business plan

Well fellow followers,and those new to my blog, it has been a long time between blogs, so some updates for you now.

ABN is registered, as M.A.R.S Wheelchairs

Business plan is in the final stages.

Research into what and why I chose certain materials.

Still trying to organise some help from the government, and also still trying to get the government to move on the possible add of Colours chairs from America.

Ben has given me some awesome contacts, and I have followed up with them. My research is getting more indepth now, and will soon print my findings, and hopefully add thatto my business plan when I submit for the grant application.

Next well once the business plan is completed, I will register my business name, and in the near future register my chairty.

Wheelchairs for Asia.

Well keep an eye on my blog, I will update quicker next time

business meeting take 2

Thursday: tomorrow at midday on the spot, at Gloria Jeans coffee chop at Rhodes,will be meeting with Vic again,hopefully this time we will have an eventful meeting.

Somethings they want me to do,become an OHSA consultant,yes of course I did study it at Uni,but it don't interest me these days, but hey, if it gives me the support I need why not?

Plus the money would come in handy for business start up.

So I will repost tomorrow night after the meeting.

cheers

to the future and beyond

Sunday again,and time for a weekly post.

Sitting in Church listening to the service,in which Pastor Katherine was leading today, and I realised I have been spending too much time trying to encourage others around me, I forgot about my ambitions.

In my head I have sketched out my business plans, and even designs of my own concepts for wheelchairs.

I recently put them to paper, and the next step is too further create those designss, I have three major designs, I wont be doing Suspension chairs, I still am hoping to get enough advice from the state government here to import suspension chairs from Colours in America.

My wheelchair designs are mainly focussed on usability for Australian consumers.

I further discussed with Ben my business ideas, and once again Ben offered more insight to business,and even more ideas, Thankyou Ben.

I just hope after my business meetings with potential business backers from the government and hopefully some R&D grants i can eventually start to transverse my ideas further into a practical concept, and develop a prototpe for my chairs.

I will further develop the designss, Patent them (allowing me to soully own the dieas) and them research around for possible manufacturer ideas.

Still alot of details to sort out,at this stage, I only designed my three main cencepts for the frames, but have no idea for the cambars.

I appreciate any feedback advice that you my readers can offer me.

cheers

and stay tuned for future posts

fully collapsable chairs.

The idea of an adjustable chair is one which has been going around for some time, but most companeis have struggled with the idea,and how to make a chair that is a cute looking chair.

Another problem alot of wheelchair manufacturers have stumbled with is collapsable chairs, which make it easier to place into a car.

I have a idea of a chair that would coolapse right down,and potentially fit in the floor area of the front seat. However,it has already been developed, see the following description.

The product intrinsic value is the multifunction, as we can easily add to the basic model various accessories, such as the back wheels’ slap system, indispensable to play tennis, the anti-tilting wheel, the grip wheels for dirt roads and those specific for the beach.

Aluminium foldable frame, superlight
Fenders in high-efficiency carbon
Footrest in transparent lexan or carbon
Multi-adjustment system for front and back wheels

Highly customisable and with a winning design, you can choose your B-Free wheelchair in different colours and rim models.

the design is a three wheel chair, with a collapsable front wheel arm, I do believe there is room to improve this system, not yet available in other countries other then Italy.

I am not a design person,or an artist,but I will give my ideas and put them to paper and see how I go.

With the COLOURS chairs I would love to get to Australia, I have hit a setback again, the workshop I wanted to do, is unavailable to wheelchairs, as the building only has stairs.

I hope COLOURS will be patient,if not, I hope they are able to find a distributor within Australia.

Wheelchair suspension/shock absorption

Suspension is a concept applied to devices in order to absorb a shock that the device might experience from being dropped or hitting a bump. The application of suspension is usually seen in transportation vehicles that involve wheels, such as cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and wheelchairs. Despite the benefits of installing a suspension system in wheelchairs, many mechanical wheelchairs do not employ any type of suspension. This most likely results from the fact that wheelchairs are typically not used to travel over rough terrain, and they rarely experience being dropped. Furthermore, it requires more force to move a manual wheelchair with a suspension/shock absorption system than it does to move a rigid manual wheelchair. This results from the fact that there is more inertia to overcome with the wheelchair that has the suspension system. However, certain mechanical wheelchairs, including those used for sports and for traveling over rough terrain, and most automatic wheelchairs make use of a suspension system of some type. When wheelchairs do not have a suspension/shock absorption system, the shock of a bump hitting the wheel is directly transferred to the rider, which can be uncomfortable.

