Hitting the Wall

So now you’re an inventor and it feels good because you are finally doing something about that idea you’ve had in your brain for a while.  Get out to the garage and start making a prototype, jump on the computer and put together some cool graphics and images that show your wonderful idea and show your friends and family and rejoice in all the kudos you receive because most of them could never tell you the truth anyway even if they didn’t like it.

Those are good times and make sure you cherish them in your mind because “The Wall” cometh and when it does you will seriously wonder why the hell you ever believed in such a stupid dream.

Almost all of us who have invented a product hit The Wall and most of us hit The Wall again and again.  It’s part of the process.  Once you believe you have solved all of the design issues and put together the perfect marketing plan, someone, somewhere, is going to tell you no, not good enough, we don’t like it, it doesn’t work right.   That’s because what often happens is what you envision in your brain as a perfectly working idea that has lots of people around the world oohing and aahing over your product simply does not work in real life like you thought it would.

The number of times I have given up are more than I can count.  What’s really important here is that it’s ok to give up for a day or two. But if your “gut” is telling you to keep going then you better pick yourself up and get back in the trenches.

At the same time you have to use a little common sense. If a number of people (not friends and family) but professionals like your idea that’s a good sign to keep going.  But, on the other hand, if you keep hearing concerns and statements like “there are a lot of other products already like this” or “I don’t understand how this really solves a problem” from people who have been in the industry a long time - take those very seriously.

Assuming you do have a good idea some of the best ways to get up and over The Wall are to call someone in the industry like a fellow inventor, The United Inventors Association, or even a friend.  They will understand what you are going through and their encouragement will make a big difference in how you feel.

Another great move to make is to get your behind out of the garage and go have lunch with someone you trust who runs their own business.  Those folks know about hitting the wall and have gotten over it again and again otherwise their business would not exist.  If that’s not an option go walk around one of the Big Box stores for an hour and look at all the products that have come from inventors.  You will be amazed at what’s being sold out there and that alone should motivate you to solve your dilemma.  In fact, bring your smart phone that you had to have and take pictures of things you like, attractive graphics, popular colors and anything else you find inspirational.  Your garage will sometimes feel like a dungeon and you have a life sentence but remember it’s also the place that you gave birth to your dream.

Think of hitting The Wall more like just another challenge to get over.  Every time you get over The Wall you will be smarter and stronger to tackle the next one.

From my upcoming presentation “The Garage Inventor – Believing Beyond The Odds” at the UIA Inventor Seminar, National Hardware Show in Las Vegas on April 30^th at 8:30am.

See you there!

Greg Amundson