Megan McDonald ⋅ San Francisco , CA Google ⋅ 14 years experience

Hi there - you can do a business plan but it's not always most effective for a brand new startup - things like 5 year plan are often difficult to project at this stage...seems like you need to know if your idea is viable in the first place, which I'd take a look at some 'formative' guerrila user testing. Here's an article to start with: http://www.managementexchange.com/hack/pretotype-it-make-sure-you%E2%80%99re-building-right-%E2%80%9Cit%E2%80%9D-you-build-it-right

I also do something here in SF called 'Open Source Research' - it's really new but we do have 1 set of user tests in the can: http://www.meetup.com/

I'd be happy to do a google hangout and chat more with you about this. There are loads of online resources to help you too, if you want more.

Alan J. Zell ⋅ Portland , OR Attitudes for Selling ⋅ 29 years experience

Fabien, Harry's advice is right on. Go to www.score.org and to "find a local chapter" and put in your zip code. You'll get a list of the closest office(s). If there is not one within 30 miles, SCORE has a Cyberchapter when counselors work with clients by eMail.

Not knowing what your invention is, the question is what generated the idea that such a product was needed? Was it that you were looking for it and could not find it hence, they "may' be others that may need it? If so, that is a poor reason for trying to bring your invention to market. If your invenetion does what others can't, don't, won't do, there may be a market for your invention.

Here, f you have not done so, the task it to make two lists.
* a list of ALL the things your invention does,

* a list of ALL the people/businesses/organizations could use your invention.

Draw lines between the two columns and you'll begin to see if there are one,two, three that are the best candidates for buying your invention.

Alan

Harry Rakfeldt ⋅ Belfair , WA AMSOIL Synthetic Lubricants and related products ⋅ 38 years experience

Hello Fabien,

In addition to the fine responses above, two other areas to look at for both specific and general business information are: SCORE with its wide variety of business-focused information such as templates for building a business plan -[ score.org] and SBA [a SCORE sponsor] as a place to look at/learn about financing (http://www.sba.gov/).

"It's not how many ideas you have. It's how many you make happen."
Business Week 2002

Best to you,

Harry (O3E USN retired)

Scott French ⋅ Louisville , CO General Electric ⋅ 25 years experience

Hello there Fabien, you can start by putting together a small business plan and doing a patent search to make sure the thing you are going to make has not been made or patented before or if some derivation of the product has been made before, you can see how it was made to make yours unique to your design. It is at this point that you work with a patent attorney not only to help with the search but to make sure that your product is unique and patentable. I personally know a few but they are easy to find out there, just make sure you get references. He of will want to get paid but as you are out there looking for Venture Capitol funding, you must roll about 15k into the equation for patent and patent attorney. You are also going to have to develop some prototype of the product for those to see and you will always be selling to everyone you meet so have your pitch ready as you will get questions from every Tom, Dick and Harry you approach for funding.

I hope this helps as a start.

Best Regards,
SCOTT