Obsessed might be fair. Single-mindedly focused sounds better.
The making of the Incliner has been more challenging than I’d ever expected. We’re on our 12th prototype… "Why so many?!" you might be wondering? “Just get it out there!” you might be thinking.
Well, our first prototypes didn't do what I wanted them to do. So we went back to the drawing board and back to the drawing board again.
Months went by. I almost threw in the towel.
And then we found David. (Thank you sister Sarah.)
David Ryan is our industrial designer. Working with him has changed my life. I know, sounds melodramatic. But, there it is. My mind has expanded. My way of thinking changed. He has shown me, through the process of product design and development, a different way of looking at things.
I’ve filled pages and pages of notes from our discussions. That’s a separate blog post in the making. For now though, see his work here. He’s a painter, a poet, an educator, and a remarkable human. Without his wisdom and creative mind, InclineRx would have taken an altogether different path.
We want this product to be right - for it to be what it is meant to be. For its form and function to be undivided. (That's a David quote.) For it to be central in your life because using it makes you feel better. And so, we persist in improving. Refine. Refine. Refine. Each refinement helped us to look more carefully at what we were creating and to make a better product.
We were going to do a two halves version. Prototyping showed us otherwise. We were going to do solid arc rockers. Prototyping showed us otherwise. We modified the rockers. Prototyping showed us this was the right way to go.
This entrepreneurial journey? There’ve been more face plants along the way than I care to mention... The learning is like attending grad school. I now understand why big box stores are successful. I’ve learned the painful truth about small quantity orders and pricing. And why furniture making has gone overseas.
Yet...it remains clear - the product works, and well. It does what we set out for it to do—to positively impact people's health and well-being. And that alone, is motivation enough.
Getting rather personal for a moment - - -when I first began to rely on using the incliner in 2012, the experience of it kept me afloat during a time in my life when I found it hard to breathe. I have always been a shallow breather, a bit tightly wound, and, sometimes find it challenging to filter out the frenzy of this world. What drew me to the incliner in the first place, I touched on in my earlier blog posts about our beginnings and about the health benefits of gentle inversion of which there are many.
There’s something different about how it feels to go past horizontal that is unlike anything else. It is such a simple, powerful way of caring for the body. Time on it lends a sense of peace. It’s a healthy addiction. I can think of worse things.
As of this writing, we have placed our first small batch production run and are awaiting the “First Article” (one unit for review) to be completed by our new woodworker. Upon approval, we will make 30 units. As a start.
My ask of you is - please sign up for our newsletter if you haven’t already, and please share our website with people you think might enjoy it. Have you seen the testimonial video? Please click on the “share” button and show your friends or co-workers the video. We’d LOVE your help in getting the word out.
Thank you for being with us on the journey!
To your health,
Aimée and the InclineRx family
2 comments
Sep 15, 2019 • Posted by Lezanne Stevenson
So thrilled that it is coming to fruition!!! Can’t wait for it to explode into the latest must have for every household and business!!! The time and focus you have put in sets it apart from anything else there is. Amazing job!!!!!!
Sep 15, 2019 • Posted by Toni Santos
I love to hear the story behind the story. The balance that you’ve cultivated with the InclineRX for your well being speaks volumes for the integrity and flexibility of the product.
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