Partnering up with big company for first product?

[CountMonteCristo]

Hello Beautiful Fastlane Drivers!

I am new here (this is my first post), I've only just read TMF about a month ago, but I've been brainstorming and researching non stop ever since and behold, my first idea with some kind of a promise. (see below) I know I'm supposed to just dive in and I will, but I think it's always smart to pick the brains of people with (way way) more experience and expertise than me and get some input, so here is my idea and problems with it:

My Idea

So my idea is a smart phone application, that would teach pickup (getting better at socializing and picking up women) in a way that's never been done before. It would be a practical, fun, and simple to use app and would solve some age old recurring problems, so it has high potential. Now, in order for me to develop this application, I would essencially need two things:

1 Obviously somebody who will design and code the whole thing. This part souldn't be a problem.
2 But more importantly, I'll need someone who would help me come up with and organize all the content for the app. This is the bigger challenge, because I would need to work with someone who has years of experience in pickup AND teaching pickup.

The Tricky Part

So this is why I would love to partner up with the guys at Real Social Dynamics (RSD) who employ many instructors with 10+ years of pickup teaching experience and provide the best content out there in the pickup community. If you're not familiar with the pickup circle, RSD is THE BRAND. I am personally a big fan of the quality of content they put out and I am convinced that what I came up with would really match their standards and be a hot sell in the community.

So I would like to pitch my idea to RSD and work out a deal with them that involves leveraging their resources and essencially licensing my idea to them. Before you ask, I am familiar with Stephen Key's One Simple Idea process, but I feel like my situation is not so simple. The only thing I own here is the idea; the framework, structure and nature of the application to be. I'm also a pretty good problem solver and a creative person so I'm willing to oversee the project and be involved in the whole process and I'm sure I'd be a great asset, but without the knowledge and resources of RSD, I will have a very hard time putting this all together and marketing it myself.

My Goal

My primary goal with this project is not necessarily to become a gazillionaire, but rather getting this product to see the light of day and gaining experience in doing something (potentially)fastlane. So I'm really just trying my wings here, but my ideal scenario would definitely involve some kind of a royalty or pecentage of the profit.

Questions

Do I just pitch my idea to one of the instructors and hope for the best? I could possibly go to one of the live events and speak to someone directly which would be much better than shooting emails or cold calling.

Is there any other way of doing this? I would like the content to be high quality and since I'm not a pickup instructor, it is definitely key to get someone with great expertise and years of teaching background working on board. Also, leveraging a top company's marketing resources and exposure changes the game entirely, as opposed to me trying to get this thing out there with virtually no expertise in the field.

Is there a way (or is it even necessary) to protect my idea? I mean it's nothing brand new it's basically a compilation of things that have been done before but in other markets so I'm not sure I could claim anything mine here.

So just any input, opinion, advice, further questions or anything really you have to say about this, I'd love to hear it.

Thank you for your pescious time!

 

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[jon.a]

Why start with the APP? Is there another product that you could test the market with first to gain some experience and credibility to take to the table?

 

[jon.a]

Why start with the APP? Is there another product that you could test the market with first to gain some experience and credibility to take to the table?

Never mind.

I just reread your post and realized that you're not the PUA expert they are.

So, why do they need you?

 

[Carnage]

If you don't have an expertise in the field, why do you think this idea is valuable?

You said you need 2 things:
1 Obviously somebody who will design and code the whole thing. This part shouldn't be a problem.
2 But more importantly, I'll need someone who would help me come up with and organize all the content for the app. This is the bigger challenge, because I would need to work with someone who has years of experience in pickup AND teaching pickup.

I'm not sure if I missed something in your post, but you said you don't know how to code and you don't have content for the app? What exactly are you bringing to the table?

 

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[Jon L]

A former boss of mine worked at an unnamed huge computer company. He said that they would regularly get people with ideas coming in to pitch said large company in the hopes that the large company would work with them.

These people that presented their ideas:

1) were subject matter experts
2) had already spent a lot of time building out their product into a first version
3) Needed the large company's help to turn their prototype into a full-fledged product

The large company would always include a bunch of engineers in the presentation meeting.

My boss said that 'the smart presenters would quickly realize that there were more engineers than business people in the meeting, and they would move quickly through the meeting without revealing any technical details. The naive ones would blather on, giving up all the technical details about their product.'

This particular large company was more than well-equipped to bring any product they could dream up to market, so unless they saw that the presenter had something that they didn't (in the form of some unique expertise), they'd steal the idea and do it themselves. (When you spend $3 billion a year on R&D, you can do this kind of thing)

You need to strongly consider what you will bring to the table. From my vantage point, the only value you could add here would be large sums of money to pay everyone to put this product together for you. And producing a product that way is a recipe for disaster.

 

[CountMonteCristo]

Never mind.

I just reread your post and realized that you're not the PUA expert they are.

So, why do they need you?

