The Journey of Building and Selling a Physical Product

[Aidan04]

**Update: This is no longer what this thread is about. This thread is about a product that works in general and will continue until something sticks. Scroll down to see more.**

By following this thread, you will be one of the first to witness greatness.

This is the start of my very first progress thread, however, it's not the start of my progress. This product has been about 5 months in the making.

I will be posting about my progress on my patent-pending product Setsign that you can learn more about from the thread here.

I'm going to break it down into a structure every day, and I would love it if you guys would hold me accountable/give criticism on my work.

This week's tasks:
- Finish model v5 on the printer
- Spray paint and finish models
- Start LinkedIn marketing
- Finish website
- Get product photos/videos taken
- Re-tool social media marketing for b2b sales
- Speak to gym owners about testing it in their gym

Let me know if you guys think I should be adding anything to the task list.

 

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[Spenny]

Dope, fantastic to see the accountability. Keep posting and being honest with yourself; you are your best critic, after all.

 

[Aidan04]

Today's achievements: got most of the website done. I finished writing most of the copy. Take a look and roast the hell out of it at setssign.com, password is wave5.

Tomorrow I am going to print and paint more Setsigns so I can get them demoed in local gyms. I'm also going to start emailing local gyms in the area.

I need to find out where gym owners congregate and how I can market to them besides just approaching them in person or over email.

 

[Spenny]

Awesome, plenty has been added on since I was there. Some ideas:

-put this bit near the top
Clearly illustrated the value adds.
- I've not actually seen a photo of it or video in use. What's it's functionality? How do I install it?
- When taking photos of it, put it onto machines/racks to show where it's meant to be.
- this is an item where someone will buy bulk. Have the pages illustrate a pricing table, clearly outlining the discount saved.

 

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[Stargazer]

What figure do you have in mind as price point?

Dan

 

[Aidan04]

What figure do you have in mind as price point?

Dan

Starts at 11.95 and goes down from there. It's based on volume so the more you order the bigger the discount you get. Photos are going to be up as soon as the new colored models finish printing. As of now, models take a very long time to print out and finish so getting a mold for injection molding is my main manufacturing goal.

 

[Spenny]

How's the contacting of new client's going?

 

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[Aidan04]

How's the contacting of new client's going?

Sent my first email today! Going to be sending plenty more tmrw.

I contacted Dave, a local gym owner:

Hey Dave, hope you're doing well!

My name is Aidan, and I'm a student and a local entrepreneur from [REDACTED]. Recently, I invented a small patent-pending device called Setsign that's been making waves in the local fitness industry. I've been working on it for several months now, and since you're a local gym owner, I thought you might be interested in how Setsign can transform your gym experience.

You see, the idea for Setsign was born out of my own frustrations at the gym. As a fitness enthusiast and someone who values uninterrupted workouts, I noticed how often people would interrupt each other to ask about set availability, which often spawned confusion when everyone was wearing headphones. That's when I got inspired to create Setsign, a simple yet effective solution that eliminates the need for these interruptions.

Here's how Setsign can benefit [REDACTED]:

1. Improve Gym Efficiency: Setsign eliminates the need for members to inquire about set availability, reducing interruptions and wait times. This means smoother transitions between workouts, keeping your gym running efficiently.

2. Enhance Member Experience: With Setsigns in place, gym-goers feel more comfortable and confident, knowing they won't be bothered during their workouts. It fosters a positive and inviting atmosphere that encourages regular visits.

3. Promote Safety and Hygiene: Setsigns visually communicate machine availability, eliminating the need for members to touch equipment and reducing potential contact with germs. This promotes a cleaner and safer gym environment.

4. Differentiate from Competitors: Offering Setsign as a unique amenity sets your gym apart from others, showing that you prioritize member experience and convenience.

Promote Inclusivity: Setsign is especially valuable for deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals, providing a visual and accessible method to communicate workout status without the need for verbal interactions.

Elevate Your Gym's Reputation: Create a top-notch workout space with Setsign. Join the fitness revolution and redefine the gym experience for your valued members. Elevate your gym's reputation and deliver a seamless, efficient, and inclusive fitness environment.

