So, You Have This Great Idea...

Hiring a prototype contractor can be a cheaper and easier way to design your product. Use these tips to start building.

- Etelka Lehoczky

IN OCTOBER 2014, WHEN Leo Bereschansky dreamed up a ring that lets users signal for help, he didn’t realize he’d soon be on a mission to find a hired gun. But with hardware and software components to design, build, and integrate, he worked with three contractors and went through 140 design iterations before starting production. Nimb, his Wilmington, Delaware–based company, will ship its first rings in July, and Bereschansky’s glad he got outside help. “The advantage of a contractor is you don’t have to gather a team,” he says. “You don’t have to worry about whether people will work well together or how you’ll find a new person if somebody quits.” It seems more startups are following this route. In the past three or four years, says Allen Nejah, CEO of San Jose, California–based contractor Sun-Man Engineering, “we’ve seen a lot more entrepreneurs.” Here’s how to get your idea built with the right outside help. 

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