Hey Guys,
I'm considering starting my own small electronics company. I have a few nice project ideas, and I'd like to get everybody's ideas and advice on how to proceed, business-wise. I have enough experience with making prototype electronics to ensure that my projects come to life, but I'm not too sure where to go from there.
One project idea, for example, is very similar to an FM Tuner for an iPod. Of course, that's not the real meat of it, but it's conceptually similar. As you know, the design and fabrication of such a prototype is not terribly expensive. After I have my own working prototype, I'd plan to produce a few more for friends, design spiraling all the while, and then perhaps do a KickStarter to sell some V1.0's. My question, really, is where do I go from there?
Do I try to patent my circuit concept and sell the patents to larger companies who would do industrial-size runs of the electronics? How do I ensure that my idea is not CC'd by a big company? Or, would I then have to bite the bullet and mass-produce the product myself, selling the final product to retailers for resale? I imagine someone somewhere has some experience with this sort of thing, I just hope that someone on this site does, too.
Thanks!
- Aws
I'm considering starting my own small electronics company. I have a few nice project ideas, and I'd like to get everybody's ideas and advice on how to proceed, business-wise. I have enough experience with making prototype electronics to ensure that my projects come to life, but I'm not too sure where to go from there.
One project idea, for example, is very similar to an FM Tuner for an iPod. Of course, that's not the real meat of it, but it's conceptually similar. As you know, the design and fabrication of such a prototype is not terribly expensive. After I have my own working prototype, I'd plan to produce a few more for friends, design spiraling all the while, and then perhaps do a KickStarter to sell some V1.0's. My question, really, is where do I go from there?
Do I try to patent my circuit concept and sell the patents to larger companies who would do industrial-size runs of the electronics? How do I ensure that my idea is not CC'd by a big company? Or, would I then have to bite the bullet and mass-produce the product myself, selling the final product to retailers for resale? I imagine someone somewhere has some experience with this sort of thing, I just hope that someone on this site does, too.
Thanks!
- Aws