I'd love to chat with you more about Setsign and how it can benefit [REDACTED], and possibly give you some free samples so you can see its usefulness on your equipment. If you're interested, I can also provide a demonstration or answer any questions you might have. Let's schedule a time to connect and discuss further.

Looking forward to talking with you and exploring how Setsign can elevate your gym's reputation and deliver a seamless, efficient, and inclusive fitness environment.

Best regards,
Aidan [REDACTED]

 

[Aidan04]

Today's Progress: email and website updates, as well as getting new models going on the printer.
I called a local planet fitness. Here is what I sent after.
Also: if anyone has any advice at all for email marketing/cold calling I would really appreciate it because I am totally in the dark and have no idea if I am F*cking this up.

Email:
Hi Lindsay, I seemed to have just missed you. I called Planet Fitness in [REDACTED] and one of your very nice employees named Kanen gave me your contact information.

I wanted to inquire about testing my new product in your gym and possibly having the Planet Fitness gyms in the area adopt it permanently if you come to like them.

My name is Aidan, and I'm a local college student as well as the inventor of a product named Setsign. It is a small device that allows members to showcase the number of sets they have left and their availability, without any interruptions or distractions to others. I have done some testing at my college's gym, and people seem to like them.

It streamlines gym workouts, reducing wait times, and creates a smoother transition between exercises. It can be affixed to machines using either double-sided tape or a strong built-in magnet and is fully customizable to match your gym's aesthetic (the colors for Planet Fitness come to mind).

A few other benefits include:

Elevating Member Experience: Uninterrupted and focused workouts, fostering a positive atmosphere.
Promoting Inclusivity: Visual communication for deaf or hard-of-hearing members.
Enhancing Hygiene and Safety: Touch-free equipment status tracking.
Differentiation from Competitors: Setsigns are unique amenities, prioritizing convenience and satisfaction.

I honestly feel like this product would be perfect for your gym and Planet Fitness in general, due to it creating more of a "no judgment" environment.

I want to give your gym a few free models to test (in Planet Fitness colors), so I can get a good look at how much people are using them. If you come to like having them in your gym, I would love to discuss getting your gyms fully stocked with them.

I have also attached some images to this email so you can get a gist of what it looks like and how it functions.

Please feel free to reach out to me at [REDACTED]/sales@setssign.com or [REDACTED] to schedule a meeting or if you have any questions. I look forward to hearing from you and potentially working together to create an exceptional gym experience for your members.
Thank you for your time and consideration.

How did we do?

 

[jclean]

Did you receive reactions on your emails ?

 

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[Stargazer]

The problem with your email apart from being too long is that your product doesn't actually have any real benefit to the gym other than as a free promotional gift they may want to give away as they might do with water bottles, towels, pens, keyrings etc.

That is to say things the gym would purchase to give away and not be too bothered about whether they were actually used by the customer of thrown in he back of a drawer at home never to see the light of day again.

Your actual product is simply a ruler with a slider on it as used by thousands of Primary Schools in UK for teaching Count On and Count Back to Year 1/2 and Snooker/Pool Halls for keeping score. I appreciate that you would not want to think of it as such though.

Your original idea is for a user to convey how many sets the user has left. So the Free/Taken is not really relevant as this is visually obvious. Therefore it really is only the number display that is required to do this and any gym could just buy a large font 10 cm ruler and stick it on the machine if they saw your email and thought it's a good idea.

So if you want to sell it then think of selling it as a free giveway product. ie To promotional companies that brand mugs, water bottles etc for gyms who do a 'Get a Free xyz if sign up by 31st July' or 'Get a Free xyz if you can do 20 pushups in under a minute' that sort of thing where gyms buy countless promotional gifts because retention is the gyms biggest problem. Every 1 month a user stays is almost 100% profit which is why gyms give things away.

Also a manufacturer would possibly buy for the same reason. Simply to throw it in the gyms order for free. If you speak to manufacturers they would also be interested in what else you have thought of if you were in front of them as they would be thinking what edge can they have over another manufacturer to get a gym to order from them. eg Whoever came up with padded collars for barbells when squating probably had the same idea as you. Consumers would want it and buy it. But it's actually the manufacturers who ended up buying them and would chuck it in the order which is why so many gyms had them 20 years ago.

