TeeterToss and RingSwing won Gold at INPEX 2017 and are now sold nationally through Gopher Sports at $169 for the standard set and $469 for the team set. Here is the unglamorous version of how that happened — and what I'd tell anyone standing where I stood.
It starts with a problem, not a product
The problem was simple: playground games where most kids stand in line waiting for a turn. A game where everyone plays at once, indoors or out, with no skill barrier, was the actual invention. The pole and rings were just the answer.
Write your problem statement in one sentence before you build anything. If a buyer can't repeat it back, the product isn't ready to pitch.
Cheap prototypes beat good prototypes
The first versions were crude. That's the point — every dollar spent making version one pretty is a dollar spent before you know whether the game is fun. Put it in front of real kids, in a real gym, and watch what they do without instructions.
Protect it, then talk about it
- Document everything with dates before you show anyone.
- File the provisional — roughly $60 for a micro entity — to get 12 months of patent-pending.
- Use a short mutual NDA with manufacturers and partners.
- Then start talking. Silence protects nothing.
Tooling: thirty days in China
I spent thirty days alone in China getting the product tooled. Nothing prepares you for standing on a factory floor at 6am arguing about wall thickness in a language you don't speak. What I learned: be physically present or accept whatever arrives in the container, get samples signed off before mass production, and always price the second run — the first is never profitable.
The rejections came first
ESPN. The NBA. The NFL. MLB. NHL. NASCAR. Nickelodeon. Disney. McDonald's. Madison Square Garden. All no, or no reply, which is the same thing with better manners.
The lesson isn't 'never give up'. It's that fit beats enthusiasm. None of those organisations sell equipment to schools. Gopher Sports does. The yes came from the buyer whose business the product actually served.
What actually closed it
- Awards that gave third-party credibility — Silver at INPEX 2006, Gold in 2017.
- A product that fit an existing catalogue category and price band.
- Video of real kids playing, which does more than any spec sheet.
- Patent-pending status, so the buyer wasn't investing in something anyone could copy.
- Persistence measured in years, not weeks.
If you're at the start of this
The whole path is documented in the Dream Kit System: the disclosure templates, the patent walkthrough, the China sourcing guide, the NDA pack and the pitch material — $99 for the complete system, or start at $25 with the AI coach that walks you through the first decisions.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get an invention into a store?
Find the distributor who already sells to your exact customer, make sure your product fits a category and price band they already stock, and pitch with proof — video, awards, patent-pending status.
Should I license my invention or manufacture it myself?
Licensing trades margin for reach and removes inventory risk. Manufacturing keeps margin but ties up capital. For a first product with no distribution, licensing or a distributor deal is usually the faster path.
How much did it cost to bring TeeterToss to market?
The filing was in the tens of dollars; tooling and travel were the real cost. Budget for tooling long before you budget for marketing.
Stop researching. Start filing.
The Dream Kit System is the exact process behind two INPEX medals and a national Gopher Sports distribution deal — audio course, AI mentor and business setup.