Free Invent It, Sell It, Bank It!: Make Your Million-Dollar Idea Into a Reality by Lori Greiner

handcrafting jewelry organizers to a select few; I wanted to make my product available to every woman who loved jewelry. So wood was out. Besides, all along I’d imagined that the organizer would be clear and sparkly. I’ve always loved the way light reflects off of crystal; if I could facet the sides, it might mimic that effect. And a clear material would match any setting, which was important because no woman was going to use an organizer that clashed with her décor. Glass would be too fragile and expensive, so obviously I was going to need to use plastic. But plastic might look cheap, and I wanted to create something beautiful. I kept thinking. What material is clear or neutral, durable, and relatively inexpensive? In the end,it was my prototype maker who came up with the answer. He used Lucite to create my prototype, but he suggested that in the future, polystyrene would be the right material for the final product because it was a less expensive plastic, yet still water clear.
    MAKING A PROTOTYPE
    How do you find a prototype maker? Today, all you have to do is Google the word “prototype” and your city or state, and the Internet will offer you a list of prototype makers in your area. But this was 1996, so I pulled out the Yellow Pages and looked up “prototype makers.” Sure enough, there was more than one located in Chicago. But how was I supposed to choose?
    As I would learn, all prototype makers are not alike. Each one specializes in fabricating products from a certain material. Some make products out of plastic, others out of metal, some out of wood, and others work with fabric and textiles, to name a few, so the first thing you need to find out is who makes prototypes out of the materials you need. Then pay a visit and interview the prototype maker. Ask to see models they have made, find out what they charge, and assess whether they are a good fit for you. Once you’re satisfied with the cost and quality of their product, and yourprototype maker has signed a nondisclosure agreement—very important if you have not already filed for a patent—you will hand over the design of your invention and they will refer to your specifications to create a functional model that you can use when conducting market research and giving pitches.

Any reputable prototype maker, manufacturer, or other company specializing in helping entrepreneurs and inventors bring new products to market should be willing to sign a nondisclosure agreement that forbids them to discuss, share, or otherwise use any part of your idea or design. If they refuse, walk away.
    Earlier I mentioned that more and more inventors are working with CAD designers to create detailed and realistic designs of their product. Increasingly, your prototype maker will use a 3-D printer to create your model.Rather than cut shapes out of materials and then assemble the parts the way traditional machines would, 3-D printers build up the product by putting down layers of materials—liquefied plastic, powdered metals, softened ceramic, or nylon, for example—which is why another term for the process of building objects with 3-D printing is “additive manufacturing.” Just a few years ago, 3-D printing, used in rapid prototyping (RP), still seemed the realm of sci-fi, but it is rapidly going mainstream. One day, we may all be printing products on demand—including your invention, perhaps—with the same ease and convenience as we print our documents at home. For now, though, CAD design and 3-D printing are still highly specialized processes, which require a lot of skill and training. A simple Google search will reveal that there are 3-D printers catering to small business owners and entrepreneurs located all across the country.

Even today $10,000 is considered a high price for a prototype. It’s unlikely yours will cost you anywhere near that much. The costs will vary widely, depending on your product’s size, shape, and the materials from which it is made.
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