate it. I can tell you first hand

as the proud owner of a granted

patent that was written and filed on my

own, that you do not need any legal

experience. All of the tools are given

to the public through the USPTO

website, it’s just a matter of jumping

through the hoops.

To practice law on another person’s

behalf (aka a lawyer), you must have a

license requiring years of schooling

and lofty student loans driving up the

Phase 3: Patenting

Pro Se &

Pro Bono

Patent

time to go through them. This

process should take you at least

a week or two.

To scan through each patent

quickly, take a look at the

images first. If the image

doesn't remotely resemble

anything like your idea and you

know for a fact it’s not what

you’re making, you can move

on. If you have no idea what to

make of the image or it does

slightly resemble your idea,

then take a look at the “claims”

section of the patent to see

what they claimed as their idea.

Every time you come across

something that is similar or has

similar properties, save it in a

bookmarks folder so you can

refer back to it when writing

your own patent.

If you haven’t found anything

yet, broaden your search. It

would totally suck to find out

your idea is not patentable.

If you do find that someone has

already patented your idea,

there is still hope. It all comes

down to the “claims” section.

The claims determine what

makes the invention unique. All

you need to be able to patent

an idea is to include at least

one claim that is unique from

another idea and it must be

non-obvious. So if something

already exists, get creative and

add something important or

change your invention to be

unique from the pre-existing

patents.

Pro Bono is the fancy legal term for

"free attorney". It’s worth looking into

to see if you qualify. It could be huge

to have free help through the patent

process. You can find free Pro Bono

help through the USPTO website here.

Pro Se is the fancy legal term for "I’ll

file on my own". So if you don’t have

an attorney through this process, make

sure to file the patent as Pro Se. Also,

you’ll find that when you speak with

USPTO representatives, they tend to

be much more helpful when you

mention that you are filing Pro Se.

To make sure that a patent of your

idea doesn’t already exist. You need to

conduct a patent search. This means

searching through the USPTO library

of patents to see what similarities

come up.

You can do this through Goo-

gle.com/patents where you can easily

see every patent that has ever been

published. To do this, make a list of

every keyword or phrase that can be

associated with your idea, and enter

them individually into the search bar.

There will be thousands of patents that

pop-up and you’ll need to take your

Page 22

A design patent is used to

patent how a functional

product looks. You can

patent the ornamental

aesthetics of your product

so that no one else could

mimic the look you're going

for. This is especially useful

for getting protection on a

product that already exists.

No that doesn’t mean you

can bite someone else’s

patent and file for a different

look. But you can patent a

specific look of something

that is “obvious” in function.

Such as a different shaped

paper clip. You can’t patent

a paper clip because no one

can own the patent for a

paper clip, but you can

patent the ornamental

design of a variation.

This is the big cheese. This

is what you need to obtain

exclusive rights to sell your

idea. It seems like a big

undertaking to write yourself

but if you break it down, it’s

not too hard.

It’s best to file a utility patent

after you’ve tinkered with

some prototypes. That way

you have a better under-

standing of how your

invention is really going to

be made. You should file the

provisional patent first to

buy you some time to tinker

on your prototype. But

remember, you only have a

year from the date you file

your provisional patent!

Make sure that you file

everything under “Micro

Entity” status. This means

you will get a 75% decrease

in cost. To qualify for Micro

Entity, you must not make

more than $150,000 a year

(this number could change

so read up on it), and must

not have more than 4 prior

applications filed. Filing

Micro Entity is going to save

you a ton of money.

You should file for this now.

Under micro entity status, it

will cost you $65 bucks. Not

too bad for what you get.

A provisional patent is not a

full patent but instead

allows you to say “Patent

Pending”. More importantly,

it secures a first to file date.

This means anyone else

who files for the same

patent after you’ve filed for

your provisional patent will

receive a rejection letter. No

matter if they filed provision-

al or Utility.

You only have 1 year from

the date you file to follow up

with filing a utility patent or

else it’s abandoned! So get

on it!

Page 23

Phase 3:

Continued

Provisional

Patent

Micro

Entity

Utility

Patent

Design

Patent

Patent drawing from

my personal patent

for Tenikle.

