Leave the office
I always rather liked Francis Bacon’s analogy of the spider and the bee. A spider … works entirely upon himself and produces only poison, whereas the bee works on raw materials, deriving his product from nature at large, and produces honey. Bacon always got his ideas from walking in the countryside and observing nature, rather than sitting in his study.
Everyday products sell
Although it is harder to improve a mature product, if you succeed there is no need to create a market. Try out current products in your home, and make a list of things that you don’t like about them – I found about 20 things wrong with my Hoover Junior at the first attempt.
New technology
The thing about truly new technology is that it makes your invention patentable. Your job, in seeking a patent, is to point out how original and unique what you are doing is. This is often extremely difficult, particularly at the U.S. patent office.
The Edisonian principle
You can become an expert on anything in six months, but steer clear of projects that require too much math, and stick to empirical things. Keep testing and retesting and believe only the evidence of your own eyes. You may have to fly in the face of public opinion and market research. They can only tell you what has happened. No research can tell you what is going to happen.
Constant revolution
Constantly rethink and improve every aspect and function, never being satisfied until you have solved every problem. The thing about solving functional problems at every level … is not only that it will result in greater consumer satisfaction, but that it will lead to further patents. A patent only lasts for 20 years, and that is not as long as it sounds. The only way to keep possession of your invention is to keep strengthening it.
Expressive design
Once you have established your technology, then you can produce a design that accentuates it. Good design, generated out of the function of the thing, will explain why it is better and why it should be bought.
Stamina and conviction
Breaking the mold will upset people. Challenging sitting tenants will be tough. It will take longer than you ever imagined. Ten years of development? Do you fancy that? And then negotiations on a knife edge, a shoestring and hanging by a thread? It will take balls.
Total control
From the first sprouting of the idea, through research and development, testing and prototyping, model making and engineering drawings, tooling production, sales and marketing, all the way into the homes of the nation, it is most likely to succeed if the original visionary (or mule) sees it through.
