So you have an idea that is so exciting you can barely sleep for thinking about it. You know that it could revolutionize the world, changing the way people do this, that, or the other. You know it would make millions, maybe even billions. But you don’t know what to do with your idea now you’ve had it; you don’t know what steps to take next to bring your idea into being.

This is something that happens more times than you might realize. Brilliant, innovative, life-changing ideas are thought up, and then they fizzle out once the inventor hits a dead end trying to work out what to do next and how to turn that idea into a tangible thing.

It’s heartbreaking to think of all the amazing ideas that have never turned into anything because of this. However, your idea doesn’t have to be one of them; read on for a short guide on how to get started turning your idea into a real product that people will want to buy.

Write It Down

The very first thing you need to do with your idea is to write it down and document it in some way. Whether you have a battered old journal you carry around with you everywhere, or you send an email to yourself detailing all your thoughts, it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re documenting your idea. Ideas are fleeting, even the really good ones, and if you leave it too long before making notes, you might start to forget some of the most important elements.

When you have a little more time, write it up in a neater, more understandable way. Then have that document witnessed. If you’ve written it by hand, make sure you make a copy and number the pages so that nothing can be tampered with.

Research

The next step is to research the idea. You need to look at it from a business standpoint, and a legal one. That means carrying out extensive market research to begin with; will anyone want to use or buy your product? Is it as revolutionary as you think it is? If no one is interested, now might not be the best time to create it and launch it.

No matter whether you choose to keep going now (because you’ve had positive feedback, for example) or you intend to file it away and come back to it later, you’ll want to file a patent. In this way, no one can ‘steal’ your idea while you’re working on it or something else. More research will be needed to determine whether or not something similar – or the same – has already been filed with the patent office. It might be that someone else has had the same idea and got there before you.

Make a Prototype

Assuming there is nothing similar in the works and people are excited about the idea, you’ll need to make a prototype. Doing this by yourself might not be possible which is why going to a product development office such as Outerspace can be useful. They will be able to help you create a prototype and, when there is interest in your product, they will be able to help you with production and launch too. Although this will mean you have to spend out money, the returns should be worth it if you’ve done your research in the right way.

Only once you have a fully working prototype that is exactly how you want it should you file a patent. If you rush ahead with the patent before you create the product, you might find that something you thought would work doesn’t, or that you need to change some aspect of the design which would then call for expensive patent file changes.