1. Take a problem that you have in your own life and create a solution.
2. Be creative
3. Have perseverance!
So I had conceived the idea, now it was time to be creative. I began conceptualizing how to make this work. It needed to be something safe and secure that would hold onto the jewelry securely, something small and out of the way, and something that would be able to remind the user that the jewelry was there in case they forgot. I pictured one of the old change purses that kept coins inside...a small, flexible pouch with a slit at the top.
I took to the all-knowing Google and found a company near me that created prototypes, called Mydea Technologies in Orlando, FL. My husband and I took a little road trip down and began discussing how we could make this work. After about 5 months and a lot of problem solving, we had a working prototype. The next step was to apply for a patent, which my husband and I did on our own.
*Little tip here for anyone interested in getting a patent or trademark...Do not! I repeat, DO NOT let an intellectual property attorney talk you into paying thousands of dollars for them to do your work for you. Not worth it. Go online to the USPTO's website, www.uspto.gov, and at least try to do it yourself. They have an Inventor's Assistance Center that you can call, as well as a ton of information and videos online to help you with the process!
In the meantime I found a manufacturer to produce the Ring Clings and initially ordered 3,000 units. Then with working full time, being pregnant and trying to stay somewhat active, things just came to a halt. I had my baby and cut my hours at work, and finally have decided to put more effort into the Ring Cling. I was issued a Notice of Allowance for my patent and have applied for my Trademark as well. And now, I need to sell. Sell, sell, sell.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Ring Cling Conception
OK, so I'm going to switch things up a bit here. Instead of blogging as this vague being from the Ring Cling, I'm going to be myself.
Meredith Pike-Meher.
I am a mother, a wife, a Physician Assistant, and small business owner. So far I feel very successful from the first 3 descriptions of myself...however I still have yet to see success as a small business owner. And that is what I want to start blogging about: my experience going from being a PA and knowing only about medicine, to the successful entrepreneur that I hope to become.
I used to watch the Television Show "The Big Idea" with Donny Deutsch and there were a few prevailing themes of the show. In order to create a successful business you should:
1. Take a problem that you have in your own life and create a solution.
2. Be creative
3. Have perseverance!
I loved that show and I'm so sad that it is no longer on the air. But that's neither here nor there. The point is, it inspired me. And thus, the idea for Ring Cling was born.
It was conceived on a sunny day in late 2009 when I had left my wedding rings (the most valuable thing I owned) at work....AGAIN. I worked in Interventional Radiology, performing procedures on a daily basis. I would remove my wedding rings each time I performed a procedure as recommended by the CDC and the WHO to decrease the chances of spreading infection to your patients. Each time I would put my rings in a different place; my scrub pocket, my purse, the pocket on my lead vest. Each time I would almost lose my ring and I would go through a 5 minute heart-stopping search for where my rings were. Sometimes I would find them on the floor from bending over. A few times I threw them in the laundry with my scrubs. And I even left them at work more frequently that I care to admit. Either way, it was a problem...the head rush I experienced each time as my heart jumped into my throat and my blood pressure went skyrocketing was not enjoyable, to say the least.
I started asking around to see if this was something that other people were experiencing as well. Just from the people working in my department, 6 people had either lost their wedding ring or came close at some point. People had all sorts of crazy things they did with their rings, but there was no one sure-fire, safe solution. So, while driving back to work one day to retrieve my rings from my lead, I called my husband and said, "I have a problem and we need to solve it." My husband replied, "I think it should be called the Ring Cling." And that is where it all began....
Meredith Pike-Meher.
I am a mother, a wife, a Physician Assistant, and small business owner. So far I feel very successful from the first 3 descriptions of myself...however I still have yet to see success as a small business owner. And that is what I want to start blogging about: my experience going from being a PA and knowing only about medicine, to the successful entrepreneur that I hope to become.
I used to watch the Television Show "The Big Idea" with Donny Deutsch and there were a few prevailing themes of the show. In order to create a successful business you should:
1. Take a problem that you have in your own life and create a solution.
2. Be creative
3. Have perseverance!
I loved that show and I'm so sad that it is no longer on the air. But that's neither here nor there. The point is, it inspired me. And thus, the idea for Ring Cling was born.
It was conceived on a sunny day in late 2009 when I had left my wedding rings (the most valuable thing I owned) at work....AGAIN. I worked in Interventional Radiology, performing procedures on a daily basis. I would remove my wedding rings each time I performed a procedure as recommended by the CDC and the WHO to decrease the chances of spreading infection to your patients. Each time I would put my rings in a different place; my scrub pocket, my purse, the pocket on my lead vest. Each time I would almost lose my ring and I would go through a 5 minute heart-stopping search for where my rings were. Sometimes I would find them on the floor from bending over. A few times I threw them in the laundry with my scrubs. And I even left them at work more frequently that I care to admit. Either way, it was a problem...the head rush I experienced each time as my heart jumped into my throat and my blood pressure went skyrocketing was not enjoyable, to say the least.
I started asking around to see if this was something that other people were experiencing as well. Just from the people working in my department, 6 people had either lost their wedding ring or came close at some point. People had all sorts of crazy things they did with their rings, but there was no one sure-fire, safe solution. So, while driving back to work one day to retrieve my rings from my lead, I called my husband and said, "I have a problem and we need to solve it." My husband replied, "I think it should be called the Ring Cling." And that is where it all began....
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