Browse Category: Helpful Articles for Inventors

PRESS RELEASE – Gotta Potty!

Local Dog Trainer Seeks To Simplify Dog & Puppy Housetraining With New Product

St Peters, MO June 15, 2015 – Local dog trainer Shane Wisdom is bringing a new product to market that will make potty training puppies and dogs easier and more effective.  The Gotta PottyTM system is a wireless, recordable, dog potty training alarm system that consists of a pressure activated mat equipped with a digital transmitter and a wireless handheld receiver.

The premise is simple. The Gotta Potty mat is a pressure-activated mat that you place in front of the door discretely under your existing rug in other areas that the dog might be having “accidents”. The mat features a wireless transmitter that is voice-recordable and reinforces the proper command to the dog when it cues;  for instance, when the dog walks over and stands in front of the door to be let out but the owner is nowhere in sight. With the Gotta Potty mat, when the dog cues like this, the mat delivers an audible recorded message to the dog in your own voice that it will begin to equate with going outside (consistency is a key to success)

The mat transmits a separate, recordable message to the hand-held receiver to alert you that your dog is signaling to be let out. The dog hears “Gotta go outside?” (or what ever your want your command to be) in the owners voice and the owner hears “Rex is at the front door, hurry and let him out!”.

Wisdom says he created the system to reduce the time it takes to properly potty train their dogs by training owners to listen to their pet’s body language.  By alerting owners to cues that are sometimes overlooked or not observed, the Gotta Potty mat gives owners a helping hand in the necessity of potty-training their dog. “Owners are constantly telling me that their dog has ruined the paint on their door from scratching to go outside,” said Wisdom. “They also said they didn’t realize their dog was at the door in time to prevent an accident, resulting in the need for more effective potty-training tactics.”

“ As I started researching, I also found out that one of the most common reasons a dog ends up in a  shelter is potty-training related.” said Wisdom.  “New owners quickly get frustrated with cleaning up messes and the property damage that comes with a dog that isn’t properly potty-trained. Typically, a dog that is not potty-trained has had an owner that does not understand what is required to change the behavior.  The Gotta Potty system simplifies this process and delivers real benefits through today’s technology,” he continued.

 

System Benefits include:

Consistency
The Gotta Potty system reinforces consistency, which is critical to effective dog training – Your dog hears your same recorded command every time the alarm is activated.

 

Portable
The wireless transmitter allows you to be anywhere in your house and still get the notification alert! The Gotta Potty system is self contained and can easily be moved to areas of concern or travel with you.

 

Invisible
The Gotta Potty pressure activated mat conceals under any door mat or rug so it becomes virtually invisible and matches any decor!

 

Customizable
Both the command the dog hears and the alert you hear are voice recordable. Plus, the system can be paired with an additional mat (sold separately) in order to cover two locations at once!

The company recently launched a Kickstarter campaign for the Gotta Potty system to finalize the initial production.  Now, backers can reserve a Gotta Potty system at a deep discount through Kickstarter.  Wisdom plans to have the product available for purchase in late summer 2015. (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1550714304/gotta-potty-wireless-recordable-dog-potty-training)

Shane Wisdom is a Certified Dog trainer and owner of DogWisdom dog training with more than 17 years of experience in the pet and training industry.  For more information on the Gotta Potty system, please visit www.gotta-potty.com.

I Have An Idea….now what?

Hello readers! Nathan here – I am the Client Networking Director and Social Media Guru for Source Direct. I am starting this blog as a 5 part series to help inventors see their product to completion. Enjoy this blog, and share with your inventor friends! 

“Okay, I have an idea for an invention…now what do I do?” This is probably one of the most common questions that we usually get asked. The journey to completion of a product can be very exciting – but everything starts with a solid idea. 

You must be very careful. In this age, with social media and information interactivity, it can be very easy to lose track of your confidential thoughts, ideas, and innovations. Many have heard the old saying, “Send a letter to yourself with your idea enclosed…this way nobody can say it’s not originally yours!” Don’t do this! This isn’t a legal way to secure your idea – no matter what anyone says. Make sure that all parties involved in your idea have signed some sort of documentation to keep everything secure.

After you have put all of your thoughts on paper, the very first thing you should do is call us – Source Direct! Our founder, Ed Mauro, is an inventor himself – he’s been in exactly the same place you are now. We can help you go directly from concept to completion, and our 20+ years of experience will speak for itself. We have inventors call us every day, seeking guidance and assistance to make sure that their dream becomes a reality.

Feel free to contact me today at 888-373-3876, extension 212. I love hearing about new and amazing products! Mention this blog and you’ll receive a complimentary analysis of your product, and how we can help you today!

Interview with Ed Mauro, Source Direct Founder

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Our founder, Ed, was interviewed today on the Innovation Divaz radio show!