LOOK AT

OR PATENTS

6 Parts Of

A Patent

Dissecting other patents is a

great way to learn how to

write your own. Reference

existing patents to learn the

language of how to write

your patent and how to

break down each section.

A patent has 6 parts: A summary page, the drawings,

background, brief summary, detailed description, and

claims. Here’s what each section is used for.

1. Summary page

The summary page is created by the examiner, so don’t worry

about that part when you file. It includes:

1) Patent Number

2) Name(s) of Inventor(s)

3) Serial Number

4) Abstract- used to indicate the general nature of the patent

5) Prior Art References – all the similar references selected

by the examiner

6) Representative Drawing – selected by the examiner to

illustrate the invention

2. Drawings

Used to illustrate invention to get a better understanding.

The written part of the patent will refer to each feature in the

drawings by referencing the feature number. The drawings

must also show all the claims.

4. Brief summary

A condensed version of the detailed description of the invention.

6. Claims

The most important part of the patent, this section defines the scope of patent protection to be given.

It usually starts with a phrase like “The invention claimed is”. It must distinctly point out exactly what

specific feature(s) you claim as your invention.

If you’re having trouble writing some of the sections, refer back to other patents to cherry pick phras-

es and ways to word your intended text. Obviously, don’t just copy and paste a whole section of

someone else’s patent, but it’s not plagiarism to use text as a reference, for the documents are of

legal purpose and are used to describe something. Patents aren’t intended as creative literature.

3. Background

Describes the general nature of the problem to be solved by

the invention and the state of the existing technologies.

5. Detailed description

A detailed description of the invention to allow a reader of

ordinary skill to be able to understand the invention without

experimentation.

Page 24

“Good artists copy;

great artists steal.”

-Pablo Picasso

(not kanye)

PRODUCT

AND

LAN-

GUAGE

The main criteria that

interest people are

useful products and

services. If you can

design a useful prod-

uct or service, the

ability to brand it

becomes conversely

easier. Branding is the

process of having a

compelling conversa-

tion with a consumer

based on problem and

solution.

However, there is an

art to branding that is

subtle. It's a language

that not all can speak

but everyone can

understand. If you tap

into that code, your

brand can become

very impactful.

Page 25

Page 26

Page 27

MAKE A

WORKING

PROTOTYPE

This is where you start to

get your hands really dirty

and when DIY starts feeling

really DIY. The ultimate goal

for creating a prototype is to

make a physical represen-

tation of your idea to test

and show proof of concept.

At this stage, you have an

idea, a design and have

filed at least a provisional

patent. It’s important to get

as close to the final product

with your prototype as

possible but it’s ok to make

some bad ones first as it’s

part of the process.

One of the most valuable

advantages of making a

prototype is the ability to

show your design to poten-

tial partners, manufacturers

and team members. So

making something with a

high enough quality to look

good and be understand-

able in photographs is pretty

important.

This phase is unique to

every project and you will

need to learn most of the

building techniques on your

own. Luckily there are so

many resources online that

teach you how to make

Find a good place to work

safely and organized.

Obviously, a garage or

workshop would be best for

building a prototype, but

many inventors, including

me, have started in their

bedrooms. Be sure to keep

track of every step you are

taking when building the

prototype by writing down

and photographing it. That

way you can refer back to

different processes, materi-

als, and designs. This

absolutely will come in

handy when you are work-

ing with a manufacturer. Not

only will it show that you

have done your homework

in testing different varia-

tions, but it will give you a

much greater understanding

of your own invention.

Page 28

BUY TOOLS

NEEDED

DETERMINE

PROPERTIES

Depending on the proper-

ties of your invention,

obtaining an arsenal of tools

might be one of those “buy

as you need” scenarios.

Chances are you will need

some unique tools that you

don't yet own. Just buy the

ones you absolutely need

and remind yourself that it

will pay itself back when

you are rolling in dough. Be

sure to keep a receipt of

every single tool and

material you buy for the

project, though, they will be

a nice little tax write off and

you can use the receipts of

what you spend on your

project to help with a down

payment for a business loan

down the line.

ing, molding, metal forming,

CNC machining, stamping

or laser cutting. Wikipedia

has a great list of manufac-

turing processes you can

check out to learn other

techniques. Keep in mind

that most manufacturing

practices are meant to

shorten production cycle

times, reduce cost and

mass produce which proba-

bly won’t be best for making

yourself in the garage.

