Creating and Marketing Your Own Gadgets  

We have all said to ourselves "Why don’t they make a" at some point. And unfortunately very few people go further than this. Doubts creep in, things like "Someone else must have already done that" or "If it was possible someone else would already be making it". Indeed, this is sometimes true, but lots of great ideas never get off the ground because their originators don’t even check. Here are a couple of nay-sayers whom we all benefited from ignoring:

"Everything that can be invented has been invented."
Charles H. Duell, U.S. Commissioner of Patents, in 1899.

"This project is dead from the neck up."

Hotpoint’s opinion of James Dyson’s bagless vacuum cleaner, when he offered them the technology in 1982.

We are naturally inclined to think that someone else has a better idea, but sometimes that someone else is us.

So you’ve got an idea and you think it’s a goer. What do you do next? First and foremost, don’t tell anyone your idea. I say again, don’t tell anyone your idea. That idea of yours? The one I mentioned before? Don’t tell anyone. OK? Clear? Good. Your idea is termed as intellectual property, that is to say it is as much your personal property as your TV, stereo, or the jumper your aunty gave you for Christmas (except you actually want this property). The only problem is, of all the property you own, it is the most easily stolen. That’s what patents are for, to make a legal record of your ownership of the idea, so no-one can claim it as theirs. However, if there is a public record of it before you can get the paperwork, it is then public domain and can be used by anyone. Any enterprise based on intellectual property must have that property secured, otherwise it has no value. That’s why you must not, just in case I haven’t said so already, tell anyone your idea yet.

So now that you’re scared rigid of telling anyone your idea, and are treating everyone you meet as a potential corporate spy, we can get on with the fun bit - developing your gadget and putting it on the shelves.

First of all, look to your market. Who will buy it and why? How influenced are your ideas by your own preferences rather than your market’s? Of course you like it, but unless you’re going to order a few thousand units for yourself, you must make sure other people like it too. Look for similar products already out there. How can you differentiate yourself from them?

Speaking for my own profession, good design is a key factor in selling consumer goods. This is especially true for gadgets which are in general non-essential luxury items. A well designed, attractive product stands out on the shelves and makes that all-important first impression. Of anything you can do to your gadget, good design will give you the best return on investment. Fact. Be aware of this, and make sure that you take account of the effect it will have on the consumer.

Many individuals who develop a new gadget come to a crossroads: do you set up for yourself, manufacturing under your own name, or do you license your idea to a big company for them to produce? Either method is valid. If you are manufacturing it yourself, then you will probably be looking at some serious costs. Get all of the advice you can from Business Link, Chambers of Commerce and any other organisations that are relevant to you, get a business plan written and decide on your best plan of action. It may be that you will require outside investment to get your idea off the ground, there are many sources of this and once again you can find out where to look from the relevant sources mentioned above.

If you want to license your idea, it is usually required that you have a patent. If you are asking a company for money, they need to see what it is that they are paying for, and why they should have to pay you. You are basically trying to sell them your intellectual property, which must be impossible for them to acquire for free. No patent, no leverage. By the same token, you may want to consider having your patent insured. Infringing a patent is not a criminal offence, and if someone does it to you it means going through the civil courts, which means legal fees. Several patents have been wilfully infringed by big companies in the past, and nothing has been done about it because the patentee cannot afford to fight it. Don’t be one of them, get insured for these costs.

So in conclusion, getting your gadget out there in the market is a long, but not impossible, process. Just keep your idea protected, make sure it’s commercially viable, and if you need help, ask for it. And Aunty, if you’re reading this, the jumper’s lovely and fits me perfectly. Honest.

Resources:

The Patent Office: www.patent.gov.uk
Chartered Institute of Patent Agents: www.cipa.org.uk
Ideas 21: www.ideas21.co.uk
Business Link: www.businesslink.gov.uk

The Author

Justin Baker is MD of Different Angle Ltd., a UK product design consultancy specialising in assisting inventors and people with new product ideas.
www.different-angle.com