Help! I Invented Something

by | Feb 20, 2015 | On Creativity | 8 comments

IDEA

So I have this invention…

This idea for a gizmo has been bouncing off the walls of my skull for over a year now. I thought that surely it was such an obvious idea that someone, somewhere must have come up with it already. I looked for it in stores, but I never found it.

I kept looking and waiting. I asked for it and got weird looks. I searched the internet. Surely, some company in the world would realize the gap and fill it.

Any day now…

And…

I still didn’t see this gizmo. I wanted it and needed it and couldn’t find it anywhere.

Then it occurred to me…

Ding! Maybe I have to invent the damn thing!

I did some research this morning and I couldn’t find any patents on it. Yay! First step cleared.

I originally thought of designing it, writing a business plan, seeking investors, and securing a manufacturer myself. The problem is I’m not a designer, I don’t know anything about the gizmo biz, and I think starting up this project would be way over my head.

Then I considered finding a designer and someone to make a prototype so I could launch a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter or Indiegogo, but that still seems like a tough road.

There are professional services who handle this sort of thing for a fee. A large fee.

Today I discovered websites, like Quirky and Edison Nation, who specialize in bringing cool ideas to the market. These options look pretty exciting, but they seem to have their own secrets too.

I need help. Calling all mad inventors.

  1. Have you ever tried to bring an invention to life?
  2. Have you tried Quirky or Edison Nation? Which one is better? Are there any other trusted sites?
  3. Are there any warnings I should heed?

Any invention advice would be greatly appreciated!

Photo credit

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8 Comments

  2. Roseann Wojciechowski
    Roseann Wojciechowski on February 21, 2015 at 5:23 am

    You sure do come up with them

  3. debherbert2013
    debherbert2013 on February 20, 2015 at 8:09 pm

    How exciting! I wish I had some advice for you.

    • christawojo
      christawojo on February 21, 2015 at 8:51 am

      Thanks, Debbie. Have a great weekend 🙂

  4. trentpmcd
    trentpmcd on February 20, 2015 at 4:21 pm

    No advice, but cool, I hope you can find something to do with your idea.

    • christawojo
      christawojo on February 21, 2015 at 10:39 am

      Thanks, Trent. I’ll keep you all updated! It might be a flop, or it might be a huge success. Don’t know unless you try, right?

  5. dkbunnell
    dkbunnell on February 20, 2015 at 4:20 pm

    I’ve retweeted and tried to post to my peeps at LinkedIn (had technical difficulties, so will continue to try). Good luck on getting your invention out there!

    • christawojo
      christawojo on February 21, 2015 at 10:38 am

      Thanks so much for the help, Diane! I thought many people would be using the sites I mentioned, but maybe all this is still too new.