Figure out what kind of

materials and components

are included in your inven-

tion, that way you can have

a better idea of how to plan

on building it. Is it rigid or

soft? Is it metal or plastic?

Does it include any elec-

tronic components? Deter-

mine how your product will

be manufactured first so

that you can mimic the

process on your own. These

manufacturing techniques

may include sewing, cast-

pRINTING

3D printing is a fantastic

way to build a quick proto-

type, especially if the final

material is a hard plastic. If

the final material of your

product is something else,

such as a rubber or cast

aluminum, then 3D printing

offers a perfect base to

build a mold from. If you

want to save money and

don’t want to spend

$1,000+ on a 3D printer,

there are plenty of busi-

nesses online that will send

you a 3D print of your

design. All you have to do is

submit your 3D drawing or

CAD file and they will send

the print through the mail a

couple days later.

molding

If your product is plastic or rubber, you will need to look into molding. Molding is how every plastic

product on this planet is made. There are a few different types of molding techniques used in manufac-

turing, but the easiest way to make a mold on your own is cast molding. Think of molding like an ice

tray, you pour the liquid material into the mold and after it hardens you get a part. Start by making a

key of the part you are trying to mold. A key is a physical model of the final part made out of any

material. You can choose to 3D print a

key, sculpt it out of clay, carve it out of

wood or shape it out of styrofoam. It’s

really up to you to decide which

medium you feel most comfortable

working with, just remember that the

mold will pick up every tiny detail of the

key, including the surface texture. A

silicone mold can pick up details as fine

as a fingerprint. Silicone is the most

common mold making material when

working with plastics and rubbers and

can be found at most art supply stores.

Page 29

PHASE 4:

CONTINUED

electronic

hardware

metalworking

If your invention includes metal,

you may want to look into some

metal manufacturing tech-

niques on how your part will be

made. Keep in mind that

welding and CNC machining is

expensive to mass produce, so

if it can be formed, stamped or

cast, you will save on your

production costs. Once you’ve

figured out how to make your

design, you can bring drawings

of what you need to be made to

any local machine shop like a

custom motorcycle or metal-

working shop.

If your invention includes electronic hardware components and you do not have electronic engineer-

ing experience, I would advise outsourcing an engineer. It will save you eons of time and probably

money. An experienced engineer will get the job done right so that you don’t have hundreds of

customer returns when your product fails. When you approach a freelance engineer, make sure you

have a clear plan of what the electronic components will do. You don’t want to go down a rabbit hole

paying an engineer by the hour only to change the design.

Page 30

ing, molding, metal forming,

CNC machining, stamping

or laser cutting. Wikipedia

has a great list of manufac-

turing processes you can

check out to learn other

techniques. Keep in mind

that most manufacturing

practices are meant to

shorten production cycle

times, reduce cost and

mass produce which proba-

bly won’t be best for making

yourself in the garage.

PHASE 5: TESTING

FUNCTIONALITY

Page 31

The heart of your invention is how it

works. If it looks pretty but doesn't

work, success will be short lived, if at

all. Take the time to test the prototype

and make appropriate design changes.

Be sure to test every scenario that the

product will encounter. Make sure the

tests are somewhat similar to the

intended uses, you don’t need to test

how a surfboard will hold up in a -30°

degree blizzard. Some of the scenarios

to include are environments, user input

stress, enduring shipping and transit,

user safety, extreme unit cost, material

breakage, and properly working

intended functions.

There are 3 things you are trying to

figure out when testing your prototype:

functionality, aesthetic, and marketabil-

ity. Your tests should be calculated,

thorough and methodical. Make sure

to record any information you gather

so you can refer back to it when you

need to make design changes. Don’t

freak out if it’s not perfect and don’t

take too long to make design changes,

sometimes it’s better to do the testing

in the market so that you get real

feedback from actual customers. The

first iPhone sure wasn’t perfect but

there’s always room to improve.

