Anne Writes In...

And has some questions:

I've been trying to follow the steps you've outlined, and while having read most of the reading and looked at the resources, I'm still in the 'asking retailers if it's a good idea' step. I have quite a few ideas, actually, but it takes some time to go around and get responses from various people, and I haven't found anything yet where they say 'can't get it and it's a good idea'. They have said 'can't get it', and have mused about the idea, but not come right out and said it's a good idea. So I'm still researching.

***Yes, this is hard, but think of the alternative: setting up a business, buying equipment, sourcing goods, and THEN being told no. As the carpenters say, "measure twice, cut once." If the product is easy, then the customers are hard. If the product is hard, the customers are easy. Right now you are going the hard way, the right way about getting product. When idea and demand do come together, the rest will be easy, plus you'll know how to do it.***

I may have to take your class again, because this is something I dearly do want to follow through on. It's one of the few things that makes me feel gleeful when I think of all the possible ways I might want to spend my time in the future. But I need more time to get through the steps. The first one is the most challenging.

***Right, you are taking a radical step in starting your own business, and the paradigm is different. As far as retaking the class, sure, if you want to , but why bother? You've got enough to get going, and you might as well put your time in the essential problem you do know..and this listserv is probably enough help after taking the class and reading the book.***

I really appreciate the way you have conducted the class. When I first learned it was all on the computer I was very dubious it would be effective. I couldn't imagine a class without some aural component (conference call or such). But this does work! Thanks for bringing technology into my life in a new way (I don't frequent chats for any other purpose with any regularity).

***Yes chat groups are dreadful, but the technique used to deliver the class is socratic dialogue, the oldest teaching method there is.***

I have a question about the value of design school creations when it comes to choosing a new solution. I recently saw something in the paper about the results of a design competition at a home design exposition. So wondered, since you suggest having someone else do a design anyway, what about finding a new design for an item that really speaks to you because it solves a problem you have, but you didn't think of the solution. All those students are looking for people to productize their idea, and very few of them get picked up by large firms (the ideal for them) so for the ones that don't, what about coming in as the smaller business person that is willing to productize their idea for a problem you have.
For instance, http://www.core77.com/competitions/greener_gadgets.asp or http://www.housewares.org/show/exhibit/ (IHA) are examples of exhibitions that produce manifold solutions that could be opportunities for productization, and some of them might really grab you. Are there significant drawbacks to starting at this place?

***Funny you should say that. I ran contest at a design school, in fact a couple of times, where there was a award of a few hundred dollars for best designs, but we started with what we were trying to get (say clock faces). You'll see below on this blog where some Germans wrote in with exactly the same idea, in Germany. Perhaps you are tied into some worldwide awakening bring entrepreneur and design schools together. Perhaps recruit some retailers as judges, tying them in with "good idea, does not exist..." as part of who gets the award. Pursue it and let me know how it goes... ***

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