Dan

 

[Aidan04]

Just had my inbox blown up with all of everyone's responses across the threads. I appreciate everyone's input on how you could make this work but that's just the problem. I'm trying to make it work, the value wasn't conveyed right out of the gate. A really good product should immediately convey that yes, it's worth it. No amount of marketing and copy adjustment will fix this. It doesn't solve a big enough problem that warrants purchasing.

Look, the truth is that I was somewhat delusional. I suffer from OCD, meaning I get hung up and obsessed on things very easily. This causes numerous problems when you shut everyone's input out, even though you need help.

I think I have something much much better now. I believe I've invented something that will actually improve and even save lives in some cases as well as enforce a safety law that is often forgotten. A true value creator.

Though creating it is much more complex than just resin molding a piece of plastic, I am more than ready for this task.

I'm going to keep posting to this thread because the title also applies to my next product. As soon as the materials come in I'll show you all the basic prototype.

What took me months before will now only take a few weeks, and this is the benefit of hindsight. I've learned a lot from Setsign.

 

[Aidan04]

The Beginning Of Something New:

While Setsign is now gone, I'm not one to quickly give up. I immediately got back up and got back to work.

What I am prototyping now is something I am calling the KeepClear system.



The Pitch/Need:
(Info from: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)

In the United States alone, tailgating remains a significant cause of rear-end collisions, contributing to approximately one-third of all accidents. Often caused by inattentiveness or aggressive driving, such incidents result in severe injuries and vehicle damages. What if a device existed to help prevent these occurrences and serve as a wake-up call, alerting drivers to the dangers of their actions?

Introducing KeepClear.

Why settle for a useless plate frame or a passive-aggressive sticker on your car? Instead, imagine having a device that provides others with a gentle reminder when they are tailgating too closely.

• Advanced Sonic Sensors: KeepClear utilizes state-of-the-art sonic sensors to detect vehicles within a 10-foot range of your rear end. This technology allows for ample time for drivers to acknowledge the warning and adjust their speed accordingly. These sensors are also intelligent, meaning that KeepClear doesn’t turn on when your car isn’t moving.
• Gentle Reminder with Reflective Yellow Lights: The yellow lights incorporated into the system serve as a gentle reminder to drivers following your car. These lights blink once every half second, indicating a warning without causing distress or aggression.
• Weatherproof Design: KeepClear is built with weatherproof features, ensuring reliable performance and durability even in various weather conditions.
• Convenient Rechargeable Battery: KeepClear comes equipped with a rechargeable built-in battery that provides up to a year of usage straight out of the box. No need to connect it to your car's wiring, ensuring effortless and hassle-free installation.

KeepClear is your ally in promoting road safety, fostering courteous driving, and preventing rear-end collisions. Drive with confidence, knowing you have a reliable partner to keep tailgaters at a safe distance.

The Work (so far):
Within a day of planning this out, I have immediately gathered my materials and I am prototyping as we speak. Initial tests will be calibration of all the components as well as the code, and moving forward creating custom PCBs as well as CAD modeling the frame. Today specifically, I am calibrating the ultrasonic sensor.



Please leave your thoughts and feedback.

 

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[Spenny]

I have some things to keep in mind.

• I will not see the lights if I'm too close to the car. Who to say that I'll not just ignore it because it blends into all the other lights on the road?
• Would this prevent damage to my car from happening? How do I not know it will damage my car & I'll be liable?
• Not sure if this would be classed as dazzling for other drivers; legality is key here.

Being the ultimate critic here, we've got to make sure that this is bulletproof!

 

[Aidan04]

I have some things to keep in mind.

• I will not see the lights if I'm too close to the car. Who to say that I'll not just ignore it because it blends into all the other lights on the road?
• Would this prevent damage to my car from happening? How do I not know it will damage my car & I'll be liable?
• Not sure if this would be classed as dazzling for other drivers; legality is key here.

Being the ultimate critic here, we've got to make sure that this is bulletproof!