Give some prototypes to potential

users or even friends and family. Ask

how their experience with the invention

is, sometimes they will provide a

unique unbiased perception. Keep an

open mind but don’t get too wrapped

up in every detail, stay true to your gut

feeling because at the end of the day,

it is your idea and you are the best

decision maker for your own product.

Aesthetics

MARKETABILITY

product and take notes so you can

compare them to what other people

think of it.

Make calculated design changes, even

if as minor as color and texture, that

are catered to the targeted demo-

graphic. If there is an eyesore in a

manufacturing process, try to address

it in the design changes and find an

alternative solution. Not every manu-

facturing blemish can be solved, but

reducing the number and severity of

blemishes as much as possible will

ensure a more quality feeling product.

Testing the marketability of a product

combines the results from both the

functionality and the aesthetics tests

and adds an additional element: the

story. The story of the product can

sometimes feel elusive, but remember

what you did in the concept phase?

You took a problem and you made a

solution. That's all a story needs to be.

Hopefully, your problem resonates

deeply enough to a large enough

demographic of people that the

marketability is more secure, but if it

doesn’t, you may still find great

success within a niche.

If your product solves a problem, works, and looks good doing it, then you’ve got a winner

as far as marketability goes. Use the test chart to determine if you’ve got all your bases

covered.

The best way to tell if your product is

marketable is to ask people within the

target demographic if the problem you

are trying to fix speaks to them. You

really don’t even need to show them

the product to do this, just ask how

much of a problem it is to them. You

won’t get the same response from

everyone, and it’s ok if the product

doesn’t really affect some people.

Sometimes people don’t realize how

much they are affected by a problem

until they are showed a solution, just

as no one knew they needed a com-

puter before apple showed the first

Mac.

Page 32

Since the beginning of your design

process, aesthetics should have been

somewhat of a priority. Especially if it is

intended to be sold to an average

consumer as opposed to a business.

How a product looks has a huge effect

on its saleability. Test the aesthetics of

your product by showing it to people

and looking at their initial reaction. If

within the first 2 seconds of seeing it

they say “that’s cool”, then either they

understand how it works right away, or

they like the look of the product. Either

way is really good. Follow up by asking

what exactly speaks to them about the

Finding a manufacturer to produce your invention will

give you the key to open the door to an actual

business. Because at the end of the process, you will

actually have a product to sell. But it’s not all easy,

now you are relying on other businesses to do their

part in hustling to get your product made. You will

need to get out of your comfort zone and make

some cold calls. Don’t be discouraged if this part

takes a few months, the average time it takes to

source a manufacturer for a new product is about 3

months depending on what your product is, and you

may need to source more than one manufacturer to

produce it.

Page 33

who’s gonna

make your

product?

Among many other key factors in

deciding who will make your product,

the 3 main objectives in finding a

manufacturer is: 1, finding an organiza-

tion who is willing take the time to

develop the techniques to create your

product. 2, finding the right balance of

low cost and high quality. And 3,

developing a relationship with a

vendor you can trust in a 2-way busi-

ness partnership.

Phase 6:

Manufacturer

Sourcing

If you are planning on making your

product in another country such as

Taiwan or China, it is a good idea to

factor in 10%-15% of the product into

your margin as a loss due to merchan-

dise flaws and lost or broken in transit

scenarios. You may find that manufac-

turing in countries like China to get

lower per-unit cost could end up

costing more because of freight, duty,

taxes and other fees. Not to mention

the headache of attempting to return

flawed product, and communicating to

another country altogether, especially

when trying new develop a brand new

product. Sometimes it’s a good idea to

manufacture your product more locally

first so you don’t add the stress of

possibly getting your design ripped off,

miscommunication, freight and faulty

merchandise to the already stressful job

of developing the product.

Firstly, you need to decide what is

important to you in a manufacturer.

Will you be producing mass quantities

above 500,000 units? Maybe not out

the gate. Are you planning on growing

to that point? Is this product sold

based on quality or price? Will it be

important to your consumer base if

your product says “made in America”?

Is it important that you can quickly fill

orders with a fast supply chain? All of

these questions are super important to

ask yourself because you will need to

decide where your product is made.

Page 34

WHERE TO

MANUFACTURE

ings of your product sign

your NDA before they see

anything as a precaution to

not getting ripped off.

