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PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: The Speed Rollers paint applicator system targets professional painting contractors. Featuring two rollers, the system is fed by an airless paint pump that dispenses paint onto the top roller. Because the applicator system eliminates the need to dip into a roller pan and also minimizes the so-called "back roll," it's four to five times faster than a traditional roller system. While Donegan didn't invent Speed Rollers, he was able to launch his company after signing a licensing deal with Mike Puczkowski, the product's inventor.

The Speed Rollers system retails for $349 and is sold through major paint retailers such as Sherwin-Williams.

STARTUP: About $150,000, which was spent to launch the product at the Painting and Decorating Contractors of America trade show in 2004. Costs included marketing materials, booth rental, product development, patents and to laser-cut prototypes.

THE CHALLENGE: How does an entrepreneur who knows an inventor with a great idea decide whether or not the product is worth pursuing?

Inventors are often great at creating innovative products, but they're often lousy at turning their inventions into businesses. Not surprisingly, inventors represent a big opportunity for entrepreneurs. Taking an inventor's product to market--which is what Shawn Donegan did with the Speed Rollers system--can mean big profits for those willing to carefully research a product's viability before spending too much money.

Step to Success

RECOGNIZE A GOOD IDEA. Donegan had been involved in managing commercial properties and painting contractors for several years. "I knew that painting contractors were four to five times faster with spray paint than they were with rollers," he says. "But on many jobs, the effort to cover up other surfaces was so substantial, it was just as fast to use rollers. So I was blown away with [Puczkowski's] invention--it was as fast as or faster than spray painting, didn't require substantial effort to protect other areas, and eliminated spray painting's loss of 20 to 30 percent of the paint."

# posted by Medical Information : 4:03 AM