Each day many people around the world come up with innovative and creative ways to solve existing problems. They either create an improved version of an existing product or they develop something bespoke.
If you enjoy problem-solving and making stuff, you will doubtless have considered inventing something. But what should you invent? This is a question that many creative folks ponder a lot. Find out the answer to that question and more by following the advice in today’s blog post for useful tips and inspiration!
Credit - mazzali / Flickr
Solve a problem
People usually invent new things or improve existing ones to solve a problem. After all; it would be silly to invent something that no-one would find a use for! If you have got a creative mind and love to experiment, inventing will be in your blood.
Of course, the question remains about what you should be inventing? The one thing that successful inventors have is drive and determination. If there is something in life that bugs the hell out of you, it’s time to turn that problem into an opportunity.
Think about why the problem annoys you, and why existing products cannot solve the problem and make your life easier. For instance, let’s say you enjoy doing DIY in your spare time.
You might find that you are forever hurting your fingers when you hammer nails or drive screws into things. You could figure out something that holds the nail or screw in place without bashing your fingers in!
Build a prototype
The next step is to build a working prototype of your invention. There are many ways you can do this, depending on what your invention is.
For instance, we all know that desktop computers are enclosed in metal cases. But when one of the early Apple computers got built, wood was used as a prototype! The prototype doesn’t have to be what your final design will look like. It just needs to be a functioning product.
Consider a patent for your idea
Would you like to bring your idea into production? If so, the last thing you will want is other people stealing that idea and making money from your blood, sweat and tears! A patent is a great way of doing two things.
First, you get to find out if someone else already developed the same idea or not. And, second, if your idea is unique, you protect it from unauthorized use. A patent lawyer is a good person to hire if you wish to apply for a patent. A patent lawyer here can save you time and money when you want to protect your idea.
Get funding
Once you have protected your intellectual property rights, you will doubtless want to start selling your product. The easiest way to do so is to license your product so that someone else makes and sells the product. You get royalties from the sale of each product, and you don’t have to invest much money.
But if you’d like to keep things in-house, you will need to get funding to start your own manufacturing business. This funding can be in the form of loans, business investors or savings. Good luck with your invention!
Featured image credit: Young thoughtful handsome man in casual thinking over the ideas/ShutterStock