For manufacturing over-

seas, you might use a

sourcing agent to find a

vendor. A sourcing agent

will have a network of

manufacturers within their

arsenal that they can

contact for you. This can

make dealing with offshore

vendors much easier but it

will add cost since a sourc-

ing agent is really a middle-

man and they will take a cut

adding to your overall unit

cost. I say unit cost because

they typically take a

percentage from every unit

made as opposed to a flat

rate.

Another source for finding

an overseas manufacturer

is alibaba.com. Alibaba is

the world’s largest sourcing

network of overseas

vendors. It’s like the eBay of

manufacturing and it’s super

easy to use. You just need

to type in the manufacturing

process you will require or

enter the name of a product

similar to yours. There will

be a huge list of matches

that pop up with vague

representations of quotes, if

you’re not careful, you can

get swindled. There are a

few things you can do to

prevent this. First take a

look at what kind of supplier

rating, this will be a good

way to judge if they've

worked well with other

businesses in the past.

Next, have them send you

some samples of some

products they carry, this way

you can see what kind of

quality they uphold and

make sure they are a

legitimate business.

After you’ve decided what

country you wish to have

your product manufactured

in, it’s time to start digging.

Start with the type of

manufacturing your product

will require, you should

have a good understanding

of this by now from what

you determined in the

designing and prototyping

phases. When you

approach a manufacturer

you will ask for a “request

for quotation” or “RFQ”. Use

the table chart to keep track

of who’s who and what their

price quotes are to compare

during the process.

For manufacturing in the US

check out thomasnet.com

or if you’d like to be very

local with your manufacturer

which makes meeting very

very easy, you can even

type in the manufacturing

process in google maps and

see what comes up. When

you are working with US

manufacturers, you may

find it best to actually get on

the phone and cold call

these businesses. It’s a

great way to introduce

yourself to the right people

within their business and to

ensure that your inquiry

gets in the hands of a

physical person rather than

getting lost in emails,

people get stuff done emails

don’t. Remember to have

anyone that will see draw-

Page 35

Phase 1:

Continued

How to find

manufacturers

Among many other key factors in

deciding who will make your product,

the 3 main objectives in finding a

manufacturer is: 1, finding an organiza-

tion who is willing take the time to

develop the techniques to create your

product. 2, finding the right balance of

low cost and high quality. And 3,

developing a relationship with a

vendor you can trust in a 2-way busi-

ness partnership.

Page 36

PRODUCT

SAMPLING

this process can take

months, but as long as you

are persistent, you will find

someone that is excited to

work with you. Maybe

consider making a design

concept flyer as well to

better illustrate what the

product does to the manu-

facturer. Things will go

smoother if you have done

your homework in the

design and prototyping

phase, you can explain the

product easily to them, and

you have a more clear

handle on how it will be

made. The closer you can

get to a perfect CAD file to

hand over to them the

better.

It’s time to start the arduous

process of product sam-

pling. I say arduous

because you could end up

spending a good chunk of

capital to get a sample only

to find out it’s not correct.

Don’t be discouraged, this is

how it goes. All you can do

is be a problem solver and

make changes that don’t

require too much added

cost. Come up with multiple

solutions to every issue and

weigh your options before

you make any decisions to

change the product. Expen-

sive changes may be

necessary to make your

product the best it can be,

just remember why you are

making them. If the change

makes the product work and

reduces malfunctions or

damages, then it is abso-

lutely necessary. One thing

you can do to prevent costly

changes is dial in your

prototype to perfection.

There are even some

companies out there that

will make a working proto-

type almost as perfect as it

will be made in production,

but they could cost upwards

of $4,000, depending on the

product.

The end goal for a product

sample is to get a perfect

working product in your

hands exactly as it will be

made in production. This, in

turn, will not only give you

something you can launch

with and sell but also will

show you exactly how it will

be made so there are no

questions or gaps in your

product.

Using the chart provided,

keep track of which manu-

facturers are quoting what

prices then you can start

chipping away at what

manufacturers will be better

than others. Some of the

quote costs may be over-

whelming if you need to

purchase things like mold

tooling. If you are planning

on manufacturing in the US,

one thing that will bring the

mold tooling cost down is if

you have the molds made

overseas. Do not settle with

a manufacturer if you aren’t

comfortable with working

with them. This is a relation-

ship and so many things

can go wrong if you start

working with a manufacturer

that is too abrasive or

unwilling to make compro-

mises. Again,

Congrats!

