Yue Fan: The Pattern Clock

Hi Yue! First of all congratulations on the success of your product so far. I am currently a senior at Eastern Michigan University right down the road, and have been wokring on a business plan for one of my classes. My business plan includes starting my own all natural and organic bakery. Since working on the project it has really opened my eyes to all the things you have to think about when deciding to open a business, or like in your case designing a product. I think it is awesome that you have gone so far with this product, especially since you are at the engineering school and this project involves a lot of business know how. How much research did you have to do regarding this project? Also did you have a business plan, or did you just start without one. Congratulations again. Jennifer Ahlers

Nice product Yue, If one of these pattern clocks was around when I was in high school I probably wouldn't have spent so much time getting yelled at by my folks, unfortunatley that wasn't the case. I'm looking forward to seeing what heppens with your product in the future and I hope it's a huge sucess. Hopefully you can cut down your costs on the manufacturing end of things, $13 per unit does seem pretty cheap to produce though. I've been wondering where you may be considering having these on sale at? I know the discovery channel store in the mall would be one place where I'd expect to see it they always seem to have new and innovative products at their stores. I was also curious if you would consider dropping the price to under $40 if you could find someone to manufacture the prodcuts for less than $13 per unit. Well im definetly exited for you and I hope your product goes far. Congrats, and good luck in the future.

Yue, I think you're pattern alarm clock is a great idea! I too sometimes have a problem of turning off my alarm clock when it first goes off, and then later waking up and wondering why my alarm did not go off. It sounds like you have the beginning steps laid out for the routes you could take to advertise and get you're product manufactured. Television would be a great route to take, as there are always ad's for new unique products being advertised. You're right that it is going to cost you more to manufacture it here in the States, but for our economy right now, it may be the right to thing to do. It's great that you have secured 1000 pre-orders for this product, are any of the orders from U of M students? I feel students of any age could really benefit from your pattern clock, and students themselves would be a great way to get the word out about your product. I heard that you're wondering where to get the funding from, and this seems to be the most challenging part of ones business plan. If you don't have the capital you're self, you have to go out and find out. I would suggest family members, as they would be the best resource to begin with, them perhaps approach a bank. Congratulations on your product! -Amy Suich

When I first seen this interview, I thought to myself what a great idea. I am surprised that no one else has thought of a new way to get people up in the morning. I find myself hitting the snooze so many times that when I actually do wake up it is much later and I find myself running late. This pattern clock can help many people with this problem, by challenging them to complete a simple task, but this simple task is just enough to get someone up and start their day. This is a great example of how your degree can cross into other areas that you may have never thought of. Many people see their degrees only applying to that industry but Yue Fan has been successful in creating a device that does require some engineering but to get the most out of his product, you need some business skills which he does have. This is such a simple design but it does what it is meant to do by waking you up to an alarm and keeping you up because of the need to answer this memory question. I believe people think to hard when it comes to inventions and over analyze creating the perception that it needs to be an elaborate design to be successful and profitable, but that is not the case here. Through this interview I learned how hard it can be to get your idea from paper into an actual product and how expensive this process is. I can see that Yue has great motivation to get the most out of his idea and will be successful with it I hope to see this on the shelves in stores some time soon. I am just interested how you received the capital you needed to get this product running and start the development and what you have learned in the process? Zac Donofrio

Yue Fan is a genius for inventing the pattern clock. Just think that the pattern clock could be in a state of lazy and obese high population. Once I heard what the pattern clock was I saw a wide world of marketing opportunities, such as market placement in a Jim Carry film. Even a Saturday Night live skits were some one is dumb and can’t figure out the pattern to turn it off. I would love to have a pattern clock, because I am not a morning person and I also have the problem of waking up, turning off the alarm clock and returning back to bed. This clock is one of the best inventions since the alarm clock. It has two major benefits of waking someone and exercising their mind before they leave out the door. I just wonder does the patterns change each day or stays the same. I think which ever way Fan goes that he will make back any investment that receives and more. I think that Fan should use retail sellers such as target and wall mart, especially around the Christmas season. The price is a little low personally because I think he could get more then $40 dollars. I also think that he can easily get 5,000 pre orders just off his location at the University of Michigan, plus he also has Eastern Michigan University right down the street. So with a great idea such as the pattern clock I do not think that Fan will have any major problems from here on.