Frog Legs
These are one of the several types of shock absorbers (suspension systems) for the manual wheelchair. These shock absorbers rely on altering the front castor forks, which are the metal upside-down U-shaped components of the wheelchair that cover the front wheels. Typically these forks are stiff and do not exhibit any kind of compliance when a load is placed on them or when the wheelchair hits a bump. The frog leg shock is composed of a polymer and hinge, which allow the wheelchair to roll over small obstacles without the rider experiencing a severe impact. Bullfrog power suspension is a type of suspension that is usually classified as a type of frog leg suspension. The most significant difference is that the bullfrog system has a higher weight capacity than the standard frog leg suspension system.

A-Arm
Currently, this is the most common suspension system for U.S. cars. However, its method for shock absorption can be transferred for use in manual wheelchairs, especially those used for intense physical activity. The a-arm suspension is also known as a double wishbone suspension, and this name provides a description for the appearance of the suspension. The arrangement of the a-arm suspension generally involves a wishbone-shaped arm attached at each front wheel. This arm is directly connected to a shock-absorber and a coil spring, which help to minimize the impact of rough terrain and bumps.

The following is the description COLOURS use to descripe the BOING

(The a-arm suspension is the key to the comfort and security you feel when you ride in the "Boing!" With a lifetime warranty that includes the springs and shocks, you know that this wheelchair is one that can accommodate your lifestyle wheather you're going to work, camping or dancing.)

Rock Shox
Recently developed for use in Sunrise Medical’s Quickie XTR, this suspension system/shock absorber is the first monoshock system to be used in a wheelchair. The Rock Shox’s main innovative technology involves the use of “rebound dampening.” Rebound dampening prevents the shock absorbers, or springs, from return the chair to its original position as quickly as they were compressed. This problem is one that often plagues other suspension or shock absorber systems such as frog legs and the a-arm. The Quickie XTR is a manual wheelchair, and, in conjunction, the Rock Shox monoshock system can only currently be used in manual wheelchairs.

(That could be highly debatable,Colours first developed the BOING independent 4 suspension back in 1992)

Tweel
Although it is technically not a suspension system, the tweel, or tire and wheel, allows for wheelchairs to venture onto rougher or bumpier grounds. The tweel is essentially a wheel that has a system of interconnected rubber spokes that form the tire. As a result of the spokes, the “tire” requires no air, and the wheel and tire are essentially one in the same. This innovation prevents the tire from becoming flat and even results in the tire/wheel becoming a better source of absorption when it hits a bump, serving as an excellent substitute for or addition to shocks or a suspension system. Currently, the tweel is used in power wheelchairs, such as the iBOT.

Tweel is the current use of shock absorbsion I use on my own chairs.

import/export workshops Part two

I was researching even more today, and have found some more helpful information.

Customs requirements

There is no requirement for companies or individuals to hold an import licence. However, depending on the nature of the commodity, and regardless of value, owners may need to obtain permits to facilitate clearance of goods.
Prohibited & restricted goods

Quarantine requirements

Before I import goods, you need to find out if your goods fall under quarantine regulations. If you import plant, animal, mineral or human products, the Australian Quarantine & Inspection Service (AQIS) will need to inspect and/or treat your products for pests or diseases.

Grants and Assistance

Grants and other funding programs are available from the Australian, state and territory governments and in some cases from local councils. Generally there are few grants available for starting a business, and those that are available are competitive or are only available for specific circumstances. However, there are grants and other assistance available for business activities such as expanding your business, research and development, innovation and exporting.

I may also find it useful to contact an advisory service for information on what support is available for your business.

If I experience difficulties in running my own business, whether it be for personal or financial reasons, it can help to contact a counselling service.

To help me locate grants and assistance relevant my business, we have created a search tool called Grant Finder. Using Grant Finder, you can search for grants and assistance programs available within your state or territory, in addition to those provided by the Australian government.

import/export workshops

Well, next week I will register and pay the fee for the workshop, which will give me the skills that are needed for my own distribution company.

Really looking forward to it. It is on the 20th August on a friday, Pastor Luke has offered to take me all the way to Balcktown.

The trainer, Corinne Campbell, has a wealth of experience and is author of the Comprehensive Import / Export Manual that you receive for free in the workshop. Specific workshop outcomes include:

Some of the things I expect to learn are as follows:

How to set right your International Banking
What grants are available and how to get them
What is the optimal choice to finance the trade
How to handle all aspects of documentation
Who to contact
What to do and what not to do
How to include all the hidden costs in your calculations
Which commercial risk minimisation strategies are appropriate

Well I will keep you all posted with the workshop and any progress which may or not come out of the workshop.

rear suspension

The last two weeks I have comtemplated rear suspension.