For point 1 I need to find a light that is reflective enough, like the brake light for example, and that should be no problem.
For point 2 that is an excellent topic to bring up and I will need to include a legal disclaimer stating that we are in no way responsible for damages as people have their own free will and can (unfortunately and idiotically) choose to ignore it.
For point 3 I can just use the same luminosity as I did in point 1 and it should be solid. More testing will need to be done of course.

Thanks for the feedback my man, I need all of the weak spots to be revealed so they don't end up becoming large problems down the line.

 

[biophase]

For point 1 I need to find a light that is reflective enough, like the brake light for example, and that should be no problem.
For point 2 that is an excellent topic to bring up and I will need to include a legal disclaimer stating that we are in no way responsible for damages as people have their own free will and can (unfortunately and idiotically) choose to ignore it.
For point 3 I can just use the same luminosity as I did in point 1 and it should be solid. More testing will need to be done of course.

Thanks for the feedback my man, I need all of the weak spots to be revealed so they don't end up becoming large problems down the line.

So if somebody is within 10 feet of your car, the yellow lights go from blinking to solid? Is that basically the function of this license plate holder?

 

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[Aidan04]

So if somebody is within 10 feet of your car, the yellow lights go from blinking to solid? Is that basically the function of this license plate holder?

No, essentially it's just off and inactive until someone gets that close, and then when they enter the range they turn on and start blinking.

I'm actually going to pivot here. After extensive sensor testing with multiple sensors, I'm switching this to a wireless remote system like a garage door opener or a keychain remote.

This prevents:
- Accidental firing due to noise/being stopped in traffic
- Having lights blink at someone you don't want them blinking at
- Range issues

I think this will be better because users will feel they have more control over it.

 

[Mikkel]

The Work (so far):
Within a day of planning this out, I have immediately gathered my materials and I am prototyping as we speak. Initial tests will be calibration of all the components as well as the code, and moving forward creating custom PCBs as well as CAD modeling the frame. Today specifically, I am calibrating the ultrasonic sensor.

View attachment 50537

Please leave your thoughts and feedback.

If you decide to go with this concept, could this be better packaged for licensing out your technology to major car companies if it doesn't already exist? I'm assuming every major car company already has high-grade sensors. You could probably file a PPA for the utility of sending a signal to people behind the car to warn them they are to close. As far as I know, which is not much, all of the cars sensors only warn the owner of the car if they are getting to close to objects, not warning others outside of the car.

Interesting concept. I wish you the best!

 

[Aidan04]

If you decide to go with this concept, could this be better packaged for licensing out your technology to major car companies if it doesn't already exist? I'm assuming every major car company already has high-grade sensors. You could probably file a PPA for the utility of sending a signal to people behind the car to warn them they are to close. As far as I know, which is not much, all of the cars sensors only warn the owner of the car if they are getting to close to objects, not warning others outside of the car.

Interesting concept. I wish you the best!

I've been considering this route if I can get the system to work properly and consistently. If this can get some sales I feel like I could eventually license the tech out to car manufacturers. I'm sure they'd love a feature like this.

If/when it gets to that point, I think people will still like the plate cover as well (for car models made before the manufacturer upgrade).

Either way thank you for the input!

 

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[Mikkel]

I've been considering this route if I can get the system to work properly and consistently. If this can get some sales I feel like I could eventually license the tech out to car manufacturers. I'm sure they'd love a feature like this.

If/when it gets to that point, I think people will still like the plate cover as well (for car models made before the manufacturer upgrade).

Either way thank you for the input!

This is not to sway you away from your original idea if you believe developing the plate cover and selling it is better than licensing.

However, IF you think licensing the tech out is the end goal, then why not go straight for licensing? It should be pretty simple to find the potential companies. Virtually every car manufacturing company could be a potential target. You don't need prior sales to get companies to want to license your product.

However, if you think selling the product is a more viable route, go that route. Both seem to be viable routes, choose one and stick to it.

 

[biophase]

No, essentially it's just off and inactive until someone gets that close, and then when they enter the range they turn on and start blinking.

I'm actually going to pivot here. After extensive sensor testing with multiple sensors, I'm switching this to a wireless remote system like a garage door opener or a keychain remote.

