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AvocadoMan

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if you're anything like me and haven't come to this from being a developer/programmer, i started using Wordpress which when i get stuck i found a really good freelancer in the Phillipeans who i use, more than happy to PM you his contact details. There are lot's of great wordpress plug ins for this lead gen purpose here are a few to check out:
  • OptinMonster OptinMonster is a WordPress plugin that converts website visitors into subscribers and customers. ...
  • LeadBoxer ...
  • SumoMe
  • Leadin
  • Hello Bar
  • OptinSkin (
  • Scroll Triggered Boxes
  • WordPress Call to Action
There are simpler ways to build a landing page using services like Wix - i can't comment as haven't used it myself.

I do want to recommend Infusionsoft - this could be later on down the track for you or if you want to invest in it now it could be a huge kickstarter. It will build the landing pages there for you also once connected to a website. I've started to use it myself and it has already paid for it self 10x by helping me land a business process digitization gig and i haven't started marketing with it yet. Just it's possibilities helped me develop more solutions for the businesses i was already working with. Their onboarding process is great, you get partnered up with a coach who walks you through the set up and the coaching sessions themselves have tought me so much more.

Hope there's something useful in there for ya) Good luck with the hussle
If a landing page would still help get results even if I am not selling it myself, I would most likely go with wordpress or this infusionsoft service you mentioned..
 

SteveO

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While I agree that you would want to sell this to tradesmen through a supply house, I also believe that this would be an excellent product to sell online as well. There are a large amount of do-it-yourselfers that would find this product to solve a problem for them as well.
 

ArtRyumin

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Would a landing page still be useful if I don't plan on manufacturing the product myself? The product is something that needs to be mass produced and tradesmen here would expect to buy it from electrical retailers...It would be sold in boxes of 10-20 units.

I could use the landing page just to create awareness of the product and maybe link it to the people selling it once I reach that stage..

I'd say it could be useful still, that landing page could be further developed down the track, you can create little posts such as "5 things you can do to make "task" 20 minutes quicker, giving you 5 hours back at the end of the week, and one of the 5 tips is your product.

Later on if you're going down the path of licensing or getting big retailers to sell it. The product can still have it's own original website which will have all the info, tips, tricks and LINK to those retail shops if you don't want to do any online sales yourself.

The data captured by the page would be very useful to demonstate to those retailers on how much volume you're getting just through the website as well as any future potential investors you might want to seek. you'll have data to present to them as well as your story and pitch of the product.
 
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AvocadoMan

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I'd say it could be useful still, that landing page could be further developed down the track, you can create little posts such as "5 things you can do to make "task" 20 minutes quicker, giving you 5 hours back at the end of the week, and one of the 5 tips is your product.

Later on if you're going down the path of licensing or getting big retailers to sell it. The product can still have it's own original website which will have all the info, tips, tricks and LINK to those retail shops if you don't want to do any online sales yourself.

The data captured by the page would be very useful to demonstate to those retailers on how much volume you're getting just through the website as well as any future potential investors you might want to seek. you'll have data to present to them as well as your story and pitch of the product.
Sounds legendary. Can you PM me the details for your freelancer - I have some work for him.
 

AvocadoMan

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While I agree that you would want to sell this to tradesmen through a supply house, I also believe that this would be an excellent product to sell online as well. There are a large amount of do-it-yourselfers that would find this product to solve a problem for them as well.
I will definitely shoot for both then mate! I'll do up a page like the one for Paint Brush Cover!
 

AvocadoMan

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Since things are starting to take off and the speed is building up, I am going to outline everything I have done up until now for anyone interested in following along and is unsure how I got to this point.

February 2017 ~ I begin work in the Electrical Industry and within the first week find a problem in need of solving - I begin research and drawing up solutions that night in my invention journal.

March 2017 ~ I have designed a solution and have pages of notes and diagrams - but I convinced myself that I am not smart enough and there is too much to learn in order to execute my product. So I put the notebook away and go back to being normal.

April 2017 ~ Wake up one morning with a fire under my a$$ and I no longer give a F*ck if I fail or how hard it will be. I get feedback on my product that same day, start thinking up what I am going to do, and then bang - lazer focus and tunnel vision hits me. Within a week I have an Aerospace Engineer working on the design and communicating with me daily as we work towards the first prototype and keeping costs down, and I am currently in the process of hiring a freelance web developer to create a sales page that will build some awareness and give me some useful feedback from the real world.

17/04/12 ~ Freelancer is hired and designs are being drawn up for sales/landing page. IDR is underway with the Engineer.
 
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Last edited:

AvocadoMan

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Since things are starting to take off and the speed is building up, I am going to outline everything I have done up until now for anyone interested in following along and is unsure how I got to this point.

February 2017 ~ I begin work in the Electrical Industry and within the first week find a problem in need of solving - I begin research and drawing up solutions that night in my invention journal.

