In this episode, inventor and entrepreneur Jason Rider shares the story behind C-BITE, a patented gardening clip designed to solve common plant support and trellising challenges. Jason discusses how a lifelong passion for gardening, combined with early access to 3D printing technology, led him to develop a versatile product that can connect in hundreds of configurations. He walks through the product development process, from rapid prototyping and patenting to manufacturing, distribution, and scaling a family-owned business alongside his sister. The conversation explores entrepreneurship, product design, retail distribution, in-house manufacturing, and the lessons learned from more than a decade of building a physical product company. Jason also offers practical advice for inventors and founders on finding mentors, learning quickly, and navigating the challenges of bringing an idea to market.
Takeaways

• C-BITE was created to solve the limitations of traditional tomato cages and plant support systems.
• Jason used an early desktop 3D printer to rapidly prototype and refine the product design.
• The product evolved from a simple gardening clip into a modular system with more than 150 connection possibilities.
• Inspiration for the design came from real gardening problems and woodworking joinery concepts such as dovetail connections.
• Early adoption in hydroponics and cannabis cultivation helped validate the product’s usefulness.
• Building a physical product business required learning manufacturing, distribution, marketing, and retail operations.
• Jason and his sister split responsibilities, combining engineering, product development, sales, and marketing expertise.
• Manufacturing in-house with injection molding machines helped reduce costs and improve supply chain control.
• Distribution alone does not guarantee sales, ongoing education, marketing, and customer awareness are essential.
• Jason believes founders should seek mentors, learn from experienced industry professionals, and focus on failing fast to accelerate success.

Today’s guest, Jason Rider, can be found at:Website: https://thrivingdesign.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarider/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/cbite_clips/?hl=en, https://www.instagram.com/cbite_guy/?hl=enYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcXqK8H0m7eavmvpa73t4kQ
Your host, Scott Turman, can be found online at:Website: https://scottturman.com/, https://brightray.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottturman/IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm14602682/
Keywordsgardening, tomato cages, plant supports, trellising, garden stakes, 3D printing, rapid prototyping, product development, invention, patent, manufacturing, injection molding, entrepreneurship, startup growth, retail distribution, wholesale sales, hydroponics, aquaponics, cannabis cultivation, e-commerce, product design, supply chain, marketing, sales strategy, business scaling, gardening tools, modular design, consumer products, innovation, mentoring, small business, direct-to-consumer, distribution channels, greenhouse growing, vertical gardening, custom plant structures, agricultural innovation, inventory management, retail partnerships, prototyping, startup lessons