How Gregg Turned An Obscure Idea Into A Multi Million Dollar Venture Using “Rapid Prototyping” [Case Study]
How Gregg Turned His "Obscure" Idea Into Millions Using "Rapid Prototyping" [Case Study]
After years of working in the water treatment industry Gregg came up with an idea for a self cleaning sensor that improves accuracy and drastically cuts down manual labor.
Gregg, as an industry expert, knew that this “small” design change would be worth millions if used on a large scale.
As soon as we got on our first call, we got started on “validating” his design. This meant I examined his design to make sure it will look and function the way he wanted in the real-world.
Right from the start I could tell Gregg needed to get this work done fast. He was clear about what he was trying to create and really needed someone that could work at his pace to get it done.
1st Challenge: How To Get A Testable Prototype Asap
Gregg first came to me with a sketch and a clear idea of what he wanted this device to do.
He was out to accomplish 3 things:
Create a 3D model sketch that he could easily share with his team as well as collaborators and potential investors.
Quickly turn his sketch into a tangible, physical prototype that can be manufactured quickly and at low cost.
Test the physical prototype to see how it worked in an actual water treatment place.
Gregg Knew How To Avoid The Pitfalls That Cause Multi Million Dollars Ideas To Go Nowhere
As with a lot of my clients, Gregg knew that quick implementation is key if you want to turn an idea into something you can test, market and sell.
Gregg was clear that he wanted his prototype ready to manufacture all in one sitting and the last thing he wanted was weeks of back and forth. The whole back and forth through multiple mediums and scheduling and rescheduling would drag out the time to get a working product to market
Which can lead to the project costing more, taking longer, or even being abandoned entirely. Or even worse, being made redundant by another competitor who gets to market first.
In One 3 Hour “Rapid Prototyping” Session We had a Working Prototype Ready for Gregg To Test
After Gregg got a prototype that could prove that his product concept works in real-world application (and that it could potentially save water treatment plants millions of dollars)
The next step was getting real life, industry specific data he could later use to build a compelling case to potential buyers or investors in the water treatment industry.
Gregg decided to take 5 prototypes and test them in various water treatment plants so he could create a design that was actually tested in the water treatment plants he was looking to eventually market his product to.
By installing his first working prototypes in local water facilities and using the data to show how it made the sensors more accurate, reduced manual labor, eliminated costly shutdowns for maintenance. He quickly needed adjustments to make sure his product worked.
2nd Challenge: Optimize & Iterate To Become Industry Tested & Proven
With each session I helped Gregg solve each new problem or inefficiency he had come across during live testing.
Each session we did a quick assessment where we looked at the problems and the data from his live tests, then went through several solutions, and picked the most efficient and cost-effective optimization available.
We continuously updated the design file with several new optimizations ready to implement and test. In less than 11 hours in session time, and a lot of leg work by Gregg, we took a great idea and made it the new water treatment solution that would easily save water treatment plants millions of dollars therefore making it a no-brainer in terms of investment.
Winning The Race To Market: Provisional Patent & Buyout by Hawk Industries
Once Gregg proved it out by installing in local water facilities and used the data to show how well it works and could prove to investors that it’s actually worth millions the next step was a provisional patent.
Since we had all the iterations of our work together Gregg and I compiled all the documents from all the design iterations to create a patent that was specific enough to get a patent BUT general enough to prevent would-be copy cats from stealing his design.
Building on our design work from our rapid prototyping sessions, and the quick turnaround on optimizing his design Gregg was able to win the race to be the first to make a deal with Hawk, the world’s largest supplier for water treatment facilities landing him an multi-million acquisition.
Greggs obscure idea worth millions, made a reality via Rapid Prototyping seen here live being used by Hawk Industries.
Greggs obscure idea worth millions, made a reality via Rapid Prototyping seen here live being used by Hawk Industries.
While Gregg’s case is definitely one of the most powerful examples of a client I’ve worked with to successfully get their product live and ready to market, he’s only one example.
Over the last 4 years I’ve helped dozens of entrepreneurs industry experts successfully and quickly turn their idea into a real life product they can test, market and sell using the “Rapid Prototyping” process.