To get funding you have a

few options: investor

funding, crowdfunding,

personal savings, friends

and family, and a business

loan. Since this is the DIY

Inventor kit, we are going

to skip the investor part.

If you are interested in

getting an investor to

back your product and

you are willing to give up

a good portion of your

business as well as the

ability to make 100% of

the decisions on your

own, then go ahead and

do some research to learn

how to make a great pitch

to investors. There are

some awesome tools you

you’re

already in the

funding phase,

then you are so close

to launching your inven-

tion. At this point, you

have a product, legal

protection, a working

prototype, and a manufac-

turer. Now all you need is

to get your product and

moving into a real busi-

ness. To do this you may

need some capital. Here

are some ways to get the

money needed.

can ﬁnd through Google.

First, ﬁnd out exactly how

much money you need to

be able to make your ﬁrst

run of products. You have

the quotes (RFQ’s) from

your manufacturer on how

much each unit will cost,

but make sure you have

any other costs from the

manufacturer like special

tools, molds, materials

and any shipping costs

that may apply to them. If

you think you might apply

for a business loan, you

should add some other

costs such as launch

campaign costs, but we’ll

get into that later.

PHASE 7

FUNDING

Equity capital is expensive. Every

time you do a raise, you dilute.

-Fred Wilson

Page 37

personal

savings

Friends &

Family

crowd

funding

Tapping into your person-

al savings is the riskiest

way to fund your ﬁrst run

of products. However, if

you don’t need that much

money, it will be the

quickest way to pay for

what you need. Really try

not to throw any large

costs on your personal

credit card. I’m not a

ﬁnancial advisor but it’s

not smart to pay 18-25%

APR on something that

business

loan

Many great inventions out

there were funded by

friends and family. But

many unsuccessful ones

were too. Friends and

family may be a huge

support in getting the

capital you need to start

your dream. Keep in mind,

though, it may not work

out, and if it doesn’t you

won’t be able to pay

these people back. If you

do receive money from

people you are close with,

make sure they under-

stand that possibility so if

it does go south you

This is the lowest risk way

to get your product

funded because you are

making sales without ﬁrst

needing inventory. It’s

also great because you

will build up a following

and gather feedback to

tweak your product to

perfection. However, if

you launch too early

without a reﬁned proto-

type or sample, you will

miss out on higher sales

potential.

Check ahead to Phase 9

to read more on crowd-

funding

PHASE 7

FUNDING

A business loan is a smart

way to maintain 100%

ownership of your inven-

tion and get the capital

you need to start. It has a

bonus too, it forces you to

get on top of it and start

hashing out all the

technical sides of

turning your invention into

a real business. Not every

business can get a loan.

Lenders are pretty strict

when it comes to qualify-

ing and it’s important to

have your ducks aligned to

get the lowest APR possi-

ble. Some of the things a

business loan requires are:

A solid business plan, a 2

year projection of costs

and revenue (to see that

you will make enough to

pay the loan), business

legal entity tax ID or EIN

(this means you gotta ﬁle

for an LLC to make your

business legit), business

bank account, business

license, personal

income/equity and expens-

es, and some other random

paperwork. As you can

see, a business loan is a

lot of work, but it’s

necessary when

you’re trying to

gather tens of thousands

of dollars to make your

business a real thing.

Besides, it will get

you all set up to

be a legal operat-

ing business.

Page 38

Page 39

Brand

Perception

Brand

Perception

You can find loads of books and material on this section. Trillions of

dollars of wealth in businesses can be credited to branding. Branding is

the art of tapping into a consumer’s emotions to sell your product. This is

how people quickly identify what exactly you are selling and subcon-

sciously come to desire it. It’s the core of how companies are marketed.

