Archive for the ‘mothers of invention’ Category
|Research or Presearch?
Thursday, February 4th, 2010
If you are developing a new product, research is critical for many reasons. David Fannin of Sorcit has some tips to help you succeed, and introduces a new concept, Presearch.
Most new products fail before they get off the ground. Some experts estimate that the new product success rate is no higher than 14%. This results in wasted time, money and opportunity. (more…)
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Mumpreneur Product Development Competition
Monday, December 7th, 2009
Prima Baby, Baby Expert and Hippychick have got together to help one mum turn a product idea into reality. If you’d like to win a year’s mentoring plus inclusion in the Hippychick catalogue, find out more here. There’s a webchat today about the competition on the Baby Expert site too.
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Inventing a Product: Design Tips from Sorcit
Monday, December 7th, 2009
Got an idea you’d like to realise? Or an existing product you want to improve? David Fannin of Sorcit Design has years of experience working with major blue chip companies on innovative product ideas. He shared his tips for getting your product idea off the ground last month. In this new article for Family Friendly Working he explains how to make sure that your design has the key elements to ensure that it will succeed: (more…)
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Enterprise Week: Got a Great Product Idea?
Friday, November 20th, 2009
If you’ve had a great idea for a product, watch out for our new series of articles from Sorcit. David Fannin of Sorcit starts this off with his Top 5 Tips for Developing a New Product
- Research the market well before committing to potentially expensive development costs.
- Make sure your product has a Unique Selling Point.
- Where possible ensure you protect the intellectual property of your idea/brandname. Patent Attorneys are a good source for initial advice.
- Develop a good working prototype which can be used to sell the idea to potential buyers & investors. This should be supported with branding, packaging, merchandising and marketing solutions.
- Where possible try to minimise risk by negotiating smaller production runs to test the market, even if this means paying a higher unit cost in the beginning.
Don’t know how to bring your idea for a new product to market?
Sorcit specialises in taking individuals ideas and developing them from concept through to manufacture. David Fannin says, “We are passionate about helping to turn people’s ideas into reality from the product, through to how it is packaged and finally displayed in the stores……the complete end-to-end service. We don’t charge the high development fees which most design consultancies in UK will do. For many people this can be a major barrier to actually taking the idea further – we want to remove these barriers to help bring a lot more exciting products to market.”
If you currently have an idea which needs taking further, you might be interested in entering Sorcit’s MUMPRENEUR COMPETITION. Over the coming months, Sorcit will provide advice on Design, Market Research, Protecting your idea, Prototyping, Manufacture, Quality Control, Shipping/Logistics, Branding and Marketing/Promotion. In the meantime, why not take a look at www.sorcitproducts.com for more information about their services and to see examples of recent projects.
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Mumpreneur News: Mothers of Innovation
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009
Reports on the Credit Crunch have indicated that it is affecting women in employment more than in previous downturns. New website Mothers of Innovation aims to be an antidote to recessionary gloom and a breath of fresh air for working women and mothers in the UK.
Founder Sarah Dawnay set up Mothers of Innovation after she was made redundant from her job; with the only available earning options seeming to be corporate roles which make no allowance for women with young families, or pyramid selling schemes that were either patronising or expensive, Sarah turned to her own initiative.
She says “As a Mum I had already come up with a great design for my little girl when she needed a coat but hated putting one on – and I realised that there must be many Mums like me, who have great ideas and skills but who just lack an appropriate way to get their products to market; thus Mothers of Innovation was born!”
Sarah is determined that out of her redundancy she will build not only a new career for herself but a great resource for Mumpreneurs with ideas and help for those trying to start their own business. Also, for busy Mums the site is also a fantastic shopping experience with a huge range of quirky, innovative products inspired by real parents, as well as tips, recipes and fun stories about our children.
MOIXX sells products which have been devised to answer thorny parenting issues. For example, with five young boys how do you juggle them, your handbag and keep the baby’s socks on? How can you carry a baby AND all your belongings on the school run? How do you keep 4 to 8 year olds happy on a rainy afternoon?
Sock Ones are the ingenious little things that keep those socks on; the Baby and All Bag carries all your essentials and baby too! and the incredible Spark Box was designed by a Mum of two to be multi-sensory, educational, interactive and ethical: and at just £15 is a great credit crunch alternative to an expensive day out! The site allows you to search according to a range of criteria such as fairly traded British made, organic and goodies made from recycled materials.
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Have You an Idea for an Invention?
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009
Read about how some ordinary folk got their bright ideas on the market in the Daily Mail. You can find out more about mumpreneur Rachel Bloom and her invention, Hug-a-Bump here. I trialled the maternity support belt Rachel devised during my recent pregnancy, and can say how well made and comfortable it is – a great invention Rachel.
Tags: mothers of invention
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