I have researched into what is already available, alot of wheelchair manufacturers make them, but ones in Australia don't make them to high standards, normally with normally rubber type suspension.

Invacare make suspension with aluminuim, but unfortunately, they are not idependent.

Again I see myself going back to COLOURS, they have developed successfully the independent suspension.

Those chairts would really be benefitial for most chair users in Australia.

My design works around the idea of a colar bone design. But thats going to be where it stays,a design, I will focus on affordablwe chairs, that I could hopefully sell in China and Asia.

Colours are still without a distributor in Australia.

N.E.I.S

Well people, here we go again, my daily rants, and ideas.

However on this occassion, I am thinking more seriously about my own business, wheelchair manufactures, I am not as Creative as the geniuses at Colours in America, so my ideas will be simple ones.

In Australia our medicare system don't fund wheelchairs, a scheme call PAPD does, and most applications are refused, hence my idea of affordable wheelchairs. I believe AMerica have more respect for the disabled, and I was once told if I had an option, that I should choose to live in America.

www.spinlife.com states on their website, that Medicare covers wheelchairs in America, and unfortunately in Australia alot of wheelchair users are not so financially supportive.

I suggest to myself to develop custom wheelchairs that everyone could afford.

One major set back is start up costs. I don't know much about business in Australia, but I was turned onto N.E.I.S scheme.

New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS) will endevaour to help with the business development.

Your NEIS provider will help you decide whether you should undertake a Certificate III in Micro-Business Operations or a Certificate IV in Small Business Management. This will depend on the type of small business you are planning. During the training you will also develop a business plan which will need to be approved by your NEIS provider.

NEIS training helps you to achieve a nationally recognised qualification, and is a Centrelink approved activity for up to 13 weeks. This allows time for completing the course (normally six to eight weeks), assessment of your business plan by your NEIS provider and any final business preparations.
If you have prior training or experience in business, you may be eligible for prior learning exemptions.

If your business plan is approved, you will receive NEIS Assistance, which includes:

NEIS Allowance for up to 52 weeks
NEIS Rental Assistance for up to 26 weeks (if eligible), and
business mentoring and support during your first year of business operation.

This is government system, but it looks rather sound knowledge.

I am now in the process of looking further into it.

sturdy but simple

well here I go yet again, discussing my ideas to myself.

my may aim, (if I did end up going through the process of my own company) is to be able to build chairs for everyone, and then also being able to make chairs for poverty stricken people around asia.

whilst I was in Shanghai and most parts of china, I was able to help young people get into a wheelchair themselves, who would generallly not be able to afford one.

It gave me a sense of belonging to help those in Asia.

Although I would love to be able to make wheelchairs in the same league as Colours chairs are, I think practical would be more modest, in Asia, people who need chairs are happy just to have a chair, that means freedom, no longer needing to crawl on the ground.

I think fix frame chairs are just right. Most companies around the world make them, even Colours makes some, like their Spazz chair, but I am thinking good for people who can afford them, but more simply for those who cant.

a functioning wheelchair that meets it's purpose.

However, I may have great ideas, and alot of ambition, I think maybe I lack the ability and know how, and I sure that I wont be able to make any chairs as good as COLOURS chairs, I just don't think I am that creative, and for this purpose I have, I think my simple ideas are just as good.

front suspension

A common question I ask myself, how affective are fron tend suspension on wheelchairs?

Once again I see my self looking towards Colours in America, which I have said before, are market leaders in suspension.

Although I believe they may utilise the norm front suspension as most other companies do.

Those are the Frog leg suspension, however, the BOING wheelchair they produce, seem to have new system, a single arm, and not a handle I guess you could say.

I believe this withstands more punishment when hit at a bump.

the frog legs, take the impact at the rear, not like the single arm, they seem to take it directly, and therefore holding more push in the suspension.

I guess you could look at the forks on a mountain bike,or motor bike, a streight arm, connected to the wheel, that is the same impression I believe the BOING may have, and I believe Colours alternative suspension chairs may or may not use this tecchnologies.

saber

It does appear that the most common need for wheelchair design is a chair that is fully adjustable.Within Australia there is only one company that has this ability.

Invacvare, however it does not adjust completely, I just seen the Colours in Motion in America, just released the Saber chair, completely and fully adjustable.

This is also a possible design that could be included in my own designs, if and when I start up/

At present, I am trying to get Colours in Motion, a distributor within Australia, the last distributor closed their sales department.