Think of some of your favorite brands and

how they are perceived. What immediately

comes to mind when you think of

Coca-Cola? Probably the color red, that

nice classic white script, fizzling

refreshing cola and the command to

“enjoy”. They have fantastic

branding with a clear message:

“enjoy our refreshing drink”. Or

how about Nike? The swoosh,

lightweight and fast athletic

performance, the “just do it”

mantra, and the best athletes in

the world. Their unwritten mes-

sage is also clear: “wear our shoes

to be the best”. You can do this with

any successful brand. Apple’s “think

different” sells high-end computers

built for design. Taco Bell’s “think

outside the bun” sells a fun alternative to

Mcdonald's. The list goes on.

Any great company has great

branding behind it, but sadly some

great products don’t see their full

potential because the way they are

branded is not consistent with what

their targeted demographic needs.

A brand message is like a “story”

that you are telling to a consumer.

Everything you create for your

brand should be consis-

tent with that

story.

Page 40

Brand

Story

Visual

Aesthetics

Brand

Story

Visual

Aesthetics

This is super important to how the

consumer responds to your brand.

It’s all the visible touchpoints

including logos, colors, typography,

patterns, textures, photography, the

website, and social media. Basically

anything visual. There are a few

ways to determine what type of

aesthetics you should go for. Check

out the design guide to figure out

how you should make your brand

look.

To learn more about branding, there

are two masters that you should

follow. Seth Godin and Sasha

Strauss. Google their names, watch

their videos and read their books.

It’s like taking the red pill and falling

down the rabbit hole into an unseen

world where you gain a powerful

ability to tap into the mind of the

consumer.

First determine what your invention

is going to be used for and by who,

then you can start to build a story

behind it. It’s important to be really

critical here because sometimes

your invention is used by a demo-

graphic or purpose you didn’t

intend to make it for, but that’s okay!

At this point, you don’t have any

actual sales so it may be hard to

find out who is using it and what for.

You can do a little market research

by showing people your product in

real life and straight up asking them

what they think. Look at products

similar to yours and see who they

market it to. Give yourself an edge,

though, don’t brand it directly for

the same people as your competi-

tor, then you can find your own

chunk of the market to strategically

capture.

Once you’ve determined who you're

selling to, you can start to develop a

story geared to that demographic.

But guess what? You’ve already

done this part :) Remember way

back in the beginning when you

were concepting your invention?

You found a problem and you came

up with a solution. That is your main

story and how you are going to

brand this thing. Stick to the simple

basics of why you made your inven-

tion and the message will be clear

and impactful to the consumer.

Write a short and simple sentence

down to sum up what solution your

product provides. That’s your

brand’s story.

The word

“brand” comes

from cattle

farmers who

would burn

their cattle

with an insignia

to determine

where the

cattle came

from.

The trick to a wholesale launch is getting

a foot in the door. This type of launch

can be pretty frustrating because you

will get a lot of “no’s”. But all you need

is that one yes. Consider adopting

wholesale after you’ve run a crowdfund-

ing campaign because beyond raising

capital, crowdfunding will act as a proof

of concept showing that people will buy

your product which makes it much easier

to get those “yes’s”. If crowdfunding

isn’t your style, then it’s time to make

some phone calls and do it the old

school way -the pitch.

You did it. You have a something to sell

now. You have a patented invention, a

manufacturer ready to produce your

product, working product samples, and

the capital to launch. Now it’s time to

make some money.

There are a few options on how to start

selling your product. Wholesale,

distributor, or a crowdfunding launch.

wholesale

The goal here is to get a larger retailer

to sell your products in their stores.

You may need to start at smaller mom

and pop shops and work your way up

to the larger ones, just to prove to

the retailer that your product

will sell. Retail buyers want

to see as much proof

that your product

will be

purchased

as they

can.

Selling a product at wholesale typically

means 50% or “keystone” of the retail

price. This is because the store needs

to make a profit as well. Figure out

what is the lowest price you can sell

your product at and still make enough

profit. Then multiply by 2, now take

that number and compare with similar

products the store already sells. Can

you be competitive? Or are the other

products way out-pricing you? If your

price is too high, then you may need

to sell through e-commerce until you

can figure out how to lower your

cost-per-unit through your supply

chain.

Re-

mem-

ber, shelf

space is limited

and you are compet-

ing against products that

are already on them, so make

sure your product checks all the

boxes to be a better fit.

