Inventor and entrepreneur Mark Eichenbaum created The Baggler: a unique device that alleviates the pain and hassle that most people experience while trying to carry their shopping bags. The Baggler is an eco-friendly and ergonomic shopping bag management system that enables people to carry their groceries or belongings, up to 54 lbs. of weight, in a safer and comfortable way.
We asked Mark for an interview and he kindly agreed to share his experience and inventing background with us. Thank you Mark, for helping to educate the inventor community!
Interview With Inventor Mark Eichenbaum
The Baggler Company LLC
Augusta, Maine
QUESTION:
1. What’s your background and what made you start pursuing your invention ideas?
I grew up in White Plains, New York. My mother was very artistic and made a living selling her painting and crafts. My father had a formal education in engineering, so you might say that I inherited some of their traits.
As a child I had an affinity for science and design. I was often accused of having a busy mind because I’d be thinking of solving all sorts of dilemmas of day-to-day life. Although I went to college, I didn’t pursue a career that followed in my parents’ footsteps.
QUESTION:
2. How did you come up with The Baggler? How long has it taken from the initial idea for this product to taking it to market?
The genesis of The BAGGLER® was the mother of invention as many would claim. Neither my mother nor my grandmother drove a car. As soon as I was able to drive, I was the one that shuttled them around to shop for groceries. Probably the most aggravating part of shopping was the chore of carrying multitudes of bags from the car into the house. Very often the bags filled with groceries would slide around and spill their contents in the trunk of the car. Then was the nuisance task of gathering the things and carrying those flimsy plastic bags up the steps and into the house. This went on for years and made me start thinking that there must be a logical solution to eliminate the pain and hassle that is commonly associated with carrying multiple bags.
Then one day at the conclusion of a frustrating grocery shopping event I sat down and made a drawing of a tool that I called The BAGGLER®. I filed this drawing away but occasionally I would take it out and tweak my design. It wasn’t until Christmas of 2005 that I decided to try and bring this concept to fruition. Up until then I had not seen anything in my daily travels that looked like it could solve the problems I was experiencing.
I really didn’t have any idea where to begin but within a couple of days my wheels were in motion. Almost 7 months later I had prototypes for market testing. Several weeks later I had a product for sale on the Internet and a few months later it was selling in the local stores. By mid February 2007 there were 4,000 stores selling The BAGGLER®.
QUESTION:
3. Do you get help with different parts of the inventing process? If so, who do you get help from and with what?
The best source of information came from other inventors. I visited blogs and researched articles written by people that invented products and brought them to the marketplace. First I learned about intellectual property, creating a confidential disclosure agreement and finding templates of these documents. My patent agent and patent attorneys were very helpful as well as costly, however I found value in their services.
I applied for seed money through the Maine Technology Institute on three separate occasions and though they never awarded The Baggler Company or me with monies. The experience was helpful because of the knowledge about product development that I acquired through MTI.
I learned volumes from the people that I encountered at tradeshows. Shows such as ASD, GMDC, NACDS, IHA and the National Hardware Show provided me an opportunity to talk with other vendors, sales representatives and exhibitors. Some of these people have become close friends in addition to offering great insights.
QUESTION:
4. How are you promoting The Baggler?
I first and foremost have our website www.thebaggler. Recently we concluded an 18-month campaign with the QVC shopping channel. During that time I ceased marketing at tradeshows, but plan to re-engage in the process soon. My job as owner and CEO means that I am responsible for most of the day-to-day activities. I am always looking for the best avenues to get our products placed and sold. I would like to license The Baggler and also develop a DRTV campaign that would drive retail store sales.
QUESTION:
5. Do you have more invention ideas you hope to bring to market in the future?
I do have a couple of ideas that may lead to my next big thing. Now that I have a template for the process, I am inclined to move ahead. Time and money are my largest obstacles and it wouldn’t hurt if the economy showed signs of significant recovery.
QUESTION:
6. In your opinion what’s the most important thing for aspiring inventors to know about the invention process?
That is a great question. Over time I have come to realize that there are many brilliant ideas that are yet to become viable products. In fact there are many people that have incredible inventions waiting to happen. Lots of people tell me everyday that they have an invention and they want to know how to make it happen.
The truth is that very few will take steps to developing their concepts because they don’t want to do the research or work. There are no shortcuts. You must do your diligence, as there are no substitutes for making the effort. Learn about IP, both patents and trademarks. A patent search is a must and if you don’t do it, an attorney that specializes in patent law can do it for a fee. You will need prototypes and need to conduct market research. Finally nobody can sell your products and ideas better that yourself. Once you have merchandise that is retail ready, you have many other challenges getting retailers to sell you products.
In the final analysis inventors must be willing to apply themselves. I did it, and the experience has been the most rewarding thing I have done with my life. Throughout the travails of The BAGGLER®, I have traveled the world representing the state of Maine during the Gubernatorial International Trade Missions. While exhibiting at some of the largest international trade shows I have met many brilliant people. All of this while having sold our products to retailers such as QVC, Rite Aid, Office Max and Aafes. It’s been worth all the effort.
To learn more about Mark Eichenbaum’s The Baggler, read our Inventor Notes article about this product by clicking on the link below:
http://inventornotes.com/2011/12/29/inventor-mark-eichenbaum-creates-the-baggler/
