10 easy tips to successfully develop your ideas with research help and start a business

You have a good idea, an idea you want to develop but you feel alone, no friend or relative around can really help you. You need a place where you can share about your idea and find researchers for technical aspect, marketing experts, may be an attorney for patent, and resources to help you on all the other tasks and questions you will have.

Let's see 10 easy steps to start with your idea.

1- Your ideation mix:

This is the most important step and it will save you a lot of time, efforts and ¥€$ coins. Does what you think has a real sense? This sounds weird but let me explain:
Let's say you have an idea that solves a technical problem that you personally encountered.
Take a simply example: a plastic clip you put on a car's security belt to ease yourself (that's very basic, but hey that's just an example).
Let's see the mix elements:
People love:
Will people love it at first glance? In 2,4 years? Why people will love it and might give it as legacy? What people can do with it beside the normal use? Can they customize it? Can they co-design it? Can they recognize it among competitors, among other models, among the same model? Can they say it's their own?
Product cycle:
What it will be in 6 months, 10 years, 20, 40, 100 years from now? May be one of them will be in a museum, some may be still in use, most of them in a dépotoir? Does old models will gain values? Is it recyclable when usable? In a word, is it sustainable?
Process cycle:
Does your method will fit whatever the business scale? In 10, 20, 40 years? What is the most important: the way you do it, the result, the satisfied need, the way you think to satisfy others' needs?
Legacy:
What if the manufacture that produces this product is (or becomes) harmful for people? Do I want to be responsible for heavy pollution? Does it use a lot of energy to produce, distribute and even recycle it? Does it need fossil or renewable energy to produce it? Does it open or close new hopes of people in need in Africa or elsewhere? Would you offer it for free to help people get out of poverty? Is it eco-friendly? Does it save or harm the planet? (nothing is neutral).
Timing:
Does the problem it solves will stay forever and ever? When should it be fixed by another mean? Do you have an idea of what can replace your idea? (if yes, think of changing your idea).

Conclusion:
With my example of a simple clip, you might see this plastic clip is not a so good idea in the long term (I'm not even speaking of security here). Ok, but let's keep it and imagine a wooden clip, engraved with the user's name or a personal message. This is a different solution to the same technical problem but with a vision, a soul.
Now you have a sense of togethearth's philosophy.
The greatness of your idea is relative to the moment when it will be great for others.

2- Explain your idea:

Ask yourself and reply simple questions: What (is it about)? Who (is it for)?, Who (will do what)? When, Where, Why (what problem does it solve, which market, ...)? How (you will produce it, how will it be distributed, ...)?
Write down everything related to your idea and try to put it in a on of these questions above. Sum it up to the maximum to get a concentrated juice of your idea, and be sure it covers all aspects of your idea. For now, be careful to remove anything you think is worth for a patent.
This will also help you get an "elevator pitch", a brief explanation you can give in one minute to anyone asking for more info.

3- Study your market and competitors:

It might be obvious but you can't imagine how many people start to develop something that already fully exists exactly the way they wanted it. Take important keywords from the text you got in section 1 and Google different keywords combinations, visit the links. Take the time to go deep. I know that sometime you might feel frustrated because you find that your great idea is already developed but when you go deeper you might find that their ideas are not as excellent as your idea. This is called innovation.
Innovation refers to a new way of doing something existing or doing something new. Note your competitors websites addresses, try to have a exhaustive list and visit all of them. Take notes of what you like and dislike in their websites, what they have in common.

4- Study patents and copyrights:

If you know where you want to sell your product or service or PROCESS or CONCEPT (and even more if you reply "worldwide") you need to study existing patents. Many patents are NOT translated in existing products or services, they are just waiting for someone else to do it and the inventors (with the help of what is called a patent troll company) will sue you for patent infringement afterward.
Every year, in Europe only, the amount of Microsoft and Apple sales TOGETHER is lost in Research and Development of something already patented. Yep, this is that big.
For patents from US, Europe and Japan go visit freepatentsonline.com, enter your keywords alone and in combinations, try synonyms, try other way of expressing it, etc ... When you find a patent close to your idea, check patent bibliography, you might find other patents even closer. Don't forget that patent is public domain after 20 years, so check year of patent issue too. An application is a document asking for a patent and under examination, there are good chances it will become a patent. That's why, on innovative products you buy, you sometimes see "patent pending".
You also need to study copyrights for forms, logos, brand names, ... It is more complex and depends on the country you want your product to invade.

5- Don't take shortcuts:

If you develop your idea and become successful without doing the things above and later a letter tells you that you infringed a patent ... there are good chances you will loose everything you gained and had before. You have lawyers companies outside specialized in patent infringement. When an inventor come to them with a plaint, they study the case, sometimes even wait for you to get real profit (because they know they can ask for all profit you gained since you started) and when the fruit is ready to grasp, they'll go after you. In fact, it's like you will work for them and pay them your salary!

6- What are your resources:

Now you made a quick fire test of your idea (and it is still valid to develop and it is still shining in your head) you must ask yourself what you want to put in the battle. Resources you have are time and money. You might exchange time for money sometimes but be careful of the TTM, time to market. When it's too late, it's too late.

7- Action!

Register (if not already done) and create a new project at togethearth website. It's totally free and this step is just 2 minutes.

8- Publish your project:

Copy paste texts from step 1 and find a good title for your project. Title is very important to make people click your project. Think that beyond 200 characters project body will not be translatable automatically. Also upload a picture and add keywords and categories. If you have bounties as an incentive for experts and researchers consulting, you can add it here (but you can also add it later). You can indicate a global bounty and split depending on project steps. Everything counts to make your project visible.

9- Animate your project:

Contact people to join it, add details in additional messages (think of translation limits). You'll get replies from experts and academic researchers, potential customers, potential partners, and individuals wishing to help and shape the future of goods and services. Reply as fast as possible when you receive message, you can subscribe to get updates by email. Start designing functions or design of your product in 3D with Google Sketchup.

10- Broadcast your project and get succesful:

Participate in other projects to make friends who might help you (but don't spam other projects or you can get a ban, you can contact users only via user profile page). Rate posts and projects. Blog about your project, share with social websites, add links on valuable websites. You'll gain success when your project is adopted, used, discussed, co-designed, enhanced and developed with others because it means it's already on the market, word of mouth is really powerful, you'll find experts and your first customers.

11- Manage and start a SHED, Small Home Eco-friendly Development business:

When your project grows and have deadlines, sections, dedicated teams, meetings you need other management resources that go beyond this 10 introductory steps. I hope you'll write these following steps.