Blog 01 – Inventing

Laura’s How To – Part 1. – 07.22

If you’ve ever wondered how to get something from idea to market, (in our case in just 6 months) we’re here to share all the juicy details with tips and pointers.

Neither myself or Tom had ever done anything like this before,  all we had was belief in our idea and the overwhelming urge to make it happen.  

Lightbulb moments can ping at any time, don’t let a good one drift into the cosmos!  For us, the idea came about while we were walking our dogs.  Traditional guidance methods were cumbersome and not practical for us with our daft furry pals pulling us around.  After Tom lost his grip on my elbow, we joked around, being silly and exaggerating the situation.  This lead to the climatic suggestion of a handle being stuck to my arm.  We elaborated on how this could be possible, and that was the ball was rolling.

We hope to give some guidance and inspiration, so you can be prepared to nurture any idea with confidence.  It wasn’t easy, and we had many bumps on the road, but the key is perseverance.  

 

LESSON 1 – PREPARE TO PERSEVERE

 

Luckily our idea was pretty low-tech.  We knew it would be made from fabrics, and I had a sewing machine plus lots of bits n bobs around the house.  Before jumping ahead of ourselves, we did multiple Google searches for our idea using phrases like, a “harness guidance aid”, a “handle for an arm” etc.  We found nothing, and even tried alternative languages, finding it very hard to believe it didn’t already exist.

Waiting a day was too long!  On the night we came up with the idea I made a rough prototype from a knee pad and a bag, chopping perfectly good items up, but it was worth it to make this exciting thing.  We had to test the concept asap.

The inventors of the Ramble Tag. Tom is blind and holding the prototype blind aid / ramble tag that laura made the very night they had the idea together. they are delighted with the feeling of using it.story board of the first prototype in action. black and white nostalic happy photos.

 

The next morning I knocked on Tom’s door wearing it, and we went for a walk with our dogs. The feeling of independence became immediately apparent to Tom. The simple act of holding a handle attached to my arm, allowed him to walk more freely and naturally.  For me as his guide, it felt amazing.  My fear of him losing contact was gone, it felt safe and we were walking more freely and securely.

 

Luckily my partner Ross is a photographer, and we knew this was a day we’d want to remember.  He captured this magic moment when we were undoubtedly committed to perfecting our idea and helping others.

 

STEP 1 – TEST CONCEPT

 

It’s great to look back on it all and share our journey, we hope you enjoyed the first nugget.

By Laura Maclean CEO Ramble Tag Ltd

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