[Stoves] Compliments to Lanny and comments on Finding Research Support, off topic

[drew]

Hi Lanny,

    Great Stove, I love the pot holder/lid especialy.  Do you get flames 
coming up throught the lid/holder slots?  It doesn't look like it from 
the paint, but the paint looks fresh.   Is that acting like a flame 
wick? or is the secondary burn taking place below that just above the 
rim of your "consumable" can?   I guess it would be hard to see, though 
you might try leaving a light bulb or flashlight inside and looking 
through a pin hole.    How is the airflow regulated, or is it?

    I have some experiance with gaining funding for invention 
projects.   I think you might be able to work something similar to what 
I do, no guarenttees though.    
    The way I would approach your project might be to look for a 
manufacturer who might already be making similar parts to what you need, 
in your case the biggest metal bucket manufacturer or similar product 
manufacturer, hopefuly in your neigborhood.   If there is no 
manufacturer (are metal buckets made offshore? perhaps then a stove pot 
manufacturer) find a distriburter, though this may be a harder sell to a 
distributer.   Reseach them carefuly, on the internet, and find out the 
name of the general manager and as much general info as possible.   
Write a letter or phone, not email as email is too easy to dismiss, to 
them, telling them you have a new product that you need manufactured and 
are working on a marketing deal for it.   Simutaniously you contact 
somebody like weber barbiques and introduce them to there new chili 
/corn/ rice cooker, perfect product for them, keep the food nice and 
warm and serves well at outdoor barbiquesm you can tell them you are 
negotiating with a manufacturer and with a fair amount of time on the 
phone you may have a deal.   Perhaps weber might manufacture them as 
well.    Remember two keys, find a possible manufacturing path, and a 
distribution path, these are two of the key things in these deals, and 
will be among the first questions people ask.  You don't have to have it 
all worked out, the business people you are dealing with have the 
experiance to do that.
    This might seem like an odd way to get cookers in the hands of 
people who need them, but you have to start somewhere.  It also would 
give thousands of americans the experiance of using your cooker, and 
help them be prepared for an emergency.  Getting them sold in the states 
might give you the income you need to work on your other projects.   It 
would also give you a history of working with other people and of taking 
ideas from the garage to the market.   In some ways I think that this is 
part of the 99% persperation that Edison reffered too, people are not in 
a rush to change, you have to convince them it's nessesary and 
profitable.   Reading "How to win friends and influance people" is a 
good introduction to salesmenship.   One other relevent note is that in 
the world of product development the development path usualy has 3 stages

   1. You introduce inital idea- get response, "that's impossible"
   2. You introduce initial model- get response, "that's not economic"
   3. You deliver working model and economic analyisis and get response,
      "we thougth of that last week"

In my experiance a few things can change response #3    Document, 
Document, Document,  date all corrispondance and be leary of giving info 
in other than a published form, get a nondisclosure agreement with the 
highest up person you can,  form a personal relationship with the 
hightest up person you can, and most important make sure that it is in 
everybodys interest for the deal to go the way you want it, everybody 
must win.    Many people are nervous about getting screwed by a 
manufacturer, but in my experiance most upper level people in 
manufacturing are pretty honest, and certianly don't want to see 
themselves as a bad guy.   Be sure that your expectations are clear, you 
expect something, a one time payment? a royalty?.   In my experiance you 
will get very little for your product if you get a one time payment.   
It seems silly, but it's one of those things, if you seem to be to 
desparate for instant cash, people won't value you, or your product. 


    For some people this might seem too comercial, and parts of me 
resent having to be a salesman for my work, I think the world should 
beat a path to my door, but often the world just doesn't seem very 
smart........


All the best
Drew

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