I filed a provisional patent for my invention-- a disposable plastic sushi tray with a built-in dipping bowl for soy sauce-- and I've been looking for a manufacturer.

I set up a website: http://bettersushitray.com/

And I found a lot of sushi tray manufacturers and started calling and emailing them.

I had thought my invention was sure to sell, considering that it wouldn't cost more than the existing product, it would only need a minor adjustment to the existing product, and it is an improvement that is in demand (at least according to the handful of people I've talked to).

Now I'm a little less certain as I received my first real rejection from a manufacturer that said his clients were not satisfied with my design (although I have a suspicion they never asked the clients).

I'm wondering if maybe I should go to their customers myself, but I really don't know how to go about it. Any advice or inspiration would be greatly appreciated...or, if needed, a reality check saying that I should just give it up.

You are NOT alone. This is such a common stage in the journey of inventing.

I can not speak to the validity of your invention, but here are a few thoughts.

1. If it is at all possible to gather more feedback from prospective customers, I would do that immediately. One of the possibilities might be to give them to a local sushi restaurant in exchange for the feedback from a test. This was not something you could have done before being patent pending. If you only have the prototype I saw on your website, maybe you could strike a deal with the restaurant to sit outside their door and do a survey. That kind of study will not only help you sell/license the patent rights, but it will ignite your fire again

2. I have a saying, "fail forward". That means don't let failure be the end of the road, just part of the process of success.

Remember, you will hear "no's" along the way to success. The people who become successful are not people that never heard a "no", but people who didn't stop until they got a yes!

Happy Inventing!

Lisa Lloyd

Thanks for the reply, Lisa! I would love to do a survey like the one you suggested. I will let you know how it works out. For now, I need to find someone to make a load of prototypes for me.

Bettersushitray,

We also have a really neat tool on ideatango that can help you form a private, confidential discussion group, right online. You can use the Groups feature (found under the Community page), create your own focus group, and then invite other ideatango users to review your drawing.

You can also set the group so you have to approve anyone who wants to join. Anyway, think about using the Groups feature to create an online focus group with other members, great (& cheap) way to get feedback!

Bryan Daigle