In some ways this Sucks...

but in other ways it's a real-life demonstration of the unseen drama of bringing a product to life. 

This week on the BE MIGHTY Network I shared a very upsetting discovery right when I was about to start production. 

The fact is that Mighty Wallet has been copied innumerable times.

There have been so many times I've lost track of the number of copy cat companies who have grown up in the shadow of Mighty Wallet but the truth is it still shocking even if it's been 100 times. 

Right when I was going to place my Purchase Order with a new factory that produces a very specialized type of Tyvek I was getting push back from them to provide more information about "who I was, what my goals were for this product" and was told that it might take 6 months to a year before they can work with me. 

I've been highlighting my journey of design and production on the BE MIGHTY Network where fans can apply to contribute and get a rare view into the realities of bringing a product to life. 

This was a total shock - I wanted to tell them to just Google Tyvek Wallet and every result you will find is either my design or an offspring of my idea. Why was I being put in a position to have to prove my intentions when I literally created the entire idea of "Tyvek Wallets" as an established accessory. 

This was stunning and kind of insulting but I wasn't going to fade away and give up so I started digging into a proposal for them and in the process decided to do some research on the types of products they have produced in the past when I discovered something truly shocking; 

They were knocking of Mighty Wallet directly and advertising pictures of my very own designs! 

WTAF

This was a staggering discovery, not only did this mean I couldn't continue with this manufacturer but now I had another fight on my hands. 

Fighting knockoffs is like playing Whac-A-Mole, they keep popping up and at some point you have to decide to get on with your work because they are just gonna keep popping up.

Nowadays I have a great legal team that acts quickly to bring down any newcomers but fighting a company in China is a whole other level of annoying. 

Thankfully this is not my first Rodeo and I'm seasoned in what to do under such circumstances. I've already moved to another source and I'm pulling my contacts at DuPont to help me find alternative solutions. 

The fact is that we can't control the things that happen to us but we can choose how we react to them. The meaning we assign the events that happen in our life color the image of the world we carry everyday. 

By turning this negative into an opportunity to share with you the Mighty Fans a real life part of the journey of being an inventor and product designer it also gives everyone a deeper appreciation for design but is also a life lesson on how to roll w the punches. 

BE MIGHTY!
Terrence