Great question! That's exactly why I've come here to get a couple outsider opinions on this. Basically, what I'm bringing is the concept and system of the application which I've never seen in this field before. It could change the way people think about and do pickup when they go out. Also I am living in Hungary and pay here is pretty shit compared to the US so I could get the whole thing developed for way cheaper than they could while still paying an honest wage to the coder in question. I am a graphic designer and illustrator so I could do the design myself. So I would only need the company to pitch in with the content and in exchange I'm bringing a product that could very well be the next hype in pickup. And like I've said I would give up most of the profit to them, since they're the ones providing the content and ideally it would be a product under their name. But I would like to get some kind of return in exchange for discovering this opportunity and working out the fine details in the structure of the app. Is this crazy?

 

[jon.a]

Great question! That's exactly why I've come here to get a couple outsider opinions on this. Basically, what I'm bringing is the concept and system of the application which I've never seen in this field before. It could change the way people think about and do pickup when they go out. Also I am living in Hungary and pay here is pretty shit compared to the US so I could get the whole thing developed for way cheaper than they could while still paying an honest wage to the coder in question. I am a graphic designer and illustrator so I could do the design myself. So I would only need the company to pitch in with the content and in exchange I'm bringing a product that could very well be the next hype in pickup. And like I've said I would give up most of the profit to them, since they're the ones providing the content and ideally it would be a product under their name. But I would like to get some kind of return in exchange for discovering this opportunity and working out the fine details in the structure of the app. Is this crazy?

Yes, it is. As @Jon L said, don't pitch to the guys that might steal your product.

 

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[CountMonteCristo]

If you don't have an expertise in the field, why do you think this idea is valuable?

You said you need 2 things:
1 Obviously somebody who will design and code the whole thing. This part shouldn't be a problem.
2 But more importantly, I'll need someone who would help me come up with and organize all the content for the app. This is the bigger challenge, because I would need to work with someone who has years of experience in pickup AND teaching pickup.

I'm not sure if I missed something in your post, but you said you don't know how to code and you don't have content for the app? What exactly are you bringing to the table?

I see what people complain about in the community and I see what many people struggle with who go out regularly or just getting into doing pickup. I have some expertise in the field but have never taught pickup so as far as the content goes I don't have much tested material. What I've come up with is a practical app structure that would translate all the material in such a way that is tangible and easy to apply in every day situations and whenever one has time to game.

 

[CountMonteCristo]

Yes, it is. As @Jon L said, don't pitch to the guys that might steal your product.

So you're saying I should not try to make any deals with any company, but figure out how to get this thing up and running myslef?

 

[Jon L]

I see what people complain about in the community and I see what many people struggle with who go out regularly or just getting into doing pickup. I have some expertise in the field but have never taught pickup so as far as the content goes I don't have much tested material. What I've come up with is a practical app structure that would translate all the material in such a way that is tangible and easy to apply in every day situations and whenever one has time to game.

I'm not convinced that you really need 'content people' for this. There is a TON of content out there online that talks about this. None of it is unique. Don't steal it, obviously, but a lot of the key to selling something like this is to
1) Have decent content, but not perfect
2) sound confident about how you present it.

I'd look at hiring a writer from Fiverr or Upwork for the first version.

The app could work like this:

1) At a bar, the user would open the app
2) Type in a few characteristics about the girl they're interested in
--do they look outgoing? athletic? shy? smart? ditzy? are they with a group? what is the group like?
3) then suggest based on 'validated statistical analysis' (or some bs term you come up with) a few different approaches that will increase the user's odds.

 

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[jon.a]

So you're saying I should not try to make any deals with any company, but figure out how to get this thing up and running myslef?

Here's my thoughts. There are normally many ways to be right. Or to win. Unfortunately most people will fight that their right way is the only right way.

Our job is not to be wrong. Try very hard not to be wrong. Sharing your plan with someone that can hurt you is wrong.

Pick one of the many right ways and run with it.

 

[jazb]

Sounds like an absolute nightmare, in a crappy and shady industry.

 

[Andy Black]

Here's my thoughts. There are normally many ways to be right. Or to win. Unfortunately most people will fight that their right way is the only right way.

Our job is not to be wrong. Try very hard not to be wrong. Sharing your plan with someone that can hurt you is wrong.

Pick one of the many right ways and run with it.

Beautiful. I'm printing this out.

Thanks @jon.a

 

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[CountMonteCristo]

Here's my thoughts. There are normally many ways to be right. Or to win. Unfortunately most people will fight that their right way is the only right way.

Our job is not to be wrong. Try very hard not to be wrong. Sharing your plan with someone that can hurt you is wrong.

Pick one of the many right ways and run with it.

Wow, that's deep. And awesome. Thanks, I'll try and figure out additional options. I'll come back with any updates I have. Thank you all for all your two cents'!

 

[jon.a]

Wow, that's deep. And awesome. Thanks, I'll try and figure out additional options. I'll come back with any updates I have. Thank you all for all your two cents'!

Occasionally, I have a moment

The rest of the time, I'm an a**hole.

 

[Late Bloomer]

Do I just pitch my idea to one of the instructors and hope for the best?

This kind of pitch should go to the owner/board level of the training company, not to the individual instructors.

But I agree with Jon L that you don't seem to show, what's in it for them to make an exclusive deal with you?

They already have content.
They have enough money to hire coders.
They have a promotion and distribution channel for a new app.

If they agree with you that their content should be in app, why do they need you in the plan at all?

 

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