04.29.06

New product and patent idea

Posted in mom inventor at 5:35 am by Tonya

I have an idea for a new product, and I have been trying to figure out how it would work.  I’ve tried some different things, and then bailed on them because they didn’t work right.  Well the other day in the shower (I always get my breakthroughs in the shower, except for once when I got a breakthrough in the bathroom at a ski resort) I figured out a new way that it might work.  I’m working on some prototypes to try out with some kids, and I have started my research on whether other patents exist.  It seems that my preliminary patent search has shown that there are some similar ideas out there, but not with my exact solution.  First though, I have to see if it can work in the real world.  Patenting is such a headache and hassle that I am not going to start the process if it is not going to be something that will work.  Hopefully in a few weeks I will have been able to try it out with a few kids and see if it is a truly workable and viable product.  To me, that is the fun part, working out the problems and coming up with a solution, and then figuring out how it can work in a variety of situations. 

Am I going to be ready?

Posted in mom inventor at 5:25 am by Tonya

The JPMA tradeshow is only one week away.  So, am I going to be ready?  The answer is, no, not as ready as I would have liked to be.  I will be ready enough though.  I have signs, background, paperwork, props, original product ready to sell, and samples of new product.  What I don’t have is new product ready to sell.  Oh well.  They (and I) will just have to be happy with the samples That I do have.  It is all such a headache. 

04.26.06

The secret to organizing

Posted in mom inventor at 5:27 am by Tonya

I guess I haven’t really found the secret to organizing, but I do have some things that are necessary for me to stay organized. 

The most important thing is time.  I have to block out certain times and designate those times to do certain things.  There is always something that needs to be done for my product, so I could keep every spare minute filled with working on that and never get anything else done.  I have to consciously tell myself that I am not working on that today.  Today is an organizing day.  Otherwise it would never get done.  It is all a constant balancing act. 

04.21.06

Control

Posted in mom inventor at 5:26 am by Tonya

I am the type of person that really likes to be in control (just ask my husband).  In some ways, being a mom inventor works well with that personality trait, and in other ways it goes against that trait.  There are some aspects that I really want to give up control on, and others that I hate it when I have to give up control.  I love that I have a manufacturer who does all the sewing.  I hated sewing myself, and am thrilled to give up that piece of control.  I hired a graphic artist, and he did a great job on my logo, but it is sometimes hard working with him.  On another project, I wanted him to recreate something that I had already done so that it could be in the right file type.  He felt the need to get creative with it and question why it was different from the last one I did.  I did not ask for creativity here.  I wanted it on the logo, but not on this new job.  So I took back control, and figured out how to do it myself. 

Right now we have only two weeks until the JPMA (juvenile products manufacturer association) trade show.  I am working hard getting everything ready to go.  I’m remaining calm, and have a million things in my mind that I have to have ready and bring with me.  If I had employees, and gave out jobs for them to do, I think that I would be much more stressed because I would not have a mental picture of what part has been completed and what needs to be done.  I would though like to tell someone else to package product and stuff media folders.  Maybe someday I will have someone (other than my husband) to order around. 

04.19.06

A little more sleep

Posted in mom inventor at 4:10 am by Tonya

I got to sleep in until 3:30 am this morning.  That felt better.  Now I will get to work. 

04.18.06

Amazing what you can get done when you are up at 2:00am

Posted in mom inventor at 7:49 pm by Tonya

I have been up since 2:00am this morning.  You ask why would any sane person do this?  The dogs woke me up.  They were running around the house like maniacs playing, and then I heard a bunch of chewing.  I checked on them, and there was chewed up kleenex all over the floor, and one of them had gotten my sunglasses off of the counter and chewed them to pieces.  I sent them outside for the rest of the night, but after cleaning up the stuff, I just lay in bed and couldn’t go back to sleep, so I got up and started working.  Boy did I get a lot done, and all before 6 am when the kids get up.  I think that I deserve to go to bed now (although I did take a short nap while my daughter was doing her homework). 

Good night.  (I hope I get to sleep in till 4am). 

04.13.06

Requirements to being a mom inventor

Posted in mom inventor at 4:32 am by Tonya

So, I should fill you in on some of the requirements to being a mom inventor.  For starters, you have to keep really odd hours.  In general, you work when the kids are asleep.  For some moms, this means staying up late.  I am a morning person, so for me this means getting up really early.  I am usually up by 4:00 am.  I have been up as early as 3:00 am.  It is a nice, quiet, peaceful time of the day.  I would probably be up then even if I didn’t have work to do, and I would get a lot more done on my household maintenance.  As it is, household maintenance is often at the bottom of the to do list.  Most people think that working from home would be great, and give them time at home.  That is not always the case.  I have found that often I work much longer and get less done around the house than I had hoped.  The days when the kids are home with me I have to force myself to stop working and pay attention to them.

Another requirement is that you learn a lot of different trades.  I have been learning to be a seamstress, graphic designer, web designer, writer, photographer, accountant, office manager, marketing executive, patent lawyer, and a few others I can’t remember right now.  It definitely is good for your mind and keeps you stimulated. 

Another big requirement is money.  It costs a lot of money to bring a product to market, and subsequently most mom inventors start their business with a lot of debt.  I am hoping that soon we will cross over from the incurring debt side to the making money side.  I repeat, it is expensive.  If you don’t want a lot of debt, don’t do it.  I have even gone the cheaper route by writing the patent myself and not getting a lawyer. 

Another requirement is space and organization.  All of the stuff slowly accumulates and takes over the space.  My husband complains that I have taken over his office.  Yes I have.  You also have to designate time for organizing because it can get out of hand.  I have sewing stuff, 6 large boxes of product, 3 large boxes of packaging supplies (vinyl bags and inserts), 3 large boxes of other packaging supplies, a box of packaged product, a large box of buckles, bolts of fabric, rolls of velcro, more buckles, and much much more.  It has potential for taking over the whole house, but I try to limit it to one room. 

04.12.06

Today things are falling into place

Posted in mom inventor at 8:47 am by Tonya

I guess that my email harrassment is paying off a bit.  My pad manufacturer is going to get some ready by the show, and I received an email that the manufacturer in China will do a smaller run for me.  This is good news.  Now I just need to get the manufacturer up and running with the pad covers and we will be ready with prices and probably time estimates.  The day has started out well.  I hope that it keeps going that well. 

04.11.06

There is always so much to do

Posted in mom inventor at 11:18 am by Tonya

The big JPMA (juvenile products manufacturers association) show is coming up in only a few weeks.  There is so much to get done in such a short time.  Since I changed the name to go along with my new logo (from change-eze to hug ‘n’ hold), I have to get new signs made, and I want everything to fit in my luggage.  It all has to roll up and be compact.  That part I am not too stressed about.  What is stressfull is that I am adding two products to my line, and I sent one to China to get a quote, and I haven’t gotten that yet.  The other is being done here in the U.S., but I haven’t gotten that quote either.  This is stressful because I can’t show a product at the show that I don’t have a price on and an estimated delivery date from the sewing manufacturer.  Luckily I think that I have all of my printing ready to be done. 

I am adding a changing pad with slits in just the right places for the Hug ‘n’ Hold straps to come out.  I am also doing a buckle version of the Hug ‘n’ Hold that will work with the new pad, any other pad, grocery cart, or high chair.  I will also need to have pad covers made with the holes in the right places.  On top of all of that, I need to get the packaging ready for the new products.  There are just so many details.  I wish that I was a large company and that I could delegate some work, but it all falls to me.  Although it would be more work to be a large company because then I would have to deal with payroll and other hassles.  No payroll here (not even to me).