The forum admin has kindly allowed me to post this, which I truly appreciate as I really need the forum’s help in taking the next step to turning my idea into an actual product. I’ve always enjoyed caring for the cars in my household, and it was partially through necessity but also the desire to have a bit of fun that I came up with an idea for a new type of safety stand that would allow me to support my cars exactly where the manufacturer says I should. At the onset I thought it should be very light, amazingly compact, height adjustable of course, and most importantly strong and durable enough that I could work under my cars in confidence and safety.
Well I really wanted to see if I could do it, so to make a looooong story short, I drew up multiple designs, had them tested by an engineer from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University for durability, built a few prototypes, and ended up with a couple of granted patents and I still have more pending. It was a lot of hard work, but I had a great time getting to this point … and it’s here that I need your help. I now have to put together a business plan (my first ever) and I need to have an idea of where I could price these. I would like to keep the stands accessible to most DIYers, and at the same time I’d like to keep them built in the USA if possible, but I understand that might pose a bit of a challenge. Still, I’d like to give it a shot.
An article was just written about my stands by one of the mods at NICOclub which is the largest website for Nissan enthusiasts (though the stands work with any make). The author shares his opinions and describes the benefits of the invention far more eloquently than I ever could:
http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/rennstand.html
Please understand that I don’t have any product to sell, and may never, but if you have a moment and you’re willing to, please help me by sharing your initial thoughts of the stands, and what you feel would be an acceptable price range for a pair. Your input is greatly appreciated!
Thank you so much,
Frank Ceravolo
CEO, RennStand Inc.
[email protected]