Finding a Manufacturer for a New Product -- Need an Expert
I just finished listening to one of Dan's podcasts, and in it, he referenced the story of Silly Bandz, which reminded me that I have an idea for a "twist" on an existing product. If I were to pursue the idea, I suppose I would need to first research any potential patent violation, and if that were not an obstacle, how to find a manufacturer. Is anyone knowledgeable in this area?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Caleb Simpson on -
What type of product? That makes a difference. If you have a food product, I know from experience it will be very hard to find somebody to produce exactly what you want. I had to start my own production facility. If you have an actual tangible product, you might have an easier time finding a manufacturer. But, I am not an expert in this area, but the more you dig for information the more you will find. I would suggest calling manufacturers you already know about (assuming you have found some) and ask them for advice. I was shocked at the number of people that were willing to just give us information when we started up. We meet over lunch with several people and had lots of phone calls when starting up. People are generally very nice and willing to help.
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Permalink Reply by Dan Miller on -
Diane,
You can do most of the research on other patents yourself at the United States Patent & Trademark Office. http://www.uspto.gov/
And you can find anything you need to know about manufacturers for prototypes at Stephen Key's site: http://stephenkey.com/resources/
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