You might say I learned how to market a product by a process of trial and error, mostly error. I don’t feel like I’m bragging too much when I say I have been called a visionary more than once. A lot of people see me as a pioneering and innovative designer. No one sees me as particularly practical, however, and practicality is a big part of what product marketing is all about. I never really bothered to think about product launches or publicity. My marketing for products included simple basic things like getting some press releases out there and using word of mouth to get the word out.

Fortunately, small business owner was not my only title. I was marketing my own inventions as a comfortable little sideline in the hopes of one day striking it rich. I took flop after flop in stride, figuring that the time just wasn’t right. Making new and innovative designs was not enough to secure me financial success. I had to take it to another level by trying a marketing expert for my creations.

I think she had pity on me when we first met. She was one of the premier regional experts in how to market a product, and didn’t really need to work with me. Nonetheless, we bonded pretty quickly and I think she saw something innovative and promising in some of my design work. She saw something that moved her to do something rare in the industry. She agreed to do all the marketing work on spec for a cut of the profits. She made me her project since she did not really need the money, but wanted something interesting to work on.

It ended up turning out very well for us. She used her product positioning skills to make me a lot of money, and she got a sizable cut of that money. I didn’t exactly get rich, but I certainly came out of it pretty well off, especially considering how I started. If she had never come along with her knowledge of how to market a product and her connections, I never would have gone anywhere. Best of all, I forged a long term business relationship with someone I really trust and admire.