Inventions are the basis for plenty of companies, from
multimillion-dollar corporations to small, $100,000 businesses.
While many inventors shoot for the former, those in the latter
category are nothing to sneeze at. They can generate a modest
annual income, often without hiring any employees, facing stiff
competition or having to make a significant investment. For
inventors without strong management skills, finding a unique
product in a small target market is often ideal.
Kelly Greene of La Jolla, California, got her inspiration in
1992 when she moved into a new apartment. Greene, 42, liked
swimming laps for recreation and fitness, but her apartment
complex's pool was too small to provide a meaningful workout.
She thought the best solution was to create a method to swim in
place.
Greene's big breakthrough came when she saw teenagers at the
beach carrying surfboards with plastic leashes attached. "I
immediately went out, bought two surfboard leashes and made my
first prototype," Greene says. "The plastic tubes were
too stiff, so I substituted a bungee cord for the tube, and I had
my product."
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Greene's company, SwimCords, has just one product
line—SwimCord (retailing at $32.95 to $38.95), a stretchable
cord attached to neoprene ankle straps. First-year sales were
$15,000 in 1996; last year, SwimCords passed the $100,000 mark.
Originally published in the June 2001 issue of Entrepreneur Magazine
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