March 2017 ~ I have designed a solution and have pages of notes and diagrams - but I convinced myself that I am not smart enough and there is too much to learn in order to execute my product. So I put the notebook away and go back to being normal.

April 2017 ~ Wake up one morning with a fire under my a$$ and I no longer give a F*ck if I fail or how hard it will be. I get feedback on my product that same day, start thinking up what I am going to do, and then bang - lazer focus and tunnel vision hits me. Within a week I have an Aerospace Engineer working on the design and communicating with me daily as we work towards the first prototype and keeping costs down, and I am currently in the process of hiring a freelance web developer to create a sales page that will build some awareness and give me some useful feedback from the real world.

17/04/12 ~ Freelancer is hired and designs are being drawn up for sales/landing page. IDR is underway with the Engineer.
Update:

3/05/17 ~ Prototype is on its way and I am currently looking into the packaging process. Things have been moving steadily and I have wanted to quit a few times due to overthinking and confusion - but I have learned to block these out and just focus on staying in motion and staying busy.
 

458

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Hey guys,

I have the design of a product I have developed within the Electrical Industry. Engineering drawings are currently being developed for manufacturing and I am about to move on to the second half of the battle.

There is nothing else like my product yet - it is a simple innovation that solves a very annoying problem for many electricians. I have got feedback from people in the industry with 40+ yrs experience and they have seen nothing like it and love it. I jumped on the idea a couple months ago and have been working problems out of the design since, and I am just about finished.

I am not too worried about failure and don't mind if I lose all my money if it does not work - I will simply move on to the next project and re-build. But any advice would be really helpful on the next steps, because I am planning on going all in and doing whatever I can to get it into the hands of the people who will use it.

Regardless of if it works or not, I will outline the whole execution from start to finish and analyse what I did for anyone who is interested in learning about taking an idea from your mind and putting it into the hands of customers.

Thanks :)

That depends, do you want to succeed or fail?
 

AvocadoMan

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15/5/17 ~ The prototype was made from the wrong material and I had to order another one. I have contacted manufacturers and am getting quotes on doability plus cost to present to potential licensees.
 
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AvocadoMan

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21/06/2017 - I have been calling companies for the past month and have got my foot in the door with Clipsal. They have reviewed the product over the last three weeks and think it is a great idea that has the potential to be a success. We are moving forward and discussing things further.
 

Steve Beach

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If education and awareness are going to be big subjects since it's a new product. You can start this now to capture the people who experience the problem your product solves. Something as simple and can be put up in half a day is a single landing page that asks the question "do you get frustrated when...Do you hate it when...Do you wish there was a better way of doing...and ask them for their email to receive updates of this product that's about to launch and it will fix their problem - the one they gave you an email for to know when it's ready as clearly they can't keep living with the problem.

This will start building your audiance and early odopters, so when you do launch you can have some supporters spreading the good news. As well as build confidence having a virtual line forming outside your shop while you're building something.

You can then run facebook/instagram ads which will take people to that single page and test out different ways to market it. It's never to early to start getting a team of supporters.

From my past product developments, i learnt too late that "build it to see what happens" always worked, i got to see what happened. In that case it was that i built something i though was perfect but no one knew about or wanted to use it and when all the money is dry, it's hard to do marketing cause at that stage i needed to find something to pay the bills with and that project got left behind with lost confidence that people would use it and it could pay my bills and take of to the fastlane.

My product solves a huge problem in the industry that I have been a part of for the last 25 years. Have had some success selling, and everyone that hears about it, loves it and says "why didn't I think of that??". But still, trying to expose a new product to any market is difficult if you don't have funds for marketing. Doing all I can to get the word out, while still working a full time job. I cannot let this idea die and fade away because I know someday that I would see somebody else doing it.
 

AvocadoMan

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27-8-17

~ Some issues discovered with the prototype due to miscommunication and a measurement error in the design have been resolved. Prototypes are being tested within a couple weeks for customer feedback.
 

AvocadoMan

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~ They have agreed to bring the product to market. We are now moving on and working on the next step.
 

ALC

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~ They have agreed to bring the product to market. We are now moving on and working on the next step.
As i've read both pages of your thread, i agree, you should make a presentation online (Website/Facebook/IG) whether yourself in front of the camera showing how it works or just by making a presentation video on social media, you just have to target the electricians on facebook and it will help you, but be sure to show what's they need to see, make it short but powerful and add a link to buy it.

Good luck on your adventure, wish you the best !
 
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AvocadoMan

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27/3/18

Clipsal backed out of the deal shortly before we were going to bring it out. This was a few months ago.

Had another company interested but they also backed out due pricing issues.

Currently in the process of manufacturing it and selling it through my own company. Sourcing cheaper production overseas via the help of people I have met and still gathering customer feedback which has been great all along.

Issues have popped up with prototypes and I am trying to find a solution now to have the product work as needed.
 

