Thanks for the question <a href='https://makersource.io/makers/natekinkead'>[Nathan Kinkead]</a> ! I would be happy to give you some marketing tips. What kind of marketing are you thinking of doing? Digital? Social Media? Advertisements? Print? There are lots of ways you could go! No matter what direction you decide to go though, the first step in marketing is understanding your consumer, who they are, where they are and what they want. After you have a firm grasp on who your customer is, you can figure out what medium, verbage and content will be most appealing to your customer. The key is to persuade them that you have what they want (hopefully, you actually do have it). Like i said before, from there you have many options on how to market your business. I hope this is helpful. I'd be happy to answer a follow up question. My specialization is in digital and social media marketing so, I am best suited for those types. Does anyone else have any tips on marketing?

That really depends on what the idea involves, you should do some research to find supporting tools, materials and services that relate to your product idea and just keep them in your bookmarks as you go through various stages of development. If this site takes off, it looks like it could become a pretty good resource for connecting with those providers. Also, getting an early design and prototype prepared is helpful for getting initial investment through sites like kickstarter.

It’s incredibility important to start with the understanding investments are not usually made after just one meeting. Unless it’s a pitch competition, he goal of pitching a VC should be to generate interest and follow up questions. Here’s a suggested 11 slide format: - Vision and value proposition - The unique problem you are solving - The economic opportunity and targeted market - What your solution is and why it is unique or better - Your revenue model - Roadmap and what you’ve already accomplished - Your marketing and sales strategy - Who’s going to get you there - your team - Financials/Valuation - Competitive Analysis - How you are going to use the investment you are requesting

Ok, that is good to know. So who would be the person to talk to at Avnet regarding supply chain? I'm already a customer of AVID which is an Avnet company. What other parts of the company can help me? Right now, I get the feeling with the buyout of Premier Farnell that the many arms of Avnet doesn't really know what the other arms are doing.