LAUNCH

Page 41

Distributor

A distributor is a good partner to have

when it comes to selling wholesale.

They take away much of the transit

and supply burden. They will often be

the ones working with the retailers on

sales. And they can allow you to get

into larger retailers. This is because

most retailers don’t want to write

product orders and checks to every

single company that sells in their store.

So many retailers will only choose to

buy from the product lists that their

distributor partners provide.

The downside of a distributor is that

they are yet another middleman that

cuts into your margin. However, If you

are selling 100X the amount you

would if you didn’t use a distributor,

then who cares about them cutting

another 10%?

LAUNCH

Packaging is pretty important for retail.

If you are approaching a larger retailer,

you may not need to worry about

designing it yet as they could have

their own guidelines and requirements.

If you’re approaching some smaller

shops, then you will want to have it

squared away. Things to think about

when deciding how your product

should be packaged: make it tough

enough to withstand abuse in ship-

ping. Make it small enough to be

easily handled and not take up

precious shelf space. Make it stackable

for easy stock-ability. Make it attractive

and nicely designed to catch consum-

er’s eye. Make the advertising on it

clear and concise to what the product

is.

Page 42

It’s incredibly important to

be able to show the

consumer a final product.

People do not buy some-

thing if they don’t see

exactly what the product is,

so working samples are a

must. Furthermore, if you

launch too early without a

refined prototype or

sample, you will miss out on

higher sales potential.

So again, the three things

you need to be able to start

crowdfunding are:

A product or prototype.

Ability to deliver the

product to backers.

Established costs of

production and launch

assets.

Crowdfunding is your first

real-world test to see how

people will respond to your

invention, so make it count.

Remember that you are

making a direct interaction

with real people to ask

them for their money. This

interaction needs to be

done with honesty, trans-

parency, and sincerity,

otherwise, people will not

invest in you or your prod-

uct. Crowdfunding is not a

get rich quick scheme. It’s

hard work and should be

taken just as seriously as the

rest of the work you have

done so far. You can get

pretty deep into each

aspect of the campaign,

depending on how high

you want to aim.

Crowdfunding through

platforms such as Kickstart-

er and Indiegogo should

absolutely be considered

for funding. As stated in

Phase 7: Funding, This is

the lowest risk way to get

your product funded

because you are making

sales without first needing

inventory. In other words,

you can wait to order each

unit from your manufacturer

after you’ve already sold

them, like a pre-order. It’s

also great because you will

build up a following and

gather feedback to tweak

your product to perfection.

You should only consider

crowdfunding after you’ve

completed the sampling

phase and have been

working with a manufactur-

er.

There are three reasons for

this:

So you know how much it

will cost you to produce.

To understand how feasible

it is to manufacture.

To acquire a refined prod-

uct sample.

Page 43

PHASE 1:

CONTINUED

CROWD-

FUNDING

Here’s a list of things you will need to

figure out before launching a crowdfunding

campaign:

-A campaign video

-Product photos

-Any imagery or charts to explain the

product

-Reward tiers

-A launch date and campaign length

-Campaign minimum funding goal

-Fulfillment

-Promotion strategy

Page 44

Clarity is more important

than flashy. Keep it simple

and to the point. 5-minute

videos don’t often get

watched all the way

through. Make your narra-

tion clear and easy to

understand without being

too long or too wordy.

Sometimes saying less is

more. It’s also good to

include subtitles, that way

people will be able to read if

they don’t have their sound

on as well as foreign

language speakers.

Do try to have some unique

eye-catching aspects,

talking into the camera for

longer than 45 seconds

straight will get very boring.

You can achieve this

through b-roll of designing

or making the product,

imagery of your inspiration,

scene transitions and shots

of the product being used in

its environment. Watch

some other videos, even

non-crowdfunding videos, to

pick up some good ideas to

spice it up.

Your campaign video will be

the most important thing

people will see to decide if

they want to back your

product. It’s super important

to get a clear depiction of

your product early on. So

many campaign videos start

with a lengthy and dramatic

intro, only to be skipped by

the viewer. So get on with it

and show your product.

After you’ve shown the

product, real it back and tell

a quick story behind why

you made it, the problem it

solves, the inspiration and

how it’s unique compared to