Hello Yue, I think the patter clock is a wonderful idea for a product. I think you have found your niche here because I do not know of any alarm clock that helps you wake up, and makes sure you are awake. I remember a friend from high school that had a hard time waking up in the morning. She would wake up to turn off her alarm clock, but then she would fall back asleep. She would wake up and have no recollection of turning off her alarm clock, this resulted in her missing class. This type of alarm clock would have helped her wake up, and she wouldn’t have missed so many classes. I could really see a lot of people getting a lot of use out of this type of clock. You stated in the video that projected price will be $40, and I do not think that is bad price when compared to the market, as long as the clock actually lasts. The last alarm clock I bought was $10, and it didn’t even last two months. I would much rather spend the extra money and get a clock that will actually last. I was curious to know if you had thought about what color(s) the alarm clock will be made available in? Its seems to me that you will have a wide range of target customers, so having it available in multiple colors might make it more appealing. I was also wondering if you had thought about where your product would be sold at? Would you try to sell it at stores like Wal-Mart or Target, or someplace more local like the University of Michigan bookstores? I think advertising it around campus could help boost sales, since its inventor is an U of M student. I wish you the best of luck Yue on your entrepreneurship endeavors. Autumn Darr

Congratulations, Yue! As a first time enterpreneur student, I have learned first hand just how hard it is so even get your product noticed. I can tell you though, as a manager of a large retail store that it will only benefit you to try and get the product out on those shelves!I know that personally, when we have new products arrive, they are usually placed in prime areas of the store (ends of aisles, right by the check-out) and people are drawn to new items. I've noticed, that the key to sales is all in the marketing of the product. People are drawn to "fancy" aisles and end caps. Have you made it to the phase of planning yet? You talked about possibly working with a retail partner? I was curious to know how far you've gotten in that process? I work with product flow and inventory, and I would love to know what that process looks like from your end. How does your product make it to our stores? It must be a very challenging (and costly) process, but can pay off in the end! I think that a great part of your story is that you have a relationship with a very famous university that could possibly help you in the initial selling of your product. You may be suprised at what could happen if you are able to sell the clock in the bookstores or in local businesses. Sometimes, we do see new designers come out with products in our store and I have always wondered what their stories are! As far as the product, it sounds like a great idea. It's interesting as someone who unloads/sells the product, to hear first hand how the product is actually created! I know that I also suffer from the same syndrome where that alarm clock just isn't enough. You talked about the fact that we suffer from short-term memory loss? This is something new to me, but it makes complete sense. When I finally do wake up I am usually angry that I missed my alarm, and sometimes even say "well, the alarm didn't go off." How much research have you been able to conduct on our sleeping patterns? I was also interested to know if you've actually tested the product out with any individuals who have the same problem? Once again, congratulations with the initial steps of your idea, I wish you the best of luck with it! Jenna Ellison

I absolutely love the idea of the pattern clock. I can totally see this particular idea being a great success. I for one would buy this clock to help my fiancée wake up, she never gets up when her alarm goes off and this would be a great clock for her because it would make her be coherent and not enable her to turn it off. Another reason that I think this is such a great invention is because it has such a huge target market. Anyone would benefit from an invention like this, whether they are a young student in the K-12 grades, college kids, or even working adults. No one likes to get up in the morning, but this clock could absolutely help them do that. The fact that Yue already has over 1,000 pre-orders speaks to the fact that there is a market for this item, especially since it isn’t being sold in stores. I hadn’t even heard of anything like this before, but I absolutely love it. I also love the fact that it is affordable at $40 per clock. I think the most important thing for Yue to do is to get word of his invention out there and figure out how he is going to market it. I could see this product being sold very well online, or even in stores. I think that he could most definitely sell the 5,000 initial clocks that are manufactured. I have been using the same clock for the last 20 years, no joke. But I would seriously consider being something like this because I think it really would make a difference in waking up. I think that Yue could actually benefit from talking to other Michigan Innovators that have to do with financing, because I think that once they take a look at this product they will realize how unique it really is and that it has great potential when it comes to selling it. The concept for this clock is really great, and I think that Yue is most definitely on his way to success with this particular invention.

