Trying new things, start-up mini company - opinions? Thanks for comments
 

Hello folks - Haven't been around for a while, just after some opinions from the wise people on here...

A few months back I was considering whether to do some more further education to keep my aging mind busy, but since the cost for an MBA was €16k euro a year I thought... how about building a small company from scratch with one of my buddies (whilst continuing to work full-time) this would give exposure to things like Design, Planning, Marketing etc. learn some new skills, you get the idea.

Well after 5 months of preparation it just launched - The company is called Goodboy Innovation Ltd and is UK registered. Website http://www.goodboyinnovations.com

The product is quite simply a high friction rubber mat with a foot grip (2 sizes to start that cover 80% of circular pedal bins in the market), I've trialled one of the first production items for the last month and my fricking Brabantia bin hasn't moved a millimetre i.e. the product works brilliantly... which is good since my pedal bin is usually sliding around and has knackered the wall behind the bin and scratched the floor. 5 other friends in France/UK have been trying and impressed with the initial samples. Patent is lodged and pending.

Any opinions on the website, plus if you could FB like/share to start reaching an audience, this would be greatly appreciated.

Facebook page is a work in progress here: https://www.facebook.com/goodboyinnovations/

Nice one. Good luck. Liked :thumb:

Great idea and execution. You deserve every success.

Very good idea and neat too :thumb:

Make sure you patent it as an integral design, as well as an accessory. Otherwise, bin manufacture (s) could just make it already intergrated and not break the accessory patent (hopefully, your patent agent has already done this).

To be fair, I always find this issue bloody annoying, so good idea and best of luck to you!

Thumbs up: The main reason why I don't have a pedal bin!

Wise move on patents...although does China take any notice of them?

The Dog could do with something similar to save him having to chase his water/food bowl around the floor!


...now if only someone can invent a toaster that toasts a full size slice of UK bread evenly on both sides....and then can toast the subsequent slice just as well!

Hey everyone,

Thank you for your comments, they're appreciated. It's been a bit of a journey and I've learn't a lot along the way!

I've also patented a few other things that are a bit more hi-tech and would be useful to the car community, but I need time to license them.

I've actually applied for the patents myself, but I'm fortunate to be a technical writer and someone recommended a great book by Neil Ward that explains the patenting process in detail. Let's admit it, we've all had great ideas, but never had the time or inclination to design and then protect the IP.

To answer one of the questions: The bin mat has been patented to be part of the waste bin design and covers all shapes, sizes and materials. China could be a worry, but if I worried too much, I wouldn't have the product on the market!

Thanks again :)