AvocadoMan

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Also relocated to a new city where I am living in a caravan rent free. I have made many connections, gained a few mentors and increased my happiness due to the nicer climate and environment.
 

GravyBoat

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Maverick,

Be sure to check on your employer's policy on intellectual property and ideas "invented" while you're still employed there. I worked for an engineering company where ANYTHING that the engineers came up with was legally owned by the company, no matter if they were at home or at work.

Don't let this stop you obviously, just make sure they don't have any policy like that. If they do, get an LLC, lawyer up and see what they can do.

Subbed to this thread, this sounds very interesting. We're rooting for you.
 
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AvocadoMan

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19/4/18

Moving forward still. Changed my strategy for testing and improving the product to improve efficiency and reduce cost.

Starting to consider partnering with someone in my network as financial roadblocks are popping up and it's becoming hard to fund the project on my income as I move towards the manufacturing/distribution stage.

Overall everything is looking fine. There is demand for the product and now it's just a matter of getting it great and getting it in the customers hands at a price they are willing to pay.

Does anyone know where you change your name on the forum?
 
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AvocadoMan

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Also moving again to a more positive environment. For anyone reading I cannot stress the importance of either living by yourself with motivational material around you or living with people who lift you up.

Up until now I have not really been experiencing life. It's easy to get so caught up in your mind and what you want that time just passes without you making the most of it.

I realised this recently and am working on my social life and ability to talk to girls now because I have had neither in my life for a long time.

Just a note for anyone following my process :)
 

AvocadoMan

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2/06/18

New prototype developed and evaluated. Product is almost perfect.

Now looking into how low I can get production costs and if I can beat the existing product on the market.
 

AvocadoMan

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12/6/18

Contacting manufacturers overseas and getting numbers. Fine tuning product design. Meeting with wholesalers to discuss steps required to have product stocked.
 
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AvocadoMan

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23/6/18 - One day before my 21st birthday

~ Lost my job yesterday due to a dumb mistake. Asked a girl out at work, got talking for a week and then asked if she was down for some fun (asked politely). She turned around and threatened me with harrassment charges so my boss fired me on the spot with zero notice.

Currently no source of income and bills to pay coming up. I have cash work using my trade skills to keep me going. Going to do my best to set up a small cash business doing garden maintenance and lighting. Worse case I'll wash dishes. I don't care.

Working with manufacturers to reduce the production cost of my product. I have a wholesaler lined up ready to make a purchase once I set up everything else. Things are very tight financially and if I didn't have savings I would be on the street.

There's a sense of freedom in my gut after being fired. And a sense of urgency. To hustle and survive without just getting a job.

It's two lessons learned the hard way. Lessons I'll never forget.

1. Don't think you have job security just because you have a friendly relationship with your boss and you do an excellent job as I did. His best interests are not in you - they are in the business. Never get comfortable. Chaos lurks beneath the surface every day and if you are not prepared it will emerge and get you when you least expect it. But I was prepared. Luckily. As an employee, you're a dispensable resource. Remember that. I will.

2. Be very careful what you say to women - especially over text. They can turn playful flirting into a lawsuit just like that. Call and talk in person. Even then watch yourself.
 

AvocadoMan

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4/08/18

Things have settled back down and I'm continuing my apprenticeship with another company.

I am about to order the final prototype for my product after a few details have been confirmed with my engineer. Once I have the final prototype I will be designing packaging and getting some last bits of feedback from customers on how they would like to see it packaged.

Recently visited a packaging factory to ask questions and see how the process actually works. This was very beneficial for me as it made things clearer and gave me a better understanding of how things work. The woman was very helpful and gave me a lot of insight into how the process works.

It is easy to become overwhelmed and overthink the process - especially when you are new and you lack knowledge. Visiting factories and asking people the right questions is a really good way to get rid of some of that confusion and make what you need to do much clearer.

The next obstacle will be raising some money for the initial manufacturing investment but I will find a solution to that when I come to it.
 

Zcott

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This is an amazing read.

You've had a number of set backs but have kept over coming them and found solutions. And it's not something that happened within the space of a few weeks, also an important thing to take note of. A good message to all of those (myself included) who are still working on their goals.

Keep it going, I'm interested to see where you end up!
 
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BOUM

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Hi,
I don't have any experience in manufacturing but recently talked to a guy that has done it several times successfully (did not work out for all his projects but overall he's doing very well).
From the first prototype to the first production, there is usually one year going by (seems like we are around that time frame for you).
However, what most people don't realize is that if you decide to sell to stores there is then 6 months to a year to do your first sales, first production batch, deliveries and so on.
These first sales won't be the best indicator if you have a viable product. The real test will be how long does it take for these stores to sell your products (that will take some of their precious shelf space), and was it profitable/fast enough for them to reorder. If they do, you're off to great success :)
You were considering selling online but I thought this may interest you. If so, plan your finance accordingly!
Good luck,
BOUM
 

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