Testimonial: Jason Rider
Jason Rider – 3D Printer-Enabled Entrepreneur
Jason is the Founder of Thriving Systems Design, LLC, in Ft. Collins, CO and the inventor of the C-Bite Stake Clamp and Anchor System. The C-Bite System snaps on to the most common trellising products to hold garden plants.
“I’m definitely a Serial Entrepreneur and was a bit frustrated because my notebook full of ideas weren’t coming to fruition. For example, in the early 90’s I was driving in my car and thought, “it would be great to have some sort of a one-handed dental floss contraption that I could use in my car.” Then, a while later, I saw them for sale.”
3D Desired
“I saw my first 3D printer in 2000 when I had a company that gave away digital projectors to the schools in exchange for advertising space on the screen while they were in use. It was a real eye-opener watching the projector shells being created before my eyes. Unfortunately, it was cost prohibitive at that time. In 2013, however, I knew that I needed one for my current project.”
“As part of my research, I came across the Afinia Desktop 3D Printer in MAKE Magazine’s Ultimate Guide to 3D Printing. It looked really easy to setup and use so I bought one. That’s when my business really started to take shape.”
Planting the Seeds of Innovation
“I have a garden and love to grow tomatoes. The problem was that I had to use zip-ties, wire, and string to hold the plants to the stakes. Then, when the plants get too big they end up on the ground and I waste a lot of tomatoes. I tried to make a trellis, and that didn’t work too well because of the difficulty in connecting the garden stakes.”
“Necessity is the Mother of Invention. I designed a c-shaped clip with hooks and holes that made the job of tying up my plants much easier. The issue was, how to get my idea into the real world.”
“I started designing with TinkerCad and that got me far enough to apply for a patent. I had seen 3D printers in the past and they were too expensive. I’m glad that I waited because the prices have come down and the capabilities have gotten better.”
Growing Interest
“Being a bootstrap guy, I was able to collateralize my Colorado Enterprise Fund loan with my Afinia 3D Printer and my provisional patent application.”
“When I had my design perfected, I printed out some models and presented them to the folks who gave me my loan. I also took the samples to garden stores and was able to get commitments from a large number of those whom I visited. I was not targeting just garden stores and greenhouses, but also large retailers.”
“Product adoption in my niche is pretty high, and has been a function of seeing and holding the product. This is noteworthy, because I did not bring in a final manufactured product to sell, but an idea in ABS. The Afinia has really accelerated the progress of my business.”
“For example, I came up with the idea for C-Bite in November of last year. I applied for my provisional patent in December, used the Afinia to perfect the design, went door-to-door getting pre-sales in January.”
“I took my prototype to a manufacturer and they were surprised to see that my concept was that far along. They are used to seeing drawings, not finished prototypes.”
From Brain to 3D
“Because of my Afinia, I can move ideas from my brain into 3D in a few hours with total privacy and at a very low cost. I have a lot of ideas and I’m running my 3D printer full-time. The quality of the printer is fabulous.”
Jason is far enough along in the process to already be taking orders online at www.c-bite.us/webstore. Production of the C-Bite System is on schedule and he plans on shipping C-Bites in Mid to late April. To assist with his production and marketing goals he also has a kickstarter campaign that you can see here.