This prevents:
- Accidental firing due to noise/being stopped in traffic
- Having lights blink at someone you don't want them blinking at
- Range issues

I think this will be better because users will feel they have more control over it.

I think you really need to define what your product does. I just don’t understand it.

So now, the driver turns it on when they think a car is too close?

Why would noise have set this off?

 

[Aidan04]

I think you really need to define what your product does. I just don’t understand it.

So now, the driver turns it on when they think a car is too close?

Why would noise have set this off?

Noise as in interference, not actual sound, though real sound could have interfered with the sonic sensor.

To put it simply: have you ever been driving and someone is way too close to your a$$? Well this is a way to help prevent that.

You click a button, and lights on your license plate cover flash twice to signal "back off". There are also more light options but I'll get into that later on.

In cars people have anonymity, kind of like comments on the internet. People can't register that there is an actual human being inside that two ton piece of steel (lifted truck drivers lol).

This is my way of allowing that sort of barrier to be broken while also being used as a safety device.

 

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[jclean]

People who tailgate are often frustrated and in a hurry. I have a hunch that your product is going to work like a red rag on a raging bull....

People also often slam on the brakes to show that they are bothered by tailgating....

I understand the idea but doesn't seem like a winner to me honestly.

 

[MRiabov]

This is a rather simple product to test. Should be, at least.

Create a solid CAD, 3d print it, and then:

1) run some ads (100-200€ range)
2) reach out to manufacturers, maybe this would be a solid improvement.
Considering that it is cheap, too...

You are inventing, man! That's awesome! I don't know if someone will use it, but you have all the stuff to hit it! Good job!

P. S. Car forums? Reddit?
See if the gumball is gold. Maybe it is.

I understand the idea but doesn't seem like a winner to me honestly.

Oh yeah, I imagine you are stuck in traffic for 2 hours, and this mf beeping lights.

 

[Aidan04]

People who tailgate are often frustrated and in a hurry. I have a hunch that your product is going to work like a red rag on a raging bull....

People also often slam on the brakes to show that they are bothered by tailgating....

I understand the idea but doesn't seem like a winner to me honestly.

May not be, but it makes you feel safer if you're the user. Either way, some testing will reveal if it's a winner or not.

This is supposed to be a safe alternative to brake checking like you mentioned by the way. This allows you to flash lights without stopping the car.

 

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[Aidan04]

This is a rather simple product to test. Should be, at least.

Create a solid CAD, 3d print it, and then:

1) run some ads (100-200€ range)
2) reach out to manufacturers, maybe this would be a solid improvement.
Considering that it is cheap, too...

You are inventing, man! That's awesome! I don't know if someone will use it, but you have all the stuff to hit it! Good job!

P. S. Car forums? Reddit?
See if the gumball is gold. Maybe it is.


Oh yeah, I imagine you are stuck in traffic for 2 hours, and this mf beeping lights.

Thank you man, I appreciate the support.

If you use this while stuck in traffic you are a complete a**hole hahaha.

Definitely is a straightforward process (in my head) for how to take this forward. Besides just getting the CAD done, I will have to get pcb's made in order to be able to cram the parts in there as well as make a remote.

 

[Aidan04]

It's been a few days but we are still moving.

I did a lot of research and learning on electronics and wiring today, as well as deciding what type of lights should be used for the frame. It seems "rock lights" typically used on off-road vehicles and trucks would be suitable due to their waterproof status and luminosity during the day and night. They are also reflective.



I also wired up a button test for the LEDs once they arrive. It's pretty boring but it helped me get some more groundwork laid out for the actual remote.

I'm going to be CAD modeling the frame soon and get all the components stuffed in there so I can create an MVP and show this off to potential buyers.

Stay tuned.

 

[Genius01]

It's been a few days but we are still moving.

I did a lot of research and learning on electronics and wiring today, as well as deciding what type of lights should be used for the frame. It seems "rock lights" typically used on off-road vehicles and trucks would be suitable due to their waterproof status and luminosity during the day and night. They are also reflective.