I believe that there are more advancements that can be made towards wheelchair designs, mainly what materials are used.

Colours

Well here we are again, and another brilliant idea I have stumbled upon from a wheelchair manufacturer in America.

Colours wheelchairs are without a doubt the leaders in advance technology in wheelchairs.

I recently viewed their website, and another brilliant design, Saber wheelchair, it is awesome, but I am here to discuss their suspension chairs.

Boing is the flagship suspension chair, Aaron is a young guy in a wheelchair, he also has I believe Spina Bfida.

However that don't stop him, he has a fully reinforced Boing chair, reason it is reinforced, he is apart of the Nitro Circus team, X-treme sports people.

Aaron would scale down a huge ramp, and then up again the other side, jumps of, mid air does a fully 360 degree turn in the air, and land again, this would not be possible if he had an ordinary susoension chair.

The chair I am most interested in is the independent suspension SwitchBlade chair, same aspects as the Boing, but at a lighter weight.

I thought about suspension chairs, for if I was to undertake my own business, and realised that Colours are the leaders, and I would leave that to them.

Absolute brilliant minds that design some of the most outstanding chairs in the world.

tiLite

Still deciding on wheelchair designs, I stumbled upon TiLite chairs, well crafted and designed, patented castors, light weight, and easy to modigy.

SDL in Seven Hills alreay distribute these, from an American company.

It seems that most designs are opened frame chairs, not like the fixed frame cambars that commonly are displayed in australia.

MOGO Wheelchairs

Venturing into my mind once again, having strong committments now with developing and designing my own wheelchairs, still with the mindset of designing cheper chairs for everyone to afford.

I contacted the owner of wicked wheelchairs in Queensland, about how he got started, although he now only distributes chairs, he still had a great deal of advice.

He has suggested I contacted MOGO wheelchairs from Bankstown, I have one of their chairs very nice looking chairs.

One trouble is travelling there, there is a bus that goes there, but it is not a wheelchair bus, I can get there by wheeling, but it is a rough road to go down, not much access there.

Dion also suggested that I do some work or even volunteering work for them, to get the skills and experience needed, like wielding, I cannot even wield yet.

I think it would be benefitial to do it, but getting there is a hassle for me, stay home dad and we dont have our own transport.

We will see what eventuates, it is an avenue I am willing to undertake.

M.A.R.S part 2

Every waking moment in the day, i continue to think how best to improve existing wheel chair designs.

I have some strong ideas, especially on breaking, as one trouble I have is, if I am on a slant or sligh slope, I find it hard to release my hands from the wheels to put the breaks on.

Even when travelling on a bus, it is some what hard, what makes it harder is the fact my daughter is almost 20 months, and I still have her sit on my lap, in most cases (on transport) in a harness.

I always need to be aware that one hand is able to catch her if the case arrises, leaving the other hand on a wheel, where as if there was an exxisting breaking system, it would be easier.

I currently have three chairs, all are eceptionally good chairs, i tend to favour the Invacare chair, made from titanium, my mogo chair was extremely well built and suited my needs when my daughter was younger, since i have damaged my back more, and can no longer sit in it. Other chair is a colours hammer sports chair.

My idea is to design a breaking system to address all levels of ability, most people I know that use chairs, are lower elvel quadriplegics, and have little or no upper limb strength, so a break system for their level of ability, and for those who do not use a motorised chair.

Possibilities for new alternative shapes and designs for wheelchairs.

I researched alot of frame designs, and believe I can improve on those existing designs. As I see it, Australia have only two manufacturers of wheelchairs.

Mogo Wheelchairs in Bankstown, and Mobility Plus wheelchairs in Melbourne.

Of which I have owned both.

Designs are old and outdated, Australia needs to implement designs that come into the new century, and match those chairs designed in Australia.

Castors are also out dated, one company in America Colours wheelchairs, has revolutionised the front castors, in which could make wheelchairs in Australia look and feel great.

However, if I was to design my own line of chairs, a few things stand in my way.
1 Money
2 Equipment
3 Factory space
4 Materials
5 Marketing
6 suppliers
7 recieving a head start into the business, not really a thing of hassle, but would be great to recieve advice from someone who already has made their way in the business of designing wheelchairs.

One thing that I have decided on is a name.

Names always have a personnel feel, something close to your heart, whether creative or self meaning.

M.A.R.S

Mathew . And . Raquel . Sarai

simple and easy to know.

With the name would come the added touch of ownership, Red chairs would mention this is M.A.R.S chair