We Say Goodbye to 3 Inventor-Entrepreneurs Featured This Year
In January 2009 we launched Spark, a yearlong hand-in-hand journey with three women inventor-entrepreneurs at different stages of their product-development cycles.
What started as an experiment turned into an immersive, voyeuristic learning lesson for all involved – for the three subjects, for those of us at the magazine, and, we trust, for readers.
While their three stories end with us – at least for the time being – we’re grateful and honored they allowed us an extended look behind the scenes.
We started posting parting thoughts on Wednesday with Julie Austin, followed by Madeline Canfield.
Our final Spark inventor:
Diana York, creator of the tri-chambered Slow Cooker Mate. She learned the time-honored lesson of failing early. In our May ’09 issue she revealed that an inspector at a factory in China found sloppy workmanship, including misplacement of the product’s logo. She was relieved the inspector caught this long before the shipment of substandard cookers left port. Here’s what she had to say:
My biggest learning lesson? Check and recheck work that is done by other people. Don’t ever assume they have checked their own work. Make sure you put things aside for a couple of days and then go back to check it. Mistakes get made when things are rushed.
Don’t take things personally and don’t let things get personal. Your vendors are not your friends and they will never care about your product as much as you do. Regardless what the salesperson promises, they will never work as hard as you will to sell and promote your product. Always remember that it is just business.
I always heard it took a lot of money to bring a product to market and never understood why. Whatever you think it will cost, you have underestimated by half of what it will actually cost. Whatever you think you will sell, you actually will sell half of that.
Reaching out to the bigger buyers has been very challenging. I have found they prefer to use a select group of salespeople and finding that select group has been hard. Being a single- product company is also a hurdle. Some big buyers don’t want to deal with a company that only has one product. They are accustomed to dealing with companies that have multiple products and there are costs involved every time they set up a new company as a vendor.
What I’ve enjoyed most is going to trade shows and meeting buyers and other exhibitors. I love getting in front of people and talking about Slow Cooker Mate.
My biggest disappointment has been Internet sales, which I expected to be higher. I concentrated a lot on the Web site. In retrospect, I would have been more focused on brick-and-mortar sales. I would have put a marketing package together to be sent to stores earlier in the year. And I would have spent more time researching names of buyers at stores to send the package to.
Would I do it all over again? Absolutely yes! The last year has been an incredible journey. I have done things that I did not know I was capable of doing. I never thought I would have the personal strength to make the decisions I have made this year. As a first time product-to-market inventor, there isn’t anyone there to guide you and help you along. It is you, alone.
As I look ahead, I can see a lot of obstacles, but I realize I have the strength and courage to overcome anything put in my path. There will always be another mountain. It will be up to me to decide if I will go over, around or just simply move it out of my way!
Location: Midlothian, Texas
Product: Slow Cooker Mate
Web site: www.slowcookermate.com
Background: Certified public accountant