View attachment 50650

I also wired up a button test for the LEDs once they arrive. It's pretty boring but it helped me get some more groundwork laid out for the actual remote.

I'm going to be CAD modeling the frame soon and get all the components stuffed in there so I can create an MVP and show this off to potential buyers.

Stay tuned.

To be frank, I actually like your idea on initial thoughts, contrary to what most people on the thread say.

Because I've had this problem myself with someone tailgating me, and wished I had a safe way to warn him to back off.

To those saying they slam on the brakes suddenly as a way to warn the person off, it's not everyone that is inclined towards doing that. I personally don't, as I'm concerned that the person tailgating may not be paying attention so closely, or may be drunk/tipsy and not in full control of himself, and so may hit my car from the rear if I hit the brakes suddenly at the wrong moment, even if I only tap the brakes very briefly.

So for that reason I don't do the brake slamming thingy. I would much prefer a way to flash lights at the person to warn him off, much the same way as we flash our full headlights briefly at an oncoming vehicle in front of us to either get their attention or warn them of something like if they're inadvertently straying into our lane, as an alternative to honking at them.

So this would be the rear end equivalent of that and I like that, as I've often wondered if there could be a feature like that and why there's nothing like that.
(Like the ability to flash our rear lights without necessarily hitting the brakes).
And I imagine there would be at least a few other people like me, and the OP is apparently one of us.

What I don't know though is whether I like it enough to pay for it right now, as tailgating doesn't happen to me so frequently where I reside as to make it a significant problem for me personally.
As a rough estimate of frequency, It's probably happened enough to bother me if say like 1-2 times in the past 1 year or more, if at all (that's the degree of tailgating that would make me want to tell the person to back off, ...as minor tailgating happens a lot but that's usually for a short while and not too close until the person enters another lane within a few seconds).

So I don't know whether it's enough of a problem for me personally to pay for it, though the few times it's happened to me enough to get annoyed about, I actually wished I had a feature like this on the car.
But I also think if it's an environment or city where a lot of people tailgate aggressively as a hobby, then I imagine a lot of people wouldn't mind buying it, if it's not expensive. As I would happily buy it too if I were in such an environment of frequent aggressive tailgating.

And this is where testing comes into play, you can test it on the market and see if people would buy. Especially if you can target areas where tailgating is known to be a major problem.
And if there's a way to test it with mockup images before you actually create the products, to verify demand, even better.
That's like put mockup images of the final product on a simple landing page and drive targeted traffic to it and see if people bite, before going through the whole process of creating the actual physical functional product.
So you can potentially save yourself months to years of work if you're not getting traction despite driving targeted traffic at a reasonable price point (which you can also vary and test to get an idea of what price people would pay for it).



PART 2:
Another variant of your idea that has occurred to me, that I think you can also create in addition to what you're doing, is to simply make it purely decorative rather than functional. As a way to add some swag and pizzazz to the rear end of their car.
With some colourful lights and designs around the plate number (not so bright as to cause distractions though whether in the day or at night, just enough to be eye-catching and pretty to look at).
For those who would like some extra flair on their car. So it goes in the same line with those chrome grills and fancy rims, fancy rear lights or other kinds of external enhancements some people like to put on their car.
And if there's a way to add a few letters or words that glow up just to add some extra personality to it, even better.

So the target market will be those that like to spice up their car exterior to make it more fun, but that becomes more of a want rather than a need.
So the target market for this particular product will be different from those you're targeting with the safety warning "back off lights" idea.

But still, something for you to consider on the side if it's feasible.

 

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[Aidan04]

To be frank, I actually like your idea on initial thoughts, contrary to what most people on the thread say.

Because I've had this problem myself with someone tailgating me, and wished I had a safe way to warn him to back off.

To those saying they slam on the brakes suddenly as a way to warn the person off, it's not everyone that is inclined towards doing that. I personally don't, as I'm concerned that the person tailgating may not be paying attention so closely, or may be drunk/tipsy and not in full control of himself, and so may hit my car from the rear if I hit the brakes suddenly at the wrong moment, even if I only tap the brakes very briefly.

