What does it take to turn an idea into a product? How can I realize financial gain from my idea? Where do I start? These and many other questions swirl around would-be inventors and entrepreneurs as they seek to bring new products and services to market. The process can seem daunting for anyone making a first attempt and confronting the typical hurdles and roadblocks the marketplace utilizes to cull the field.

I look at hundreds of products each year and have done so for almost 30 years. The ideas that succeed invariably consist of the same basic elements.

One, an entrepreneur with passion, a realistic view of the opportunity they have created and a flexible attitude to the inevitable critique and changes the original concept will undergo. The world is full of dreamers. Successful entrepreneurs work non-stop in pursuit of their well-designed goals.

Two, a new product or service concept that fills an identifiable market niche. The niche can be a completely new product category (think Windows, XM Radio, E-Bay) or a small piece of a vast, mature market segment (Sam Adams Beer, Coach, George Foreman Grille). The Unique Selling Proposition is the element that enables the product to be positioned as an advance, offering different, improved features and benefits. The world doesn