The Innovation Divaz really know the who, what and why of inventing, and love that they can share their knowledge connections and great women invented products with their audience. Meet Melinda Knight – business woman, inventor and expert social media and celebrity gifting guru! And her co host, Dhana Cohen who has been inventing products, businesses, marketing contests, and events for over 20 years! The Innovation Divaz not only co-host this fantastic talk show, they also run the ULTIMATE connection platform for the entire inventor industry at www.inventorznetwork.com! 

 

Source Direct is a member of the Inventorz Network, and looks forward to the opportunities still to come with their organization! Want to listen to the full interview?

Use the player below:

Source Direct and the United Inventors Association (UIA) – a great pair!

The world can be a scary place for inventors – scams around every corner, shady business deals, and a lack of knowledge on different steps of the inventing process. Due to the rising need of educational resources for inventors, different organizations were formed to help the everyday inventor. The UIA is definitely one of them.

From the UIA Website: 

The UIA is a Federally Registered Non-Profit Educational Foundation. Our commitment is to provide educational resources to the inventing community, while encouraging honest and ethical business practices within the industry service providers. If you are not a member of the UIA we invite you to join the thousands of other inventors who are. It’s Quick, It’s Simple…and It’s Free. 

Source Direct has been working with the UIA for years, and subsequently, helping many inventors who need it! Networking with reputable organizations is one way to make your dreams a reality, especially if you are an inventor. If you are interested in joining the UIA, click this link! Membership is free!

Do you have an idea for a product? Call us today – 888-373-3876, extension 212!

We offer free consultations! Don’t delay – call today!

 

 

 

SUCCESS STORY: Time to Brush!

Spotlight On: Time to Brush – http://www.timetobrush.com/

About the Product: This amazing toothbrush and toothpaste caddy holds toothbrushes and different brands to suit the entire family and keep your dental appliances clean and neatly put away.  Time To Brush is a complete dental station designed to teach your children proper hygiene at an early age. Good brushing habits established early can prevent gum, tooth & mouth issues later in life. Your child will relate to Bobby Brush as he shows your child a fun way to ongoing dental health. Educates children on how to brush correctly with a fun 2 minute animated audio/video that walks children through where and how long to brush each section of the mouth. Bobby Brush will teach your children to always brush properly and thoroughly for maximum clean. Includes “Why Children Need To Brush For Two Minutes” – a handy guide written by a pediatric dentist.

Testimonial from the Inventor: My name is Winston Lawer, President & Owner of The Good Habits Company located in Minneapolis MN. Ed asked if I would reach out with some feedback from our experience working with Source Direct.

I came to Ed with a product that was rather complex and involved electronics. I used to source companies in China and India on my own and decided to try Source Direct and to let Ed Mauro do all the work since he doesn’t capitalize on the project unless we generate income.

Ed worked with me along the way and fielded my questions, followed my instructions and offered feedback along the way. Things have worked out nicely on our first run with Ed and we are in the process of looking over another project we have in development and are going to have Ed source it as well.

He is a gentleman with experience and is a respectable man who knows his field. I can say this because I know from sourcing myself and my personal experience working with Ed he gets things done correctly and knows how to.

Do you have an idea for a product? Call us today – 888-373-3876, extension 212!

We offer free consultations! Don’t delay – call today!

Is your invention GOOD enough to succeed in the marketplace?

Ideas for new inventions can come at a dime-a-dozen. Everyone thinks they have the latest and greatest idea for making the world a better, more efficient, and cooler place to be. Despite a biased belief, not all ideas will work – or even make it to prototyping.

Here are some things to keep in mind when attempting to bring your product idea to life:

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  • Does it serve a purpose? Consumers are consistently looking for a solution – does your product provide a solution to their imminent problem? If you are looking to create an item purely of a novelty nature, consider that it’s “purpose”.
  • Is the target demographic realistic? Speak to different consumers in your target demographic to see if they like or dislike the idea. Pre-development testing is a good idea, so you get an understanding of what could happen on the store shelves. Is this something that your demographic can get excited about?
  • Has someone else come up with this idea, or something similar? This is huge. Obviously, there are different competing brands with virtually the same product (Coke/Pepsi, McDonalds/Burger King, Mac/PC). Yes, the examples provided are broad, but you should make sure that there  are enough unique identifiers to your product to make it different. 
  • Do you have the captial to pull this off? By capital, I don’t necessarily mean money (completely). Do you have the supplies, resources, materials, and financial backing? It takes a lot of work to bring a product to life.
  • Is your idea solid? Could you pitch this idea in front of potential investors, and be confident? You must have 100% confidence in your product to see it to completion.

[box type=”info”] A funny quote about inventions..
“The very existence of flamethrowers proves that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves, ‘You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I’m just not close enough to get the job done.” ― George Carlin[/box]

Do you have an idea for a product? Call us today – 888-373-3876, extension 212!

We offer free consultations! Don’t delay – call today! You can also email us by clicking here.