Product Design/Product Management

I Built a Product Before I Found the Market

How Keepsafe Critters taught me the difference between a prototype and a product strategy.

I Had the Prototypes. I Had the Packaging.

What I didn’t have was a path to shelf.

I had a real product: a complete prototype, branded packaging, a planned product line, and licensing ambitions.
What I didn’t have was a plan to get it on actual shelves.

Keepsafe Critters started as a creative idea — part toy, part tech — designed to make a child’s first lock experience fun instead of frustrating. I poured myself into the design and prototyping, and even pitched IP extensions for kids of every age and personality.

But I hadn’t answered the core questions:

  • Who’s buying?
  • Where are they buying?
  • How often will they buy?
  • Through what channel?

This wasn’t a failure of creativity.
It was a failure of go-to-market clarity — and it changed how I approach product strategy forever.

A Patent Is Not a Product Line

Two views of the original lion-faced prototype lock, one closed and one with the face flipped open to reveal the combination mechanism.
The original lion prototype — complete with working mechanics, sound, and vibration feedback.

At the time, I thought success meant protecting the idea and building the prototype. I spent thousands of dollars filing a patent — thinking I could license the tech on top of selling the product.

What I didn’t realize:
I was building for possibility not profitability.
I prioritized manufacturers, not end users.
I was focused on invention, not distribution.

And I hadn’t really defined who I was building for beyond “kids.”

I Was Thinking in Products, Not Vision

A lineup of four Keepsafe Critters: lion, alligator, monkey, and elephant padlocks, each in custom packaging.
Expanding the product line wasn’t just aesthetic — it was about personality. Kids could find a critter that matched them.

Looking back, I had fragments of a larger opportunity — a real product line — but no unified plan for the brand. I was trying to pitch toy companies on a single item, not a scalable offering. I didn’t define the audience beyond “kids,” and I didn’t consider buyer personas, acquisition channels, or pricing models.

But even back then, the roots of a broader vision were there.

There Was a Market. I Just Didn’t Understand It.

A pink flower-shaped padlock with mirror face and dangling floral charms, designed to appeal to a more feminine audience.
Early attempts at audience segmentation — a softer lock designed with a different personality and buyer in mind.

I now know that launching a product means more than designing it.

You have to:

  • Understand the user’s need
  • Define how and where your product will be purchased
  • Ensure the team can deliver at scale
  • Shape emotional and functional benefits around your buyer — not just features.

I missed those things then. I don’t now.

A Vision Takes More Than a Prototype

A full product shelf mockup of Keepsafe Critters, with lion, gator, monkey, and elephant locks in colorful packaging.
The early lineup: bold characters with mass appeal. What I lacked was a clear path to placement and promotion.

This was my first effort. I was a designer.
A creative with ideas — but no GTM playbook.

And that’s the lesson:
A prototype isn’t a plan.
A patent isn’t a product line.
A shelf-ready package isn’t shelf placement.

I learned from this experience — and it reshaped how I approach product development today.

Next Up

How Licensing Taught Me to Prototype for the Pitch
Why building for someone else’s brand may teach you more than building your own.

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