Image by nugroho dwi hartawan from

By Henry Brown

The business world always has more than enough room for new ideas, and innovation lies at the business world’s heart. But there is a huge gap between having a ground-breaking business idea and turning it into a successful business product. And most often, people end up abandoning their good ideas mid-flight for various reasons. So, is the light bulb above your head glowing? Do you want to launch a successful small business from it? Don’t be in haste to boast to your friends just yet; turn your idea into a marketable product with these tips.

Protect your idea

First things first! You need to protect your invention or new business idea. Whether you want to sell it to an interested party or launch a business yourself, there’s no guarantee you’ll make money from it if you don’t file a patent. Filing a patent also helps to ensure that no one lays claim to your idea – at least, not successfully. If you’re not sure what your first step is to protect your idea, you can always seek the assistance of intellectual property consulting firms like GHB Intellect. If the steps involved in trademarking your product scare you, these experts will give you the guidance you need.

Document your idea

Documenting your idea has to do with writing down your idea creation and development phases. Doing this offers two main advantages. First, it makes it easier to refer to and make changes at specific stages of your idea’s development. Secondly, it gives you a documented proof that you own that idea. Having an idea, by itself, is not enough to show ownership. But having documented stages of your idea’s development to the final product offers makes your ownership claim more substantial. And this is what will hold up in court should someone challenge your claim to ownership.

Is your idea marketable? Research

Having a brilliant idea is not enough. Brilliance, these days, is relative, and people come up with ideas all the time. So, go an extra step and research more into your vision. First, find out if it already exists. Next, find out if people are willing to dish out cash for your idea. That might also mean talking to people you trust about your new business product. Finally, your research should also help you fine-tune your concept into a marketable product. But let’s save that for the next point.

Fine-tune your idea

An idea is like a diamond in the dirt – it needs polishing to make it more attractive. Fine-tuning your business idea is usually the stage that requires a lot of time, patience, research, and care. Make the necessary additions and subtractions in a way that makes your final product appealing to buyers and investors. The main goal is to have a product that people want to pay for. And if potential investors believe there is a market available, they’ll be willing to jump on board. A good product, they say, sells itself.

______

Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking sh