My opinion is that Edison Nation will do just fine selling their own Inventors items.

What I think needs to happen is that they need more exposure by going to NBC or any major cable station and bring the television program into many more homes….

If they opened a srore not only could they do the things that Ron mentioned they may want to have an outlet for other companies on some of the ideas that made it to presentaions but were turned down with the inventors consent.

I think that’s a great idea Ron and very easy to set up nowadays.
In Manhattan whenever is pass by a Sharper Image store i always go in even if its just to see what new and creative items they have its one of my favorite stores.
Sorry to hear about your poor sales perhaps a new topic about ways to bring your product to consumers even though by now you are like the master of your domain sometimes an outside perspective could come in handy even if its just to stimulate new ideas.

A.M.C.

I think your right Robert , the more companies they can get to look at the ideas the better, as you know most of the ideas are presented to just a few and it takes two to three months or longer just for them to look at them ,and i agree some of the leftover ideas might not work for the big guys but a smaller company might pick them up but you’ll never know because they never had a chance to be looked at ! you can have a perfect idea and nobody sees it ,it won’t go anywhere but the scrap pile . but some people do like scrap !!!

Tim a great example is the Snuggie. Telebrands passed on it. Allstar picked it up and the rest is history. Turned out the Snuggie is a cultural phenomenon selling in the multi millions. It just depends on the taste of the individuals at the presentations.

Right now in this economy you need an idea 100 times better than you did 5 years ago just to get in the game.

An idea that would surely sell millions of pieces 5 years ago may now only sell a few thousand…or be too expensive for today’s economy.

Making matters worse, the company handling the idea needs a big score, a big idea to pull them out of the hole this economy put them in.

This is why ALL inventors must be very patient right now and NOT throw away their ideas if they do not work today.

Ron Komorowski
Inventor of Handi-Straps
www.handi-straps.com

Ron don’t you think it would be better if all, could see all the new products in one place like yours? and then have all the ideas on file {for a price of coarse} so if a company is looking for something new they can just pick and choose anytime they wanted to? instead of two or three times a year , The more products EN sells is more coming in right

I just think Edison Nation is in the prime situation (if they can afford)…to soon open a store that displays many cool innovations like Sharper Image or even Sky Mall.

Furthermore, no vendor or manufacturer likes drop shipping (so the distributor does not have to stock, they save money) Today many are more willing to drop ship, especially to help an emerging distributor.

If Edison Nation opened up a store for all their R8’s they would go broke in a heartbeat!
The products went R8 for a reason, all good ideas to make it to the presentation date, however, most of them went R8 because they were not better than what the competitors were offering.

If Edison Nation chose to do this they would have to flip the bill for everything and that could run into the millions and it would be to risky……

Have no idea what you are talking about Ken…this is a store or a catalog for cool new innovations more open to others and other markets IRRELEVANT and seperate to their work with inventions BUT the inventions all are open to the catalog too. EN does sell their inventions already but it is too small of exposure.

Always remember, the money is NEVER in inventing or inventions. The REAL BIG profits come in the distribution and marketing. Those that distribute and/or market the new products make the biggest rewards. Why do you think I am involved in that part? I know this. Inventors get the smallest rewards in the equation.

There would be MUCH more money in selling inventions than inventing them. Even manufacturing inventions. Those guys make THE ENTIRE invention but get a small slice of the rewards. The “salesmen” get the big cuts. That is why I spent years studying entrepreneurship and marketing as well as product development, research and development, IP and inventing. The business knowledge, marketing, makes the money.

Ron Komorowski
Inventor of Handi-Straps
www.handi-straps.com

You can sell your products on Yak About It too, check it out. www.yakaboutit.com! I think it’s a great idea to put an online store on EN, maybe they have thought about it, it might a great question to ask in the other forums?

Ken : maybe i’m wrong? but doesn’t EN sell iventors ideas here ? they present them to companies to buy don’t they? What’s the difference between a G8 and a R8 i think its just an opinion on what will sell and what doesn’t? and can’t an R8 turn into a G8 for another company? and i’m sure there’s plenty of G8’s that haven’t lived up to there potential either?i wasn’t talking about actually making the product just the idea of selling R8 ideas to other potential companies that aren’t on the searches ,just be more aggresive!! is all i’m saying ’’’’

You are right Tim it is just an opinion and yes they do sell Inventors products here and I am all for it!

I am just talking about the cost involved and how risky it would be for Edison Nation to take on such a program. There is a reason the Buyers turned down the ideas, not to say they were bad ideas, maybe just not what they are looking for…..It could be a complete wipe out and it is not within their business model and they would be foolish to take it on……

Ron
I am no expert but is your invention being targeted to the right customers.
motorcycle mechanics and motor cycle enthusiasts would love to have your lifting device for example
furniture removal, house clearance firms maybe, it could become a necessary part of their equipment,
I know all this sounds obvious to you, but that is the question that comes into my head

IMPORTANT FOR ALL****

Brendan…when marketing a product you just can’t do it yourself. 3M or Rubbermaid, Del Monte can’t either…too costly. You must target groups that will spread the word so the reputation and following is created by the public for free.

This includes free publicity tactics that even the largest manufacturers MUST have with a new product launch.

This is why I target EMS, Military, medical people, handicapped, seniors, Fortune 100 companies for reference. Groups that will talk for my product. I have received GIANT publicity this way by just referring to these groups I sell to. Even publishers overseas have wrote about who I sold to here in the states (even though we sold worldwide too)

That’s the trick, like EMS endorses my product just by using and this means all those groups you mentioned should be using my product.

Let’s say you have a kitchen gadget. Well then you need to sell to chefs and restaurant and hotel chains…get that sales history. The sales history is THE KEY. The first sales are the hardest. That is why an Edison Nation store for cool new innovations and inventions would attract more media, the public is fascinated and downright nosy with this stuff…and it gives us a chance for a SALES HISTORY.

I’ll tell ya…right now out there bringing an invention to market…you can just about forget about it!!!! Conventional ways are TOO EXPENSIVE for this economy. THE FORMULA DOES NOT WORK ANYMORE!!!!

That is why maybe our ideas might have to sit in a new type of Edison Nation store for a period of two years to build some kind of sales history before even talking to buyers.

YOU DO NOT need big numbers for a sales history! You need strategic sales. Even one sale to a famous NYC restaurant and they are using will help much when talking to buyers. First thing I did was prove my product to FDNY. I met with the absolute highest commanders, no one above. They tested, I demonstrated and they asked for a price for 5000, one for every EMT. They have gone broke though and have no money to buy and last said maybe if they get a grant. This impressed Popular Mechanics to write a 1/3 page and draw a diagram on Handi-Straps about their own testing of the invention.

The game has changed. Big buyers only ever wanted a product with a sales history. Today, that fact is many times magnified. You better have a damn good sales history.

Why do you think me and other inventors are out there working so hard for small sales numbers? We know this. Most licensing deals or outright sales of the entire idea and patents come AFTER a sales history. Big companies can’t be bothered for the most part with a brand new invention. Too much work marketing!!!! They would rather you build up the sales history…you prove it…then they will buy you out for 10 million. Read any business book or magazine…this is how ideas get finally sold most times.

Same thing with buyers. They want a minimum of selling 10 pieces per week per store. How can you do that without a sales history and consumer following???? If you don’t have that sales will not make minimum and the store loses money as you clog up expensive shelf space.

This is why an Edison Nation store can help ALL our causes, but just submitted inventions will not be enough to obtain volumes or following. They would have to reach a bigger market.

Ron Komorowski
Inventor of Handi-Straps
www.handi-straps.com