Finning the Flames With a flash of creativity, you can swim circles around the competition.
By Don Debelak
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
The Entrepreneur: Bob Evans,53, founder of Bob Evans Designs Inc. in Santa Barbara,California
Product Description: ForceFins (www.forcefin.com) are swimming fins with a flexibleblade and a "V" design that propels a swimmer faster andwith less effort than traditional fins. Evans' company has aproduct line that incudes 24 models, each selling for $200 to$500.
Start-Up: $400,000 in1985
Sales: $1.5 million in 2002,primarily through swimming and outdoor retail stores nationwide
The Challenge: Staying aheadof the market when a number of competitors sell lower-priced, moretraditional products
For nearly two decades, Bob Evans has found success usinginnovation to his advantage. Here are his secrets for staying aheadof the competition:
Steps toSuccess
1. Love what you do. As Evansexplains: "My wife has two rules: No fins in bed, and no finson the kitchen table. That's because I love designing newproducts and I'm always thinking of fins. I have themeverywhere in the house." Evans is adamant that "ForceFins are the finest fins for military and recreational swimmers,divers and fishermen," and he loves producing what he believesare the best products on the market.
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2. Know your product. SaysEvans, "I worked my way through college and then helpedfinance my product development as a freelance underwaterphotographer." He knew firsthand the shortcomings of existingfins, and the initial inspiration behind his product line came fromobserving fish. They use the split-V shape of their tails tochannel water behind them, where it generates the most forwardforce.
3. Test, test, test. Nothingkills a product faster than poor quality or poor performance."There is no room for sloppiness in any business," saysEvans. You have to test your product and make refinements for aslong as it takes to get the product right. For Evans, that meant 37different prototypes of his first product before it was introduced.But you don't have to spend a lot of money to develop the rightprototype. Evans' first prototypes were made with chicken wire,newspapers and a resin coating.
4. Have at least one meaningful designprinciple. Evans actually has two. The first is that thefin should generate the forward force, and the second is that aswimmer shouldn't have to work a fin both ways. "A finshouldn't need a strap to stay on," he explains."Like a propeller, its forward thrust should keep the finon." These principles are powerful because the benefits areobvious to the end-user.
5. Ignore your competition.When you have a clear vision of what you want to deliver tocustomers, don't clutter it up by worrying about what yourcompetition is doing. Says Evans, "I never go around a tradeshow looking to see what other designs people are coming up with.It contaminates my mind, and I do better creating products just bywhat I feel is right." Here's another reason to ignore thecompetition: Following others doesn't make you a leader ininnovation; it tempts you to do what the competition has alreadyaccomplished.
6. Listen to what customers say aboutyour products. Not all swimmers need the same kind offin. For instance, underwater photographers need maneuverability,while other swimmers need great forward speed. So Evans developed aproduct line with many models-24 in all. "I listen to
what my customers tell me," Evans says. "I try to definemy fins like a surgical knife, giving each end-user exactly theproduct they need."
7. Promote flexibility in yourmanufacturing process. While many manufacturers run offto Asia for cheap production, Evans takes another approach."My goal is to be able to build a prototype in just two weeksand then be in production in less than two months," he says."I adjusted my tooling so that when a customer need comes in,I can respond quickly." This kind of flexibility helped Evansfulfill a recent order from the Navy. "They needed a fin fordivers carrying a heavy payload. They didn't needmaneuverability; they needed high forward thrust. I prototyped theproduct and delivered the order inside four months." Andcustomers pay a premium for his fins in order to get performancethat fits their needs.
LessonsLearned
| Are you strugglingto produce a low-cost prototype? Visit www.inventorhelp.com, the site of Jack Lander,prototype columnist for Inventor's Digest magazine.You'll find books specifically for inventors and a series ofreports, including How to Save Hundreds of Dollars in MakingYour Prototype. Every inventor should read this one tounderstand the prototype process and all the options open toinventors--even if you don't plan on actually making theprototype yourself. |
1. Understand what's most importantto your customers. Different customers will wantdifferent types of products. In Evans' case, infrequent usersof fins just want an inexpensive fin that works well. But peoplewho swim a lot, either as a hobby or as a work-related activity,need high performance. The Force Fin line is expensive, but theextra hundred dollars is a worthwhile investment for someone whoconsiders swimming a vital part of his or her life. Inventorsshouldn't try to be everything to everybody. Pick one customergroup--in Evans' case, serious swimmers--and then develop theproducts they want.
2. Don't be afraid to standout. Subtle changes in product configuration can easilygo unnoticed by the market. Force Fins look totally different thana traditional fin. They're V-shaped, have ridges that channelwater out the back and are much less rigid than traditional fins.Even though prospects might not understand the benefitsimmediately, they'll take a look to see why those fins featurea new design.
3. Impress customers withperformance. New product designs are typically soldfirst to what marketers refer to as "pioneers"--consumerswho willingly try out new products. Each pioneer who buys a productand likes it may persuade anywhere from 10 to 100 or more otherprospects to try out the product. This kind of word-of-mouthadvertising is what sells a new design--but it only works whenpioneers declare that the product delivers on its promises.
4. Customers change, so you had betterchange, too. Needs and expectations can change. Whencustomers think a product is important, they expect it to bedesigned just for their application. Serious customers, ready toinvest in what they want, don't want to make do with a productthat's designed for infrequent users.
Don Debelak is theauthor of Think Big: Make Millions From Your Ideas.
