Product Development?

Question

I have a great product idea, It's original and a potential money maker. How do I manufacture, protect, sell?

Without giving it away here is what I'm looking at based on guestimation.

It would sell in hardware stores or possibly even major department stores. It would probably cost about $10 to manufacture per unit (not sure of this amt). It would be an add on to an existing product.

I know I could pitch it to a major corporation locally (ex: Talk to a rep at Lowe's, Home Depot, and/or Walmart) but I need to know how to properly protect myself and get a manufacturer to create my idea.

Answer 1

NOLO is a great, free informational site. Also, be sure to read what the USPTO (United States Patent & Trademark Office) has to say about patents.

Research, research, research – this cannot be stressed enough. Read as much as you can. Here are some book titles that are relevant:

PATENTS:
* Patent It Yourself (11th Edition) by David Pressman
* Patents and How to Get One : A Practical Handbook by U.S. Department of Commerce
* How To Make Patent Drawings Yourself: A Patent It Yourself Companion by Jack Lo
* The Inventor's Notebook: A Patent It Yourself Companion by Fred E. Grissom

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT:
* From Patent To Profit: Secrets & Strategies For The Successful Inventor, Third Edition by Bob Dematteis
* How to License Your Million Dollar Idea: Everything You Need To Know To Turn a Simple Idea into a Million Dollar Payday, 2nd Edition by Harvey Reese
* The Inventor's Bible: How to Market and License Your Brilliant Ideas by Ronald Louis Docie
* The Complete Idiot's Guide(R) to Cashing in On Your Inventions by Richard Levy

There are plenty of free informational resources out there. Check the source box for links to articles.

Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!