Inventor's Guide

If you have a brilliant idea - great! But it is just one percent of what you need to become an inventor. Thousands of people have good ideas every day, and just a very few of them turn into inventions. Of course, not every idea that comes to your head is worthy to become an invention. But if you think your idea is useful and workable, you should consider developing it further. If your invention idea can be turned into a product, you can hope to earn some decent sum of money with that. However, in order to become a successful inventor, you'll have to work hard.

Don't give up! The good news is that you do not have to do everything yourself. If, for example, for creating a prototype of your invention, you do not know how to crate a computer model you would like to use, ask a specialist to do that. If your prototype requires some wooden or metal parts and you are not a DIY guy, order those parts.

While working on your invention you should not be mortified with fear that someone will still it. It is very hard to steal an undeveloped idea. And nobody bothers for stealing something that is not a proven success yet. However, you really don't want to talk about precise principles of the work of your new devise with a known competitor. Avoid publishing any information about your invention in any public media including Internet as public disclosure can jeopardize the patentability of your invention in many countries. However, you do can talk about your invention in general terms in order to find out if it is going to be of any interest for a potential manufacturer, or just seeking for an opinion/advice from your friends/relatives.

When you are done with elaborating the concept, design and prototype of your invention, do not hurry to apply for a patent. Patenting procedure are usually complex, they last for some months, sometimes even years, and they are subject to a number of fees. Analyze one more time your invention, check if it is worthy of patenting, think of possible improvements. Some improvements are unnecessary and you could reserve them for a second version of your product. Don't try to reach perfection. It is usually impossible and you don't want to waste your lifetime and fortune chasing it. Talk to a qualified patenting attorney and take a calm decision if you should apply for a patent or not. For more detailed information check my lens on How to Patent an Idea or my new blog about patenting.

When the product is ready, there is still long way to success. At this stage, you should consider marketing your product, looking for sponsors, investors or partners. Try to make some initial marketing yourself. Remind, it is not necessary that the better invention, the more money you get. A proper marketing approach can make difference, but if you decide to address some marketing company, chose it with a lot of care. Treat your invention like a business. Don't think that any invention will make you a millionaire, but there are many even little inventions that are pretty much worthy of your efforts.

Don't try to seduce potential investors by charging too little price for your product. It will just provoke suspicion. On the other hand, be frank with yourself and don't expect to be able to market a totally useless idea at a sky high price.

As a final remark, I would like to state, that, to succeed, you don't need to invent something revolutionary. If your idea solves little but real existing problem at rational expense, it, usually, has great economic viability. So, with a bit of imagination and enthusiasm to be useful to people, you will certainly be able to create a successful invention.