Seven years. A patented product. And a roadmap I wish I’d had.
My name is Todd Hanson. I was hunting on public land when it hit me. We had a game cart in the field and a hitch hauler on the truck — and I thought: why can’t those two things just be one? That question turned into Compass Carts — a patented utility cart system that mounts directly to a standard 2-inch trailer hitch receiver. One product. Seven years of my life.
The journey was long and, frankly, expensive. Manufacturing runs, patent filings, trade shows from La Crosse to SEMA, engineers, prototypes, iterations — you name it, I navigated it. And I did most of it without a real roadmap. I learned by doing, which meant I also learned by making costly mistakes that a little structured thinking upfront could have prevented.
“By the time the first trade show closed on Thursday, I called my engineer and said ‘we need a four-wheeler attachment’ — because I got asked for it so often. That’s how fast an idea can evolve when you’re actually in the market.”
Todd Hanson, FounderWhat Compass Carts became — a product with international interest, authorized dealers across the country, and applications far beyond hunting — was bigger than I originally imagined. And every step of that growth taught me something about what first-time inventors actually need to succeed.
Today I get asked constantly: “How did you do it? Where do I start? What do I need to know?” I genuinely love those conversations. But I also know that one conversation isn’t enough. What inventors need is a structured process — one that asks the right questions, surfaces the real risks, and helps them move faster with less wasted money.
That’s exactly why I built YourIdeaToMarket.com. My background spans manufacturing, sales, finance, marketing, and management — from Fortune 500 companies to single-store retailers — and every bit of it went into this platform. It’s the tool I wish I’d had on day one. And now it’s yours.
