You want to know exactly how it's going to work before you take the plunge…

It’s a HUGE leap. We all have ideas, and more often than not, we don’t pursue them. But now and then, there’s that one idea that you can’t get out of your head. That you’re confident is a good one. So, how do you prove it?

Just as it’s a journey to go from an idea to a prototype in your hand, explaining how to do it is also a journey. Rather than skimping on the process and leaving out all the tough parts, we’re going to do a series of articles that take you from an idea to an actual prototype in your hand. We wish it were as easy as you just handing us your scribbles on a napkin. That is NOT how the process works (anyone who tells you they can do that is wasting your time and money). Though 3D printing makes prototyping faster and easier than traditional processes, it’s still a process. And that process all starts with how sure you are about your idea.

The not-so-sexy part of prototyping

Are you ready for a little tough love? The entire process of prototyping is NOT going to be fun. Don’t get us wrong, there are fun parts. However, this entire first step of the prototyping process —the step of vetting your idea— is not one of them for probably 99 percent of you (we are thoroughly jealous of that remaining one percent). What do we mean by vetting your idea? We mean market research!

What is market research?

You might be surprised to read this, but when we receive inquiries for printing prototypes and ask about the go-to-market plan (which helps us define a timeline for your prototype and eventual production pieces), we often get a response that sounds like, “Huh?” Then we ask about the existing competition (even just some simple Google searching can yield a lot of insight). We get an answer that sounds like, “Well, I haven’t seen anything like this.” is most definitely one of those situations where if you haven’t seen it, that most certainly does not mean it does not exist.

So, what is market research? The U.S. Small Business Administration has an answer for that: it blends consumer behavior and economic trends to confirm and refine your business idea. It is crucial to understand your consumer base from the outset. The outcome of your research should yield answers to these essential questions:

• Demand — Is there a desire for your product?
• Market size — How many people would be interested in your product?
• Economic indicators — What is the income range and employment rate of your average customer?
• Location — Where do YOUR customers live and, where can your business reach?
• Market saturation — How many similar options are already available? And what are the strengths and weaknesses of these alternative products?
• Pricing — What do potential customers pay for these alternatives?

If, at the end of all this consumer research and competitive analysis, you’re still saying, “My product is for everyone, and I have no competition,” we highly recommend you go back and take a deeper dive.

Write a business plan!

We warned you this part is NOT sexy. Now that you understand your market and competition, you’re ready to tackle your business plan (oh, goody!). Luckily, the Small Business Administration is again here to help with an explanation of what goes into a business plan with examples to demonstrate what a thorough business plan looks like.

Think of your business plan as a roadmap to your business. Among other things, it provides a structure to your business, an idea of how you’ll scale, funding requirements, and financial projections. Most significantly, writing up a business plan gives you insight into the risks of starting your business and pursuing a prototype, the costs associated with starting a business, and the competition you’ll face. It forces you to face the reality that you’ll most likely work for free for five years before you potentially see a profit. Are you ready to commit to that?

Sidenote (more like a rant): A patent or provisional patent is not a business plan. It doesn’t require a business plan. Unlike printing a prototype, you can take your idea on a napkin to the patent office and get a patent. A patent means that there isn’t a CURRENT patent on the concept you’re presenting. It DOES NOT mean it’s a new idea. It does not guarantee a successful business idea. So, telling us your idea is patented indicates that you have paid for a patent.

The good news — this is all FREE!

You can do all of this — market research, competitive analysis, and a business plan FOR FREE! Yes, it will cost you time. And yes, you’ll need access to the internet. However, this is entirely free. It doesn’t have to cost you a dime! As long as you keep track of all of your time and materials (and you should have thorough documentation of everything you do so that if your idea is stolen, you have a case to make that it was, in fact, your idea first), and you can use all of it for a tax write off! So, it’s not only free, but it also actually saves you money in taxes at the end of the year.

You’re probably asking why we care … “Just shut up and take my money!” We’re confident that many companies will be happy to do that. They’ll help you make a CAD Model and print your prototype, no questions asked. But if it’s a prototype for something that the market doesn’t need or, more likely, it’s going to cost you a lot more than expected, and you’ll get no return, why would you make it in the first place? We don’t want to create something that is ultimately a waste of your money and both our time. We would like to see that you have committed to the free parts first. Because if you aren’t willing to do the free parts of your business, why spend money on the expensive parts?

So, the business plan is in place. What’s next?

The fun part — getting a CAD model or design! You could teach yourself the software, but we recommend finding yourself the engineer that fits your project (and you have a lot to choose from). Stay tuned for our next article, where we discuss speed dating with engineers!

For more information, please don't hesitate to contact us at or request a quote and upload your file today!