Hello Yue! I think this idea is great. I know I'm constantly shutting my alarm clock off and closing my eyes "just for five more minutes." Before I know it, I have 10 minutes before class. I don't think I would want to pay $40 for an alarm clock though, especially right now as a student, $40 is a bit out of my budget. It sounds like you are definately on the right track; 1000 pre-orders is amazing! But I am just curious about funding. Is the University of Michigan going to help, since you are a student? Are you spending any money of your own?

I think this is an amazing invention and would be great for most college students. I know when I first started at Eastern Michigan University I made sure never to schedule myself any classes before 9am because I knew it would be difficult to wake myself up.I am curious to know if there would be a way to hook the clock up to a television or ipod? Sometimes I sleep with both my TV and ipod on and would just think that the noise from the alarm clock would be that of the TV or ipod and just ignore it. I myself couldnt afford to pay $40 for the clock but I'm sure someone in my family could buy it for me it would be great if he could get the clock on the home shopping network!

what a fantastic simple idea. Yue has great tenasity and really believed his product could help people. If Yue's clock were in every bedroom the human productivity level would increase, companies would same million if not billions of dollars in lost productivity. I want to know how Yue developed the look and feel of his Pattern Clock. 40 dollars is a great price point. I would be interested to see how it's sales would perform if the introduction of the product was released in an upscale retailer at higher margins and transitioning to a larger retail market.

This is an awesome idea. I have been looking to invest in something like this for the longest time because I am not a morning person to say the least. I am always late for work in the morning because apparently I shut off my alarm in the morning and have absolutely no idea I did. I would like to see these cheaper than $40 though, maybe $25-30? Once it is more detailed and complex after it has been introduced to the public i would have no problem paying extra for it, but for now i think $25-30 is very reasonable. I will stay current with this pattern clock because I would love to purchase one. Congrats on the great idea Yue!

My name is Allison Miska and I am a twenty three year old student at Eastern Michigan University, and your Pattern Clock instantly caught my eye. Being a college student with seven classes at two jobs I often find myself hitting the snooze bottom and waking up in a panic realizing I was never actually awake enough to register what was going on. I admire the fact you took your idea and set it into motion to become reality. I understand you brought your invention concepts to UofM’s school of engineering, what legalities go along with developing a patent/product at UofM? I work at an engineering firm in Bloomfield Hills and we have many invention and confidentially agreements the employees needs to sign before we allow them to patent and invent an idea at our corporation. Have there been any other innovators at the UofM school of engineering that have inspired you at times when you were lost or unmotivated? I also wanted to mention I believe the price of the clock at $40 is very reasonable and for the money it would earn helping people punch in on time for work I think it is worth it. Maybe you could team up with an energy drink or coffee shop on campus at UofM or Eastern as a marketing strategy to promote your product. I think this invention is a great idea that I have not heard of before and would gladly purchase for myself and friends. I wish you the best of luck with the 5,000 orders and any other future endeavors.

Yue Fan is what I think of when I think of your typical entrepreneur - he was a person who had a problem. Yue went on to solve his chronic oversleeping with his pattern clock. The next step to me is: "If I have this problem, does that mean that other people have this problem as well?" If the answer to that question is yes then you have a marketable product on your hands. A product such as this would be excellent for many people as they either do the same as Yue and turn off the alarm and fall back asleep with out knowing it or they fall into the category that I do and are what I like to call a snooze button warriors. At forty dollars this is kind of expensive for an alarm clock but when compared to the price of tuition these days it is only a minor setback. Keep up the good work Yue and good luck finding a good manufacturing deal. One question though: How difficult is this pattern going to be? I mean will this thing get thrown at a wall because I can't turn it off? -Dave Howard