The process that turns a good idea into a great product can be an incredibly daunting one.  But in today’s world, creating a high quality prototype that can be perfected long before it heads to market is easier than ever before thanks to additive design. Today Thom Singer and Craig Brown are joined by Kevin Mako, founder of MAKO Design + Invent. Known as the Invention Guy, Kevin is a lifelong entrepreneur who focuses on product development for hardware startups.  He shares the first three steps that inventors need to take when processing their next big idea, tools that can help you get started more effectively, and pitfalls to avoid on the journey of bringing your next breakthrough idea to market. 

 

On today’s podcast, you will learn:

Your very first 3 steps

• Start by identifying the core problem and then visualizing how to best solve that problem. 
• Sketch out your idea- whether you're an independent entrepreneur or part of a big company this is the essential early step. 
• Focus on the simplest, high quality version of your product- you can add the bells and whistles later. 

 

Tools to help you get started

• It’s easier than ever before to both develop and test a new product. 
• Market research will help direct your efforts. 
• Prototypes can be made easily with the help of software and additive manufacturing. 
• Additive manufacturing allows for physical testing at a fraction of the cost. 
• Variations to initial prototypes are easily customizable with additive manufacturing. 

 

How to succeed as an innovative entrepreneur

• Focusing on iterative design and constant feedback are key to pinpointing your best product.
• Spend time learning about and perfecting your product every single day. 
• Maximize the tools of the trade when testing your market- harness the power of crowdfunding. 

 

Avoid these pitfalls

• Feature creep happens when you try to integrate too many features into your first prototype- there is no way to fix a faulty product once it’s in your customer’s hands, so get it right at the simplest level first. 
• Don’t try to provide too many things to too many people or worry about having a too-small market.  Chances are you won’t be able to completely saturate even a tiny market. 
• Scale your product intentionally right from the beginning. 

 

Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at www.DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org.

 

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