So for that reason I don't do the brake slamming thingy. I would much prefer a way to flash lights at the person to warn him off, much the same way as we flash our full headlights briefly at an oncoming vehicle in front of us to either get their attention or warn them of something like if they're inadvertently straying into our lane, as an alternative to honking at them.

So this would be the rear end equivalent of that and I like that, as I've often wondered if there could be a feature like that and why there's nothing like that.
(Like the ability to flash our rear lights without necessarily hitting the brakes).
And I imagine there would be at least a few other people like me, and the OP is apparently one of us.

What I don't know though is whether I like it enough to pay for it right now, as tailgating doesn't happen to me so frequently where I reside as to make it a significant problem for me personally.
As a rough estimate of frequency, It's probably happened enough to bother me if say like 1-2 times in the past 1 year or more, if at all (that's the degree of tailgating that would make me want to tell the person to back off, ...as minor tailgating happens a lot but that's usually for a short while and not too close until the person enters another lane within a few seconds).

So I don't know whether it's enough of a problem for me personally to pay for it, though the few times it's happened to me enough to get annoyed about, I actually wished I had a feature like this on the car.
But I also think if it's an environment or city where a lot of people tailgate aggressively as a hobby, then I imagine a lot of people wouldn't mind buying it, if it's not expensive. As I would happily buy it too if I were in such an environment of frequent aggressive tailgating.

And this is where testing comes into play, you can test it on the market and see if people would buy. Especially if you can target areas where tailgating is known to be a major problem.
And if there's a way to test it with mockup images before you actually create the products, to verify demand, even better.
That's like put mockup images of the final product on a simple landing page and drive targeted traffic to it and see if people bite, before going through the whole process of creating the actual physical functional product.
So you can potentially save yourself months to years of work if you're not getting traction despite driving targeted traffic at a reasonable price point (which you can also vary and test to get an idea of what price people would pay for it).



PART 2:
Another variant of your idea that has occurred to me, that I think you can also create in addition to what you're doing, is to simply make it purely decorative rather than functional. As a way to add some swag and pizzazz to the rear end of their car.
With some colourful lights and designs around the plate number (not so bright as to cause distractions though whether in the day or at night, just enough to be eye-catching and pretty to look at).
For those who would like some extra flair on their car. So it goes in the same line with those chrome grills and fancy rims, fancy rear lights or other kinds of external enhancements some people like to put on their car.
And if there's a way to add a few letters or words that glow up just to add some extra personality to it, even better.

So the target market will be those that like to spice up their car exterior to make it more fun, but that becomes more of a want rather than a need.
So the target market for this particular product will be different from those you're targeting with the safety warning "back off lights" idea.

But still, something for you to consider on the side if it's feasible.

Thank you for the feedback. The points you brought up in the first section are exactly why I wanted to build this device. I effectively wanted something where I can "speak" to drivers and peds behind me by flashing lights, as you would with your headlights. As for the decorative idea, I actually looked into this before and there are many laws in the States against certain colors and lighting that are used for things other than safety purposes, so I'm not sure that would work well.

Also, progress post:

Electronics are HARD.

But that does not dissuade me at all. I recently learned what a step-up voltage converter is when I plugged in my lights for the first time and nothing happened. I had too low of a voltage for it to provide power to the rock lights.

One part of building this that I love is that I am learning so much along the way, and it's actually a really great experience even though it can be highly frustrating. Even building something as seemingly simple as this can be quite challenging when you're learning for the first time.

Stay tuned.

 

[Aidan04]

Progress Post 8/15/23
Apologies for the gaps between posts, I've been working on this relentlessly so I've been forgetting to make the progress posts.

So after fiddling around with the voltage boosters for awhile, I managed to create the correct amount of V for the rock lights. After that I attached them up to a MOFSET controller and did some more testing like making them flash.

They are very bright which is good.

Next step is building a small prototype remote. I'm waiting for a set of proto-boards to come in so I can build the prototype remote and connect it to the assembly.

The remote has 3 options:
-Manual control (press to turn on/off)
-Continuous flashing (like hazard lights)
-2 quick flashes (a quick way to say "back off" or "your brights are on")

I am very close to having a working MVP, and once I have it I plan on building some traction.

Stay tuned.